"Give thanks to Him... Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever" Psalm: 136:23

I am sure we all have experienced lows in our lives sometime or other. It could have been a health condition or unhappiness or joblessness or something else that we can all relate to.

Those were the days when help wasn't near; we were not sure whom to run to, what to do, how to manage. Faith was being tested to a great extent. Friends were rare and we were at the lowest of our lows.

But God remembered us! Our faith was restored & our joy renewed.

Now, let us go back in time to see how God remembered us in our low estate - just scanning it all in our minds - and thank Him for that. Let's share our testimonies of how God led us through certain hardship with our friends, family and especially our children. Let us also be kind to those who might be in dire situations like we once were and help the best way we can...

For some of us, may be these are the lowly days... Our Lord remembers you as we speak - He has not forgotten you! What more proof we need than looking back this past nine months and see how His grace has been sufficient for us?!

Let us remember to thank the Lord who remember(ed) us in our low estate!

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

“Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18

The message is very clear; this is especially true for marriage decisions. Those who are at the cross roads, take heed to the Word of God!

But those who are already in it, pray for your spouse to receive Christ. In the meantime show them the unconditional love you have so freely received from Jesus the Lord. You may be the only 'Jesus' they see. You better be a good reflection.

May God bless you.

The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4

Reading through the Book of Proverbs you would notice how often a sluggard is reprimanded. Almost in all those Scriptures immediately following the mention of the sluggard and his curse, is the mention of the diligent and the blessings associated with him. Here's to list a few:

* The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions. Proverbs 12:27
* Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 10:4
* Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor. Proverbs 12:24
* Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall  not stand before mean men. Proverbs 22:29
* The plans of the diligent lead to profit. Proverbs 21:5

Now coming back to today's Scripture, if we are diligent our desires will be fully satisfied.

What does it take to be diligent? Diligence means "making every effort to excel in what we do". Marked by persevering, painstaking effort or in plain and simple words, diligence is striving for perfection.

Being diligence does not mean running after the world; it means being diligent for the Lord, for spreading the Gospel, for living a holy life, for winning souls for Christ! When we are diligent in godly affairs He will bless us with our desires for everything else.

In his letter to the Philippians Apostle Paul writes: "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14

Let us do the same. Let us not cling on to whatever happened in the past, that pulls us down making us less diligent; but put in all our efforts to strive towards the mark for the prize of our calling.

Jesus's teachings as recorded in Matthew chapter 6 goes:

Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:31-34

Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird in the sky may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say. Ecclesiastes 10:20

What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. Luke 12:13

It is not uncommon to come across people who are opinionated. They are full of complaints about everyone around them, from the President of the country to the local weather man, and disguise it under a broad umbrella called, "Freedom of speech".

May it be far from us believers - the children of God - to be like one of them. Let us be careful about our words about everyone around us. The more we abuse it the more insensitive we become to the effect of our words.

Every child of God must master the art of taming the tongue. This is one area we can clearly differ from the ungodly. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ was a perfect example of One who had mastered it all! We read in Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth."

 Let us make this our desire too. Let us make this our regular prayer: "May the words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

Yet these may you eat of every flying creeping thing that goes on all four, which have legs above their feet, to leap with on the earth Leviticus 11:21

Leviticus chapter 11 titled Clean and Unclean Food  lists the clean and unclean birds, animals,fish and insects that are considered edible and that which are an abomination to eat.

However, in Acts chapter 10 we read of an account of Peter's vision that contradicts these very law that were given by Moses to the people of Israel. The point here is that keeping the law should not be the priority over accepting people from different faith, culture, race, religion, wealth, caste, stature, etc.

Many Christians or I should say people who call themselves as "christians" are keen on associating only with Christians; worse yet - only with believers of their own race, culture, church & social background! They hesitate to make friends with anyone who is not of their faith.

Jesus Christ during His life on earth set a perfect role model when it comes to making friends. He was friends with all kinds of people, from all walks of life and even many "sinners". Sin He hates but sinners He loves! Everyone who came in contact with Jesus was influenced by His love for them.

How can we influence someone for Christ if we choose to be safe? How can we be a light if  we shun from people who are in the darkness? How can we love the Lord if we lack love for fellow human? How can we ever follow the great commission to go and make disciples if  we do not want to get out of our comfort zone?

The voice that Peter heard in Acts 10:15 still calls out today - to each one of us believers - "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean."

Are we ready to accept every one in Christ?!

"Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength" Isaiah 52:1

We have discussed this verse several times at the coffee table before. Today also the Lord intends to speak to us through this very message: "Awake, awake; put on thy strength!".

What does it mean to clothe our self with strength? That brings us to yet another question: What is strength?

A quick look up in the dictionary suggests many meanings for the word 'strength':

1. The state, property, or quality of being strong.
2. The power to resist attack; impregnability.
3. The power to resist strain or stress; durability.
4. The ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly.
5. Capacity or potential for effective action

Now that we know the meaning of strength, we kind of get an idea of what it means to "put on our strength". In simple words it means to "resist the attack" or "being strong".

These are very important for our spiritual life. We cannot be weak swaying whichever way the wind blows. We need to be strong in our fundamental beliefs in accordance with the Word of God, which will enable us to resist the attack from the devil, from the world and even from within.

So, hopefully you will add some 'strength' to your wardrobe this season - won't you?!

* And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:31
* In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.1 Corinthians 15:52
* For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27
* For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17

The most important event we as Christians ought to look forward to on a daily basis is the The Last Trumpet Call!!

What is meant by the last trumpet call? The last trumpet call is the imminent return of our King and Savior Jesus Christ at the least conceivable time to gather His Church in mid air. The dead in Christ will rise and the faithful living will be transformed to be caught up with Him. This is also widely refered to by the term 'pre tribulation rapture'.

When will the last trumpet call be? No one knows the exact date/time/hour of the last trumpet call - which makes it all the more difficult to be ready for it.

What does it take to be ready? Knowing Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and having our name written in the Book of Life is all it takes to be rapture ready. When Apostle Paul was in prison, a jailer asked him, "What must I do to be saved?" Paul's answer was: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts: 16: 30-31) If we believe in the Lord, we will be ready.

Are you ready?

Then a voice came from the throne, saying: "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, both small and great!"

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: "Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!

For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

Then the angel said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God." Revelation 19:5-9

Those of us who are born again, have a wedding feast to look forward to! The wedding of the Lamb! As a matter of fact it is OUR(the Church) wedding with the Lamb!! We don't want to miss out on our wedding; do we?

In fact it is an open invitation to all. Though it says 'blessed are those that are invited', what it really means here is 'blessed are those who have accepted the invitation'.

I was browsing the Internet for an illustration to share with you all at the coffee table. Here's one that brought tears to my eyes... How beautifully the trumpet call and the rapture is explained here!

Are we ready? The invitation is still open - but only for little while. Let's accept it, get ready for it and pass it on...

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God. Psalm 146:5

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Hope is:

to cherish a desire with anticipation (or)
to desire with expectation of obtainment (or)
to expect with confidence

We all have hopes - hope for betterment - hope for retirement - hope for a future. But more importantly do we have the hope of eternal life?

The Bible says, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (I Cor 15:19)

Let us not forget the ultimate reward - which is our salvation. Prophet Jeremiah writes, The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentation 3:24

King David constantly sings about his hope in the Lord:

Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7 (NLT)
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. Psalm 71:5
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Can we sing the same today? What is our hope? Who is our hope on?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

In the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, Moses proclaimed to the Israelites all that the Lord had commanded him concerning them. Deuteronomy 1:3

As we continue reading the same chapter Deuteronomy 1:6-8 it says, The Lord our God said to us at Horeb, “You have stayed long enough at this mountain.

Break camp and advance into the hill country of the Amorites; go to all the neighboring peoples in the Arabah, in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.

"See, I have given you this land. Go in and take possession of the land that the Lord swore he would give to your fathers—to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to their descendants after them."

Amen! This is the message for us this morning! Let us not get comfortable where we are stationed right now. We have come a  long way from our "Egypt" and it is only a short lapse now to claim our "promised land".

Break camp and advance! Go in and take possession of the land.

Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings for a great Thursday!

In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the LORD, weeping bitterly. I Samuel 1:10

I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Samuel 1:27-28

And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:21

We all know of Hannah the mother of Samuel the great prophet. She was barren for many years to a point it made her life bitter. She prayed to God and God answered her prayers by giving her a son, Samuel. Turns out she was a woman of prayer. Clearly her prayers didn't stop when she received her blessing; it kept flowing. She was constantly in communion with the Lord.

In fact one of her prayers is listed in I Samuel 2nd Chapter; please take some time to read through it today if you can.

No wonder Samuel turned out to be a great man of God, a well known prophet, a counselor to kings, one who heard from the Lord even when he was a little child, amidst the not so great environment he grew up in. We read of Eli's (the temple priest who was Samuel's guardian) own children who were so wicked to the point of receiving God's punishment on them.

We read in the continuing chapters, The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions. 1 Samuel 3:1

In spite of it all Samuel found favor in the sight of God and Eli. I am very convinced it was because of his mother's prayers.

Same way we as mothers have a great influence in our children's lives irrespective of the circumstances they grow up in, whether or not they have good friends, in spite of their environment, etc.

The question them becomes, are we willing to pray for our children?

Are you?

Psalm 72 is King David's prayer for his son King Solomon. There is a great deal to learn from it. If you can spare a few minutes today please proceed to read the entire psalm in full.

The psalm belongs to Solomon in part, but to Christ more fully and clearly. Solomon was both the king and the king's son, and his pious father desired that the wisdom of God might be in him, that his reign might be a remembrance of the kingdom of the Messiah. It is the prayer of a father for his child; a dying blessing. The best we can ask of God for our children is, that God would give them wisdom and grace to know and to do their duty. (~Matthew Henry)

The lesson for us is that we must bless our own children and pray for them earnestly. Only the prayers of our grandparents and parents have led us thus far. If we do not pray for our children who would? It is important we take time, make the time to kneel down in God's presence praying for our children.

Read and reread the psalm to understand how valuable King David's prayers turned out to be for his son King Solomon. It includes his wish list of what he expects from his son as a King. It covers his health, wealth, name, fame and prosperity. He wishes Solomon to be a righteous king, a precursor of King of kings and Lord of lords Jesus Christ Himself!

Let us not forget to include such points for our children that they should become more like Jesus everyday. That they should shine for His glory, that they should set good examples, that they be filled with the Holy Spirit, that they be kept safe from sin, etc.

Pray. Earnestly. For your children.

Praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. Praise be to his glorious name forever;may the whole earth be filled with his glory.Amen and Amen. Psalm 72:18-19

This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Kings 3:18

Whatever is your need this morning, however hard it seems to you, remember it is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord!

To read it in context, "This is what the Lord says: Make this valley full of ditches. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord..." 2 Kings 3:16-18

It might not seem like it is going to "rain". There may be no signs of deliverance. You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water! You and yours will drink!

The payment you are worried about, the job search that drains you out, the kids who are rebellious, the health condition of a loved one, the refinance that takes forever - it is all an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord. Amen!

If you read the earlier portion of the same chapter, Elisha makes a strong statement in verse 14. He says,: "I would not look at you or even notice you"; and we read that he ordered for a musician and sang hymns to the Lord.

That's exactly what we are going to do. Let us humble ourselves and look beyond our circumstances - beyond our bank balance, beyond the doctor's report, beyond the government statistics, we are going to praise and worship the Lord singing hymns to Him. I myself am going to do the same for complete healing of my husband's skin issues.

As we do, let us bring all our burdens at His feet this morning based on these words. His promises are yea and amen for those who believe! You may choose to place your hands on the screen or on the same portion of Scripture in your Bible and claim these very words as your own.

This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord! Can't wait to share and hear praise reports on the same...

Have a blessed week ahead.

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Life can get weary sometime. The routine toil day after day could easily overwhelm us. Where will we go then? What will we do? How will we find solace? Only by taking it all to God Almighty and hear Him say these very words: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, I will give you rest".

Interstingly the invitation is forever open, it is us finding time to attend to it that prevents us from enjoying it's benefits.

In Matthew 6:33 we read: "Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Often times our burden gets heavier because we have not sought after God first. Let us set aside a regular prayer time and list all our needs at His feet and see if His invitation stands true in our case.

I am 100% positive it is! Tested & true! Would you like to try it yourself?

Happy Sunday; I mean, 'Son'day!

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

King David often talks to his inner self, which I find quite interesting. Often he is upbeat and tells himself: "Praise the Lord,O my soul!", "Forget not His benefits,O my soul", "Bless the Lord, O my soul". Then there are times his despair is quite evident such as: "Why are you downcast, O my soul?", "Be at rest once more, O my soul", "my soul is troubled exceedingly...", etc.

Here, in Psalm 62: 5 King David reminds his soul to be calm about the prevailing situation and encourages that his help comes from the Lord. He is giving hope to a soul that is ready to give up waiting.

Barne's notes on the Bible explains:

The idea here is, that all that he expected or hoped for must come from God. He did not rely on his fellow men; he did not rely on himself. God alone could deliver him, and he confidently believed that God would do it.

Often are we in such circumstances that we feel that our only "expectation" - our only hope - is in God. All our strength fails; all our resources are exhausted; our fellow-men cannot or will not aid us; our own efforts seem to be vain; our plans are frustrated, and we are shut up to the conclusion that God alone can help us.

So we get the message. We need not panic or despair; but train our souls to be calm. Let us repeat King David's statement to ourselves: "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him!"

Yesterday we discussed that we must wait on the Lord before decision making. Today's discussion is on How do we know when the wait is over?

It is a good question, but wrong motive. It clearly shows how impatient we are already.

Having said that, the answer to the question is that the wait is never over,over until the coming of the Lord!!

"Wait a minute, that can't be? We need to make decisions as part of our daily lives and we can't wait forever until eternity", you say. I agree.

For day to day life we wait for assurance from the Lord; making sure we have taken the matter to God in prayer and petition, get a complete peace of mind, sometimes an assurance with a Scripture portion (Word of God), mostly a calm attitude resulting from being led by the Holy Spirit. That's how we know we have the answer from the Lord for the matters at hand.

However, our wait on the Lord is never really over. Each day, each minute we ought to be waiting and depending on the Lord knowing clearly each moment is His precious gift to us and we make it through each day only by His mercy and grace.

I know the answer is disappointing, but that is what the Scripture tells us:

Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! James 5:7-9

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-16

Have a blessed weekend!

They that wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

'Waiting on the Lord' is a frequently mentioned term among Christians. But what really does Waiting on the Lord mean?

Looking up the thesaurus for 'wait' we have the following:

Definition: pause, rest

Synonyms: abide, anticipate, await, bide, bide one's time, cool it, dally, delay, expect, fill time, foresee, hang around, hang onto, hang out, hold back, hold everything, hold on, lie in wait, lie low, linger, look for, look forward to, mark time, put on hold, remain, save it, sit tight, sit up for, stall, stand by, stay, stay up for, stick around, sweat it, tarry, watch

Antonyms: carry out, do, forge, forward, go, go ahead

So, to say we must wait on the Lord implies we have to abide in the Lord, expect from the Lord, delay our own decision making, linger in His presence, tarry, hold on, look forward to His answer, stand by for His deliverance etc. In addition it also means not to carry out things in our whim or fancy, not to go ahead with our own conclusions, not to move forward without hearing from Him etc.

Wait on the Lord, wait at His presence, bring it to His feet, raise it to His hearing, tarry for a definite answer from Him on all matters concerning. The business idea you have, the marriage proposal at hand, the job offer you like, for all things big and small, pause, consult with the Lord, wait on Him and then do it according to His will. Don't move an inch before you have heard from Him. Do not proceed!

Pause. Pray. Listen. Act.

Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him. Isaiah 64:4

How do you know when the wait is over? We will discuss that tomorrow; please stay tuned...

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-11

Pure and simple Scriptures this morning for Coffee with Jesus. As we read above, let us make every effort to confirm our calling and election.

Have a blessed Wednesday!

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Proverbs 51:17

Commonly a broken heart is associated with disappointment in love. But that is not what is mentioned in the Scripture here.

It is the broken heart/spirit that is grieved under a sense of sin; has true repentance for it; is smitten, wounded, and broken with it, by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Clearly King David's spirit was broken when he understood the enormity of his sin against God. His genuine brokenness led him to repentance. He poured out his heart's plea at His feet and received God's forgiveness.

His heart did not remain broken. It was mended by the love of God. We know of this from the very many happy psalms King David has written/sang.

Same way, when we reach out to God with our broken heart, offering a true repentance, He will reach down and calm us immensely with His love.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12:2

Many of us wonder how we can find out the will of God in our lives. Today's Scripture gives us the answer for that.

If we do not conform to this world, but are transformed by the renewing of our mind, then we will know what is the perfect will of God for us. Isn't that simple? I believe it is smart, holding us responsible for knowing the will of God! Instead of saying, ask your pastor or check with your parents to find out what God's will for your life is, the Scripture clearly says it is within our capacity to know His will!

That arises further questions: What does it mean to conform to the world? How not to conform to the world? How to be transformed by the renewing of our mind?

In the Gospel of Mark when we read about the parable of the sower, chapter 4 verse 19 says, "...the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful."

This is conforming to the world. This is what the ungodly do - they worry for this life, they deceive for wealth and they desire worldly things. But not so are the godly. We need to live a life without conforming to the world.

Ephesians 4:17-32 explains how we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds:

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

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

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath

and from doing as you please on my holy day,

if you call the Sabbath a delight

and the Lord’s holy day honorable,

and if you honor it by not going your own way

and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the Lord,

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

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

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

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

Let's enjoy the 'Son'day!

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings. Psalm 17:8

Please take some time to read Psalm 17 which is a prayer by King David.I love prayers of different people from the Bible as it shows their heart and teaches us to pray as well.

King David's prayers are candid, coming straight from his heart without any filterations by the head.

In this prayer, King David sets before the Lord the contrast between him and his adversaries: He is righteous; they are wicked. He does not sin with his mouth ; but they speak arrogance. He keeps himself from the way of violence but they are crouching in cover to prey on him.

He then pleads for God to confront his enemies on his behalf and ends it with no doubts of his deliverence.

We can sure learn a great deal from this prayer. Knowing that in spite of our righteouseness, in spite of our enemies wickedness, amidst our plea, the deliverence is at hand should make our faith stronger.

We have thus disqualified our merits, nullified the fear of our enemies' wickedness, accepted that God alone can save us and look forward to receive our victory! Amen!

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God. Psalm 146:5

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, Hope is:

to cherish a desire with anticipation (or)
to desire with expectation of obtainment (or)
to expect with confidence

We all have hopes - hope for betterment - hope for retirement - hope for a future. But more importantly do we have the hope of eternal life?

The Bible says, If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (I Cor 15:19)

Let us not forget the ultimate reward - which is our salvation. Prophet Jeremiah writes, The LORD [is] my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. Lamentation 3:24

King David constantly sings about his hope in the Lord:

Lord, where do I put my hope? My only hope is in you. Psalm 39:7 (NLT)
For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth. Psalm 71:5
I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God. Psalm 38:15

Can we sing the same today? What is our hope? Who is our hope on?

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, 'Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? -- if Jehovah is God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' 1 Kings 18:21(Young's Literal Translation)

Elijah went before the people and said, "How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him." (NIV)

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? :)

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. Revelation 2:14-15

It was not my intention to share these Scriptures today; I truly believe it is from the Holy Spirit for those who need to hear.

The church in Pergamum had many good things about them - they remained true to His name, they did not renounce the faith in Christ.

Yet, they went wrong in who they were associating with - there were people who believed in idols and those who followed false teaching, among them.

So, whom are we associating with today? Do we stand firm in our faith that Jesus is the only Way? Or do we reason saying there may be more than one "ways"?  Do we know the the Truth from the Scriptures or waver at every new "doctrine" out there? Do we stay clear of idols and sexual immorality that are justified by the false teachers? Are we sensitive to the Word of correction the Holy Spirit reminds us about or ignore it and carry on our lives in sin?

I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy. Leviticus 11:45

Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. I Peter 1:15

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

Kingdom of God is surely at hand - nearer than when it was first preached by John the Baptist some 2000 and odd years ago!

For some this message comes across as foolish and a mockery. They say, "Right! That's what they have been saying for 2000 years - that it is near! But where is it?".

Just because 2000 years is a long period in human hours doesn't mean that the Word of God can be mocked at. Indeed it is true that the Kingdom of God is near - definitely nearer each new day!

For those who still have a tough time understanding it, my suggestion would be to look at themselves in the mirror.There is no denying the fact that each new day we are a day older than we were the previous day. The weeks and months and years all seem to roll up together and before we know it, whether we like it or not our time on this earth will come to an end.

The eternal life spreads forever before us. Kingdom of God vs. hell. Kingdom of God prepared for His children; hell prepared for the devil and his followers.

The call is still on: Repent! Mockery continues too: Reject! The choice is ours. Do we repent and be ready for the Kingdom of God? OR do we reject the call and end up in hell?

Which one do we heed?

Blessed September 2014!