Thursday 27 September 2012

WHERE IS GOD?

There’s a story that has been going around which involves two little mischievous brothers who’re forever getting into trouble! One day, the teacher decides to ask the class a question and picks one of the two boys.
The teacher asks,” Where is God?”
The little boy thinks for a moment, thinks, and runs out of the classroom screaming. He finds his other brother and yells to him – “God has gone missing and the teacher believes we’re responsible for this!”
Whilst we laugh at the joke, let us try and answer the very same question – “Where IS God?”
Whilst most will correctly answer –‘Everywhere’ (PS. 139-7-9), many may still not find him in their finances, in marriage, difficult situations etc. We fail to understand scriptures like Phil 4:19 where God promises to ‘meet our needs’.
In order that the above scripture gets activated, there are a few things that we must do:
ASK IN PRAYER, FOR HIS HELP (Matt 7:7) – The emphasis here is ‘keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking’. Scholars have found out that the Greek word for ask/seek/knock actually did not have a proper equivalent in English. Therefore the words have been translated ‘ask/seek/knock’. Actually it is ‘keep on…’ which comes close to the meaning.
LEARN TO BE CONTENT: Like the story of Moses and Joseph, keep on trusting God for what He said He would do! He will surely ‘take you to the place’!
PRACTICE GIVING IN FAITH: (Luke 21:4) The widow gave ‘till it hurt’. When you give, give not out of the ‘excess’ but even up to the point that it ‘pinches’ you!
MAINTAIN FINANCIAL INTEGRITY: (Mat 6:33) For a proper inflow of ‘ALL THINGS’ the condition is ‘Seek first the Kingdom’ and ‘His righteousness’. There are NO SHORTCUTS in this equation and when applied, THERE IS NO FAILURE in the yield!
TRUST HIM WITH ALL YOUR LIFE (Pr. 3:36): It is the relationship with Jesus that will carry you through every problem in your life. If you’re having issues in your marriage, it is because the two forget the third person in the ‘covenant of marriage’. When things go wrong, call upon Jesus and He will surely show up in your difficulties. He IS YOUR COVENANT PARTNER!
Beware! GOD IS omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient!

Monday 24 September 2012

SALVATION 'CAN' BE LOST!

(Rom 10:9 - If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.)

"Does that mean once we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour we're forever saved?" I asked an elderly Pastor.

"No!" came the emphatic response.

"What happens is that at the very instant you accept Christ, you denounce Satan as the ruler of your life and Christ becomes the new ruler. You denounce your sinful nature and accept to live a life of holiness. This is just the beginning of a lifelong process of 'cleansing' and 'retaining your salvation'.

(“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” -Phil. 2:12, 13).

It means that even when you've accepted Christ, there are many areas of your body which still need to be worked out! Very much like a tank with leaks at the bottom, every time God fills you up with Good things, the bad things inside of you, like leaks in the tank,  drain you of the good things!

"What then is the way to plug all the leaks?", I asked earnestly.

"When a person knows his body and mind have been 'used for doing evil' in the past, the best thing for him/her to do is to approach the elders of the church and seek for deliverance in every area of your life.
Once delivered,

- Maintain a close, personal, intimate walk with Jesus.
- Stay in open and accountable relationships with mature brothers and sisters.
- Ask the Lord to send you opportunities to minister to others".

The words of the Lord Jesus are not always comfortable. They are always true, but not always comfortable. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that not everybody who claims to be a Christian will enter the kingdom of heaven.

 (Matthew 7:21. Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.)
Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?'
And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Wednesday 19 September 2012

When Would You Want To Die?

"Dada, when would you want to die?" was the question my 16 year old son, Leander asked me this morning at 5.30 am, during our 30 minute drive to his football training grounds.

At first the question jolted me but then i asked the Holy Spirit to help me with the answer to the question. I asked Leander to explain what made him ask the question. It was this book he was reading about a devoted son who did not want his father to die and being a doctor himself, extended the old man's life with proper medical care an diet. But the old man was tired of living this kind of life where his son imposed a strict diet and everything he did was watched closely. He wanted to die but the son just would not let him!

I responded saying that i would like to go when the Lord had completed his perfect work through me. I told him that i was committed to live by the Word of God till the end of my days on earth and that as long as i set myself apart for the Lord, i would be living a victorious life on earth.

"What if you were getting old and i took away all your Bibles (i.e.Various translations) and other Bible resources from you?", was his next question.

I responded saying that the Bible (as a collection of books) itself meant nothing to me however the same Word of God 'in my heart' would give me a victorious life. A flashback of the spiderweb-covered Bible kept on a shelf below the altar in my Grandmothers house in Goa, brought a smile to my face as i said that.

Of course i cannot transcribe all that was discussed in the car this morning however, i was pleased to hear this from Leander -
" I like what you said and i pity the Atheists as they live a very empty life! I would rather believe there was an almighty God who loves us too much to loose our souls to the evil one!"

Just before Leander reached the School sports field, i left him with this illustration:

A cat carries her young ones by the neck and this is the way she keeps her kittens out of danger.
The young one of a monkey has to hold onto the mother tightly whilst she hops from tree to tree.
The young one of a Kangaroo remains inside the pouch and is safe as long as he remains inside.

"Which category do you fall under?"
He replied, "The young one of the Kangaroo!"

I was very pleased with the God-given wisdom in the answer!
(God has given us a FREE WILL and as long as we choose to remain in the pouch, we will be secure. In every situation of our lives, HIS GRACE WILL BE SUFFICIENT to carry us through!)

Tuesday 18 September 2012

SURVIVAL

I was on a short business visit to Aamby Valley last month. Arriving early at Sahara Star in Mumbai gave me enough time to rest and then visit family friends in Juhu and later in Bandra. Driving through the streets in Mumbai does make you count your blessings when you see how people survive! A mother sitting under her makeshift awning of her blue tarpaulin covered hovel combing the knots out from her daughter's hair, totally oblivious of the pouring rain and the sloshy floor ... another woman washing clothes whilst her little children playing marbles in the rain, drenched to their skin ... An old, frail man sitting on a broken charpai smoking a beedi ... a paanwalla's kiosk making brisk business ... Bhelpuriwalla dishing out golgappas whilst a long line of people wait impatiently for their turn (Don't forget the annoying umbrellas too!) ... Wada-pao and the Mumbai Bhaji cart ... Juice spelt 'juz' with millions of flies hovering over the 'fresh-cut' fruit etc. etc.

Once upon a time i ate on the streets and there would be the odd stomach upset but i would soon  go straight back to the hawkers! Today, i dare not eat out as i know that i've been utterly spoilt by the 'cleanliness' of Dubai. Everything is so well controlled by the Dubai Municipality that no one dares keep a dirty kitchen in town. I remember when i was a partner in Tandoori Inn, we would have those surprise visits from the DM Inspectors who would levy hefty fines on us for very trivial non-conformances! I know now that if i eat anything on the streets of Mumbai today, my immune system wouldn't cope with the exposure to those germs!

So it is with the Spiritual Warfare! Just like the sickness that attacks you when your immunity is low, the same way, the demons attack you once you're not equipped with the ARMOUR OF GOD! After all, it is the SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST out there!


 Ephesians 6:10-18: (10) Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (13) Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; (15) And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (18) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints

Monday 17 September 2012

ALONG THE WAY

Do any of you remember the days when you were young when you accompanied your family on a 9 to 10 hour bus/car journey instead of taking an expensive flight?

It is what you saw and heard 'along the way' that made the trip memorable. If you were in a bus, you would look out at all the animation that would take place outside ... the planters in the field, oxen ploughing, the rich scent of wood smoke, the rat-a-tat-tat of the woodpecker perched high up on a coconut tree trunk, the shrill cry of a kingfisher etc. etc. If you were in a car, there would be the excited chatter and singing of a family going towards their dream destination. It was not so much the destination but what happened 'along the way' that added to the 'dream'. Nowadays, we take a quick flight of 45 minutes to cover the 10 hours of travelling.

Much in the same way, when the two disciples met Jesus on the road to Emaus, it was what happened 'along the way' that made their heart burn when Jesus explained the scriptures to them!

If you look back over the number of years you've lived, you will see that the many events that occurred 'along the way' that have actually shaped you! God's faithfulness in delivering you out of your pit when you've simply stayed focused on His promises in His Word suddenly breaks out like a cloudburst!

If you're going through a rough patch right now, prophecy over your situation and wrap up your 'believing' with a scriptural promise. Then sit still and let God work on your situation. He will teach you many things 'along the way' if you will endure the journey with patience and a willingness to listen!

Sometimes there just aren't any flights that will give you the short cut!