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Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Isaiah 55:2

We all run after things bigger, better, designer wear,  gourmet meal, exotic vacations - but do these ever satisfy us? Sadly, never! We are only broke and exhausted at the end of the day.

There is however one thing that is truly satisfying - which is the joy of His salvation; and the only source it comes from is our Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!

There are multiple Scriptures on those lines...

I (Jesus) am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. John 6:51

Taste and see that the LORD is good Psalm 34:8

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. John 6:27

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine -  the best of meats and the finest of wines. Isaiah 25:6

Now, have you tasted Him? Today?

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Yet another beautiful psalm to memorize. Even if you can't memorize the whole psalm try and memorize your favorite ten verses from this psalm.

With that we wrap up on our Making Memories series, celebrating the 3rd year anniversary of Coffee with Jesus. Now all of you who took part in Making Memories, learning the suggested Scriptures by heart, please email us at nrigirl@hotmail.com with your mailing address, to claim your gift. God bless you all!

The heavens declare the glory of God;
Day after day they pour forth speech;
They have no speech, they use no words;

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There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him:

* haughty eyes,
* a lying tongue,
* hands that shed innocent blood,
* a heart that devises wicked schemes,
* feet that are quick to rush into evil,
* a false witness who pours out lies, and
* a man who stirs up dissension among brothers. Proverbs 6:16-19

I am sure we are familiar with this list of things that are detestabe (odious - abhorrent - loathsome - abominable - hateful) to the Lord.

If we think deeper most of us are guilty of atleast one of these!

It is a shocking realization for us "grown" Christians that we could even be part of the "rest of them" out there.

We have never arrived until our last breath or until the Lord returns whichever occurs first. Till then it takes a constant effort to walk in faith, staying clear of things that are detestable to the Lord.

With God's help we can! Amen!

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Happy FRIDAY folks! All set for the weekend I suppose. Great!

I won't take long, let's get going. Here's a cool video I thought would be fun to watch for Coffee with Jesus today... This explains the true meaning of His grace.

Remember, "...it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved..." Acts:15:11




Care to share the grace with others? Please invite your friends and family to have some Coffee with Jesus today! Please click here to email this post

"Coffee" will be served through the weekend too so don't miss it for anything!

Have a great, Godly weekend! God bless.

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* Remember me with favor, O my God. Nehemiah 13:31
* O LORD; remember me and care for me Jeremiah 15:15
* Then Samson prayed to the LORD, "O Sovereign LORD, remember me..." Judges 16:28
* According to your love remember me. Psalm 25:7
* Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people. Psalm 106:4
* "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Luke 23:42
* If only you would set me a time and then remember me... Job 14:13

Several people from the Scriptures such as Nehemiah, Jeremiah, King David, Job, one of the thieves in the cross, had one prayer in common: "Remember me".Some of their agony is clear from their crying out: "Will you forget me forever?" or "Why do you hide your face from me?"

Taking a closer look at the list we can understand that they were among prophets, kings, nobles and also criminals, which means that the feeling of abandonment occurs to people from all walks of life, including you and me!

How do we tackle this feeling; now that is the question. King David sings, "My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you " Psalm 42:6 which has the answer for us.

So, whenever we feel downcast, rejected or abandoned, let us remember our Lord! Makes sense right?

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Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.1 Chronicles 4:10

Jabez's prayer was simple, yet powerful. Simple because it was short and to the point. Powerful because God granted him his request.

Before we conclude it was the short prayer that did the trick, let us read verse 9 which gives us a glimpse of who Jabez was: "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."

Literal meaning of Jabez is sorrowful. In fact the gist of his prayer was to be free from pain. God saw that he was honorable and granted his request. He was not sorrowful anymore but filled with joy.

If there is someone here unhappy today, please be reminded that there is indeed no reason that can justify your unhappiness.

Prophet Habakkuk sings/prays of this in Habakkuk 3:18

Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. The Lord GOD is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds' feet, And makes me walk on my high places.

Let us too model after these great men of God, in our attitude and our prayers.

Happy Wednesday! God bless you all!

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“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Luke 12:32

The Lord is our good shepherd, no doubt about that. He knows very well the state of mind of His flock. He knows our anxieties. He understands our worries, fear, concern. He sees our hard work. He listens to our hearts cry. He offers rest to our weary souls.

May be you are worried about an impending job interview and the Lord reaches out assuring you, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you this job."

May be you are worried about a recent test result and He comforts you saying,  "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you complete healing and a full recovery."

It could be that you are too stressed out and He  reminds you,  "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you rest."

Whatever it is your burden today, bring it to Him, cast it all at His feet and walk away with His promise for you:  "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

Amen! Praise the Lord!

Happy Tuesday.

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"You are all together beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you." - Song of Solomon 4:7

This is one of my favorite verses from the Bible. It amazes me at all times. I take the verse personally for me and encourage all of you to take it personally for yourself too! It is for every one of us indeed, where God says, "You are all together beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you."

I am sure it makes us pause & analyze our self, to see if it truly fits us; you would agree it always fails. If we were to take an inventory of our flaws it would go miles long... No matter how hard we try, we would still be full of flaws, but the unfailing, unconditional love of God sees beyond our flaws and lovingly calls us "Beautiful" and "Flawless".

I sometime wonder if these are the exact words Jesus uses to plead our case with the Father, "... there is no flaw in him/her"

I turn to this verse anytime I need an assurance of the Divine Love which brings instant joy to my heart & music to my soul.. Hope it does to you too.

Have a blessed Monday!

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These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Revelation 3:8

Just yesterday we learnt how our King who breaks open the way will go up before us ... Today again as a reiteration of the same message, what the Holy Spirit shares with us is that the door He opens no one can shut.

I am sure it is for strengthening us in the Lord, that we are reminded of the same message a second time! Amen!

Whatever doors are shut before you, God is going to open it for you. He knows you have little faith, yet you have kept His word and have not denied His name. God knows it all - even if it looks like no one else cared.

Let us continue to hold on to His words and not deny His name. The doors are going to be open - very soon... and no one can shut it!

Amen! Praise the Lord!

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One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their king will pass through before them, the LORD at their head. Micah 2:13

Let us read the verse once again slightly differently - emphasizing the words in bold:

One who breaks open the way will go up before me; I will break through the gate and go out. My king will pass through before me, the Lord at my head.

Let's repeat the verse one more time...

Loud and clear!

One who breaks open the way will go up before me; I will break through the gate and go out. My king will pass through before me, the Lord at my head.

 Let's keep praying this verse against all the "closed doors" in our lives.

When our King takes the lead before us, He will break open the way for us. Amen!

If you believed, you would see the glory of God!

If only we believed...

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For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

Apostle Paul was zealous in all he did. As a persecutor he had a zeal to eradicate the followers of Jesus Christ. When he met the Lord though, he became zealous for spreading the Gospel.

As Saul he was ready to kill; as Paul he was ready and willing to die.

His strong passion for the Lord Jesus Christ is keenly evident in his statement above. He persuades the reader (in this case, the Church in Rome) that nothing can ever separate him from the love of God. He turned out to be the greatest evangelist ever.

In fact, Paul's earnest enthusiasm in spreading the gospel of Christ has made his name revered wherever the Christian religion is known.  His writings make up much of the New Testament of the Bible.

But none of the fame or suffering stood between him and the Lord. Paul held true to his statement through many persecutions he suffered, even to his very death.

He writes in Romans 8:18, "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us."

The question remains: Are we zealous for the Lord? Can we make a similar statement about our love of God?

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Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly.

She made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”

Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth. As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard.

So Eli thought she was drunk. Then Eli said to her, “How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you.” But Hannah replied, “No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. “Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation.”

Then Eli answered and said, “Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him.” She said, “Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. I Samuel 1:9-18

Hannah here sets a good example of a humble spirit. She didn't get annoyed by Prophet Eli's comments. She didn't get offended. She simply shared the burden of her soul with the Lord, which she then explained to Eli. The same Eli who had started reprimanding her, now blesses her.

In our lives also, many a times we come across elders (parents, in-laws, pastors, bosses) blaming us unnecessarily. We often defend our self strongly, making it clear to them we are right and they are wrong. By doing so we have broken the relationships and might have heaped curses instead of blessings.

Since we can't unwind the clock, going forward let us follow in Hannah's footsteps. Let us always respect elders and learn to give gentle responses instead of harsh retaliations.

Seeing our humble heart, the Lord will bless us and honor the desires of our heart. Amen!

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.  Matthew 5:8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain." I Kings 18:41

You must read Kings if you haven't read already, which is full of accounts of kings and prophets. The scripture here is a conversation as it happened between Prophet Elijah and King Ahab. Ahab was an evil king and he had married Jezebel who was a devote worshipper of Baal. Elijah had prophesied three years ago that there would be no rain on the land for three years until he prays for it again.

At the end of the three years, Elijah appears before Ahab and invites the prophets of Baal for a sacrifice of bulls. Baal's prophets were to sacrifice one bull and Elijah was to sacrifice another and whoever serves the true God their sacrifice would be accepted. We learn that Baal's prophets screamed and shouted and even hurt themselves but no answer to their prayers.

When it was Elijah's turn he prayed: "Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.  When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”

That's when Elijah tells Ahab, "Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain". It comes true shortly that there is a mighty downpour of rain after three long years of famine and draught.

What I wish to point out for today's take away is that let us remove our Baals and any other idols such as money, fame or whatever else we are after and then our years of drought will be exhausted by abundant rain.

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“To the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you. Revelation 3:1-3

For our devotion let us look at what Matthew Henry has written on this portion of the Scripture in his Concise Commentary:

Hypocrisy, and lamentable decay in religion, are sins charged upon Sardis, by One who knew that church well, and all her works.

Outward things appeared well to men, but there was only the form of godliness, not the power; a name to live, not a principle of life.

There was great deadness in their souls, and in their services; numbers were wholly hypocrites, others were in a disordered and lifeless state.

Our Lord called upon them to be watchful against their enemies, and to be active and earnest in their duties; and to endeavour, in dependence on the grace of the Holy Spirit, to revive and strengthen the faith and spiritual affections of those yet alive to God, though in a declining state.

Whenever we are off our watch, we lose ground. Thy works are hollow and empty; prayers are not filled up with holy desires, alms-deeds not filled up with true charity, sabbaths not filled up with suitable devotion of soul to God. There are not inward affections suitable to outward acts and expressions; when the spirit is wanting, the form cannot long remain.

In seeking a revival in our own souls, or the souls of others, it is needful to compare what we profess with the manner in which we go on, that we may be humbled and quickened to hold fast that which remains.

Christ enforces his counsel with a dreadful threatening if it should be despised. Yet our blessed Lord does not leave this sinful people without some encouragement.

He makes honourable mention of the faithful remnant in Sardis, he makes a gracious promise to them. He that overcometh shall be clothed in white raiment; the purity of grace shall be rewarded with the perfect purity of glory.

Christ has his book of life, a register of all who shall inherit eternal life; the book of remembrance of all who live to God, and keep up the life and power of godliness in evil times. Christ will bring forward this book of life, and show the names of the faithful, before God, and all the angels, at the great day.

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

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She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." Genesis 16:13

El-Roi! "I have seen Him!", was Hagar's excited statement when she encountered God while running away from Sarai, with her young son Ishmael whom she had born for Abram.

How many of us would love to encounter our Lord face to face like Hagar did?! I know I would! It has been my sincere prayer every night that I should see my Lord in a dream/vision - even a glimpse as I once had when I was a child.

King David was hopeful of seeing the goodness of the Lord in his life time; he has written in Psalm 27:13, "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living."  We know for a fact he did see the goodness of the Lord just as he had hoped.

Job was looking forward to seeing the Lord in his life after; he assured: "I myself will see him with my own eyes--I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!" Job 19:27

Some of us like King David want to see Him now; the rest of us would be okay to wait till our life after. But the fact is, whether we are looking forward to seeing Him or not, every one (from past/ present/future - which includes you and me) is going to see Him face to face one day!

The Scripture says in Revelation 1:7, "Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen."

The question today is: Are you ready to meet El-Roi - the God who sees? Won't you love to say, "I have seen the One who sees me!"?

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Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything. Acts 9:1-9

For the last couple of days we have been seeing the first ever encounters of God in people's lives from the Old Testament. Today we see a case study from the New Testament, that of Saul's first encounter with the Lord.

If we continue to read the chapter, we understand that God sends Ananias in a dream to go and heal Saul's eyes. As soon as he is healed, we read in verse 19-20

Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.

We all know for a fact how mightily Saul went on to serve the Lord under a new name Paul. 

Let's stop there for today's discussion.

Now the question is, haven't we been saved? Haven't we encountered the Lord? Most of us can very well relate to 'the first ever encounter with God' when He revealed Himself as our personal Savior.

If so, how has been our lives since then? What have we done for the Lord?? Are we proclaiming to the world that this Jesus we have encountered is the Son of God?

If not, why not?

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Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the middle of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the middle of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.

And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not near here: put off your shoes from off your feet, for the place where on you stand is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look on God.

And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land to a good land and a large, to a land flowing with milk and honey...

Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt. And Moses said to God, Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with you; and this shall be a token to you, that I have sent you: When you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain. Exodus 3:1 ~ 12

Yesterday we saw the first ever encounter of God that Jacob had experienced. Today's Scripture portion describes the first encounter of God that Moses experienced.

Once again the same God who had been so far known as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, now reveals Himself as the God of Moses!

The very same message He shared with Moses on that day, is the same message He shares with us this morning. Whatever be your "Egypt", our Lord, in other words, your Lord, is capable of delivering you out of it. He shall be with you certainly. You will see the victory and serve Him gratefully! Amen!

Once again, it is your call whether you trust and obey or go your way. I would love to obey!

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Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran.

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” Genesis 28:10-22

Blessed day all! The Scripture here describes the first ever encounter of God, Jacob had in his life. When he was running all alone, fearing retaliation of his brother Esau. The God whom he had heard a mention of by his father Isaac, his grandfather Abraham, now meets him face to face!

Jacob took it to heart, made a wow, and was blessed accordingly, just as he was promised.

The same promise is given us this morning, to all of us who have gathered here in His name!

"... I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Whether we claim it as ours, what we do with it, is entirely up to us. In my case, I choose to believe! Amen!

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As you recall, we are memorizing psalms every Sunday of this month which marks the 3rd year anniversary of Coffee with Jesus.

At the end of this month all who claim that they have memorized the suggested Psalms will receive a special gift from Coffee with Jesus!

Today's pick is our all time favorite Psalm 23!

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul: he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and our staff they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: you anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

(American King James version)

Amen!

Enjoy the "Son"day!

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Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: 

“May you prosper greatly! I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”  Daniel 6:25-28

Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way.”  Daniel 3:28-29

The Book of Daniel is full of exciting incidents that took place in the life of Prophet Daniel and how he found favor in the eyes of great kings such as King Nebuchadnezzar, King Darius, King Belshazzar etc.

Some of the most miraculous events we have heard as Bible stories since childhood such as the fiery furnace incident, the lion's den incident, interpretations of dreams occurred in Daniel's life. He has ministered to many kings of different kingdoms. Yet one thing remained constant throughout his life - His prayer life!

The Scriptures above are in fact testimonies of Daniel shared by the kings who had witnessed these incidents first hand.

In Daniel 6:10 we read, "Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before."

Imagine it being us in Daniel's place, we would reason, "okay I am going to pray in my heart and won't make it obvious that I am praying; after all God would understand...". When it came to the idol situation we would have said, "I will just bow down but will not worship..." These are our excuses to "go with the flow". We waver in our faith. We try to fit in. We are afraid to stand up and out for our beliefs.

I believe Daniel's courage that defied the kings' orders to honor God was an effect of the power of his prayers. We waver because we lack prayer. We have ridden too long on others' prayer for us; it is time we get started on our own seeking after the perfect will of God in our lives. After all it is the same God we serve - the God of Daniel! He is able and mighty to save us from our fiery furnace and lions dens like situations. Amen!

"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him."  I Kings 18:21

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Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

The hard thing about this verse is, often times we do not recognize the devil. On the contrary to our imaginations he doesn't come with baring teeth and twisted horns... he is so subtle and cunning that at times it is hard to even recognize it as the devil. We might mistake him for self pity, temptation, depression, tiredness, sickness, sadness, etc.

Remember this: Anything that spoils our joy of salvation is the devil - or from the devil. So right away resist him and he will flee from you.

That brings us to a very important question: How to resist the devil?

* In the same verse we read, "Submit yourselves, then, to God"
* I Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour"
* In I Peter 5:9 we read, "Resist him, standing firm in the faith..."

And when you do recognize him say, "I command you in the name of my Lord Jesus Christ to stay away from me satan... I take victory in the blood of Jesus Christ!" Sure, he will take off!

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"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.

Pin It Now! Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,

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"How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." 1 Kings 18:21

We are not getting into details on the context of today's text. However, if you wish to understand the context, please click here to read the full chapter.

How many of us can relate to wavering between two opinions? What causes us to waver? When a promise is delayed we waver; when our faith is tested we waver; out of fear of someone or something we waver, to avoid conflicts we waver... To sum it all up, in plain and simple words, we waver between hope and fear.

We do want to believe in God's promises (hope) but at the same time we want to consider the 'what if it is not true' scenario (fear or doubt). The Scripture says: A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8

Wavering or being unstable has huge consequences. If you recall Reuben, he received curse from his father Jacob instead of blessing. Jacob's words in Genesis 49:4 goes: "Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel"

King David sings in Psalm 26:1 "I have trusted in the LORD without wavering". In his letters to the Hebrews Apostle Paul writes: Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm Hebrew 10:23 As part of His sermon on the mount, Jesus said: "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:37

Knowing these Scriptures will help us to improve in our faith and reduce our doubts. Any doubt about that? :)

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He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Malachi 4:6

This was a prophetic message about John the Baptist who came before Christ to prepare the way, preaching people to repent and be baptized. The exact words are repeated again in Luke 1:17 while Zachariah - John's father, was serving at the temple, an angel of the Lord appeared to him to foretell the birth of his son who was to be called John.

The same verse, as is, stand alone, out of context, can still do miracles in our lives. That is the power of the Word of God. We will hold on to this very promise for our families today. Even among the so called christian families rifts between parents and grown children and misunderstandings between adult siblings are not uncommon. Some of us who think we have figured it all out, can't ignore the frictions from time to time. Pride and selfish agenda are main causes for that. Many of us have given up, saying there is nothing we can do about it.

However, prayer can do wonders. Let us pray over our situation using this Scripture today. The Prince of Peace who rules our hearts will heal the wounds and bind the broken hearts. We will rejoice at the family reunion and praise the name of our Lord! Amen!

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Happy September 2013! This month marks the 3rd year anniversary of Coffee with Jesus! Praise the Lord!

Let us memorize some Scriptures this month. Every Sunday we will memorize a portion; okay? What we learn today will help us through our entire life time. So, let us get enthusiastic about the learning. At the end of the month, those who have bi-heart the suggested Scriptures will receive a small gift from Coffee with Jesus.

Psalm 121 should be memorized by every one of us. It is the best inline with Psalm 23. If you do know it by heart, say it aloud. If you don't know it by heart, read it alone a couple of times and let it sink in.


I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

My help comes from the Lord,