My
People,
Hello!
I am sorry, for the delay. I had a terrible fall on Friday the 7th
of December hurt my right knee quiet bad. Took a minute, to get up, realized
that if there was no one, I would sit there for quiet some time more.
A
kind lady enquired if I had any pain. I said yes a little on my knee. Then I
said thank you, and God bless you. She looked at me with amazement. But really
I was grateful.
What
I realized from the fall is that I carried a whole load of thoughts with me. I
understood what it must have felt for Jesus. Jesus carried all of our sins on
Himself. I wonder when Jesus fell carrying the cross, Would Jesus, have felt
better that moment? Would the fall have given my sweet Jesus, some moment to
rest and then get up?
Jesus
liberated me with that fall.
Love
– the most beautiful word in the English dictionary, and when translated to any
other language, it never looses its essence.
Our
deepest longing is always to be loved. To matter to the one person whom we love
the most in the world. A world without love, would you imagine that? Love is
like a hunger – until we understand the full meaning of it, we cannot be
totally happy.
When two people really love
each other, they never offend each other.
When
you love somebody, you want to keep them safe. You want to give them the world,
because nothing seems impossible. When you know that you are loved by the one
you love, you become like the candle in the dark.
Today,
the 4th December, 2012. I thank You God, for the gladness, only You know, when
and how it comes to my heart.
Just
saw a rerun on the TV, the program ‘American Idol Season 11’. Watched Colton Dixon a 19 year old make his
exit. The judges were not too good with their feedback. So later when he was
asked for his comments, he just stated ‘I don’t care’. When the results were
declared, he immediately apologized to the judges and told them that he would
use their advice for his future in his singing career. If you think this is
all, do I have news for you? I’m glad, that I watched this programme, I’m glad
that our future is not bleak. I’m glad to hear Colton Dixon sing to God.
This
is what Colton Dixon sang, You’re all I want: Below is just a part of the
praise and worship song. This should move your heart.
Find me here, speak
to me
I want to feel you, I need to hear you
You are the light that's leading me to the place
Where I find peace again
You are the strength that keeps me walking
You are the hope that keeps me trusting
You are the light to my soul
You are my purpose
You're everything
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
You calm the storms and you give me rest
You hold me in your hands
You won't let me fall
You still my heart, and you take my breath away
Would you take me in take me deeper now
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
And how can I stand here with you
And not be moved by you
Would you tell me how could it be any better than this
Cause you're all I want,
You're all I need
You're everything... everything
This,
coming from a 19 year old, its amazing and even more so, because when defeated
and taking ones exit, the hardest thing to do is sing a song of praise to God.
But what Colton,
did was what the Bible tells us to do. We must praise especially when it is the
hardest to praise. Because Real praise is not when there is the sunshine. But
real praise is when everything is bleak.
Praise the LORD with all your heart.
People
often do wrong to each other. And really what’s most astonishing is that there
is no remorse felt. Revenge is never a good thing. The very thought of doing
wrong to a person is an evil thought. And acting on it, has its own
consequences.
I
often watch people who have the capacity to make a difference absolutely always
take the wrong turn. I watch them do wrong, just because they can. And I watch
them go down too. I have never watched a man do wrong and never pay for the
consequence. Sirach 7:1 states-‘Do no
evil, and evil will not overtake you.’
Nearly
two months back, I wanted so much to go for the Bible study. I kept asking God
what should I do? Of-course I wanted to go. You got to know this, both the
Bible study time and the Church time clash. So I looked for signs that God
would give. It was a very good session. As I entered Church, after the study, to
talk to Jesus, I felt all of Jesus pain in my heart. I never want to ever miss going to church.
On
All souls day, I just felt lazy, and I thought okay, I could
easily go for the next mass, no sooner had I thought that, I heard Jesus
calling me, ‘Come, I wait for you.’
When
it came to the matter of our faith, there could be no questions. My
mom, I think she must have been trained in the military. My mom was strict
about prayers, and about God. There could be no seconds. The first of the TEN
COMMANDMENTS State: I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE
ME. I thank God for my mom.
Sometime
back I overheard one of my colleagues say that parents are known by their
children. I disagree. What a topsy-turvy world that would be? The fourth of the
TEN COMMANDMENTS States: HONOUR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.
Sirach
3:2 states-For the Lord sets a Father in honor over his children and confirms a
mother’s authority over her sons.
Take
a closer walk with God. This Christmas season, all I ask for you is to open your
heart to God. Invite Jesus, into your heart and into your life. May the Peace
of Jesus follow you.
With
all my Love,
For
LOVE PREVAILS!
AnitA.
“To fall in love with God is
the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him,
the greatest human achievement.” St.
Augustine
Shalom
is a Hebrew word that means peace.
Peace
with GOD is the highest form of inward satisfaction that will reflect upon the
outward person.
"Thou wilt keep him (her) in
perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:because he (she) trusteth in thee.
Trust in the Lord for ever: for in the
Lord GOD is everlasting strength". Isaiah
26:3-4
WHY,
aren't most people experiencing PEACE?
Because.....most people are not TRUSTING IN GOD.
"Trust in The LORD with all thine
heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge
Him, and He shall direct thy paths".
Proverbs 3:5-6
Peace
of mind is something that we all want. We all want to be able to rest, to not
have to worry, to feel free to enjoy life, family, friends, work, church, hobbies,
entertainment, etc.
Sometimes
when we can't find peace of mind, we get depressed.
And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus. Philippians 4:7
GOD will not leave us nor forsake us, and this feeling of comfort is
partly a manifestation of that. You are His and He has not forgotten about your
troubles. Neither have they taken Him by surprise.
God
gives us what is called the “Comforter”, The “Counselor” and we are promised
that He will be with us forever in John 14:16. The Holy Spirit is the source
for this peace that the world just doesn’t comprehend.
You
ARE NOT ALONE in this life if you have Christ Jesus. You will be surprised
sometimes by the peace that you are given over troubles. You have to trust Him.
Sometimes things happen that we just don’t understand how or why. Everything
happens according to His will and timing. Just know that you are in His hands
and GOD WILL MAKE A WAY WHERE THERE SEEMS TO BE NO WAY.
God's
promise of peace Is to every believer. This peace, however, doesn't come from
what or who we are, but from what God has done—how He has justified us in
response to our faith.
Jesus said, "Peace I leave
with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let
not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." John 14:27.
Peace
is lost in the world without Christ. People worry, doubt, and long for things
they want or need. They must have just one more thing, or one more fulfilled
desire. Without direction from God, they are out of the will of God and then
complain to God and doubt Him when their prayers go unanswered. The result is a
lack of peace. So, to solve this problem people often try to create a false
peace with alcohol, drugs and other addictions. Sometimes they deny their sin
and push away the conviction of the Holy Spirit. They no longer feel the touch
of God's correcting movement in their hearts. They are left to their own ways.
True
peace can only be found in being in the will of God. True peace is a gift from
God found only through Christ. If you knew you were in the will of God, and
even though things were tough, your confidence and hope in life would not be
based upon the situations around you, but upon God who lives in you. That way,
true peace will always be yours.
Peace
is rest in the heart. Though life may be hard, though our bodies be frail,
though pain is our companion, to be in the will of God is to abide in the peace
of God. Let me find the will of God and walk in it and let all other things be
as they may.
A
Christian with a troubled and fearful mind dishonours GOD. We need to
understand that to be troubled, to be fearful means we do not trust God’s
sovereignty, God’s wisdom, God’s faithfulness and God’s goodness. It is an
indication that we have not yet completely turned our lives over to the Lord.
In Philippians 4:6 Paul states, “Be
anxious for nothing.”
We are not to have anxiety or worry or any kind of fear.
Paul tells us, in Philippians
4:7, that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
The peace that comes from
the Lord can banish all worry and distress from our hearts and minds and can
keep it away.
The
world cannot give you nor teach you how to experience peace. It comes from God
alone.
Here
are the four keys to receiving it -
Prayer.
Paul says, in Philippians 4:6, “in
everything by prayer and supplication…let your requests be made known to God.”
Whatever we are facing that gives a cause for mental or emotional distress, we need to bring it to the Lord’s attention. If it brings concern to
us, it is a matter of concern to Him because He wants us to be at peace.
Paul says, “let your requests be made known to God.” What would you like for
God to do?
We need to be specific in our requests. We need to tell God exactly what we
want changed. If it is not an unrighteous desire, we need not be shy in stating
our requests.
We may ask whatever we wish of God. But, it is important that we believe that
God can grant our request. We must believe that God can answer our prayer in
bringing-about that which we desire.
We must remember what we are told, in James 1:6-7, “let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who
doubts…..let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”
Perhaps, before we take our requests to the Lord, it may be good for us to look
at Ephesians 3:20, where the Apostle Paul says of God that He “is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond
all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.”
Once we have made our requests known in faith, we need to with faith wait
patiently for Him to answer.
GOD will answer by delivering whatever is best for us. Matthew 5:7-11, "Ask, and it shall be given to you;
seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone
who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be
opened. Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf,
will give him a stone? Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a
snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more shall your Father Who is in heaven give what is good to
those who ask Him!”
Did you notice that last phrase - “how much more shall your Father who is in
heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” The Lord will always answer by
giving us, what is good for us. That means that sometimes He will answer our
prayers precisely as we requested. That means that sometimes He will answer in
a way different than we had envisioned.
Our basis for peace is that God hears and God answers us and He answers us by
giving us what is best.
Once we take a matter to the Lord, we must leave it with Him. We let Him make
the next move and rest in knowing that He will respond “at the proper time” by
giving us that which is for our good.
Thanksgiving.
Paul states in Philippians
4:6 that we are to submit our requests along “with thanksgiving.”
Too many times, when we are full of worry and fear, we fail to count our
blessings. We fail to acknowledge how good God has been to us. We need to
reflect upon how God has faithfully
brought us to the present moment and thank Him for His past care. Think
of the many dangers, GOD has delivered us from and thank Him for it.
But, do not only thank the Lord for past blessings and deliverance. We need to
thank Him for present blessings. No matter how distressing our current
circumstances or situation, surely we can acknowledge that we are enjoying many
blessings right now.
Psalms 118:29, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His
loving-kindness is everlasting.”
Dwell on the Positive.
When it comes to our
thinking, we must dwell on the positive. Paul states in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy
of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.”
I tend to believe that this is the key to our having peace of mind where we
fail most. Too often we allow our minds to dwell on the negatives in our lives
than on the positives.
With God being with us, for us and working in our lives for our betterment, we
should never have a care in the world.
Obedience to God’s Word.
Philippians 4:9 states, “The things you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you.”
There are three ways that obedience leads to peace.
** If we obey God’s Word, we will
avoid many pitfalls in this life that bring unnecessary heartaches. We can stay
away from so many problems if we would truly strive to apply the teachings of
Christ to our lives. Psalms 119:165, “Those who love Thy law have great peace,
and nothing causes them to stumble."
** True peace comes when you know in your heart
and mind that you are doing all that you can to please God. If we are sincere
in our religion, our conscience will be troubled as we know that we are not
walking in obedience. A clear and clean conscience promotes peace of mind.
** The teachings of Christ emphasize looking
beyond self and serving others. The more we take our focus off ourselves - our
troubles, our difficulties - and focus on how we can make life brighter for
someone else or how we can glorify God, our minds will be liberated. We need to
put into practice Christ’s demand for selfless service. Galatians 6:2, “Bear
one another’s burdens, and thus fulfill the law of Christ.”
The God of peace wants us to enjoy His peace. I close by quoting Paul, from 2
Thessalonians 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself continually grant you peace
in every circumstance.”
REMEMBER:
Love with all your heart. Love everybody. Love especially when it is the
hardest to love.
CONCUSION:
In this season, I hope for you to breathe in the spirit of peace. That you can
touch others, as St. Paul
said, with the holy kiss of peace, and that you in your own way can do the
things that make for peace. That is the real gift of Christmas in fact. Amen.
PRAYER:
Abba Father, I love you with all my heart. And this is my prayer, that Your will be
done. Keep me obedient and always faithful to You, I pray.
PROMISE DATE: 3rd
December, 2012. ISAIAH 55:11
so
is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.