More Than A Father

 

Today : More Than A Father

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, ‘Abba, Father.’” Galatians 4:6 (NLT)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
What a tender thought. Paul was very deliberate in using “Abba Father.” This is a more affectionate term that simply saying “Father.” The real translation of  “Abba Father” is “Daddy!” Imagine, God invites us to call Him our affectionate Father, “Daddy.” Can you say that? Have you thought of Him that way? Paul says that as God’s children, He has given us His Spirit and the job of the Spirit is to help us fall more and more in love with the Father until we can call Him “Daddy.” Will you let Him do that? Will you begin to meditate, to really stop and consider that He is your loving Father? Imagine His deep love for you. Imagine you coming into His presence, calling Him “Daddy”. Ask God to help you know this reality deep in your heart. After all, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, I want to call you “Daddy”. I hear it in my head, but it isn’t quite in my heart. I invite You, Holy Spirit, to speak to my heart, to help me feel the Father’s love, to know the Father’s love. Prompt me, Holy Spirit, to call God, “Dear Father, Dear Daddy.”
AMEN

 

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
God is my heavenly loving father
Today, see God as a loving, kind, benevolent Father. Sense His love for you. Feel His care, concern and divine protection over you. He is your Father. Hear Him say, “I love you! I am so proud of you! I am glad that you are my child!” Affirm out loud, “God is my Heavenly Father.”

SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY JANUARY 10, 2022.

SUBJECT: SILENCE IS EXPENSIVE FOR A BELIEVER! 

Memory verse: "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10 vs 9.)

READ: Matthew 10 vs 32 - 33:

10:32: 32: Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven.

10:33: But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

INTIMATION:

People say silence is golden, and it can certainly be so. But in Christendom it is certainly very expensive, and most times, costs a person the thing wanted from God. Your communication matters. The confession of our belief—our faith, is the confession of God's Word; hearing God's Word, claiming it for your own, saying His promise is for you, and receiving the results of that promise are the orderly and direct steps along the pathway to God. However, it starts with the confession of your faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross that culminated in the gift of salvation to you: “…With the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10 vs 9). 

In the Bible passage we read today, the statement by Jesus thus, “every one .....who shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father...,” conveys the thought of confessing allegiance to Christ as one’s Master and Lord, and on the other hand, of acknowledgement, on His part, of the faithful one as being His worshipper and servant, His loyal follower. 

Anyone who confesses Jesus Christ (that is, publicly acknowledges faith in, or declares allegiance to Him) will be acknowledged by Christ before His Father in heaven. People who will not take a stand for Jesus for reason of being afraid of rejection or ridicule will eventually be denied by Jesus before His Father. They wouldn’t admit to faith in Jesus because they may not want to lose their association or follower-ship in worldly affairs which may be their source of livelihood, or lose their prestigious position in their association or community. 

In Mark 8 vs 8 Jesus said, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” We can reject Jesus now and be rejected by Him at His second coming, or we can accept Him now and be accepted by Him then. Rejecting Christ may help us escape shame for the time being, but it will guarantee an eternity of shame later. We should live as Christ has urged us to, sharing our faith no matter what the cost. We may not be beaten or thrown into jail, but we may be ridiculed, ostracized, or slandered. 

But the praise of humans is fickle and short-lived. We should be much more concerned about God’s eternal acceptance than about the temporary approval of other people. Christ’s given mission of Christians is to go forth and preach the gospel; confessing Christ’s “Good News” to the world thus turning many from sin to righteousness. 

The gospel is the good news of Jesus’ death for our sins and resurrection for our hope. And this is what all believers must proclaim to all the world. In doing this, the Scripture says we are eternal “stars”—by being wise and leading many to God’s righteousness. (Daniel 12 vs 3.) If we share our Lord with others, we can be true stars—radiantly beautiful in God’s sight. It is very important to lead people to Christ because it keeps us in touch with God while it offers others eternal life. 

It’s noteworthy that Christians still face persecution in the hands of non-Christians in some parts of the world till date. In the face of such persecution, Jesus’ followers are encouraged to publicly claim to belong to Him. Though it is usually at their peril, but they are assured of an everlasting joy with Christ in eternity. Genuine discipleship always involves acknowledging Jesus Christ, whether or not we face pressure and persecution. Not confessing Jesus or keeping silent about your faith in Him is tantamount to denying your faith. 

Prayer: Abba Father, denying You is death, and confessing You is life—life everlasting. Let my tongue gum to the roof of my mouth if I fail to confess You to the world. May the thought of denying You never cross my mind, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

 

CONSECRATION IS BEYOND OUR POWER!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY JANUARY 09, 2022.

SUBJECT: CONSECRATION IS BEYOND OUR POWER! 

Memory verse: So he answered and said to me: "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel; ‘Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” (Zechariah 4 vs 6.)

READ: Zechariah 3 vs 1 - 5:

3:1: Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 

3:2: And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire?" 

3:3: Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel.

3:4: Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, "Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, "See, I have removed your  iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes." 

3:5: And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the Lord stood by.

INTIMATION:

Consecration implies a life of devotion or dedication, usually setting yourself apart for God’s use. Consecration or leading a consecrated life is beyond our power. It takes spiritual empowerment to lead a consecrated life. We are spiritually empowered to overcome the spiritual forces of desecration. 

The passage we read today tells us the source of the conflicts we face in our desire to lead a consecrated life. Joshua, the high priest, did not choose filthiness. It was forced on him by satanic forces in the unseen realm. Satan is always accusing people of their sins before God. But he greatly misunderstands the breadth of God's mercy  and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him. 

Many people believe that to survive in this world a person must be tough, strong, unbending, and harsh. But God says, “Not by might not by power, but by My Spirit.” The key words are “by My Spirit.” It is only through God’s Spirit that anything of lasting value is accomplished. As you live for God, determine not to trust in your own strength or abilities. Instead, depend on God and work in the power of His Spirit!

The illustration in the passage reveals that most of the habits that destroy people are remotely controlled by spiritual forces—they are the works of Satan. That is why no matter how hard the victim tries to come out of it by personal physical efforts, he finds himself going deeper into it, against his wish. There has to be a heavenly means of destroying such satanic hold. It took the intervention of the Angel to stop the activities of Satan, and to put a change of raiment on Joshua. You know we release the Angels through prayers (Matthew 26 vs 53.)

As we communicate with God in prayer, He sends Angels down as private emissaries. They remove the filthy garments from us, give us a change of raiment and cause our iniquities to pass from us. No matter how genuine your desire to please God is, or how sincere you are in your longing to live right, you must understand that it is not possible by your power or might; you need divine help. That is why people who lean on personal efforts to live right live frustrated lives. They put themselves under all manner of bondages: they go about with long faces, looking very pious, not greeting anybody on the way, nor shaking hands with anybody, yet they are not free. 

By your might and power you can't live a consecrated life. So, unless you can send your heart ahead of you to heaven through prayer, your physical affords in the conflict with sin is useless. In Matthew 26 vs 41, Jesus said, "Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Do not trust on your flesh, but rather on the unfailing, strong, and willing Spirit of God. Prayer is very essential because God's strength can shore up our defenses and defeat Satan's power; “For His strength is made perfect in our weakness.” (Second Corinthians 12 vs 9.) 

Look at what happened to Peter before he denied Jesus. When Jesus said, "Simon Peter, you will deny Me three times tonight," Peter said, "Even unto death I will stand by You." And he really meant it. Jesus also knew he meant it. But He meant to tell Peter, "Man, you don't know the things fighting against you. Satan desires to have you and that had nothing to do with whether you are determined or not. There is satanic forces organizing your destruction. Satan has concluded the plan to devastate your destiny and sieve you like wheat, but I have prayed for you" (Luke 22 vs 31 - 34). Jesus recognizes Satan as being behind Peter's fall, and knows the only remedy is standing on the gap in prayers for him, so the Spirit of God would offer the needed help.

That is why God gave us the weapon of prayer, to pull down all strongholds of the enemy that stand against our walk in righteousness. When we ask in prayer for God's mercy, He removes our filthy garments (our clothing of sin) and provides us with His goodness; new, clean, rich robes (the righteousness and holiness of God (Second Corinthians 5 vs 21; Ephesians 4 vs 24; Revelation 19 vs 8), making us worthy to draw near to Him. All we need to do is repent and ask God for forgiveness in prayers. My prayer is that the Spirit of the living God will always lead you in your journey of life, in Jesus’ Name. 

Prayer: Abba Father, Your Word says, “By strength shall no man prevail.” And without You I can do nothing. Endue me with the spirit of utmost dependence on You, even in my quest to lead a consecrated life in You, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

 

Here Am I

Today : Here Am I

TODAY’S VERSE
“Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.’” Matthew 9:35-38 (NLT)

TODAY’S MESSAGE
Matthew gives us a glimpse into the ministry of Jesus. He heals a paralyzed man, raises a dead girl and gives sight to two men. He is exhausted feeling cramped in by all the throngs of people coming to Him for help. And yet, after all this, Jesus goes from town to town teaching, preaching and healing every disease and sickness. But then there is a dramatic shift in strategy – Jesus sees all the people harassed, helpless and needing help and then tells His disciples to pray that God would send you and I to help Him do His work. I wonder if we see the significance of Jesus’ request? He is saying that He did not come here to help and heal everyone by Himself. He came to redeem mankind, begin the process of helping mankind find the way, truth and life and then commissions you and I to take His power and ministry to the rest of the world. He has empowered you and I to aid Him in bringing His message of salvation and healing to a desperate world. The world where you and I live out our existence. Might our response be like Isaiah when he wrote, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Lord, I thank You for Your tireless mission of love that reached out to me. Today, I hear Your voice saying, “Whom shall I send? Who will go?” How else can I respond to Your love but say, “Lord Jesus, I want to join You in Your work. Here am I. Send me!”
AMEN

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
I will serve God
Today picture Jesus after a long hard day of ministry finding you on the road as He is going to retire for the evening. He is looking for others to join Him in ministry and He looks at you and says, “Will you live for me? Will you serve others and love them as I do?” Feel the seriousness of what Jesus is asking. Let His call build up in your heart and then say, “Jesus, here I am, I will serve you!”

i Will Not Fear

 I Will Not Fear

Today : I Will Not Fear

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalms 27:1 (NIV)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
Sometimes we just need to answer the questions. It may seem that the answers should be obvious. “Who should I fear?” It should  be rhetorical, but so often our eyes are blinded to the truth. I remember seeing a little boy who thought he was lost, start screaming. He cried hysterically and yet his father was only a few feet away. Thinking he was alone the little child was overcome with the fear of abandonment. Because of his fear he cried hysterically, so much so that he could not see his father right in front of him. It wasn’t until the dad picked him up and hugged him for a few moments that the boy took comfort in his father’s arms. Fear is like that. When we fear, it blocks out all other reality. God is with us, He is our light and salvation, and yet we act as if we are lost in utter darkness. We are in the stronghold of God’s love and yet fear blinds us from the reality of our salvation. Is this your reality? What is it that you fear? Rebuke it right now. Look into the eyes of Jesus, let His light penetrate your mind and heart. Let Him be your stronghold. Arise and walk in peace.

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Father, I admit that I let my emotions overwhelm me. I do not allow myself to fully understand what it means that You are my light, salvation and stronghold. Forgive me Lord. I want Your peace. I want Your joy. I want to know You more fully. Even today let me experience Your presence in my life. I ask You to make me fully aware of Your love and power. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

 

TODAY’VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
I will not fear
Fear is a mighty emotion. Today see yourself in fear. Picture you coming to God with it and asking for His peace and joy. Sense His strength, His power and His desire to help you. As you give Him your fear, you can feel His presence and peace come over you. With confidence you affirm, “I will not fear!”

WAIT FOR GOD’S APPOINTED AND PERFECT TIME!

EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JANUARY 08, 2022.

SUBJECT : WAIT FOR GOD’S APPOINTED AND PERFECT TIME!

Memory verse: "For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie: though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” (Habakkuk 2 vs 3.) 

READ: Daniel 8 vs 16 - 19:

8:16: And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel make this man understand the vision.”

8:17: So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”

8:18: Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright.

8:19: And He said, “Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation, for at the appointed time the end shall be.

INTIMATION:

God is our Creator, and is 'All-Knowing’—perfect in knowledge. The end of all things are known to Him from the beginning (Isaiah 46 vs 10.). Even when we are yet unformed in our mother’s womb, He knew us and everything about us. God created all things, and planned all things according to His purpose and timing; "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”

(Ecclesiastes 3 vs 1). And at the fullness of His time—at His appointed time—He will cause things to happen according to His predetermined purposes. For this reason, He is always on time. He planned the time, and does His bidding at the fullness of the planned time, in accordance with His purposes and knowledge of us. 

God is perfect (Matthew 5 vs 48), and consequently, everything about Him is perfect. 

He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows us perfectly. We may sometimes wonder if God will ever respond to our prayers. But we must never doubt Him or give up hope. At the right time He will respond. Trust His judgement and trust that He has your best interests in mind (Jeremiah 29 vs 11). God is omnipresent—He is present everywhere. Consequently, you can never escape from His Spirit. 

From our perspective, God sometimes seems slow to intervene on our behalf. But what might appear slow to us is good timing from God’s perspective. It is easy to become impatient while waiting for God to act, but we must never give up on Him. When God is silent and you are in deep anguish, be patient and know that “all things work together for good to those that love God, to those who are the called according to His “ (Romans 8 vs 28). All you need do is sit down and review your life; what God has done for you, and also review the great acts of God throughout biblical history. This will remind you that God is at work, not only in history, but also in your life today.

God will act when He is ready. For instance, children have difficulty grasping the concept of time. “It’s not time yet” is not a reason they easily understand because they only comprehend the present. And as His children, and as limited human beings, we can’t understand God’s perspective about time. We want everything now, unaware that God’s timing is better. When God is ready, He will do what needs to be done, not what we would like Him to do. We may be as impatient as children, but we must not doubt the wisdom of God’s timing. Wait for God to reveal His plan. Don’t take matters into your own hands.

God’s answer doesn’t always come the moment we want it. but God answers us when He knew the right time had come. God knows the best time to act. When you feel that God has forgotten you in your troubles, remember that God has a time schedule we can’t see. God may have seemed slow to you when in distress, and every day longed to be delivered. But God is not slow, He is just not on our timetable. God is not limited by time. It is easy for us to get discouraged when years pass and the world doesn’t get better. But for God, He can never be discouraged, and at the appointed time the change will come.

We sometimes wonder if God is able to see the future. But don’t assume that God has our limitations. God is completely unrestricted by time. Because He is eternal, we can depend on Him. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently for it, for surely it will take place, if God has assured about it. Of course, it isn’t easy to be patient but, “though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come.” (Habakkuk 2 vs 3.) We must trust God even when we don’t understand why events occur as they do.

For instance, who will imagine the Savior of the world working in a small-town carpenter’s shop until He was 30 years old! It seems incredible that Jesus would have been content to remain in Nazareth all that time, but He patiently trusted His Father’s timing for His life and ministry. Like Jesus, we need to resist the temptation to jump ahead before receiving the Spirit’s direction. Are you waiting and wondering what your next step should be? Don’t jump ahead—trust God’s timing.

Jesus in His ministry walk on the earth, demonstrated God’s timing in events when His friend Lazarus was sick and died. He loved this family and often stayed with them. He knew their pain but did not respond immediately. His delay had a specific purpose. He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11 vs 14.) God’s timing, especially His delays, may make us think He is not answering or is not answering the way we want. But He will meet all our needs according to His perfect schedule and purpose (Philippians 4 vs 19.) Patiently await His timing. 

God is with us through every situation, in every trial; protecting, loving, guiding us (Psalm 46 vs 1; 59 vs 16), and has promised He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13 vs 5), and will be with us always, even up to the end of age (Matthew 28 vs 20). He knows and loves us completely. 

Prayer: Abba Father, You are my Faithful Companion, and Loving Father. I know You have the best plan and time for me. Let it be to me according to Your appointed and perfect timing, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD! 

Worship Him

 Worship Him

Today : Worship Him

 

TODAY’S VERSE
“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.” Psalms 27:4 (NIV)

 

TODAY’S MESSAGE
Have you ever went somewhere and hated to leave? Have you ever enjoyed something so much that you did not want it to stop? Is there anything in your life that has become that “one thing”? This is what David felt about his relationship with God. If we had to choose a word to describe David, it would be  “worshipper.” David really loved God. He was sold out to Jehovah. So much so that if he had to choose just “one thing,” it would be to worship God all the time. What about you? What role does the worship of God play in your life? Is it just an hour of church on Sunday? That wasn’t enough for David. If he could, he would have stayed in the Temple of God worshipping all the time! The good news is that we don’t have to go to a Temple to worship God. We are the temple. Our body is His temple and our heart is an altar for worship. We can stop anytime, anywhere and gaze upon His beauty in the quietness of our own soul. Bring your praise and adoration to Him in your own temple throughout the day and night. Let loving God and living for Him become your “one thing.”

 

TODAY’S PRAYER
Lord, I admit I have been preoccupied with so many things that worshipping You has taken a back seat in my life. I am so sorry. I do love You. I really do want to get my priorities right. Help me know and love You more and more until worshipping You becomes the “one thing” in my life. In Jesus’ name.
AMEN

 

TODAY’S VISUALIZATION & MEDITIATION
I will mediate on God and all that He is
Picture yourself like David in the temple. Quiet yourself and “gaze” upon His beauty. See Him with your heart. Focus on His love, His power and His majesty.  Let the presence of God fill you as you sit quietly and worship Him. How beautiful, how kind, how loving, how mighty, how compassionate, how understanding God is. Affirm, “I will mediate on God and all that He is.”