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

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

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

In I Kings 19:11-13 we read about Elijah encountering this voice from the Lord. It says:

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

Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

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

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

Are we listening?

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants. Isaiah 44:3

Some among us are spiritually barren. We are so overwhelmed by the worldly affairs of life that there hasn't been much fruits in us. Our love has gone cold. Our hearts have gone dry.

Just like when the land is dry it gets parched and broken and non-pliable our hearts become hard and non-flexible; it becomes insensitive. It takes Divine intervention to heal the dry land. The rains come down and the water softens the land.

As rain starts pouring season after season, the land starts to come alive with plants and trees and birds and flowers and fruits and what not! The land becomes much desired. It is now a fertile land that people flock to. It yields its fruit in season making it profitable. The air is fresh, water is plenty and there is an abundance of healing and blessing around it.

Same way, we need a Divine intervention in our spiritual barrenness! We need rain. We need the pouring out of the Holy Spirit! Only the continual infilling of the Holy Spirit can make us thrive with joy and health and life! The Holy Spirit empowers us to be refreshed in His love thus making us refreshing to others. The Holy Spirit dwells in us teaching us, guiding us, showing us the way to go.

It takes the Holy Spirit to enable us to become an image of God. Our hearts become sensitive to His touch. Our lives become fruitful for the Lord! We will be barren no more but fertile!

How many of us wish to become such a fertile land this morning? Are we thirsty for the Holy Spirit this morning? Let us ponder over these thoughts and get thirsty for the Lord.

Please stay tuned for more discussion on Holy Spirit in the coming days. If you have any questions on the topic bring it on to discuss at the coffee table. God bless you!

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 in the coming days - 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...

* And they(angels) were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah 6:3
* 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...

How beautiful your sandaled feet... Song of Solomon 7:1

Interesting how the bride and groom alternate compliments on each other in the book of Song of Solomon. Further more interesting is the fact that we are the bride personified here while Jesus is the Groom. It makes it all the more important for us to pay close attention to these Scriptures so that we can compare to the described bride.

Here, the Lover admires how beautiful His bride's feet are. Not just the bare feet, but her 'sandaled feet'.

What kind of sandal it would be? In Ephesians chapter 6, where we read about getting ready in the full armor of God, in verse 15 it says: "... with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace".

So, it is not just any sandal we are talking about here; it is 'the readiness' that is implied. Readiness? Readiness for what? Clearly it mentions 'readiness that comes from the gospel of peace'.

In Isaiah 52:7 we read: How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, "Your God reigns!"

Let us check if we are fitted with the 'sandal' our Groom so admires. If not, let's get fitted with readiness by accepting the gospel of peace.

Have a blessed Monday.

Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth.

Sing to the Lord, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and glory are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come into his courts.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth.

Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity.

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it;

let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them.
Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy;

they will sing before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.

He will judge the world in righteousness
and the peoples in his truth.

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. Psalm 84:6

As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs... Who are they?

In the earlier verses (Psalms 84:4-5) we read in detail about them:

* They are blessed
* They dwell in the house of the Lord
* They are ever praising the Lord
* Their strength is in the Lord
* They have set their hearts on pilgrimage in other words, they have decided to follow the Lord.

So, for the promise above to be true in our lives we need to become them.

Then,

As we pass through the Valley of Baca, we  will make it a place of springs... How's that?

The LORD is near to all them that call on him, to all that call on him in truth. Psalm 145:18

The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous. Proverbs 15:29

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

What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? Deuteronomy 4:7

The Lord is near to those who call on Him, those that call on Him in truth. Which makes us believe there are people who call on him not in truth. We see it all around us. Sadly for many, the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ, has become a curse word, they use the name of the Lord in vain.

Let us be careful not to use the Lord's name in vain. Let us regard Him when we call upon His name. Then we will know He is near. He will hear our cry when we call Him in truth, that is when we mean it!

Keep calling the name of the Lord in truth, to keep Him near - how about that?! 

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Isaiah 55:6

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8 

Be blessed everyone. Happy Friday. 

“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.

For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.

Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

~Matthew 5:17-20

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

"For I hate divorce!" says the LORD, the God of Israel. "To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty," says the LORD of Heaven's Armies. "So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife." (New Living Translation)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder,a and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.

Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca (You good-for-nothing)', is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.

First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.

Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

Many are invited, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14

No one can deny the fact that they have been invited for the wedding banquet of the Lamb. Message of salvation is spreading so fast that tons of invitations are sent out each day. The catch is, the exact date and time is not mentioned on the invitation. What does that mean? It only means that it could be anytime and the invited are expected to be available in a twinkling of an eye.

Ah! That's the problem. Many of us have accepted the invitation momentarily. But are we ready for the wedding? Have we washed our selves? Do we have our clothes ready? Have we picked the shoes? Do we follow the directions to the wedding hall? No, no let's not panic... We are given specific instructions as to how to be ready. As long as we follow that we are good.

Let's review the instructions real quick that Apostle Paul shares in Ephesians 6:11-18: I will break it down for easier list:

* Put on the full armor of God
* Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist
* With the breastplate of righteousness in place
* And with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
* In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
* Take the helmet of salvation
* And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
* And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
* With this in mind, be alert
* And always keep on praying for all the saints.

With all these checked out, we are all set for the wedding!

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’

But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.

And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.

If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.

Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.


Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.

The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Romans: 13:12-14

Don't we always think about how to gratify ourselves? I mean don't we always look to satisfy the desires of our heart? Looks like that is bad. Certain sins are so subtle that we may not even consider it a sin. We may term it as 'habit' or 'that's just me' or whatever, but not sin. This is where learning and meditating the Word of God can help us improve.

I would like to share an extract from Barnes notes on the Bible on this:

The gratification of the flesh was the main object among the Romans. Living in luxury and licentiousness, they made it their great object of study to multiply and prolong the means of licentious indulgence. In respect to this, Christians were to be a separate people, and to show that they were influenced by a higher and purer desire than this grovelling propensity to minister to sensual gratification. It is right, it is a Christian duty, to labor to make provision for all the real needs of life. But the real wants are few; and with a heart disposed to be pure and temperate, the necessary wants of life are easily satisfied; and the mind may be devoted to higher and purer purposes. 

Many apostles have written about why we should not gratify the desires of our sinful nature; here's to quote a few:

* Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. I Peter 2:11
* For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. I John 2:16
* So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Galatians 5:16

God bless you! Enjoy the Thursday! Sure; why not?! :)

Don't I have a right to complain? Don't wild donkeys bray when they find no grass, and oxen bellow when they have no food? Job 6:5

There are lots of ways to describe us when discontentment boils over: whiners, grumps, moaners, mopers. We get snappish, crabby, and edgy. You know the type - sort of like Eeyore, the gloomy donkey of Winnie the Pooh fame. No matter what cheerful circumstance he and his friends are in, his melancholy mindset makes his ears and tail droop ever lower. We can always find something to complain about if we try.

Here's a beautiful scripture passage that reminds us that contentment with godliness is great gain:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:6-11

trust in him and he will do this:

the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:5-6

Amen! What a great promise for us this morning. It is an assurance that the Lord support our righteous cause; and bring us justice like the bight sun. Just as bright and powerful the sun is at noon, everyone will see us shine through!

However, it all starts with a commitment on our side - to commit to His ways and trust in Him. Which then brings us to our today's discussion: How to commit our ways to the Lord?

When Moses summoned all Israelites and gave them the ten commandments from the Lord, he had given an important instruction which holds true for us even to this day:

Be careful to do what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Deuteronomy 5:32

King Solomon shares a wise word: Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3.

He repeats in Proverbs 3:6, In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Yet again He says, in Proverbs 4:27, Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.

The Bible is full of instructions on how we can continually commit our ways to the Lord. We only need to read it and apply it in our lives - with a conscious effort.

Then the Lord will bring forth our justice as bright as the noonday sun and our righteousness will shine like the dawn! Praise the Lord.

* My lover is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 2:16
* I am my lover's and my lover is mine; he browses among the lilies. Song of Solomon 6:3
* I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me. Song of Solomon 7:10

No doubt the couple depicted in Song of Solomon is head over heals in love with one another; repeatedly they reassure their love for each other.

Hopefully it is the same with our love for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When was the last time we told Him we are His and He is ours? When was the last time we heard Him speak in His slow still voice? Are we sure of our love? Then why aren't we spending time with Him whenever possible?

His love remains constant; it is us who waver from time to time. Let us see what we can do to rekindle our love for our Lord today. At least once tell Him how much you love Him today; it won't be long before you hear Him say the same and more to you.

Let's enjoy His loving presence rest of the day. Never doubt God's love for you.

We live by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7

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.

"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 was 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 on how God led us through certain hardships, 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 at our past 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!

Have a memorable Saturday!

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
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!

Enjoy the Friday.

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!

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!

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—

Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. Ecclesiastes 5:2

As we start a new week today, I want to put a challenge in front of us - to make our words few.

Through the week, anytime we feel the urge to talk more, to explain our cases, to judge someone, to argue, why not even in our prayers, let us remind our self about this very verse and make a conscious effort to make our words few.

The chances are, we will be tempted more. But with the grace of God we can handle it the way the Scripture teaches us and before long it could become our very nature!

Shall we try?

* I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm:122:1

* One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.Psalm 27:4

* Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.Psalm 100:4

Happy "Son"day all! It is one day where we can all come together and rejoice in His presence. It is such a privilege.

In countries like China where churches are prohibited, people worship in underground churches. Where there are no buildings, people gather under trees and thatched roof to worship the Lord in Srilanka, India and possibly more countries. In Saudi Arabia people gather in homes to worship the Lord.

One thing is common across the world - the believers are glad when they are told, "Let us go into the house of the Lord"

Let us go too!

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

~Matthew 7:24-27

Where have you built your house? Hope it is built on the Rock of Salvation - our Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed Saturday!

The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty." Haggai 2:9

Some of us are still looking back to our former house, our former jobs, our former positions, etc missing out on the current blessings God has in store for us. If I hadn't sold that house - if I hadn't left that job - if I had stayed in that town - if I had accepted that offer, etc, etc.

Today's verse comes as a reminder that whatever God has blessed us with at the moment - in the current times - is definitely better than what we had before. Wherever we are at, our god will grant us peace. Let us be thankful for what we have right now rather than worrying over the past bad decisions and such.

In Isaiah 43: 18-19 the Lord declares, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland..."

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Indeed the new has come! Let us cherish it with a grateful heart.

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 in this new year!

Happy January!

The seed will grow well, the vine will yield its fruit, the ground will produce its crops, and the heavens will drop their dew. I will give all these things as an inheritance to the remnant of this people. Zechariah 8:12

May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness--an abundance of grain and new wine. Genesis 27:8

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

The land will yield its harvest, and God, our God, will bless us. Psalm 67:6

May these abundance of blessings be with you and yours this new year.

Happy New Year 2020!