Ways To Stay Connected With God

As Christians we are always in a constant battle. Just when we think it’s over, the enemy will come against you with different forms of trials and temptations. But the greatest deception comes when we think that we won’t fall. The thought that we wont fall comes from a deceiving spirit. The devil would love for us to think we are safe so that we will then stop being alert and cautious. We become wise in our own eyes for our own downfall (Proverbs 3:7).

a. Be Alert
As 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” He waits for a chance to enter your heart. We as believers should be alert and cautious.

b. Be Led
As Galatians 5:16  says, “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.” This is another habit we as Christians need to cultivate. To be sensitive to the spirit and be led by the Spirit all throughout the day, so that we do not gratify the desires of the flesh.

c. Guard your Heart
As Mark 7:21 says, “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries."
Sin starts from the first glance. The very first wrong thought has already invaded your life. And the more we dwell on it, the more the enemy builds a stronghold in our life. So when you know there’s something that’s taking you away from God, disconnect from it mercilessly. If there is a negative thought that makes you heart bitter, then don’t dwell on those situations. Immediately take authority over it in the name of Jesus and overcome it.

"When a Christian makes a mistake, he does not lose his place as a son but loses his fellowship. Jesus is our Family Lawyer. Whenever we make a mistake and our fellowship is broken, He stands at the right hand of the Father interceding for us. We can immediately go to God about our behaviours. He will help us to get back on our feet, forgive us and help us not to make the same mistake again.”

Written By Tiny Mathew

Oh! Grow Up

Will I ever have self-control? Will I ever stop caring what others think of me? Will I ever grow bold in my witness for Christ? Oh, how I want to be like Jesus, and oh, how I'm not like Jesus.

There is a beautiful, mysterious cooperation that takes place in this relationship between God and me. I feast on His Word, and He strengthens me through it. I walk with the wise, and He makes me grow wise. I step out in trust and obedience, and He increases my faith.

I'm learning, though, that growing up into Christ takes time just like growing into an adult does. I don't expect my three-year-old friends to discuss Shakespeare with me, and I don't expect a little sapling in my yard to turn into a shade tree in one year. Yet sometimes I expect myself to jump ahead in spiritual maturity, in holiness, forgetting that it's the Holy Spirit who causes me to grow. The Bible encourages us to long for spiritual growth. There is a beautiful, mysterious cooperation that takes place in this relationship between God and me. I feast on His Word, and He strengthens me through it. I walk with the wise, and He makes me grow wise. I step out in trust and obedience, and He increases my faith.

The apostle Peter tells us, "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good" (1 Peter 2:2–3). The apostle Paul also encourages us to grow up spiritually "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ" (Epheians 4:14–15).

My prayer for us is that, through the work of the Holy Spirit, day by day, we will steadily grow into more beautiful versions of ourselves, more Christ-like versions of ourselves. We were made to reflect God's glory, to bear His image, to look like Him, to be holy like Him. That's something worth longing for, don't you think?

Written By Jennifer Cortez

Learning to Follow the Spirit of God

I spent years doing life my own way, not really following God. At the time I thought it would make me happy to do everything I wanted to do. But the fact is I was miserable.

You see, if we’re not following God’s plan for our life, we’re never going to feel peace or joy on the inside. You may have some fun, but I’ve learned that having fun and having joy are two different things and I would much rather have joy on the inside of me.

Fun is based on what you’re doing in the moment. You can go to the mall with your credit card and spend a bunch of money, and you might even enjoy doing it, but then when you get back home, the fun is over and you’ve lost your joy. See, the enemy will tempt us to have a little fun, but after we do the very thing he tempted us to do, he’ll accuse us of doing the wrong thing. Fun is expensive; joy is free. Joy is based on your relationship with Jesus Christ. When we do what His Word tells us to do, then we have the peace and joy that comes from being close to Him.

Finding the Pathway of Joy

Romans 8:1-2 says, “Therefore, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.”

If we want to have and enjoy the freedom that Jesus died to give us, then we need to learn how to follow the Spirit of God. One of the ways you can tell if you’re following the flesh instead of the Spirit is that you have no peace and you’re struggling. If you’re thinking about doing something and you have no peace about it, just don’t do it.

For example, you may have a deep desire to get married. But if you’ve gotten yourself into a relationship based on the flesh and you’re convincing yourself you’ve got to get married because this could be your only chance, all you’re doing is setting yourself up for a lifetime of misery. Here’s the thing: If your mind is troubled and you have that uneasy feeling that says, I don’t know about this, don’t do it!

Very often we try to reason ourselves into something we don’t have any peace about in the first place. In the example above, the reasoning would go something like this: “Well, I can’t think of anything wrong with him. He’s a believer. He’s got a good job. He’s handsome. He’s nice to me.” But no matter how nice he is, if you don’t have peace about getting married, you’re better off being by yourself. This same principle is true whatever your situation may be, whether it’s about accepting a job offer, choosing a church, deciding where to live, establishing healthy boundaries in relationships…and the list could go on. Always make it your goal to follow the wisdom and peace of God.

It’s Okay to Make Mistakes

Life can be so fast-paced, and it’s easy to make mistakes when you’re in a hurry. Sometimes we need to slow ourselves down so we can discern between the desires of the flesh and the desires of the Spirit. What should you do when you realize that you’ve made a mistake? First of all, you don’t ever have to be ashamed to back out of doing something you thought was God once you realize it’s not. You can simply say, “I’ve made a mistake,” and move on. We all miss God at certain times of our lives. Actually, that’s one of the ways we learn how to hear from God correctly. Sometimes you will need to step out and try something to find out whether or not it’s really God. Remember, when you follow His leading, you’re going to have peace and joy, not guilt and condemnation. In Christ, we are free from sin and can have abundant life, full of joy and peace. We just have to follow His lead.

Written By Joyce Meyer

Power And Practice Of Praise & Worship

1. Praise changes what the circumstances looks like, may not the circumstances. Praise is the source of stability in everyday stresses of life. We see things from God's perspective. Praise is important discipline in our life.

2. Praise is intended to be lifestyle. Praise is powerful against enemy. Praise is verbal or visible adoration. Praise is emphasizing on who He is.

3. God revealed in His Word about everything He has done. God gives us the reason to say, "Praise the Lord, for He is good." In Acts 3, when man was healed. When he saw the power of God revealed
in his behalf. He responded. Praise became spontaneous out of the response of the greatness of God. Praise does not come naturally. Praise is something we have to learn by practice.

4. We all worship something or someone all the time. True worship is coming to see the incredible value and worth of Christ surpassing anything else that have meaning to us. We worship God because You are holy, righteous, pure, faithful, loving, unchanging and conforming us to the image of Christ. We worship for the redemption through the blood of Jesus which gave us forgiveness, healing, blessing and provision. All praise, thanksgiving and worship takes us to the presence of God.

5. Praise transfers our focus from yourself and your circumstances and lifts those eyes up and focus on God. Praising Lord and exercise your faith doesn't mean that you don't feel afraid. Praise precedes and prepares us for deliverance.

Saved From Wrath And Saved For Good Works

Then He asked them again, “Whom are you seeking?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus answered, “I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you seek Me, let these go their way,” that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, “Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none” (John 18:7 & 8). Jesus courage is seen in His determination to go to the Cross, where His sinlessness would be violated as He bore the wrath of God for sinners. Jesus was forcing them to acknowledge that they had no authority to take His disciples. God wrath is put on Jesus. Now, we are not under God's wrath because of Jesus. We are free from God's wrath in Christ Jesus.

What We Are Saved From

Scripture teaches us about our sin and God’s grace.  Paul can’t seem to talk about anything else without it connecting to these truths, and it is easy for us to get bored or tired of hearing and reading about it. Do you know why we tend to get bored with it? I think it is because we do not really grasp the heinousness of sin or depth of God’s grace.

The first part of Ephesians 2 tells us that we were the walking dead, following the ways of the world, paying homage to the prince of this age, and were by nature children of God’s anger.

We did not have much going for us. There was no purity, love, wisdom, goodness or spiritual enlightenment that could have endeared us to God and cause him to sacrifice so much for us. No, as Sam Storms puts it, “The only thing we stirred in God’s heart was wrath.”

What We Are Saved For

When God saved us he didn’t do it because he was bored and didn’t have anything else planned for that day. We were rescued by our great Knight for specific purposes. Not only does our salvation puts on display his glory, power and love but it also gives us good works to walk in. (Titus 3:8)

The Protestant Reformers had a great phrase. They said that “faith alone justifies, but not the faith which is alone!”

Meaning, faith, given to us by God, is what saves us, but this faith then results in good works.

The NEB renders this, “the good deeds, for which God has designed us.”

We were each uniquely designed for certain works that God had prepared for us before the foundation of the world. While there are many works all Christians are called to (love, forgiveness, compassion, worship, etc.) we are each also given unique lives and specific works God uniquely calls us to.

It is very important that we learn to not compare ourselves to others. The works that God has for your friend are fit only for her and the works God has for you are specifically for you.  So what are these wonderful works?

Ultimately the good works God calls us to is faithful obedience to Him in every sphere of life. This means every task on our to do list, every interruption we experience during our day, every meal we prepare, every time we pack the kids into the car to go somewhere, even family vacations and times of fun–all of these are works prepared for us by God to engage in with faith and an eye toward glorifying the Savior.

Take time to consider how you view “good works.” Are they only the overtly spiritual duties? Or do you see all of life as one of faithful obedience to the God who saves?

Written By Jennie Allen

Knowing God

 1. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). We are made to know God. Knowing God is a relationship calculated to thrill a person's heart. Knowing God involves listening to God's Word as the Holy Spirit interprets, noting God's character as His Word and works reveals it, doing what He commands and recognizing the love He has shown you. Knower looks up to one known and Knower takes the responsibility for the welfare of one known. Jesus Christ is God manifested in flesh.

2. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him because He first knows Me and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, who loves me and He watches over me. In your mind and heart, go to Calvary and lay hold of Calvary solution, worship true God, and that He is my God and I am enjoying eternal life.

3. God the Son. He was only begotten or one only Son of God. The Son of God is the Word of God. In Him was life. And life was the light of all men. The Son can do nothing of Himself. It is the nature of the second person of the Trinity to acknowledge the authority and submit to the good pleasure of the first. Though coequal with the Father in eternity, power and glory. Son's joy is doing the Father's will, just as it is natural to the first person of the Trinity to plan and initiate the works of the Godhead and natural to third person the Holy Spirit to proceed from the Father and Son to do their joint bidding.

4. Holy Spirit is Counsellor/Comforter. Jesus was original Comforter and Spirit's task was to continue side of the ministry. The God's Word is speech and God's Spirit is breath. Both appear in the creation. Just as Jesus had come in His Father's name, acting as the Father's agent, speaking the Father's name, doing the Father's works and bearing witness throughout to the one, so the Spirit would come in Jesus Name to act in the world as the agent and witness of Jesus.

5. God unchanging :-
God's life does not change.
God's character doesn’t change.
God's truth doesn’t change.
God's ways don't change.
God's purpose doesn’t change.
God's Son does not change.

6. Majesty is a word in the Bible uses to express the thoughts of the greatness of God. God being on high does not mean God is far distant from us in space but He is far above us in greatness and therefore is to be adored. We should remove our thoughts of God's limits that would make Him small. You cannot hide anything from God. God is always with me. God is Maker and Master, all are in His hands and subject to His will. Such are His power and majesty.

7. God's boundless wisdom and endless power are united, this makes Him utterly worthy of our fullest trust. Wisdom of God is manifested in Christ's incarnation and cross.

8. The sphere in which God's word is addressed to us personally. God' word takes different forms such as Laws (Commands or Prohibitions), Promises (Favourable or Unfavourable) and Testimony (Information about God and people).  God's laws or commands provides guidelines for grateful living. We keep God's commands because we love God. We don't do commands to earn our salvation. It is by grace though faith we earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8). God's promises are true for God keeps them. He never fails those who trust His Word.

9. God's love is poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit. Living in the enjoyment of a strong and abiding sense of God's love for us. This is regular ministry of the Holy Spirit. God loves us. God disciplines us for our good to share in His holiness. Even we cannot see why things happens to us, rejoicing always that God loves us unconditionally. God's love to sinners is expressed by the gift of His Son. God's love is an exercise of His goodness. It has nature of grace and mercy.

10. God is not obliged to pity or pardon. he does out its own will and nobody forces His hand, It does not depend on man's will or effort but on God's mercy. The grace of God is love freely shown toward guilt sinners contrary to their merit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only punishment. For love awakened leads to love in return. Those who receive grace should henceforth should give themselves to good works (Ephesians 2:10).

11. Old Testament emphasizes on God's action as Judge. The New testament is overshadowed by the certanity of coming day of universal judgement. God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ. Father has entrusted all judgement to Son, gave authority to judge. In John 5:24, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life. By believing Jesus , there is no condemnation and we will not be banished from God 's presence. Although believers will judged according to our works done during course of our life. Our actions done out of love for Christ. No matter how hard we try, we can NOT earn our way to heaven. Our “good works” are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness (Isaiah 64:6). God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8&9).

12. Love and fear of God are mutually exclusive. The love of God motivates us to obey God because we love God. Whereas, the fear of God motivates us to obey God because we fear the consequences God might bring upon our lives if we disobey Him. If it is based on fear, it would not the based on trusting relationship. We take risks because we trust Him even what He asks us to do is foolish. We have confidence in God's care and guidance over our lives. We can trust God for reward when right is done.

13. The law cannot save us, for its only effect is to stimulate sin and show us how far we fall of righteousness. Jesus by the virtue of His death on the cross as our substitute and sin bearer. If we are in Christ through faith we are just as if we are not sinned at all because we are washed by the blood of Jesus. Wrath of God will not touch us. Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come.

Written By J.I.Packer

What To Do When You Feel Alone

The fear of being left alone remains one of man’s greatest causes of concern attracting worry, despair, dread, and anxieties beyond measure. Since the time of creation God said it was not good for man to be left alone but sometimes it becomes necessary so He can take us to that level of spiritual maturity He wants to produce in us. Many of us shun those difficult periods of aloneness but I believe we should instead embrace them. When we are able to abandon our human strategies, know how and reliance on our resources, only then can we learn to clutch onto that intimacy with God. It is during our weakest state that we experience the strength of God.

When Jacob Was Left Alone…

Such was the case for Jacob at Peniel before he set out on his journey to encounter his brother Esau and while fearing for his own life. The scriptures tell us that, “And Jacob was left alone and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of day”. In the face of adversity Jacob learned that when a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Wrestling with God permits Him to pin us down. It may even hurt during the process but the shaping of our character will forever change our relationship with Him, and with those that surround us. After this encounter with God, Jacob was never the same! He learned to lean always on God and not on his own understanding. You see, God must sometimes dislocate certain functions in our faulty character in order to produce His desired will for our walk with Him. Jacob wrestled in the night surrounded by darkness. But the story ends with the sun rising upon him and halting on his thigh. There is a ray of sun about to burst upon you in your darkest moment. Trust God in your weakness.

When Hagar Was Left Alone…

Hagar was young and pregnant with a child when her mistres Sarah treated her harshly and she had to flee into the wilderness. Hagar was left all alone but this was the first time she learned that while nobody was around her, there was a God that heard her affliction and saw her plight. She even named the fountain of water in the wilderness the well of Him that lives and sees me. Hagar came from a pagan culture that worshipped idols – dead ‘gods’ who couldn’t see or hear. But the God of Abraham was living and real and wanted to enter into a relationship with her. He commanded her to submit to Sarah and then blessed her future generation.

Some time later after the birth of her son she was cast out of Abraham’s home, once again entering the wilderness. This time she became reacquainted with her blessing and God saved her and her son from dying out of thirst. God’s ears were attentive to their cries. It was in the face of rejection and loneliness in the desert that Hagar had an encounter with God and she received a revelation of Him she had never known before.

For both Jacob and Hagar, the wilderness became a place of acquaintance with God. No longer would there be a superficial relationship of religion playing but of heartfelt worship and communion with a personal God. Jacob the supplanter received a new name and a new mission. Hagar received a new lease on life and a new future. On both occasions there was angelic presence to bring hope to a desperate situation.

When Jesus Was Left Alone…

Even after the temptation in the wilderness our Lord Jesus was left by Himself and was ministered to by angels. During His agony of prayer alone and while the disciples slept an angel came to strengthen Him. Who knows? Perhaps in your darkest moments when it appears that there is not a single person we can lean on or who will stand with you in prayer, God will send his angels to bring you comfort.

When You Are Left Alone…

Today you may feel alone and that nobody cares. But remember that there is an Omnipresent God who lives, hears and sees whatever you may be going through. You are not alone and the source of living water that will quench your thirst is right before your eyes. Unless you abandon yourself to Him He cannot remove the veil that will uncover the endless supply He has in store for your spiritual nourishment.

Written By Shyju Mathew

Journey To The Centre Of God's Will

“I will do whatever you say,” Ruth answered. So she went down to the threshing floor and did everything her mother-in-law told her to do (Ruth 3:5&6).

Ruth submitted to Naomi.

Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament), Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Hebrews 13:20-21

1. God will make you what you ought to be to carry out His will. There is no better place to be in the very centre of God's will. We should not want our will, but His will. When you are walking in the will of God, that is being committed to the will of God. When you are in the right place, right time with the right plan. There will be provision and equipment to help you. There will be anointing, the power of God on us to help us to do, what we don't have ability to do within ourselves. The will of God is written in the word of God. Also, we have individual plan for our life.

2. "The truth is this, no matter how tightly we try to hold on to our plans or how hard we work to build our lives a certain way, and no matter how fiercely we fight against the things we may think are unpleasant, God controls it all. (Proverbs 19:21). The better we know God and the more closely we walk with him the more easy it will be to trust Him, when our plans are obviously not His plans. He is all wise. He is all powerful. He is so good that we cannot even wrap our brains around it and He is so generous that we have a hard time believing it is true. We have this assurance that He is good to his people in all His ways, and His purpose in what He does (the “why” behind the “what”) is both His glory and our good." - Jen Allen

3. The Lord’s plans stand firm forever; His intentions can never be shaken (Psalm 33:11).We have to submit to the will of God. Anything outside the will of God is vain (Psalm 127). Time, energy and resources are wasted. There are so many plans we make. It is walking in the God's perfect God's perfect will that causes us to succeed.

4. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert, a highway for our God (Isaiah 40:3). We prepare for the will of God, by praying will of God. For that we should desire the will of God. Pray, "I want the perfect will of God." We can't be lazy in the spiritual walk with Him.

5. Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work (John 4:34).  I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 5:30). For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me (John 6:38). Our desire should be to do will of Him and finish His work. We are here for a reason for a purpose. Jesus did not seek after His own will, He was seeking will of the Father. This is what Jesus did. We follow Him. We seek the will of Father. Holy Spirit guides us. We are here to fulfil the purpose we have in our life.

6.  We are called according to His purpose (Ephesians 1:16 & Romans 12: 1-2).
Step up Step Plan:-
a. Realize it is God's will for you to know His will.
b. Receive God's will by faith. Say,"I trust you, God with my life without seeing anything. I believe I receive the perfect will of God (Mark 11:24)."
c. Waiting on the Lord, as you abide in Him. You will have assurance that you are abiding in God that you are in connection with God.
d. Spend time in praying and fasting.
e. Listen up! You are now in position to hear from the Holy Spirit. He will reveal God's perfect will for you. There is knowing on the inside as well as boldness, to do what you are called to do. As you seek Him through prayer and Word of God, He may give you desire in your heart.

Message By George Pearsons

Naomi Seen As The Holy Spirit

God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:26,27). So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:27,28).

Let Us is The Holy Trinity God, Jesus Christ and Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of Man. God gave man authority and dominion to rule the earth.

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man (Genesis 2:21,22). That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24).

Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all the living (Genesis 3:20).

Now, we can see out of man, God made a woman.

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:16,17). Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. And Adam said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:1,6,11-13)

In this story of Satan's dealings with man, we see his methods. First, we find the serpent spoke to Eve with a question suggesting that God was denying them that which was good (casting doubt on His goodness). Secondly, he told her a lie: And thirdly, he appealed to the Flesh (self-will). He was able to get Eve to listen to him; secondly, he encouraged her to walk in self-will (which she did), and thus he established a worldly way of living and got them to follow it. The result was disobedience and sin. Satan (serpent) worked through woman. Eve (woman) was deceived and Adam (man) sinned. Man was the key figure in the fall. Adam was God's man. God was involved.  He could not lose man. God could not violate the law. Adam was given authority and dominion to rule the earth when he sinned he handed it over to Satan. God could not destroy Satan because to destroy Satan, means to destroy man. Everything under Satan, dies. So, God had a Plan of Reedemption.

Naomi her mother-in-law said to Ruth, My daughter, shall I not seek rest or a home for you, that you may prosper? And now is not Boaz, with whose maidens you were, our relative? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash and anoint yourself therefore, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, notice the place where he lies; then go and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what to do. And Ruth said to her, All that you say to me I will do (Ruth 3:1-5).

Look at the advice Naomi gave her daughter-in-law.Get yourself dolled up—take a bath, put on some perfume, get out your best dress. Go see Boaz in a quiet place, when the harvest is complete. Go to Boaz.See yourself as Boaz sees you. You have a Boaz.Your Boaz, Jesus, sees you with loving eyes. Naomi was telling Ruth to act in accordance with Israelite custom and law. It was common for a servant to lie at the feet of his master and even share a part of his covering. By obeserving this custom, Ruth would inform Boaz, he could find someone to marry her or marry her himself. Here we see Naomi guiding Ruth to Boaz .

We know that God sees and knows everything that goes on in this world. He also knows what needs to be done to cause us to live in the Kingdom of Light. Because of this He sent Jesus Christ to be our Saviour and the Holy Spirit to guide us. We should be listening to the Holy Spirit instead of Satan. He will talk to us about righteousness, sin and even judgment. While the Holy Spirit is at work seeking to draw us to Christ, you can be sure that the Evil One is not sleeping. The Holy Spirit speaks to us about our sin and self-will in order to show us our need for the Saviour, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sin and to save us from self-will by letting Him (Jesus Christ) be King. The Word of God shows us what we need to do in order to make Jesus Christ our Saviour, so we should follow it. The Word also shows us how to make Jesus Christ King in our lives and what the Lord will do for us if He is our Saviour and Lord. In the above instance, we can see Naomi as the Holy Spirit guiding Ruth that is you to Boaz who is Jesus Christ.

Boaz Is Jesus Christ

Ruth is a picture of you and me, it’s worth taking a closer look at her. She was looking for kindness.  As an outsider she may have been lonely, perhaps she missed her family back in Moab, maybe she was regretting the move to Bethlehem, possibly the void in her heart was overwhelming.  Whatever the reason, Ruth felt the need to seek out kindness.  She became restless in her current situation. Ruth’s response to Boaz’s grace and kindness was gratitude. She knew she didn’t deserve his kindness; there was nothing she had done or nothing she would do that justified Boaz’s treatment of her.  Ruth accepted the kindness offered.  What action did her gratitude produce?  Obedience. At mealtime Boaz called to her, “Come over here, and help yourself to some food (Ruth 2:8). Boaz instructed Ruth to glean in his field only.  There were other fields.  The Bible records that Ruth ended up in Boaz’s field.  There are always options when it comes to having your needs met.  You are free to chase down many alternatives in your pursuit of kindness.  You can look to many sources to meet your needs.  Jesus tells you, stay in My field.  You will find all you need here.  Then He expects you to trust that is true.

Promise From God's Word

1. The word is truth and when we follow it we are made free. (John 8:32)

2. The word is life, healing and health to all who find them. (Proverbs 4:20-22)

3. The word heals and delivers us. (Psalm 107:20)

4. The word protects us. (Psalm 18:30)

5. Meditating on the word brings wisdom, prosperity and success. (Joshua 1:8)

6. The word brings stability, fruitfulness, and fulfillment and all that we do will prosper. (Psalm 1:3)

7. God’s word upholds, guides, maintains and propels the universe. (Hebrews 1:3)

8. God’s word has the power to create. (Genesis 1)

9. Those who order their conduct and conversation according to the word are blessed. (Psalm 119:2)

10. The word cleanses and purifies us. (Psalm 119:9, John 15:3, John 17:17, Ephesians 5:26)

11. The word reduces the capacity to sin. It strengthens us against temptation. (Psalm 119:11)

12. The word revive and stimulates us. (Psalm 119:25, 119:50)

13. God’s word enables us to walk at liberty and at ease. (Psalm 119:45)

14. God’s word is filled with promises to give us mercy and grace. (Psalm 119:58)

15. God’s word gives us good judgment, wise and right discernment and knowledge. (Psalm 119:66)

16. God’s word is better than thousands of gold and silver pieces. (See Psalm 119:72)

17. God word makes me wiser than my enemies. (See Psalm 119:98)

18. The word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. (See Psalm 119:105)

19. When we are afflicted, God’s word quickens us and gives us life. (Psalm 119:107)

20. God’s word gives us hope. (Psalm 119:114)

21. The entrance of God’s word brings light and dispels darkness. (Psalm 119:130)

22. God’s word brings direction and shows us what to do. (Psalm 119:133)

23. Jesus is the word. (John 1:1, 1:14, Revelation 19:13)

24. The word of God when planted and rooted in our hearts has the power to save our souls. (James 1:21)

25. God’s word strengthens us. (Psalm 119:28)

26. The Word melts hardness in our hearts. (Psalm 147:18)

27. The Word often brings persecution. (Mark 4:17)

28. The Word transforms (changes) us into God’s image. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

29. God's word is a weapon against the devil and armor that protects us in warfare. (Ephesians 6:17)

30. God’s word renews our mind. (Romans 12:2)

Written By Joyce Meyer

Judas & Peter

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus (John 13:2). Judas was prompted by the devil. Jesus answered, “It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.” Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him (John 13:26). The diping of the piece of bread and the offering of it to Judas. a gesture of honour, must be regarded as final appeal to betrayer. Judas did not do what he knew to be true.

Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! (John13:37& 38) Peter was ready to lay down his life for Jesus. He was self confident. He was to depend on God's grace so that he won't fall into sin.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean (John 13:6-11). Jesus knew about Judas and Peter. Jesus knows what you will do to hurt Him, still He loves you unconditionally and will forgive you whenever you ask for it. Judas couldn't understand this and he ended tragically. Peter understood his shortcoming his life ended triumphantly because he never let go of his faith in the one who loved him.

Christians, We Are Repenters

We are repenters. We who are passionate about living as “repenters” who have tasted the goodness and grace of God and can never be the same again.

 1. We repent of living for ourselves, and so we commit to trading our personal kingdom agendas for the kingdom agenda of Jesus Christ.

2. We repent of making God out to be more like us, and so we ask God to change our hearts and make us more like Him.

3. We repent of our silly attempts to justify ourselves before God and make ourselves pleasing to Him through our own efforts, and so we ask Him to save and sustain us in His unwavering grace and help us rest in Christ’s work on our behalf.

4. We repent of our hypocrisy and self-righteousness, and so we ask God to deliver us from double mindedness and help us seek His righteousness above all.

5. We repent of valuing most what other people think, and so we ask God to help us value most what He thinks.

6. We repent of withholding areas of our life from God’s command, and so we ask God to invade and overcome every part of us – our hopes, our desires, our dreams, our thoughts, our actions – and show us how to love Him and love others from a whole heart.

7. We repent of seeking a life of ease and comfort, and so we ask God for the courage to pick up our crosses and follow Christ no matter the cost.

8. We repent of all the good things we have failed to do, and so we ask God to open our eyes to the opportunities for us to shine His light in a dark world.

9. We repent of serving ourselves and our own interests, and so we ask God to empower us to serve others in the name of His Son.

10. We repent of taking pride in our own repentance, and so we ask God to remind us that salvation is all of grace and to humble us before the cross.

Written By Trevin Wax

Cross

                                             

Jesus portrayal as a lamb in the Book of Revelation points strongly to His death on the Cross and theway in which it is forever kept alive. Yes, throughout eternity we will look upon the Lamb and rejoice in His redemptive work for us on the Cross.
*Jesus death on the Cross is eternal truth. We live constantly before the Cross.
*The Cross is the place we keep returning to with all our sins.
*The Cross is where we see our redemption, our salvation and our life.
*The Cross is where we get our daily strength and it is where our victory lies.
*Today, His blood speaks of grace from heaven.
*Today, a lamb stands before the altar in heaven and that lamb is Jesus, God's innocent, pure sacrificial lamb.
*The Lamb is worthy to open the scrolls.
*The Lamb fights and defeats the beast.
*The Lamb will have a wedding feast in heaven with the bride He paid a high price to redeem.
*The Lamb was slain, and with His blood He purchased people from every tribe and language, people and nation.
 
Written By Ekman

Keep God First In Our Lives

He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor (John 12:25).

During my reading today, I just got hold of this verse to glean meaning of it. We should keep God first in everything. We must disown tyrannical rule of our self centeredness. We should lay aside strive for pleasure, advantage and security so that we can serve God lovingly and freely. We have lot of desires, wishes and ambitions. Are they are superior to Christ? Are you able to live without them for Christ? We should surrender our life to Christ. Releasing control of our lives and transferring control to Christ. Even if I don't get my desire, we should be willing to serve and obey our Lord. God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth (Colossians 3:2). Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you (Matthew 6:33). Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).  We who have believed do enter that rest (Hebrews 4:6). We can glean from the above scriptures; we must believe that Jesus Christ has finished His work for us on the cross. Nothing in our life has been left uncompleted. Keep seeking Him, whatever needed in our life will be provided for us by God will come to us at in His time and in His way.  We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised (Hebrews 6:12). All of God’s promises are inherited by faith and patience. For no matter, how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

A Healthy Spirit

 

Even as Christians we are able to become spiritually weak and sick. This spiritual sickness weakens our faith and leads us away from Jesus. Like any illness, there are accompanying symptoms that tell us something is wrong. We must know these symptoms so that when we see them in our lives we will begin to look for the remedy. Below is a list of the symptoms. We may not experience all of them at the same time, but I am sure we have all experienced many of them at some point in our Christian walk.

Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. 1 Corinthians 7:1

Symptoms of spiritual sickness

1. A feeling of coldness or hardness towards the things of God

2. Boredom with the gospel

3. Worldly-mindedness, covetousness

4. Prayerlessness

5. Neglect of the word of God

6. Lack of love for the people of God

7. Neglect of, or disinterest in, corporate worship

8. Lack of hunger for and effort in spiritual growth

9. An ongoing complaining spirit

10. We are no longer bothered or saddened by our sin

 Identifying such symptoms and diagnosing spiritual sickness is good, but more than that is needed. We need to seek the cure for what is ailing us.

Cures for spiritual sickness

There are many different remedies God uses in the lives of his children in order to heal them and make them stronger. I’d like to focus on two.

 1. Afflictions

Contrary to what some teach, afflictions are not always a symptom of spiritual sickness. They are often part of the treatment God uses us to restore our health. This may seem a bit weird. How can afflictions heal someone who is spiritually ill? We need to remember that God’s ways are not our ways. He is the ultimate physician and sometimes the surgeon needs to take a knife to his patients and cut out the parts that are causing the person to be sick.

Blows that wound cleanse away evil; strokes make clean the innermost parts. Proverbs 20:30

Sometimes God will afflict our conscience and convict us of our sins. We will feel restless and uneasy until we finally repent and turn once again towards God.  Any time we are not feeling well we should remember that life is temporary and that God has placed us here for a specific reason. It should make us pray more and ponder the fact that we are finite while our God is infinite in all his ways and loves us anyway. It should kill our pride and instead humble us before the throne of grace.

2. His Word

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.

1 Peter 2:2

Just like a healthy person eats good food so we must also feed our spirit healthy food. This is why we have been given the word of God. The more we consume it the stronger, wiser, holier and healthier we will be. But we shouldn’t just gulp it down and move on to the next thing. We need to chew it slowly, thinking about what we have read, letting it settle into our souls and hearts so that we can be changed. The race is not about who can read through the Bible the most times but who can persevere to the end through the power of Christ found in the word.

“Regularity is also essential; we have too much common sense to try and eat enough on the weekend, to suffice our bodies for the remainder of the week; then why be so foolish in adopting this device to the soul? Time must be found for communion with God even though it means an hour less in bed each night.” - A.W. Pink

“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” 3 John 2

In the long run a healthy body will benefit us very little if we are spiritually sick and weak. We are called to be good stewards of all that God has given us, this includes our mind and our body.

Written By Jen

Trinity

 

The word "Trinity" is never mentioned in the Bible.

It's a shorthand word used to describe the big idea that there is one God in three persons. Those three persons are the Father, the Son (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit.

What that doesn't mean is:

There are three gods.

The Bible is clear that there is one God in verses like Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one."

There is one shape-shifter God who sometimes appears as a Father, sometimes as a Son, and sometimes as the Holy Spirit.

Each member of the Trinity is one-third God. The truth is they are all fully God.

The Father is God (1 Cor. 8:6, 1 Pet. 1:3).

The Son is God (1 Tim. 6:15, John 8:58, Heb. 1:8).

The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3–4, John 3:5–8).


Genesis 1:26 records, "Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." From the very first book of the Bible, at the creation of the world, we see the Trinity on display. God decided to make man in "our" image and after "our" likeness. From our earliest glimpse of God, we see Him in a relationship. We see the pattern repeated throughout the entire Bible. In Luke 1:35, the entire Trinity is involved in the conception of Jesus. In Matthew 3:16–17, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present for the baptism of Jesus. As part of the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, Jesus urges His disciples to baptize others in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God has always existed in Trinity. He has always been a relational God.

Here are three reasons the Trinity matters:-

1. God can meet your needs
The Bible offers helpful, straightforward descriptions for each member of the Trinity for simple girls like me.

God the Father = father/daddy (Gal. 4:5–7).
God the Son (Jesus) = savior (Luke 2:11).
God the Holy Spirit = helper (John 14:16).

In the one true God we find a Father, a Savior, and a Helper. He is not one sided or only able to meet some of your needs. God created you. God died to save you from your sin, and God is able to help you as you seek to live your life for Him.

2. God is relational
One of the ways that you reflect the image of God (Gen. 1:26) is by being relational. God created us to relate to each other just as God in the Trinity relates to Himself. Yep, that's hard to grasp. God is not ignorant to the ins and outs of relationships. He is a relational God.

There is order in the Trinitarian relationship. The Son submits to the Father (John 14:31). The Holy Spirit always points to Jesus (John 15:26). As we seek to reflect God, we need to consider how the Trinity models relationships.

3. You are not God
The fact that there are things about God that are way above our heads is a good thing.  God is God. I can't figure Him all out. That doesn't mean He isn't real. It simply means that compared to me, He is magnificent.

 Written By Erin Davis

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The Bread Of Life

Bible is full of incidents. Here, we read an incident in John 6, Jesus feed large crowd who followed Him  because they were attratced by the miracles He performed. This was nearly time for the feast of Passovewr, kept annually by the Jews. Jesus went back by the mountain, wheres the disciples faced went down to the sea. As storms were rolling, Jesus entered the boat. As they reached Capernaum. The crowd was left behind next to Sea of Galilee. They piled into the boats and headed for Capernaum, looking for Jesus. Jesus said to the crowd that you did not search for me because you saw the miracles and signs but because you werew fed with the loaves and were filled and satisfied. But the crowd did not understand the true spiritual significance of Jesus' person and misson. Jesus said to the crowd do not be concerned about perishable things like food. Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, Son of Man can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose. For the wrok that God asks of you, that you believer in the One whom He has sent. Crowd wanted a sign to see and believe. Here, Jesus talks about the true bread from heaven. The true bread of God is the man who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world. Bread of Life is the bread which gives life but such bread is available only to those who believe in Jesus, condition which hearers did not fulfill. Anyone eating this Bread will not die, ever. I am the bread - the living Bread! who came down out if heaven. Anyone who eats this Bread will live and forever. 

Leavened bread, it was made with yeast was forbidden during Passover festival. In Deuteronomy 16:3, You shall eat no leavened bread with it; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it, that is, the bread of affliction (for you came out of the land of Egypt in haste), that you may remember the day in which you came out of the land of Egypt all the days of your life.  In Psalm 102:9, For I have eaten ashes like bread, And mingled my drink with weeping. Here, bread of affliction, people of God are either being chastened for their sinfulness or suffering persecution.  As written in, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. The Bread that Jesus present to the world so that it can eat and live is, Jesus flesh and blood. Bread of Life that is God's provision from heaven to meet humankind's deepest spiritual need for reconciliation with God and intimate fellowship with Him. In this passage Christ claims that He fulfills the spiritual significance of the manna, given by His Israelites in the wilderness. Christ gives new significance to the bread of the Passover meal. This Bread symbolizes His broken body that hung on the cross, metaphorically signifying His agony and suffering.