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“As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. Daniel 7:9-10

The book of Daniel chapter 7 talks about an end-of-times dream that Daniel had; along with the intrepretation of the dream given by an angel. There are different theories as to which kingdoms the four beasts in the dream represent. I do not want to get into the details as I am not convinced one way or another about the available explanations.

Just wanted to focus our attention on the Ancient of Days seated on His throne! Our Father who is in Heaven! The One who gave His one and only Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for you and me! The One whom we pray to in Jesus's name. The All powerful, Almighty God! Amen!

He is the King of kings and the Lord of  lords! He is the One who calls out the stars by name! He is the Alpha and the Omega! The Beginning and the End! At His right hand sits our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen!

We need not be intimidated by the Father. We who are washed by the blood of Jesus Christ have become His sons and daughters now. Now that we got the full picture of what He is like, let us imagine coming to our King of kings when we pray.

 Rev. C.H. Spurgeon has explained it so beautifully in his sermon The Throne of Grace. Here's an excerpt from it:

We do not come, as it were, in prayer, only to God's almonry where he dispenses his favours to the poor, nor do we come to the back-door of the house of mercy to receive the broken scraps, though that were more than we deserve; to eat the crumbs that fall from the Master's table is more than we could claim; but, when we pray, we are standing in the palace, on the glittering floor of the great King's own reception room, and thus we are placed upon a vantage ground. 

In prayer we stand where angels bow with veiled faces; there, even there, the cherubim and seraphim adore, before that selfsame throne to which our prayers ascend. And shall we come there with stunted requests, and narrow and contracted faith? Nay, it becomes not a King to be giving away pence and groats, he distributes pieces of broad gold; he scatters not as poor men must, scraps of bread and broken meat, but he makes a feast of fat things, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined.

As we move on to our chores today let this message sink in deeply. It could change how we pray next time around...

Pin It Now! Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden, that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden and taste its choice fruits. Song of Solomon 4:16

Here we see the desperation of Shulamite to prepare her garden for her Lover. Are we preparing our gardens for our Christ? Do we have the fruits and fragrance that are desired by our Lord?

It is time we take inventory of our stocks and see if we have what it takes to be prepared for the coming of our Lord. If we bear fruits well and good, if not let us call in the winds from the North and the South to come blow on us so that we become fruit bearers.

The wind we need to desire is the Holy Spirit, who will enable us to bear much fruits. There is not much time left for Christ our Lover to return. We are in End of Times. The coming of our Lord is at hand. Not to threaten anyone but to awaken our hearts, let me use the same words John the Baptist used as he prepared the way for Christ:

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:10-12

Amen! The ax is already at the roots! Our King's return is imminent! Let us get baptized in water and in Holy Spirit to bear much fruits for Him.

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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 in Christ we become 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?

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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 He 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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May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised! Deuteronomy 1:11

Dear All! Greetings to you in the wonderful name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Just wanted to have a word with you.

I am very excited to announce Coffee with Jesus is turning a year old this week! Praise the Lord!

When the idea of Coffee with Jesus came up a year ago I didn't think I had what it takes to do it; still don't. However I went ahead with it as I felt a strong urge to do so. Hard to believe a year has passed since!

Many days I have been awestruck by the words written as I don't even recall forming those sentences in my mind. I can clearly see it is not me but the Holy Spirit in the works here. I am humbled by this experience and give all honor, glory and praise to God Almighty!

Thanks to every one of you gathering here around the coffee table day after day. Every single dot on the map below represents readers, the bigger the circle the more the number. You may click the map to view bigger. It would be great if we could all place our hands on the map today and pray for the readers from every nation and island.


To celebrate the occasion I have got some Coffee with Jesus mugs ordered. If anyone is interested please contact me at nrigirl at hotmail dot com with your mailing address, with subject line reading: "Coffee with Jesus Mug". Only limited quantities available. It will be sent out on a first come first serve basis.

I encourage you to share about Coffee with Jesus among your friends. Please note the Facebook like button is conveniently located at the top of the page and twitter and facebook share buttons are available above each post. Please make use of these as much as you can to spread the word.

Let us build His Kingdom together! Amen!

May the LORD, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times and bless you as he has promised!

Yours in Christ,
~ Hephzibah Israel

P.S: Picture of the mug below for those who are interested...

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Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25

Many non believers have a disregard for Christ by seeing the activities of some so called "Christians". This is sad. Some Christians too always find fault at the pastors, evangelists, fellow believers and other servants of God and stop following Christ. This is even sadder.

Many do not realize that following Christ is not a one time commitment but a continuous one. Every day, every hour, every minute one has to commit to follow Christ. Looking at a flawed man one can not determine what Jesus is like. Only by looking at Him directly one can experience Him.

Let us not get distracted looking hear and there and losing focus on the Lord. Let us not get trapped into false preachings that are not in accordance with the Bible. Let us not come to our own conclusions on Spiritual matters based on our own reasoning. Let us be determined to look straight ahead always going back to the Scriptures for our answers on things unclear.

In his letter to the Philippians Apostle Paul insists on Pressing towards the goal. He writes: "Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Amen! That's exactly what we ought to do - pressing on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward in Christ Jesus!

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"... these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." ...the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. Mark 16:14-20

"... you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:4

Listed here are few Scriptures that talk about the external manifestation of the indwelling or the infilling of the Holy Spirit within us. I do not think further explanation is needed as these Scriptures are self explanatory.

Yet, I would like to discuss one subject 'Speaking in tongues' here which is constantly argued about among believers - mostly between believers who have received the gift of speaking in tongues and believers who have not received the gift. Some go to the extent to say one cannot go to heaven if they don't speak in tongues and some go to the other extreme that people talking in tongues are evil possessed.

We have to be very cautious about making such statements because any such remarks are against the Word of God. The Scripture says, "Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of an eternal sin." Mark 3:29. So it is extremely important to refrain from doing so.

The Scripture says, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever" Hebrews 13:8. Therefore the Scriptures on the manifestations of the Holy Spirit are also true yesterday, today and forever, not just for the first century as some claim.

Just because one hasn't manifested in Spirit certain way doesn't make him any less holy than the one who has manifested and vice versa one who speaks in tongues must not boast against the one who does not. Paul instructs us in I Corinthians 10:31, "whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." and again in I Corinthians 14:40, "...everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way."

So, coming back to our original discussion on Speaking in tongues:

Is it true? Yes, absolutely.
How do I say it so confidently? Because I have experienced it myself.
How does it help? Helps me pray better especially during my personal prayer time and during worship.
What is the advantage? I can connect better with the Almighty, loving Him better with body, mind and soul. The Christian walk has been more rewarding as I can sense a constant companionship in the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. The whole concept of 'being holy like the One who called us is holy' is less challenging with the constant reminder from the Holy Spirit about things good vs. evil.

With that, we will end this series on Holy Spirit. However, if you have unanswered questions, bring it on! We will discuss it on the coffee table. God alone be glorified in and through us!

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* And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

* Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." Galatians 4:6

First and foremost the gift of the Holy Spirit pours out His love into our hearts - an abundant overflowing love, for Christ our Lord, for the neighbors, for fellow mankind, for the sinners and for all.

In addition to that we now have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us that calls out "Abba, Father" thus giving us a sense of closeness with God.

Clarke's Commentary on the Bible states:

This love is the spring of all our actions; it is the motive of our obedience; the principle through which we love God, we love him because he first loved us; and we love him with a love worthy of himself, because it springs from him: it is his own; and every flame that rises from this pure and vigorous fire must be pleasing in his sight: it consumes what is unholy; refines every passion and appetite; sublimes the whole, and assimilates all to itself. And we know that this is the love of God; it differs widely from all that is earthly and sensual.

The Holy Ghost comes with it; by his energy it is diffused and pervades every part; and by his light we discover what it is, and know the state of grace in which we stand. Thus we are furnished to every good word and work; have produced in us the mind that was in Christ; are enabled to obey the pure law of our God in its spiritual sense, by loving him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and our neighbor, any and every soul of man, as ourselves.

True, speaking in tongues and prophesying are other signs that accompany the infilling of the Holy Spirit. But if we lack the fundamental love the Scripture here talks about then these external signs are of no use or it is voided.

This is exactly what Paul writes in I Corinthians 13:1-3

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

So, now you know if you have received the gift or not. If you have the assurance you have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, Congratulations! Continue to abide in His love! If you are not sure, continue to pray for the gift.

In the next couple of days we will see further manifestation of the Gift of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues and prophesying. May God be glorified in and through us!

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While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Acts 19:1-7

Our discussion on the Holy Spirit continues... Some might ask if these kinds of discussions are even necessary at the coffee table. In John 8:31-32, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

And that is exactly what we are upto - to know the truth...

Many denominations within the Church argue Holy Spirit is received when a person believes Jesus Christ as their Lord & Savior or when the believer takes baptism. True to some extent. When a person is born again he has accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and has an assurance his sins are forgiven. Definitely Holy Spirit dwells in him. However, this is different from the manifestation of Holy Spirit that we are discussing here.

In the above passage we see that the desciples were believers for a while; yet the manifestation of the Holy Spirit as mentioned in terms of speaking in tongues, prophesying, etc. was a new experience for them. That is what we want - this renewing, regenerating gift which is the infilling of the Holy Spirit!

How and why receiving the anointing of Holy Spirit important?
To live a holy life would be the simple answer, as we discussed few days ago. To continue to abide in Him. To be used for His glory.

How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
By inviting Him into our hearts with a sincere desire for Him. Luke 11:9-10 says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

For those who are not sure, you don't have to take my word for it. Try a simple prayer with an earnest heart and God will reveal it to you.

"Our Father in heaven! We come at your presence this morning with an earnest heart to receive the Holy Spirit Lord. If it is true that there is an experience of infilling of the Holy Spirit, then reveal it to me Lord. Teach me according to the Scriptures Lord. You speak into my heart Lord. You guide me Lord. I too want the same experience of the infilling of the Holy Spirit, Lord. Anoint me Lord; Fill me Lord. Give me the gift of the Holy Spirit Lord! In Jesus's name I pray, amen!"

How do we know we have received the Holy Spirit?
We'll discuss that tomorrow...

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But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true--it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. I John 2:27

Yesterday we saw we can be only holy if we abide in Him. Today is the follow up on how to abide in Him.

As the Scripture suggests when we receive the Holy Spirit and He lives within us, He will teach us what is true. Here comes a touchy subject that is a cause for so many denominations in the Church today.

Who and What is this Holy Spirit? How do we receive Him? Is it necessary for the Christian walk? so many questions rush to our minds. Let us go to the Scriptures to get our answers as there is no place better than the word of God for answers to our questions.

Who is the Holy Spirit?

Holy Spirit is the third face of God's Trinity. Just like how God the Father is real and how God our Lord Jesus Christ is real, God the Holy Spirit is also real. Now, you may ask how we can even understand that?

It can overwhelm us if we try to dig deeper and understand every details of it; but I believe it can be explained much simpler. We as humans have a trinity - body, mind and soul. Just like that God has a Trinity - Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:26 Jesus is preparing his disciples for His ascension to heaven saying: "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."

Now to get back to our original discussion today, if we have that Counselor living within us, He will teach us the truth and help us live a holy life just as He is holy.

Now that we have too many unanswered questions, let us discuss it in detail rest of the week - we will learn more about Holy Spirit and how we can receive Him to live within us...

If you have any specific questions, please share in the comments section below...

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* Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do.
I Peter 1:15
* For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life.
I Thessalonians 4:7
* 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

No denying that the One who called us is Holy! Now, we are required to follow suit, to measure up to His holiness. Is that even possible?

Prophet Isaiah spoke to God one on one, for himself, for the kings, for the nations; yet he writes: "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags..." (Isaiah 64:6

True! If we try only by ourselves, it is impossible to be holy like He is holy. But when we are rooted in Christ, the Holy Spirit will help us to be holy.

We read in John 15:5 as Jesus is saying: "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

So, the key here is to remain in Him. To abide in Him. To be filled with His Holy Spirit that teaches us about all things. Then we too can be holy and blameless and pure like the one who has called us. Amen!

Tomorrow we will see how to abide in Him...

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"This will be the sign for you, O Hezekiah: "This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit. II Kings 19:29

Reading the Bible today I was stunned to come across the above verse, which God spoke to King Hezekiah through Prophet Isaiah. I believe this is God's message for us this morning.

These days news of job loss, economical meltdowns, natural disasters are not uncommon resulting in widespread feeling of uncertainty. However, for us who believe, God has promised us He will see us through these times. Can we just blindly believe that? Don't we need a sign?

Well enough! Here's the sign the Lord God gives you: "This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit."

Rest of the year our needs have been taken care of! How can we say that? Just by trusting in the Lord, of course! Next year too it will be automatically provided! How so? Why worry? Somehow someway our means will be met! Now this is getting complicated, you may say. Sure, it does require a blind faith, a total surrender and acknowledgement that the Lord is our provider - without much details of how He will do that.

The third year though we will reap the benefits of our hard labor, our overtime, our pay reductions, etc. How cool is that; can it get any better?

You may ask again how can we apply it to us just like that? I believe so because the word of God says so; don't you?

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My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”a you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

James: 2: 1-13

So, let us live accordingly...

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Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. Psalm 32:1,2

We tend to relate blessing to the matters of this world forgetting that this life we live right now is only temporary - a make-shift phase in God's eternal plan. If someone has huge wealth, great fame and good fortune we call them blessed. But are they?

The Scripture here tells us if our transgressions are forgiven and our sins covered and there is no deceit in our spirit, then we are blessed!

Do you have the assurance your transgressions are forgiven? Yes! Do you believe your sins are covered? Amen! How about the third checking point - a spirit with no deceit? Well...

Barnes Notes on the Bible gives us a beautiful explanation as to how to develop a spirit with no deceit:

And in whose spirit there is no guile - Who are sincere and true. That is, who are not hypocrites; who are conscious of no desire to cover up or to conceal their offences; who make a frank and full confession to God, imploring pardon. The "guile" here refers to the matter under consideration. The idea is not who are "innocent," or "without guilt," but who are sincere, frank, and honest in making "confession" of their sins; who keep nothing back when they go before God. We cannot go before him and plead our innocence, but we may go before him with the feeling of conscious sincerity and honesty in making confession of our guilt.

Let us go before the Lord baring everything from the inner most parts of our heart - not trying to hide anything. Let us ask for sincere forgiveness and receive the assurance our sins are covered; that is what makes us blessed!

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When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty. Jeremiah 15:16

When was the last time we feasted on the Word of God? Can we relate to the verse above where Prophet Jeremiah says he ate His words which were his joy and his heart's delight.

Apparently it is not just Jeremiah who enjoyed the words of the Lord. King David sings: How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalm 119:103

Job too loved them, he said: I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. Job 23:12

It is a true joy 'eat'ing the Word of God. Why not have some today? Here's some for starters... Psalm 19

Have a blessed day!

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The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. Isaiah 35:7

What a beautiful promise! The heading of the chapter in NIV reads: "Joy of the redeemed"

If we are the redeemed, don't you want to know the entire list?! Thought so too and so here's a link to the complete chapter Isaiah 35

My favorite verses are verses 3&4 which goes: Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

Amen! Let's take it away!

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Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. Psalm 20:7

King David was a great king with thousands of chariots and horses. In I Chronicles 18:4 we read: "David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses."

We read in 2 Chronicles 9:25 about the great wealth his son King Solomon had: "Now Solomon had 4,000 stalls for horses and chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem." I am sure a great deal of this wealth was passed on to him from his father along with the kingdom.

In spite of all that King David was very clear on where to set his heart. He was not counting on the number of his chariots nor his horses but his trust was in the Lord.

He took no pride in his possession nor his abilities but in the name of the Lord alone he trusted. He had complete assurance that it is the Lord who gives him victory not his armies of chariots and horsemen.

He had also taught the same to his son Solomon who writes in Proverbs 21:31, "The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD".

How about us? Where do we put our trust? What do we teach our children?

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The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Isaiah 29: 13

As we get ready to worship the Lord today, let us take a closer look at our kind of worship. Is our worship made up of only rules taught by men? OR Is our worship streaming from sincere desire of our hearts?

Do we only go to Him with our mouth and honor Him with our lips, OR do we truly love Him heart of hearts?

If knowingly or unknowingly we have been trapped in to "rules taught by men" as opposed to true form of worship, let us seek to free our selves today. Let us be careful not to blindly follow any form of "worship" or teachings that are not in sync with the Word of God.

Let us worship our Lord with sincere hearts. Enjoy the "Son"day! God bless you all!

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This is in response to yesterday's post on tithing. Few readers had trouble posting comments on the blog and so shared their response via email. Posted below as is...


Paul Delightson from Bangalore writes:
Jesus Name Greetings!
Always we can come cross a few precious people of God, need to sit back and learn the basic principles of God. Our Jesus in new covenant didn’t not come to remove the Old laws, HE came to fulfill it.

Jesus, our Wonderful Savior, encourages us to follow the law willfully. Before we see about tithing, let us first see some of a few of HIS sayings about the law.

Matthew 5:17
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 22:37,38
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment

Matthew 22:39
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself

Mathew 22:40
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments

Amen to verse 40. With the Holy Spirit of God if we can pause for a while and read again the verses and meditate, I think we can come closer to clear our hearts! - Amen!

Laws should not be just for the law sake, it has to be for the love we should/can have for God - Amen!

* So What is Loving Our God?

Loving our God is a true worship we can opt for HIM. We can show our love to HIM. Are we really worshiping HIM truly!? Bible encourages us in the following verses (must read)

Romans 12:1

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship-

Living a best life acceptable to HIM through Jesus Christ our. Are we really doing it!?

John 4:20-24

Jesus through HIS conversation with the Samaritan woman, encourages us to worship God with Spirit and Truth.

(let us analyze and change our hearts even today for the true worship, by submitting our lives, bodies, holy and acceptable for HIM - Amen)

* Now let us move on to the next point: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself..

What is this all about? Are we really doing it at-least in our Churches?

The First Century Church of Jesus was filled with rich and poor, but there were no one of any need. They equally share what they had for life. A true brother ship was there.

Acts 2:45
45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need

Acts 2:44-47
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Now coming to the point of tithing. New Covenant we see not only Tithing it more that tithing.

How many times we willfully refused to see the poor and needy people in the Church. A brother a Sister may be in a great need for life, may be a financial need to his/her medical bills, may be a need for the next day food. May be a need of a job etc. Needy people in the Church who has to help them? is it not we the fellow believers. I know a few Churches, from the tithe they receive, they make food for the poor, they do financial support for the needy, they give shelter, they give Cloths. Church is taking care of the precious people. So maybe it is not only tithe even beyond tithe we have to give to/for HIM.

Luke 18:22

22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Malachi 3:10

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it

If we are not open and if we shut our hands for the people in need don’t worry, Salvation will come from other ways. After all it is HE who cares for HIS people. However when our brothers/sisters are in need and if shut our hands for them as a Church, then I am not sure, God will be happy on you and me, when HE opens an another door for the needy.

So what can we say now - Tithe is eliminated!? No let us give even more to and for God, not just for the law sake but with true intention of Love. Loving HIM and HIS Church

In this context many used to thing why we have to give to Pastors. They are the responsibilities God has made in the Church to take care of the various affairs. Even let them have a share in what we give. Let they be benefited in food, shelter and clothing

1 Thimothy 5:17,18
17 The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. 18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,”[a] and “The worker deserves his wages.

Let us close it with the Word if Prayer:

"Dear Jesus, we Love you. Thank You for the Church. Thanks that we are part of it. Let us be a part taker of Your blessed vision through Your Church. Cover us always under Your blood - Amen"
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Mrs. Livingston from India shares:

Offering one -tenth to God is a commandment from God that we should fulfill.
Also when we promise god that we will give one tenth if we receive a job/ more salary etc, we should fulfill our promises to God. My only point is that we should not give our tithe only to one church. The Old testament Temple activities are different from that of our present day churches. Even in those days God has clearly said that we can eat from our tithes with the Levites, poor people, strangers, orphans etc.

When we have so many needy people just in front of our eyes, how can we give all the tithe amount in one place and be careless about it. It is true the ministers in our churches need our support. we can give them a part, may be a major part of the tithe amount. The remaining we can give to other ministers who had been nurturing us in our spiritual/ physical lives. Yet another part to be sent for doing good to those needy people just in front of our eyes.

Yet another part may be spent in giving food for the believers in any church, yet another may be offered for a convention expenses etc etc. since the one tenth is Gods money, we should not hesitate to spent it for His people and for His glory and do not set your mind on it for you. It is not for you. Pl. do not give all of it to only person.

My basic verse in this regard is:

Deut 14th chapter
22"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which He shall choose to place His name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks, that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

24And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to carry it, or if the place be too far from thee which the LORD thy God shall choose to set His name there, when the LORD thy God hath blessed thee,

25then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose.

26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after: for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth; and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thine household.

27And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shalt not forsake him, for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

28"At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates.

29And the Levite (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, who are within thy gates, shall come and shall eat and be satisfied, that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

when we give all our tithe in one place , we are neglecting who are within our gates the stranger, fatherless, widow,the one tenth belongs to these people.

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* My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises. Psalm 119:148
* On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6
* I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways Psalm 119:15

Do we stay late any night just to meditate on His promises? May be if you are a Pastor you would. But for others it might be the least priority in a day's schedule. In one of our posts - Healthy Start, we saw King David rose up early every morning to praise & worship the Lord. (Psalm 5:3, Psalm 59:16, Psalm 119:147).

Here we see that he also stayed awake late in the night to meditate on the promises. He was a king, he had a big family, he was running for his life from time to time, yet he found time to sit at His feet both early mornings and late nights. Clearly his first priority was the Lord. No wonder he was a man after God's own heart (1 Samuel 13:13) or in other words a friend of God.

My sincere desire is to be a friend of God; you too wish the same? Well, now we know what works...

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“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ “In tithes and offerings. Malachi 3:8

Yesterday we saw that as long as we hold on to what is due unto the Lord, we can not face our enemies. I had briefly touched on the fact that what that is holy unto the Lord that we might still be holding back could be the tithe. Let us take a closer look at it today...

The idea is to try and find answers to some very basic questions we might have - based on the Scriptures - NOT what "I think" nor what "I heard" nor what "it could be".

Before we begin I want to clarify that several Scriptures mention the third year as 'the year of tithing'. Let us not use that against tithing every year. Since we 'reap the seed of the crops' every year, it is only fair to give a tenth of that to the Lord every year not just the third year.

What is tithing?
All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD. Leviticus 27:30

What we can use it for?
* When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. Deuteronomy 26:12

* Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. Deuteronomy 14:23


What happens when we obey?
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10

What happens when we do not obey?
"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. Joshua 7:13

If you have more questions bring it on; we will discuss it over Coffee with Jesus! God bless!

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"Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. Joshua 7:13

Once again we are reminded of the same message as yesterday: Consecrate yourselves! But this time we have a clear direction as to exactly what it is that need to be taken care of first; what it is that brings us defeat against our enemies? The answer is 'the devoted things among us'.

What are these devoted or consecrated things among us? Is there anything that belongs to the Lord but we secretly hold on to it as ours? How about our tithes? It is not ours to keep!

Let us give to the Lord what duly belongs to Him. Only then we can face our enemies victoriously. Tomorrow we shall discuss more on tithing... God bless you all!

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"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." Joshua 3:5

What a beautiful message we have this morning. Let us come together and consecrate ourselves. Let us get cleansed once again by the blood of Jesus Christ. Let us prepare ourselves for the 'amazing things' God has promised us for tomorrow.

Let us remove any dross or impurities from our hearts. Let us call out to the Lord to cleanse us as white as snow!

"Listen to me, Levites! Consecrate yourselves now and consecrate the temple of the LORD, the God of your fathers. Remove all defilement from the sanctuary. 2 Chronicles 29:5

We are the temple of the Lord; let there be no detestable thing among us. Let us remove all defilement from our hearts.

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.Hebrews 10:22

For the rest of the day let our hearts have one prayer and one prayer only which is: "Cleanse me Lord!"

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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, "The redemption of man from the bondage of sin and liability to eternal death, and the conferring on him of everlasting happiness.

We as believers have experienced this salvation - the assurance that all our sins have been washed by His blood and that we are forever His. How do we continue to work out our salvation? Now that's the question.

We have the answer given to us in the following verses: 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

Amen! Let us do everything without complaining or arguing. We need to take an effort to continue to work out the salvation which we have received so gracefully. Shall we?

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"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but victory rests with the LORD." Proverbs 21:31

Here's a verse which reminds us that God indeed is in control of all things. I remember yet another verse anytime I come across this one: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord" Proverbs 15:16

Doesn't mean we shouldn't train the horse for the day of battle or that we shouldn't be prepared to meet the worst. What it really means is that when we are finally granted victory, it is not because of the strength of the horse or our merits. The victory is from the Lord. It is because He fights our fight! Amen!

Even as the governments discuss many situations, as the corporate managements deal with different issues, we need not fear as ultimately what God allows for us will only happen, not what man intends.

I encourage you all to hold dear to these verses as you practice dependency on God every single day.

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"Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil."  Proverbs 15:16

In his letter to Timothy Apostle Paul writes, "But godliness with contentment is great gain" I Timothy 6:6

I am also reminded of Mark 8:36: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

I am surprised that it goes hand in hand with yesterday's message: 'Do not let your heart envy'- which reiterates the same message from a different angle.

We are often running after things to satisfy our temporary needs forgetting the eternal life. If you think about it, all that matters in the end is our soul or in other words  where we will spend our eternity?

Let us be thankful for the blessings we have. Let us not focus to acquire more and more of material things. Let us learn to be contented with what we have and focus our attention to the well being of our soul. Shall we?

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"Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord. There is surely a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off." Proverbs 23:17,18

It is only human nature to envy others but not a godly one. As we grow spiritually we need to get rid of envy from our heart. We can not be believers and also envy others. If we envy others we are not truly believers. As long as we fear the Lord and shun from envy and other sinful ways, our hope is not in vain.

I love the explanation for this verse in the Gill's Exposition and wish to share it with you:

Let not thine heart envy sinners,.... Their present prosperity and happiness, the pleasure, profit, and honour, they seem to enjoy; all which is but a shadow, fading and temporary; and yet good men are up to envy it in their hearts, if they do not express it with their lips; and are ready to murmur and think it hard that they should be in straitened circumstances while the wicked are in flourishing ones; and inwardly fret and are uneasy at it, which they should not; or do not "emulate" or "imitate" them, or do as they do, thinking thereby to enjoy the same prosperity and happiness; choose not their ways, nor desire to be with them, to have their company, or be ranked among them...  

... but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long; let the fear of God be always before thine eyes and in thine heart; be continually in the exercise of fear, which is attended with faith and trust in the Lord; with love and affection to him, and joy and delight in him; be constantly employed in the duties of religion, private and public, which the fear of God includes; and this will be a preservative from envying, murmuring, and fretting at the outward happiness of wicked men; and from joining with them in their evil ways...

For surely there is an end,.... Both of the prosperity of the wicked, which is but for a short time; and of the afflictions of the righteous, which are but as it were for a moment; and therefore there is no reason to envy the one, nor to be fretful under the other; the end to a good man will be peace and prosperity for ever: there is a "reward", as some render it here, for the righteous, though not of debt, but of grace; upon which account they have ground to expect much here and hereafter...

So, points taken: Let's not envy others; Let us be zealous with the fear of the Lord; Our hope will not be cut off! Amen!

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Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. I Peter4:9

I like company. But lately I am tired of hosting. That's why I decided to look up the Scriptures on 'hospitality' and here we go. Very clearly Scripture says, Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.

Barnes Notes on the Bible explains:

Without grudging - Greek, "without murmurs;" that is, without complaining of the hardship of doing it; of the time, and expense, and trouble required in doing it. The idea of grudging, in the common sense of that word - that is, of doing it unwillingly, or regretting the expense, and considering it as ill-bestowed, or as not producing an equivalent of any kind - is not exactly the idea here.

It is that we are to do it without murmuring or complaining. It greatly enhances the value of hospitality, that it be done on our part with entire cheerfulness. One of the duties involved in it is to make a guest happy; and this can be done in no other way than by showing him that he is welcome.

It is easier said than done - it looks like. What are your thoughts? Please share.

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"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near." Matthew 3:2

Barnes Notes on the Bible has explained it very well and here's an excert from it for today's devotions.

Repent ye - Repentance implies sorrow for past offences 2 Corinthians 7:10; a deep sense of the evil of sin as committed against God Psalm 51:4; and a full purpose to turn from transgression and to lead a holy life. A true penitent has sorrow for sin, not only because it is ruinous to his soul, but chiefly because it is an offence against God, and is that abominable thing which he hates, Jeremiah 44:4. It is produced by seeing the great danger and misery to which it exposes us; by seeing the justice and holiness of God Job 42:6; and by seeing that our sins have been committed against Christ, and were the cause of his death, Zechariah 12:10; Luke 22:61-62.

There are two words in the New Testament translated "repentance," one of which denotes a change of mind, or a reformation of life; and the other, sorrow or regret that sin has been committed. The word used here is the former, calling the Jews to a change of life, or a reformation of conduct. In the time of John, the nation had become extremely wicked and corrupt, perhaps more so than at any preceding period. Hence, both he and Christ began their ministry by calling the nation to repentance.

The expression "the kingdom of heaven is at hand" would be best translated, "the reign of God draws near." We do not say commonly of a kingdom that it is movable, or that it approaches. A reign may be said to be at hand; and it may be said with propriety that the time when Christ would reign was at hand. In this sense it is meant that the time when Christ should reign, or set up his kingdom, or begin his dominion on earth, under the Christian economy, was about to commence. The phrase, then, should not be confined to any period of that reign, but includes his whole dominion over his people on earth and in heaven.

In the passage here it clearly means that the coming of the Messiah was near...

What is stopping us from repenting?