Month: August 2014

Dear All,

It is not the body’s posture, but the heart’s attitude that counts when we pray. Billy Graham

 

The Heart
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 17:10

According to the Bible, a person’s heart reveals his true nature and motivation. In Luke 21:1-4, when Jesus saw the poor widow put in her two mites for the offering, He said that she had put in more than any other because she had given all that she possessed. Her offering was an outpouring of her heart’s devotion to God; giving to God was more important than meeting her own needs.
Contrastingly, in Matthew 23:25, Jesus rebuked the scribes and Pharisees, saying, “Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence.” Jesus was rebuking the self righteous, religious leaders who placed great importance on keeping to the letter of the law and maintaining a good outward appearance while their character and hearts were full of sin and deceit.

 

We may be able to put up a façade before our fellow brothers and sisters but the Lord sees through to our heart’s true motives. Let us challenge ourselves with a heart check to see if our hearts are filled with love, joy, peace and compassion or whether it is overcome by hatred, unforgiveness, bitterness and envy. A heart that bears the fruit of the Spirit will produce the works of the Spirit but a heart that is of the world will only bring forth works of the flesh.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” So let us be diligent in keeping our hearts pure before the Lord and let us ask His Holy Spirit to soften and mould our hearts according to His purposes, for it is only by His grace and His blood that we are saved.
Dear Lord,

I come to You in Jesus’ name. Please search my heart and reveal to me any traces of worldliness and sin, so that I may confess and repent and be washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus. May the work of Your Spirit cleanse me from all greed and self-indulgence for I desire to have a selfless and loving heart of Jesus. Amen.

 

God bless you,

Theo and Manju

No matter how prepared you think you are for the death of a loved one, it still comes as a shock, and it still hurts very deeply. Billy Graham

The Lord Is Our Comfort

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 31:8

Life always has its challenges and that is why Jesus said that He would not leave us as orphans but would send us a Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who will dwell in us. When we are born again in Him, we become God’s children so we can be assured of having a Father in heaven who watches over us.

 

We need to remember that this world we live in is temporary and our physical bodies do not last forever. When we lose a loved one or suffer from a sudden sickness, let us look heavenward and seek the comfort that only God can give, let us focus on the eternal glory that is yet to come.
In the story of Lazarus, when Jesus approached their house, He is first met by Martha and then Mary, who comes to Jesus and weeps at His feet. Although Jesus knew that He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, He is still moved with compassion when he sees the pain and grief of the sisters and weeps with Mary. This is the heart of God Almighty, He is so full of love and compassion that He sees your every tear and is able to weep with you in your time of sorrow.
Therefore, know today that He is with you to comfort you in your time of need. He will never leave you nor forsake you because He is able feel your pain, just as he did with Mary. God’s love has been poured out to all of us through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross so when we go through challenging times, let us cry out to Him and He will comfort us with His embracing arms of love. We do not need to be bound by fear and discouragement if we put our hope and trust in Him.

Dear Lord,
I thank You that You are with me this morning, that You are able to feel my heartbeat and give me the needed comfort so that I can rest in You. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

When the negative thoughts come – and they will; they come to all of us – it’s not enough to just not dwell on it. You’ve got to replace it with a positive thought. Joel Osteen

Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Every one of us will have gone through moments of anxiety but the importance lies in how you handle them. The word of God teaches us to cast all our anxiety on Him. This is easier said than done but with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome.

We need to know that fear and anxiety come when our focus slips away from the Lord. The word says that “My anxious thoughts multiply within me.” Psalm 94:19. We need to discern between the positive and the negative thoughts that assault our minds daily and learn how to protect ourselves from the negative thoughts.

 

Satan is out to steal our joy and destroy our faith by planting thoughts of doubt and worry in our minds. When King Saul failed to trust and obey God, he put his faith in his own strength and the Spirit of God left him. He became plagued by a tormenting spirit that gave him thoughts of jealousy and fear, making him obsessed with killing David.
If we place our trust in the Lord, however, He will give us the strength to endure. Isaiah 26:3-4 says, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”  When we focus on things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely and of good report, we can be assured that the peace of God will protect our hearts and minds from the fear and anxiety of the evil one.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day and cast all my anxieties on You because You care for me. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

One of Satan’s most deceptive and powerful ways of defeating us is to get us to believe a lie. And the biggest lie is that there are no consequences to our own doing. Satan will give you whatever you ask for if it will lead you where he ultimately wants you. Charles Stanley

Looking For Happiness in the Wrong Places

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.
Psalm 1:1-3

All of us want to be blessed and prosper, to have a life full of happiness and joy. However, there is a marked difference between happiness and joy. Happiness is linked to our soul and depends on our emotions and circumstances. Joy, however, is linked to our spirit and its source is from God. The joy that we receive from Him is eternal and unchanging, not dependent on temporal, material wealth or ever changing life situations. This joy comes from knowing that our salvation is in Christ alone and if we continue to draw from this wellspring, we can be assured of knowing His constant joy in our lives.

 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Roman 15:1

 

When we invite Jesus into our lives, we die to self and commit our lives to Him. By grace, He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us, teach us, help us and comfort us, so that we can experience and be strengthened by the joy of the Lord.

The path to blessing and prosperity is found by those who do not follow the ways of the world. The happiness that the world offers is attractive and appealing to the eyes and flesh, but it is deceptive and temporary and will, one day, fade away. Those who follow the ways of the Lord, however, will find an everlasting joy that comes from knowing Jesus as their Saviour; it is a joy that carries us through to eternity.

 

Dear Lord,

I thank You for this day. Please give me Your wisdom to make the right choices, help me to be led by Your Spirit and to know that I have fullness of joy in You alone. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

The Christian life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, ‘O God, forgive me,’ or ‘Help me.’ Billy Graham

 

Learning From Mistakes

For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again, but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Proverb 24:16

God has a plan for each one of our lives and every plan is customised and personalised for each individual. Therefore, we need to discover and take ownership of God’s plan for our life, having confidence that we are walking in line with His will. Fear can sometimes draw us away from God’s destiny and try to give us an alternative, easier path to follow.

God gave Joseph a specific dream and although he knew his calling, his immaturity made him boast about the dreams that he had. This stirred up hatred and jealousy from his brothers and he suffered the consequences when they abandoned him in a pit.
Mistakes caused by foolish talk and misuse of the tongue can bring us down but such failures can also be used as a learning curve to enable us to reach the next level.

 

There may be times when we are discouraged and attacked by negative thoughts. These are schemes of the evil one to distract us from God’s given plan. He may also try to magnify our mistakes and failings so that we lose confidence in ourselves. The reassurance that we need to have is that we are God’s children, sealed by His precious blood. Seek His forgiveness and walk back in the light.

Joseph made a mistake by his boasting but at Potipher’s house, he ran away from Satan’s enticement because he knew the plans that the Lord had for him. Let us, likewise, also be strong and know that He who is in us is greater than he that is in the world.

The plans that the Lord has for us are to prosper us and to give us a good future.

Dear Lord,
Thank You that You have a plan for me. Give me Your strength to hold on to Your will for me whenever I falter and am at the lowest moments in my life. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo and Manju

“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God.”
1 Peter 2: 11 – 25

As a result of sin that has filtered in, the world suffers from the consequences of conflicts, hatred, dissention and human hardship. No man can deny that this is the result of sin in the world. Difficulties and hardship are bound to come to everyone because we are part of a world that is corrupt and unbalanced by sin. We would be foolish to think that just because we are Christians, we are exempt from life’s trials.

On the other hand, a great comfort has been given to us. We have the assurance that when trials come, we know that God is able to turn all our suffering to good and eventually, bring the situation to a glorious end.

Today, we might have fallen victims to life’s disasters and trials. However, we must understand that Christ can turn them into doors of opportunity for us to come into a greater maturity in Him, through His redemptive work on the cross. Therefore, do not be discouraged and with God’s grace and strength, you can step through them into richer, more abundant living.

Once we understand that Christ is our rock and our redeeming grace, we can abide safely under the pinions of God’s wings, amidst the world that is filled with tragedies, strife and sin. The cross is the only answer for us. Out of the worst, Christ brings the best and makes life’s victims victorious.

Dear Lord,
I come to You in Jesus name. You have given me security. I stand assured knowing that in Christ alone, my hope is found and He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid ground, firm through the fiercest drought and storm. Amen.
God bless you,

Theo and Manju

God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, ‘I love you.’ Billy Graham

Salvation is Through Grace

Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’
2 Kings 5:9-11

It was the grace of God that provided healing for Naaman. It was grace that made him clean from leprosy and likewise, it is His grace alone which will make us clean and heal our diseases.

 

Although it was by grace that healing was offered to Naaman, he had to choose to obey Elisha’s command. He had to let go of his pride and humble himself when the prophet did not receive him with the respect that he thought was owed to him. However, once he submitted and obeyed, he was made clean.

 

Likewise, Jesus chose to obey the Father, His sole purpose on earth was to do the will of His Father in heaven. He humbled himself and was obedient to the point of death on the cross and as a result, He rose victorious over sin and death and by His grace, He now offers us the gift of eternal life if we choose to follow Him.

 

Like Naaman, we, too, can be made clean if we choose to humble ourselves before God, repent from our pride and reliance on self, and be obedient to His word. Let us look to the cross and receive the grace that He so freely gives and let us come under the covering of the precious blood of Jesus so that all our sins may be washed away and we are made clean and whole before the Lord.
Dear Lord,
I thank You for Your grace and love through which I am saved. I choose to follow You, to obey Your word, to give You the glory that You deserve. Thank You for the work of the cross that makes me pure and precious in Your sight. Amen.
God bless you,
Theo & Manju

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared Naaman this Syrian, while not receiving from his hands what he brought; but as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?” And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Indeed, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the mountains of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of garments.’”
2 Kings 5:20-22
Eve coveted the forbidden fruit and brought sin and death to the world. Achan coveted gold, silver and expensive garments and brought defeat to the people of Israel. Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and committed murder in his desire to take over his neighbour’s property. As illustrated in the above verses, Gehazi also fell under the lure of covetousness and similarly, suffered from the consequences, bringing upon himself and his descendants, the leprosy of Naaman.
Naaman’s servant, the slave girl, wanted her master to be cured of his leprosy but Elisha’s servant, Gehazi, was not interested in the healing power of the Lord of Israel. Instead of seeking to glorify God, he sought to benefit from Naaman’s healing and as a result, became a leper himself.

 

If left unchecked, the desire to acquire more is often accompanied by lies and deception. Greed has an insatiable appetite and will use any means to get what it wants. We need to remember that worldly gain is short lived and will, one day, disappear.
As men and women of God, we should ask ourselves if we are seeking healing from the Lord so that He will be glorified or are we looking for what we can gain from Him to glorify ourselves? The servant of Naaman, out of love and compassion, sought true healing and received both healing and salvation for her master but the servant of Elisha sought to gain material wealth from the miraculous work of God. The result was that he lost his health and was punished with the leprosy of Naaman.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for giving us Jesus, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Help me to put my trust in You alone and not the world and its riches, which is passing away. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju

Love Your Enemy

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:43-45

Today we will be looking at the story of Naaman. He was a commander in the Syrian army and a very honorable man but he had leprosy. After one of the raids on the people of Israel, a slave girl was brought back and made to serve Naaman’s wife.

The slave girl could have built up hatred towards her master because she had been taken as a captive from her own land. However, she was willing to testify to her faith in God by showing unconditional love to her master and told him how he could be cured of his leprosy.

It is interesting to note that the slave girl must have excelled in her work and developed a good rapport with her master because both Naaman and his wife heeded her advice.

The outcome was that Naaman was not only healed of his leprosy but he also came to know the Lord of Israel; and all this was possible because of the kindness of the slave girl.

So how can we apply the principle of this story to our lives today?

Many of us may often find ourselves in a position of servitude, whether it is at work or at home. Sometimes, the relationships we have with those we serve are not always easy but let us encourage one another to have the same attitude that the slave girl had towards her master. With God’s grace, we can rise above the difficulties and reach out to them with God’s unconditional love, so that we can be a living testimony of His Holy Spirit’s power to save their souls and meet their every need.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the love that You have for me and that You love me unconditionally. Help me to give that same love to all mankind, so that people will see Jesus in me. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju

Our heavenly Father understands our disappointment, suffering, pain, fear, and doubt. He is always there to encourage our hearts and help us understand that He’s sufficient for all of our needs. When I accepted this as an absolute truth in my life, I found that my worrying stopped. Charles Stanley

Help Me Overcome My Unbelief

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20

Many of us believe that we have faith but often, when we come face to face with a challenging or difficult situation, unbelief creeps in and opens the door to fear and we are made ineffective by the enemy.

 

In Mark chapter 9, we read of a demon possessed boy whom the disciples could not heal. The boy’s father brings the child to Jesus, who asked him how long this had been happening to his son.

He replied, “Since he was a little boy. The spirit often throws him into the fire or into water, trying to kill him. Have mercy on us and help us, if you can.”“What do you mean, ‘If I can’?” Jesus asked. “Anything is possible if a person believes.” The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:21-24

Let us look at the words that the father spoke. He said, “I do believe, but help me to overcome my unbelief!” The father had seen his son suffer from a small age and would have sought healing from many people, including Jesus’ disciples. He came to Jesus, believing that He could heal his son, but also asking the Lord to deal with any unbelief that had grown from the years of disappointment at seeing his son remain in bondage.
Many of us may find ourselves in a similar situation, where we pray for healing but fail to see it come to pass because there is unbelief in hearts. We need to come to Jesus and like the father, ask the Lord to help us overcome our unbelief.
We also need to remember that we should not entertain unbelief, even though we do not immediately see the result. Faith does not rely on what is seen but if we believe that we have received and continue to thank Him without a doubt, then we can be confident of  receiving what we have asked for. We have seen this happen in our lives and can testify to it.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for this day. I seek You with all my heart and pray that You will give me the strength to overcome my unbelief. Amen.

God bless you,
Theo & Manju