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For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. Deuteronomy 8:7-10

The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 11:10-15

Today's Scripture is for those who are receiving a certain blessing but not quite sure if this is it. It could be a job offer or a marriage proposal or a new home or a divine call or why not a new month! Be assured it will be a good land for you - according to these promises above! Amen!

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Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction. Deuteronomy 7:26

What are these detestable things mentioned here? Verse 25 reads: The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God.

I recall an incident that my brother shared with me once. While shopping for furniture in India he was given a gold coin (yes 24 karat gold) for purchasing items over a certain amount. He accepted the coin but later when he took a closer look at it, it had an engraven image of a hindu idol on it's face. He immediately took it back to the store keeping it in his shoes - he didn't even want to keep it in his shirt pocket or wallet. The store owners were very surprised someone would actually return a gold coin for any reason let alone for it bearing the image of an idol.

As a child I used to collect comic series from Newspaper not knowing those were about hindu gods. When I fell very sick once my Aunt realized it was those books that caused me sickness and when we removed it I was quickly recovered.

It hurts me to see some Christian friends who keep idols in their homes not knowing those are idols, they believe these are cultural ornaments from Asia or elsewhere but in fact these are graven images people in those culture worship as god. Then they wonder why there is no peace in their home.

Be very careful not to bring in any detestables inside your home. As today's verse says, Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

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Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs. Isaiah 61:7

Is there an area in your life where you often experience shame, reproach, ridicule, are you taken for granted, made fun of or be a laughing stock?

The word today says instead of your shame, you will have a double portion and that you will enjoy everlasting joy.

Double portion here could be our physical blessings such as job, home, promotion, etc. But more importantly a double portion of spiritual blessings such as more joy, more peace, more love, more infilling of the Holy Ghost, more of faith, more of dependency on the Lord, more adoration for Him, more souls for His kingdom...etc. are definitely sources of everlasting joy.

When we have more of these spiritual blessings we will be "double grateful" for all the blessings we have been granted. When we are well satisfied with what we have, definitely it brings everlasting joy and instead of our disgrace we will rejoice in our inheritance. Amen!

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Glad you could stop by for some time with Jesus this morning. I guess some of you stayed up late to get the first glimpse of today's coffee and some of you woke up early to accommodate it in your schedule; appreciate it much. It is fun to have company for coffee with Jesus!

Today for a change we are going to open our mouth and praise the Lord. You would all agree mostly our prayers are made from the heart - true. But to open our mouths wide and  praise is a liberating experience. In Psalms 81:10 we read,  "Open wide your mouth and I will fill it, says the Lord"

Hosea 14:2 specifically says, "Take with you words, and turn to the LORD: say unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."

As important it is to pray from the bottom of our heart, is to pray with the words from our mouth too. Not sure how your comfort level is with that, but give it a try, you will feel the difference. As it is promised our Lord will fill it - with praise, with scriptures, with Holy Spirit, with tongues, with His words, prophecy and more praise.

For the next few moments, let us forget everything around us, everyone near us and just open our mouths wide and praise the Lord, praise His holy name, offering the calves of our lips to receive the fill for the day! Amen!

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If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:5

This is indeed a continuation of yesterday's message. So,what is the lampstand we are talking about here?

Looking for answers from the Scriptures itself, I came across the Book of Zechariah Chapter 4 which titles: "The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees" in NIV.

We read about a conversation between Zechariah and an angel of the Lord where Zechariah sees a vision of a 'solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lights on it, with seven channels to the lights' and of course some other details.

However since our focus today is on the lampstand, let's move forward to verse 10 where the angel explains what the lampstand with seven branches represent. He says: "These seven are the eyes of the Lord, which range throughout the earth".

In 2 Chronicles 16:9 we read: "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

So when it says in today's verse 'if we do not repent and get back to our first love, He will remove the lampstand from us' it actually means He will remove His eyes from us or in other words hide His face from us. That would be terrible, don't you think? All because we have forsaken our first love.

Is it hard to fall in love with Him all over again?

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Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Revelation 2:4

Since today's verse starts with 'Yet' let's read a few verses above that: Revelation 2:2-3: I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

All is well. All is good. We are okay - that's what we think. But there is a complaint against us - that we have lost our first love... :( What? Me? Is our first reaction. But if we sit down to think about it, sadly, we can all relate to that.

We are not as upbeat about spending time with the Lord. Not as keen on spreading the Gospel. Not as passionate about church gathering - as in the past. Our love has gone cold - okay not really cold - but not hot either. This is bad - very bad. In Revelation 3:16 it says, "Because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

What is the remedy? In the following verse it says: Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. Revelation 2:5

Let us repent and do the things we did at first. Let us first seek Him and His kingdom, shall we? Matthew 6:33

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Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed. Psalm 119:116

For the last few days we have been looking at what it takes to claim our promises and what happens when our hope is delayed. Today also we will look in similar lines, kind of an answer to yesterday's post...

It is not just us who get weary when the blessing we hope for is delayed. Every one can relate to it. Let us therefore learn from some examples from the Scriptures on godly men on how they handled the stress associated with delayed hope.

King David reverts to prayer and supplication. There are numerous accounts of him praying and pleading thru' his psalms. He was certain his help would come from the Lord. He sings: Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. Psalm 54:4

King Solomon learnt to wait for Him; he writes in Lamentations 3:21-24: My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

Then there is the renewed hope when the wait is finally over and when we receive His blessings. In Ezekiel 37:11 we read: They (People of Israel) say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’

The Lord says in verse 37:13-14 "Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord."

So what do we do?
1. Pray
2. Be sure the Lord alone can help
3. Wait for the Lord
4. Receive your blessing

Is that hard?

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"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life" Proverbs 13:12

We all have hope or expectation - hope for a job - hope for healing - hope for peace - hope for betterment. And we have the faith too - the faith in the Lord that He has already provided (as discussed yesterday).

What happens to our faith when our hope is delayed? Now that is the question...

Anyone wants to share your answers?

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Take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given you the land to possess. Numbers 33:53

Those of us looking for a job today, let us believe we have got it already! Let us thank the Lord for giving it already! Let us take possession of 'the land' and settle in it.

Those of us praying for healing today, let us believe we have been healed already! Let us thank the Lord for healing us! Let us confess healing, thus taking possession of 'the land' and settling in it.

Those of us with broken relationships, let us believe we are better already! Let us thank the Lord for mending our relationship, bringing us closer and helping our hearts heal and bond better, thus taking possession of 'the land' and settling in it...

Those of us with debt issues, let us believe it has been paid off already! Let us thank the Lord for taking care of all our debts, thus taking possession of 'the land' and settling in it...

Whatever else is your cause for unsettle today, whatever 'land' you are waiting for so long, claim it in His name! He has given it to you already!

You may ask, how is it even possible to claim 'the land' without seeing it? The Bible tells us in Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. In 2 Corinthians 5:7 we read, We live by faith, not by sight.

Why doubt then that we will possess 'the land'??

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You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD's hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God. Isaiah 62:3

A while ago we had seen how we are the signet ring of our Lord. Here we read that we are the crown of splendor in the Lord's hand, a royal diadem or wreath in the hand of our God. To me the reference as a signet ring or a crown or royal diadem held at hand kind of all mean the same thing - precious!

Of course crown is different from a signet ring in its purpose. The crown glorifies the king, signet ring attests the authority of its bearer.

Normally a crown is worn in the head not held at hand - except when the King is about to wear it, of course. Let us not waste our focus on why it says "crown in the Lord's hand and not head". The point here is that we are very precious to our Lord.

Geneva Study Bible explains it crisp and clear:

He will value you as dear and precious as a king does his crown.

Would a king forget or give up his crown? Not our King! We are very precious for Him.

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If you are not feeling up to going to church today, here's a reminder for you:

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land

and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”

The mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 58:13-14

It doesn't matter which day of the week we choose to gather to worship the Lord;  whichever day it is, let us do it willingly. Then we will find our joy in the Lord and all of the other blessings promised above will be ours!

Let's enjoy the 'Son'day!

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The Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and I will give them water.” Then Israel sang this song: “Spring up, O well! Sing about it, about the well that the princes dug, that the nobles of the people sank - the nobles with scepters and staffs.” Numbers 21:16-18

Interestingly this scripture from the Old Testament has a striking resemblance to the New Testament where Jesus offers Living Water to the thirsty (John 4:13)! Also John reminds us: "Whoever believes in Him, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:38)

The Lord talks through Prophet Jeremiah, "My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water." Jeremiah 2:13

The question today is, is this our story? Have we forsaken our Spring of Living Water? Have we dug our own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water?

In other words, have we forsaken Him and served other "gods" that never satisfy us such as - our forms of entertainment, ways of recreation, kinds of socializing, you name it - anything and everything that is our top priority in terms of our time, finances and energy? Hope not!

OR can we gladly say, "With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation" (Isaiah 12:3) Then we can sing like the Israelites sang: “Spring up, O well!"

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It pleased the Lord to bless Israel. Numbers 24:1

Seeing the Israelites camped at the plains of Moab and knowing what they did to the Amorites, Balak the king of Moab was terrified. He sends in his counsel men to bring Balaam - a well known sorcerer of that time, to curse the Israelites.

The king takes Balaam to a nearby mount from where they could see the encampment and curse them. But as it turns out Balaam only blesses them because God did not allow him to curse his children. Balak tries again from two different locations but all the time there was only blessing instead of cursing.

In fact he blesses, "There is no sorcery against Jacob, no divination against Israel" (Numbers 23:23) which extends to any future attempt to curse them by anyone else.

Let us hold on to this verse as our promise. Nobody can do us any harm intentionally or unintentionally. No evil spirit can come near our tents. No divination against us will work. Never fear any black magic or witchcraft or anything related.

We are not commoners or the ordinary folks. We are the children of the Most High. As Apostle Peter reminds us in I Peter 2:9, "You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

Amen! We are called out of darkness into His wonderful light. It pleases the Lord to bless us. Amen!

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The route of the Exodus (shown in the map below) truly astonishes me for a few reasons. When Jacob and his sons left for Egypt (Genesis 45,46) they traveled much quicker. True Joseph had sent in carts and chariots to bring them to Egypt, they did not walk like the Israelites did on the way back (Exodus) but still the same journey on the opposite direction was much much longer.

Here's another map from Wikipedia that plots other possible routes from Egypt to Canaan at that time.

Coastal route - shown in purple, Traders route - shown in green, Exodus - shown in black / Credit: Wikipedia

Just by looking at the map, we know that there were a numerous possible shorter routes from Goshen/Egypt to Canaan. They could have gone the coastal route up north which would have been flourishing in terms of fish/food etc. They could have taken a Traders Route or King's highway which would have had amneties on the way. However God takes them the longer route through the desert which is beyond our limited understanding.

Even still they could have arrived much faster, not necessarily forty years. But as we know since the Israelites provoked God's anger based on the false reports of the scouts that went to spy the land (Numbers 13:26-33), God allows them this 'death penalty' if you will, to wander in the desert for forty years till everyone above the age of 20 die in the desert. (Numbers 14:34)

If you think about it from the Desert of Paran from where the scouts were sent to explore the promised land, it was 40 days' distance only. To get to the Desert of Paran from Egypt it could have taken about 2 years, which implies they traveled 38 years a short distance which would have taken only 40 days!!

It means for 38 years more they were nomads, wanderers, had to live in tents, could not do any farming, did not see the milk or honey that was so promised to them. Every one of them that grumbled against the Lord died in the desert. Only their children who were born during the Exodus ever entered the land.

The lesson for us is that if we doubt God's power in our lives we will not possess our promised land as well. It is true God has given us many promises but if we don't claim it or abide by the conditions, or worse yet mumble and grumble at every set back, we can be sure the promise will not be fulfilled in our lifetime.

So, let us recall every little promise we ever received from the Lord and claim it and trust Him fully without reasoning. It will be pleasing to the Lord if we fully trust in Him and seeing our faith He will make it to come to pass. He is a just God! Amen!

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Moses & Israelites are camped on Kadesh in the Desert of Paran and Moses handpicks a representative from each tribe and sends them in to Cannan to check out the land.

When they came back, all but two were against the idea of ever setting foot in the land for possession. The Scripture says: They spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Numbers: 13:32,33

One of the youth Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers: 13:30

Another young man Joshua spoke to the entire assembly of Israelites and said: “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Numbers 14:7-9

What struck me most was that the Israelites wanted to stone Joshua & Caleb to death; they wanted a new leader to take them back to Egypt!! Can you even imagine that?

I know it is sounds aweful and it seems the terrible thing to say and do. But the question today is: Are we any better? We too constantly grumble and mumble and look back to our Egypts don't we? We go with the flow accepting popular sciences and statistics and blindly close our eyes on the possibility of a miracle, dont' we?

We panic: News is bad! Stock Market is going down! Jobless numbers are ever high! We are in recession! We are doomed! This is what the statistics show!

All the while we forget how wondrously our Lord has led us so far - from Day 1 of our lives to so far... did we lack anything? No! Then why are we afraid? Why are we upset? Why do we want to return to the Egypt we left behind?

A rare few keep passing on the good cheer that salvation is near for those who trust in the Lord. Which one we choose to believe in? Are you moving forward to take possession of the Promised Land or want to return back to the Egypt?! It is your call.

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"I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm--my great army that I sent among you. 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 2:25-26

It is such an encouragement to know that the Lord will repay us for the years the locusts have eaten. What are these "locusts" we read about?

It could be our joblessness, our ill health, our failures, our disappointments, our broken relationships - but the Lord promises us that He is going to look into it that we are rewarded for our losses.

Our health will be restored, our bills will be taken care of, our joy will be full, our relationships will be stronger, we will be singing and dancing and praising the name of our Lord who led us so wondrously! Hallelujah! And we will never be ashamed!

Wesley's Notes on Bible explains: Wondrously - In one year giving as much as the locusts wasted in the years foregoing. Ashamed - Neither disappointed of your hopes, nor necessitated to seek relief among the heathen.

That's right! We will be neither disappointed of our hopes, nor necessitated to seek relief among the heathen. For now let us praise the Lord!

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Of all the conversations mentioned in the Bible, the one I truly enjoy is that between Gideon and the angel of the Lord. Gideon at first does not know that it was an angel he was talking to and is quite candid about his faith.

When the angel of the Lord greats him, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior", without skipping a beat Gideon asks, "If the Lord is with us, why has all this happend to us?" To understand Gideon's aloofness and frustrations we need to know little bit of his background.

In Judges 6th chapter we read, "Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.

They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it."

It is beyond our comprehension to even imagine how it would be to live in constant fear like that not for one or two days but for seven long years! Even as the angel is talking to him, Gideon is actually  threshing wheat in a winepress. Wheat is normally threshed in the wheat field - right?, but to save it from the Midianites he was threshing it in a winepress. So you get a picture of his plight.

The Angel's response was, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel " Let's stop at that for today's coffee!

Go in the strength you have, against your "Midianites"; the victory is yours...

 (If you would like to read the whole conversation and what happens after, continue to read Book of Judges Chapter 6 & 7 )

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"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Matthew 6:25

Seems to be a practical advice, but to think about it, it seems quite impractical too. How is it even possible not to worry about what we will eat or drink or wear. Isn't that the first thing that comes to our minds when we start the day? - when we plan a get together? - when we are invited to an event?

We don't really think, "Oh I am alive and well that's enough to make it through the day" do we? May be we should. I guess the emphasis is on the words "do not worry" Of course we need to eat, drink and dress well, but what we learn here is that it shouldn't be our focus.

As we read towards the end of the same passage in verse 33, our focus should be on 'Seeking His Kingdom' then all these things will be taken care of by Him.

Happy "Son"day folks!

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Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Thank you for joining for some Coffee with Jesus this Saturday morning! I love Saturday mornings. I usually wake up before the family does, make myself a cup of coffee, sit in my favorite kitchen chair to watch the birds in the backyard - all the while praising God for His love, mercy, the colorful birds, the bluest skies, the beautiful chair and the cozy pajamas... what not!

But this Saturday morning I invite you for a Cleaning Spree. No, there is no heavy duty lifting or washing or moving involved. Just right where you are, lift up your holy hands and start praising the Lord. Just keep on praising the Lord, keep on, keep on praising the Lord.

Visualize your heart getting cleansed by the Lord, by His blood, by His grace, by His love, all the while praising the Lord. Imagine the hands of Jesus reaching out to the innermost corner, all around, under, over, everywhere, touching, healing and cleaning your heart. Just keep praising, keep praising, lift up your voice and keep on praising the Lord. If you feel like crying out loud, do that, want to clap your hands, go ahead. Just continue to praise His Holy Name. Hallelujah!

Wow! That's a wonderful experience, is it not? You have now received a brand new "sparkling clean" heart and a beautiful renewed spirit overflowing with such love and joy that you can not even fathom.

Go in peace! Enjoy your day & God bless you!

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"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

Interestingly when God created man, He made him in His image (Genesis 1:27) - not however on His same thought level. No wonder our thoughts are not the same as His thoughts and our ways are not His.

What are some of His thoughts and ways that clearly outshines our thoughts and ways? For one, unconditional love - which He is a Master of - and which we will never be.

Forgiving is another. We don't fully forgive do we? We may somewhat forgive but as long as our memory lives we may not be able to forget it, which means that we have not fully forgiven. But when it comes to the Lord, He forgives as if we never did that and erases it completely from His memory and more often than not from our memory too.

How about dying on the cross for our sins. Will we do that? May be for a close family member or a friend, but for a stranger? No, I didn't think so either. But the Lord died for us when we were still sinners. That is love beyond measure.

Not just these obvious traits, there are various other ways our thoughts differ from the Lord's. We expect certain things to fall certain way logically but God knows better and changes course altogether. Only when all is said and done, we will be able to look back and cherish the wonderful ways God led us through certain situation.

Okay, we get the point. His thoughts are different from ours and His ways are far better than ours. Let us thank Him for that! Shall we?

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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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Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the LORD helped us."

Throughout the Scriptures we read of several people designating stones as monuments for remembering the deliverence or encountering of God in that place.

If you recall Jacob had set up a stone pillar at the place where God had talked with him and called it Bethel (Genesis 35:14,15) and Joshua had set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. (Joshua 4:9). King David confessed several times that the Lord was his rock of salvation (Psalm 18:2).

Here Prophet Samuel sets up a monument to remember the return of the Ark of the Lord and names it Ebenezer which means "Thus far the Lord has helped us".

Now the question is, do you have such a monument that reminds you constantly of God's deliverance from certain situation? If you think about it there are easy reminders in our lives such as birthdays, anniversaries, years of experience, number of children, we can go on and on and on.

If these are not enough reminders and/or if we would somehow forget what the Lord has done thus far, we might as well put up some monument as reminders. If we remember already, let us praise the Lord for helping us thus far!

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... There will be heard once more the sounds of joy and gladness, the voices of bride and bridegroom, and the voices of those who bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord, saying, “Give thanks to the Lord Almighty, for the Lord is good; his love endures forever.” For I will restore the fortunes of the land as they were before,’ says the Lord. Jeremiah 33:10-11

We are in troublesome times, or so it seems. Stock market is tumbling, jobless numbers are rocketing, home prices are falling and there is a general feeling of panic among the general public. Today's Scripture is apt promise from the Lord for times like this for those who trust in the Lord.

Clearly we see Jeremiah's prophecy of decades ago can be perfectly relevant to current times and I believe strongly that the Lord speaks it today to encourage each one of us in Christ Jesus.

There will be sounds of joy among us, there will be weddings among us, there will be grateful hearts among us, the fortune of our lands, jobs, vehicles, houses will all be restored!

How many of you believe this is indeed a promise from the Lord? For those who believe it is yours to keep! I believe!

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"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. I Samuel 15:22

It is true that the Lord had given specific instructions about burnt offerings and sacrifices in the Old Testament. In course of time it became an easy way out for many with rebellion and disobedience. King Saul was reprimanded by Prophet Samuel for his disobedience. Saul could have thought he could quickly undo his act by making some amendments in terms of offerings.

King David on the other hand seems to have a clear handle on what is expected by the Lord. He says in Psalm 51:16-17:  You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

In Proverbs 21:3 we read: To do what is right and just is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.

Prophet Micah has said: What does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)
 
In Jeremiah 7:22-23 God clarifies His commands about sacrifices: He says, "When I brought your forefathers out of Egypt and spoke to them, I did not just give them commands about burnt offerings and sacrifices, but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you."

It is evident from these Scriptures that no sacrifices will please God than our humble spirit, broken heart and obedience. Is that hard?

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Greetings to all at the table for Coffee with Jesus this beautiful Sunday morning! We will read Psalm 136 together and have some fun doing it. Let me read the first portion of each verse and you say: "For His mercy endureth for ever" Shall we?! Here we go...

Me: O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: O give thanks unto the God of gods:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: O give thanks to the Lord of lords:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him who alone doeth great wonders:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that by wisdom made the heavens:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that stretched out the earth above the waters:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that made great lights:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: The sun to rule by day:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: The moon and stars to rule by night:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And brought out Israel from among them:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which divided the Red sea into parts:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And made Israel to pass through the midst of it:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which led his people through the wilderness:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: To him which smote great kings:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And slew famous kings:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: Sihon king of the Amorites:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And Og the king of Bashan:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And gave their land for an heritage:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: Even an heritage unto Israel his servant:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: Who remembered us in our low estate:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever:

Me: And hath redeemed us from our enemies:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Me: Who giveth food to all flesh:
You: For his mercy endureth for ever.

(Let's read the last verse together...)
Us: O give thanks unto the God of heaven:
Us: For his mercy endureth for ever.

Great! We did it!! It was fun doing it together; was it not? Have a great "Son"day folks! Remember: His Mercy endureth for ever...

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"He arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm" Mathew 8:26 (KJV)

"He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm" Mark 4: 39 (NIV)

"He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm" Luke 8:24 (NIV)

Good morning and welcome to Coffee with Jesus. For some of us, there could be something more than a coffee brewing right now. We could be experiencing a great storm in our lives at this very moment. It may look like the storm may never end; the wind might seem to have the upper hand; that we are about to sink into the depth of our sorrows. I encourage you to please meditate on the verses above, where Jesus rebukes the storm and the wind and it was "completely calm" or "a great calm" or "all was calm" as the Gospel authors put it.

Jesus is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Amen! Is He not powerful enough to calm your storm? Does He not have the authority to rebuke your wind? Why are you afraid? Why do you doubt Him? Repeat these words, "Quiet! Be still!" against all your stormy situations.

Be it peace in the family, joblessness, financial difficulties, health conditions, disobedient children, abusive relationships or bondage to sin - whatever your storm may be, however strong your wind may appear, when you call unto Jesus He will say "Quiet! Be still!" Soon there will be a great calm. He will fill you with the peace from above. You will start rejoicing in the Spirit and before you know it, the storm will subside and the wind will die down! Hallelujah!!

Let us pray, Our Father in Heaven! We come to your presence in one accord, as one family Lord. You see some of us are struggling with huge storms Lord. Please command against our storms Lord so that there will be complete peace and a great calm Lord. Please help us rid of all our doubts Jesus! Please help us overcome our fears Jesus! We trust and believe you are still able to rebuke our storms Lord. Thank you for the complete deliverance you are granting us Lord. Thank you for the peace from above Lord, for the joy of salvation Lord. Thank you that we are soon going to praise your name seeing the calm you have ordered Lord. Bless this day for each one of us Lord. We completely surrender us at your feet Jesus. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen!

Remember to share your prayer requests and praise reports, and also write to me if you would like a Coffee with Jesus mug. My email address is: nrigirl at hotmail dot com.

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* "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth" - Psalm 100:1
* "Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." Psalm 95:1
* "With trumpets and the blast of the ram's horn--shout for joy before the LORD, the King." Psalm 98:6
* "Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music..." Psalm 98:4

Time and time again the Scripture encourages us to shout for joy to our LORD... Sure, why not?! We have absolutely no problem doing so when things go smooth. However on the onset of a failure or disappointment we can no longer shout joyfully to the Lord, or so it appears.

Why is it that the SHOUT of JOY at a ball game is louder than the "shout of joy" on our Sunday worships? Why aren't we as passionate about giving praises to our Lord and Savior as we do for a mere good time in a stadium, dance floor, picnic spot you name it...

We are all familiar with the Battle of Jericho where the huge walls came tumbling down only by praise and worship. The instructions were clear; the praise was to be in the form of SHOUT! Not just a shout but a LOUD shout!

In Joshua 6:20 we read, "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city."

True, they were afraid, they didn't see any reasoning in praising in stead of fighting, they were not very sure of the victory, but they shouted their praises anyway. In spite of their situation, in spite of their doubts, in spite of their fear they shouted their praise and the victory became theirs!

When we too choose to obey the Scriptures and shout for Joy to the Lord, our giant wall(s) will come down before our own eyes! We can start seeing victories instead of defeats! Amen! Absolutely no doubt about it.

Let us pray: ‎"Dear Jesus, we proclaim shouts of joy unto You in all the defeated areas of our Life...Want to see You victorious in us Lord... Amen!"

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Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." Isaiah 30:21

All believers have experienced this "voice" leading our way. This is the Holy Spirit or Counsellor promised to be sent to us as Jesus was ascending to Heaven.

There are times we would prefer the voice to be a little louder or even audible to know for sure it is Him talking. We expect to hear thunder and lightning or some extravagent display of God at work.

In I Kings 19:11-12 we read about Elijah encountering this voice from the Lord. It says:

The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by."

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.

However often times we neglect this still small voice or the gentle whisper and continue on our journey as we please. We are quick to be angry, quick to argue, quick to defend ourselves, quick to blame others, quick to take credit, etc.

All the while the Holy Spirit gently directs: "This is the way; walk in it." Are we listening?

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Our Father in Heaven! Thank you for this wonderful time at your presence Lord. Thank you for every one of us gathered here at your feet Lord. We are eager to hear you speak Lord, not for human words or explanations, but for your words Lord. Please continue to use this Coffee with Jesus ministry for your glory Lord.

Across the miles, beyond country lines we are united by your Holy Spirit Lord. Right this moment I pray that we get a new infilling of your Spirit Lord. Anoint us once again Lord. Refill us once again Lord. We need more of you Lord. We hunger and thirst for more of you Lord. Anoint us once more Lord.

Thank you Lord for every single blessing in our lives Lord. Thank you that you are continuing to provide for all our needs Lord. You have promised us that if we ask you anything in your name we will receive it Lord.

This morning we ask for healing for the sick among us Lord; we ask you for joy for the joyless among us Lord, we ask for victory for the defeated among us Lord, we ask for jobs for the jobless among us Lord, we ask for homes for the homeless among us Lord, we ask for love for the unloved among us Lord. You alone can fill each of our needs Lord. You are mighty to save from every single situation we experience this very moment Lord.

Thank you that our help is on the way Lord. Thank you for the assurance that you are in control Lord. Thank you for your love that engulfs us Lord. We love you too Lord.

Once again we submit each one of us at your feet Lord. Thank you for your presence that has kindled our hearts across the miles Lord. We love you and praise you and worship you and glorify your name lord.

We pray these things in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Lord. Amen!

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You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever. Psalm 30:11-12

I am truly surprised on these verses as it runs together with our yesterday's discussion. No, I wasn't looking for it. Surely it is the Holy Spirit moving among our midst.

Here King David sings because the Lord turned his weeping into dancing and replaced his sackcloth for joy, his heart could not be silent but sing to God. And that he would give Him thanks forever.

When it is true that the Lord has turned our mourning to rejoicing why is it that we keep quite most of the time still brooding over the past. Why do we cling on to the dirty sackcloth when he offers us garments of joy?

Let us Arise, Awake, Put on our Strength which is the Lord, wear our garments of joy and salvation and sing of His wonders giving thanks to Him forever more.

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"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn." Isaiah 60:1-3

Just as the moon reflects the light from the sun, we as believers are called to reflect the light we have received from God's only Son.

We can not deny the fact that the world is in darkness. The faithful are ridiculed and sin is tolerated by the society. We can not speak about God in public. All pagan festivities are welcome with open arms but when it comes to rejoicing in the Spirit, clapping hands and singing, worshipping the Lord in loud voice, it is not widely accepted.

We are called to shine in such darkness. How do we do that? By not getting sunk into darkness our self and to continue to reflect on His glorious light.