Category: Category 2

Disappointment is inevitable. But to become discouraged, there’s a choice I make. God would never discourage me. He would always point me to himself to trust him. Therefore, my discouragement is from Satan. As you go through the emotions that we have, hostility is not from God, bitterness, unforgiveness, all of these are attacks from Satan.
Charles Stanley

Rekindle the fire

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:11-12
It can be a situation at work, a deficit in finance, illness in family or for that matter a negative circumstance; it can weigh us down and bring discouragement. This can be similar to the furnace situation of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. It was amidst the flames, the four uncompromising young men of courage, experienced the very presence of the Son of God with them. What an amazing result! Because Jesus was the fourth man who stood amidst the fire with them, they were able to experience the supernatural. The fierce fire that should have scorched them to cinders did not harm their bodies or the clothes they wore, nor was a hair of their heads singed. They walked out of the furnace unbound and unharmed
Our hope is in the One who called and predestined us according to His purpose. We are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. Let Him always be by our side so that when we go through difficult situations we will not be burnt but will be ignited by the fire of His Spirit.
Dear Lord,
I thank You for Your power that is working within me and leads me according to Your purpose. When You are with me, I am in the safety of resting under Your mighty wings and all discouragement is removed from my heart. Amen

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

Bless those who curse you

I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands. 1 Samuel 24:20

Saul was after David to destroy him but his efforts were not successful. But the Lord delivered Saul into the hands of David. This was a test for David and he came out of it clean saying, “‘I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 24:10) We can learn three important truths from it this morning

First we see that David loved his enemy and did not do any harm to him. Second he did not lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed and take over the Kinship before the appointed time. Third he was able to receive words of blessing from the enemy over his future.

A man who wanted to kill him proclaimed that he would succeed him as king. How wonderful is that? Let us, this morning seek the Lord to give us the same attitude of David so that we will have the favour of God.

Dear Lord,
I thank you for this day. As You have paid the price for all my sins and have continued to love me, even though may I do the same for others. Amen

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John: 10-10

Common Enemy

When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today. 1 Samuel 24:19

When harmed by someone, the immediate response of most people would be reacting with negative emotions which are detrimental to any relationship.

The common source or the cause of the destruction is the lie of the enemy which is unseen to the naked eye. As the word says that our battle is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities, powers and of the rulers of the dark world.

When we are led by the Holy Spirit, we are able to distinguish between the ‘carnal nature’ and the ‘divine nature’ that enables us to have self-control, just as Joseph did when he faced a trap of the enemy. When we resist the devil, we are able to overcome the plans of the evil one and he will flee from us.

Dear Lord,
We thank You for this day and seek you to live a victorious life as an overcomer because you did overcome the world. Thank You for Your word that assures us that in all these things we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loved us.. Amen

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

We are happy to be with you after the summer break. We wish each one of you a blessed new year 2015. Hope the morning message that we send will continue to bless you each day. Please write to us if you have been encouraged by receiving it.

“When wealth is lost, nothing is lost; when health is lost, something is lost; when character is lost, all is lost.”  Billy Graham

Choices

“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
Galatians 6:7-8

The choices that we make on a daily basis determine our future. King Solomon was very wise but his choices drove him away from the Lord. The choice is the seed that we sow and this could either lead us to destruction or to eternal life.

There is a principal in reaping and sowing. When a seed is planted it takes time to grow, mature and produce fruit. Even though this process is not seen, the farmer waits patiently for the harvest knowing that the good seed that he has planted will yield good fruit in time to come. Similarly the seed of faith, pleases God’s Spirit and will gives us eternal life.

On the other hand unbelief is a destructive seed that leads us to sow unto pleasing the flesh. This is the greatest hindrance to our spiritual growth and the cause of every sin. Which of the seed would you choose?

The choices that we make today have eternal consequences. Let our choices be led by the Holy Spirit so that we will do the will of God through this year.

Dear Lord,
We thank You that You have given us Your Holy Spirit who leads us in all our ways. Thank You for the wisdom that You are giving us to make the right choices to live a holy life.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

Dear All,

“He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree.”
– Roy L Smith

No room in the Inn

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:7

There are only six days until Christmas, and many of us are busy shopping and wrapping gifts for friends and family. The shopping and the list of things to do gets ticked off, but is there a little room in our hearts for Jesus during this season?

It was a similar day in Bethlehem when Joseph and Mary were on their way to register themselves for the census. Everyone was busy, the inns were full, and there was no room for the baby to be born. When we crowd ourselves with lots things to do, we have very little room for Jesus and we may send Him away as well.

We too are very busy entertaining and buying gifts, but are we able to take time to receive the best gift that the Lord has prepared for us? It will be good for all of us to take time off and reflect on this beautiful gift so that we will remember the reason for the season.

Dear Lord,
Let not the busyness of the season rob me of the meaning of Your birth, and may there always be room in my heart for You. Amen.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

From evildoers come evil deeds, so my hand will not touch you.
1 Samuel 24:13

The Mind of Christ

See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is nothing in my hand to indicate that I am guilty of wrongdoing or rebellion. I have not wronged you, but you are hunting me down to take my life. May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.
1 Samuel 24:10-12

Saul had a sword in his hand and could have cut Saul to pieces, but David only cut a piece of his robe. This shows that David was not plotting or aspiring to take his place, but was waiting for the will of God.

We can also see that David had the mind of Christ even though he was crushed and pushed into a corner. On the other hand, Saul was not led by the power of the Holy Spirit and his anxieties led him to imagine that David was after his throne.
This can happen in our lives, we may perceive and work up our imagination to believe something which is false. This can affect our relationship with a friend or our family. We need to be careful to have the mind of Christ so that we will not react to false information.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day and let me not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of my mind; that I may prove what is good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. Amen.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

Since God knows our future, our personalities, and our capacity to listen, He isn’t ever going to say more to us than we can deal with at the moment.
– Charles Stanley

Listen to His voice

Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when men say, ‘David is bent on harming you’? This day you have seen with your own eyes how the Lord delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the Lord’s anointed.’”

1 Samuel 24:8-10

Saul used his army, his time and all his strength to try and capture and kill David. He had advice from the top officials, but they failed to deliver David to Saul.

Compared to the might of Saul, David had a much smaller army of about four hundred men. Moreover these were the men who were shunned by the society; the ones in distress and  in debt. As these men gathered themselves with David who became a captain over them.

1 Samuel 22:2

Though David only had a handful of discontented and weak men in his army, the Lord used them to hand Saul over to him because he was willing to heed His voice. Often we take counsel from friends and those close to us, but they may not give us the right answer if it is not of God. It is important that we listen to God’s voice, as He will give us victory.
God’s counsel also comes without any charge, so we will not have to spend our resources like Saul did. Let us therefore seek Him for counsel today rather than depend on our resources and strength.

Dear Lord,
I thank You for this day. Make known to me Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation. Amen.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
Romans 8:33

God’s chosen servant

Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.
1 Samuel 24:5-7

David was a man who loved the Lord and knew Him. He feared the Lord for merely cutting Saul’s robe, because Saul was anointed by God to be king and master. Though David’s fear of the Lord seems exaggerated, it is not the case when the Word of God is studied closely.

 

The Word gives us revelation, as well as teachings from other people’s experiences. In the story of Moses, Aaron and Miriam talk against his Cushite wife, and the anger of the Lord burned against them.

When the cloud lifted from above the tent, Miriam’s skin was leprous it became as white as snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had a defiling skin disease, and he said to Moses, “Please, my lord, I ask you not to hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother’s womb with its flesh half eaten away.

Numbers 12:9-12
The story of David shows that we need to trust that God has appointed people into positions for a reason, whether it is in our work or our church lives. Sometimes, we may be quick to condemn God’s servants, but we need to learn from David. Though Saul wanted to kill him, David did not lay a hand on him when given the opportunity to do so. Because Saul was appointed by God, David’s respect for him outweighed his desire to preserve his own life.

 

It can be difficult to submit to those who we feel are not worthy of the title or position. In those situations, we need to pray for a change in our hearts. We also need to pray for our leaders, that they will be led by God in their decisions. By submitting and praying in these situations, we can grow in our walks with God.

Dear Lord,
We thank You for this day. Please forgive me for having spoken against Your anointed servants. Help me to be like David so that I can have Your favour. Amen.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,

Theo and Manju

The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
1 Samuel 24:4

Love your Enemies

But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Luke 6:27-31

Saul took three thousand able young men and set out to look for David. This would have been an expensive exercise and an outlet for his angry and jealous heart.

On the contrary, when David was given the opportunity to kill his enemy, he did not go beyond cutting the corner of Saul’s robe. Though he was encouraged by his own men to take Saul’s life, David was full of the Spirit and was directed by the Lord. He had the nature of God and was able to love his enemy and respect Saul’s sovereignty.

This act of David was commendable and only possible if you are continuously filled with the Holy Spirit. We have to be connected to the reservoir and be open to receive from Him. Like a tap, the water can only run into the tub when it is turned open. The Holy Spirit is a river, we need to let the river flow into our hearts so that we may overflow in His nature

Dear Lord,
We thank You that You have given us the Holy Spirit. Help us to be conscious of Him so that our hearts will be filled to overflow with His nature. Amen.

God bless you
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju

God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

He is my defence

Saul was going along one side of the mountain, and David and his men were on the other side, hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his forces were closing in on David and his men to capture them, a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly! The Philistines are raiding the land. Then Saul broke off his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines.
1 Samuel 23:26-28

The Lord had made Saul the King of Israel and given him the responsibility to care for and lead his people. However his heart was not towards his own people but towards selfish gain, and his planning and plotting was to chase after David and kill him.

David was running to get away from Saul, but the men were closing in on him. At that time, Saul got a message to say that the Philistines were raiding the land, so he withdrew his chase and went to meet the Philistines

In Exodus, when the Egyptian army drew close, the pillar of cloud moved to the rear side of the Israelites to be their protection. Similarly in the case of David, the Lord made Saul withdraw in the nick of time.

Today we may be going through a struggle or a challenge, and we may wonder whether it is all over. God is by your side today and says to you that He is your defence and that He will make the enemy withdraw like He did for David

Dear Lord,
I thank You for the assurance that I have in You. Though I may go through the valley of shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Amen.

God bless you.
Your obedient servants in Christ,
Theo and Manju