Take the Long way HOME ….

On a Saturday evening, not of my choice, I had to take the long way home. For the entire week, I had been down with asthma and that made the walk seem a little more tiring. God is good.

As a family, during our school holidays we would go for long walks after dinner. I loved watching the starry sky, and would look for the moon. Those were one of my happiest moments. As I remembered and looked around me, everything suddenly looked so beautiful. I looked around at the houses on both sides of the road, the leaves that were scattered around. And I looked at the flowers, they looked so pretty. Everything looked so wonderful. I felt completely relaxed. I didn’t feel tired anymore. God walked with me!

Are you going through a phase where no matter what you do something happens that throws you off course? I encourage you to submit your life to God. He will make your crooked places straight.

Too many times in life, we are faced with circumstances that seldom make sense. Never focus on your problems no matter what they look like. Never believe the lies that satan throws on your face. Know this that God is bigger than all the problems put together. Always speak words of faith over every problem, over every circumstance. Remember, that God promises that He’ll anoint your head with oil and your cup will run over. That means you’ll be refreshed and anointed to do what He’s called you to do.

I serve, the Almighty all powerful God. All praise and Glory be to You my God!

No unbelief or distrust made him waver (doubtingly question) concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong and was empowered by faith as he gave praise and glory to God. Romans 4:20

Spiritual wavering is when we go back and forth in believing the promises of God.

Notice this verse tells us that Abraham didn't let unbelief or doubtful thoughts cause him to waver in his words, actions and resolve. Remember, praise makes you stable; it makes you strong. Put your faith into action by thanking and praising GOD all throughout the day!

When my Dad, had his left leg completely crushed in the accident, the doctors told him that he would need to have his leg amputated. But my dad, refused to believe that would be the only alternative. So no matter what the doctors said, and no matter how horrible a condition, my dad was in he refused to give up. When you believe in God, the way my dad did, miracles are bound to happen. Someone, informed my dad of some other doctor. And long story, short, my dad walks. Praise God!

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. Psalm 100:4

We live in a wonderful world created by a wonderful God. And it is indeed wonderful to have an access to enter boldly to His throne of grace.

Praise is the expression of gratefulness to God for Who He is and all that He has done. Praise gets God’s attention. When we enter His presence the right way, God shows up, and when God does the enemy must flee! Today, enter into His gates with thanksgiving and open the door for Him to move on your behalf!

For the church support as kids, we used to do the newspaper collection. On one of our collection drives, we rang the bell and this elderly person opened up the door, and when we told him for what we had come. He refused to give papers. I remember that moment clearly because there was this kid among us who said thank you and that made an impact on the man. He told us to wait and he got a bundle of papers. He told us it was for the thanks he received when there was nothing to be thankful for. 
I am not stating-that you must expect anything just because you thanked the person. What am I trying to say, you might ask? Just imagine-if that elderly person-in his walk of life-maybe he had helped a lot of people and nobody might have ever thanked him. So maybe he did not want to help anyone else. And maybe that little thank you, may have moved his heart. You never can tell.

Be thankful for everything in this world. There is no one in this world who loves you the way God does. He lets you call on Him anytime, anywhere. Think about it,  you don’t need approval to call on His Mighty name. You are approved by the name that is above every name.

O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-kindness endure forever!   1 Chronicles 16:34

Friends, have an attitude of gratitude. I am grateful for everything in my life, for the good and for the not so good.

Imagine life with all the good moments. There would be no challenges. We would not know how to rely on God.

So when we need something real bad, we go to God. When we are beginners in our prayer life, God immediately responds, giving us what we desire. During this process God is teaching us to have faith in Him. Gradually between prayers and receiving there is time taken. This is the time that God is teaching us to rely on Him. When we thank God, we have actually learned from our past experiences to rely on God completely. Thus we can thank and praise Him, even before receiving what we prayed for, knowing completely that no good thing will God withhold from us. This is the confidence we need to have in Him. Faith pleases God.   

When you say 'thank you' to God for the things that are coming, it’s really a declaration of your faith in Him. When we trust in His goodness and believe that He is a re-warder of those who diligently seek Him that pleases His heart immensely. Praise Him throughout the day with a humble heart and watch God move mightily on your behalf!

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ...  2 Corinthians 2:14

No matter what you are facing today, no matter what anybody says, you should always be thanking God because victory is just around the corner! Praise is putting action behind your faith.

REMEMBER, WE SERVE A SUPERNATURAL GOD.

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation! Habakkuk 3:17–18

Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. His world was literally falling apart around Him. There was destruction everywhere he looked. But Habakkuk knew that God was bigger than his circumstances! He invited God into his circumstances by rejoicing and praising the Lord. He made the choice to be joyful knowing that it would connect him to the One who would deliver him!

No matter how difficult things may seem, God always has a plan to bring you out into a place of victory. The Bible tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Praise precedes victory. No matter how things may seem, you can rejoice today because God is working behind the scenes on your behalf. Give a shout of praise to God!

CONCLUSION: God has the final word. God re-frames, restates and corrects evil until it fits within God’s deeper purposes. That is what we want to know in our tragedies and sorrows—that they are not in the end merely empty and sad coincidences, random and broken bits of unfortunate pain. God’s way is to outwit and out wait evil.
Frederick Buechner once wrote, “If God speaks to us at all in this world, if God speaks anywhere, it is into our personal lives that [God] speaks.” Every life is a song penned by an Author(GOD) who knows every word. 

STEP 1:  Wake up every morning with an attitude of praise and thanksgiving

STEP 2:  When you go throughout your day thank God that His hand of blessing is upon you, thank Him for ordering your steps, thank Him for a new day.

Keep praising, keep believing and keep thanking Him because that’s what will keep you moving forward. Submit every area of your heart to Him and walk forward in His will for your life!

Getting where we want to go, really want to go, often involves going the long way home. Because it is in the journey that we are given the chance to deal with our brokenness, to discover what is missing in our lives, to confront our unanswered questions. Harriett Richie wrote, “In the places where we are broken in the dark holes where something is missing, in the silence of unanswered questions, the wondrous gift is given.”

REMEMBER: You are a song with all the words. Words - that God speaks over you. Start singing it, keep singing it, this holy song that is yours, until one day when you  will find your song. And the words will come back to you again. And maybe you will like the journey, and sometimes you will choose to take - The Long Way HOME.

PRAYER: Oh Father, look into my heart. I come to You today with thanksgiving in my heart and a mouth full of praise! My heart is forever yours. Remember, me. Father, remember that I always, always love you. Your will be done. This I ask in Jesus, name. Amen.

Everything WILL BE all right . . .

Down through the ages we all long for the same thing: to be loved and accepted by someone who will not betray or abandon us. God knows that longing in us, better than we know it ourselves. Praise be God!

I love you with an everlasting love. So I will continue to show you my kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

To be loved by the one you love, is the most wonderful thing in the whole wide world. There are no words that can describe the happiness you feel. But this much is true: you want to stand at the mountaintop and shout aloud, and let the whole world know. That’s how happy you feel.

Gods love is unchanging. God loves you not just for today, but to eternity. Always and forever love. He has drawn us with a loving-kindness that will never run out. When you surrender to God, Love becomes your world. There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than He does and there is nothing that we can do to make God love us any less than He does. 

You know how it feels sometimes, when you are in your own thought processes. On a Saturday evening, I was thinking of my brother, in the church. The lady seated beside me, all of a sudden asked me if it was my brother who was killed in an accident outside. I was taken by surprise.

So yes, on my way back from church I recalled all of those moments. . . And what came to mind is ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

When Fr. Roque Lobo, the priest, who was responsible for building the church moved, I thought the people should have done something. I thought he took all the trouble and was hardly here to see his church. Back then, I was in school, I thought we should have done something, maybe said something. Every time I went to church, I would feel miserable. Today, I remember him most of all.

Its been years, since he went to be with the Lord. But in my mind, he will always be the simple priest that I knew him to be.

We all wish for chances to make a difference. We may not be able to succeed in what we thought; but we have to know with God: ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

My friend was having trouble in her marriage. She was miserable, as she had no kids. I kept encouraging her, whenever I could. Today, after eight years of marriage, she and her husband are blessed with a healthy beautiful baby girl.

God always, blesses. It takes time, but we have to know that with God: ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

From my families point of view, we have continually been watched over by God. No matter what it was, even if it was my brother, having his mouth sewn (when it had torn apart), my father having his leg completely healed when doctors had given up(suggested having his leg amputated), God was there. I have known my mother being cured from cancer. God has been always watching protectively over us.

God always watches and protects. We have to always rely knowing that with God: ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

I have carved you on the palms of My hand, I will never forget you…    Isaiah 49:16

We are carved in Gods hands, in the hands of Jesus pierced with nail! Jesus had us carved on his hands with a passionate love at the cost of his life!

His love makes us sensitive to the pain of others. We realize that the source of suffering is sin but with His love Christ has embraced suffering and transformed it into a victory over sin.

But, as we suffer, we remember with what love He carved us in the palms of His hands. Then we want to go on because happiness is to be like Him in all things. Among all kinds of people and in all circumstances, make it a life habit to imitate Jesus Christ, to do what He did, to avoid what He avoided. Learn to love Him as He loves you.

While speaking, to my brother, Adrian, he had on more than one occasion mentioned of two of his friends who had left the world. And he wondered, why God did not remember him. He felt left out, though he always believed in God.

My brother was a doctor. He had the world. But all he wanted was to go to God. I thank God, for his life. I thank God, for him. I thank God for remembering him.

I saw my family, crumble. I watched and relied knowing that with God: ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13

Every believer has been given a measure of faith. In order to see the promises of God come to pass in your life, you have to give expression to that faith through the words that you speak. We must declare what God says about us in His Word in order to activate those seeds of faith within.

We can’t allow words of defeat or negativity to come out of our mouths. When you wake up every morning, thank Him that His promises are coming to pass in your life.

On one particular afternoon, I saw a girl crying miserably, I approached her and asked her not to cry. I told her you need not give me any details. You don’t need to tell my why you are crying. She told me it was horrible. I told her everything will be alright. I asked her to believe in God. I told her that I will believe for her and she would just have to believe that one percent. She nodded. And I just mentioned the reason for what she was crying, would get solved by evening. She asked me if I was from charismatic. I told her I wasn’t. I told her I would pray for her. The next day, she came to tell me with this big smile on her face that everything did work out well. I was glad for her and asked her never to cry again.

God listens to our prayers, when we believe and pray.  I know that with God: ‘Everything WILL BE alright’.

CONCLUSION: Loving others may mean some emotional pain and some shattered hopes, but even when there is no response to a loving approach, we will grow by taking the risk of loving. We are alive when we reach out in love and we grow in our ability to love each time we love-1 John 3:14. Pray that as we give of ourselves daily, offer our ceaseless prayers and serve as God directs us, the Holy Spirit will fill us with a holy zeal, freeing us to be God’s joyful, celebrating people.

REMEMBER: We need to be reassured that we are loved. Love is the greatest thing in the world.

Delight yourself in God; and He will give you the desires of your heart-Psalm 37:4 That is His promise! HE will give you these desires when the time is right and it is best for His will and purpose in your life and His kingdom.

There is only one place to turn when that longing for unfailing love drives us onward, and that’s to the very God of the universe Himself who stands waiting with outstretched arms and nail-scarred hands.

It is most comforting to know that God in His heaven loves and cares for us. Stop often and listen. I guarantee you will hear His voice whispering to your heart: I have loved you with an everlasting love. Let Him wrap you in that love, where all the storms of earth and eternity cannot separate you from that everlasting love and security. May God increase our longing to climb up into His lap and listen to His heart.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I thank you for everything today. I thank you for the love in my world. I pray that every heart knows what it is to be loved. I pray for no heart to be lonely. I pray, for love and happiness for everyone. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

I Called For LOVE

Oh my sweet God, what would I do if I didn’t have you? What would life be like? 

On a Saturday, after the mass, I just sat to talk with God. This is what I was saying, “I am nothing.’ And God responded ‘I will raise you up’. I said, ‘God, you know I try doing everything that you ask of me. And sometimes, I look like an idiot.’ And God again responded, I will raise you up’. I pleaded with God, to help me. And God responded, ‘I will raise you up’.  At the end I said, God you know I love you, and I will do whatever you tell me to.’ And God’s response again was I will raise you up’. I did not completely understand what it meant.

All I know, is I was always resilient. Never was proud. But there is something called reliance on God, not just a little bit. It’s called a 100 percent belief. So If I had to believe the way God wanted me to, then I would need to walk through the ways that God had in mind for me. Rejection was a part of the lesson. Being rejected meant also not feeling sorry for my self. Being rejected meant that I had to learn to be brought to nothingness. And being rejected because God guided me to it was a harder blow. God loves testing His people. I have cried. It wasn’t easy. But God sticks by you even more than when you fix an object with araldite. Not that I am advertising for the product. For every time, I walked the way HE showed. I would hear God say, ‘you have pleased my heart immensely’.  For every time, there would be a tear in my eye, He would send someone who would ask why I have tears in my eyes, and I immediately knew God was watching and it was God who was asking?  There are times when people call me simultaneously, and I know its God, calling me.

There is nothing that God want do. He will call out things from the ends of the earth for you. He will do the impossible. If you only believe … everything is possible.

I called for LOVE. . . .

Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Psalm 31:19-20

Simply put, the closer we are to Jesus, the stronger we’re going to be. And all the strength we’re ever going to need will come only through our secret life of prayer. If we’ll just draw near to Christ, He will draw near to us, giving us a fresh supply of strength daily.

In the Old Testament, the presence of the Lord was associated with the ark.. And so, wherever the Israelites travelled, they took the ark along with them.

The devil greatly fears the Lord’s presence in our lives. It’s why he wants to bog down your soul in doubt and fear. He wants you drained of all strength! He’ll use anything he can, even “good” things, to keep you away from spending time alone with Jesus. He knows your time with Christ makes you victorious over the fears and anxieties of this age!

The Word of God tells us we can pray without ceasing. This is unspoken prayer, anywhere, any time. I have come to believe that my most important prayers are those quiet whispers of thanksgiving that I offer to Him all through the day. This keeps me in the awareness of His presence.

The wicked flee though no man pursues: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

The boldness of a lion is here compared with a believer. To understand this comparison, we need first of all to know what it means to be righteous. 
Romans 3:22 states-the righteousness of God-is by the-faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe. 
Having confessed Jesus as Lord and believed in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we were saved and we received the righteousness of God.

I love the lion’s strength and courage. As a believer - this is my confidence: I can do all things through Christ who gives me the strength. Philippians 4:13 A lion if he is hungry, he'll go after almost anything. Think of some of the men in the Word of God, such as Daniel, Moses, Elijah, Paul; do we have courage like they manifested? They knew they were righteous, and so they were bold and fearless as lions. God has not given us the spirit of fear, but He has given us the spirit of love, and of power, and of a sound mind. II Timothy 1:7. Therefore we can be fearless, just like the lion and daring. A lion will go right into an inhabited community if necessary; it doesn't worry him at all if he thinks he can get food that way. We as believers need to have some courage and daring upon the Word of God.

Ephesians 3:12 states-In whom (Christ)we have boldness. The basis for our boldness is in Christ, not in ourselves.

Our boldness is to be manifested towards God. The reason for this is that we belong to the household of faith. Since we do belong, we have a right to come into the Father's presence. 

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16.  We must make the effort to come boldly before our Father.  
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence [boldness] toward God. I John 3:21. 
And this is the confidence [boldness] that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. I John 5:14. Do we have confidence or boldness towards Him? And the particular area of boldness towards Him stated here is that if we ask anything of Him according to His will, He hears us. Then we know that we have the petition that we desired of Him. Yes, the righteous are bold as a lion.

CONCLUSION: Paul said that one of the effects that the gospel has on the life of those who believe it is fearlessness. "Lead a life worthy of the gospel so that when I come I may find that you stand firm, unafraid of any of your opponents." In other words, one of the ways that our lives show the worth of the gospel is when the gospel makes us bold and courageous and unafraid.

It was Paul’s boldness in evangelizing that kept his life from being in vain. And it will be our boldness that keeps our lives from being empty and weak and insignificant in the end.

REMEMBER: At least these two things have to happen inside if we are to be bold: we have to get free from the need of human acceptance and praise, and we have to get free from the need for the comforts and securities that money can buy. If we are free, we will be bold.

And the way to freedom is get your acceptance (approval) from God and get your praise from God, and get your comforts from God and get your security from God.

We do not need human approval. Our future is in God’s hands. So no human threats can ever stop us. We need to be bold and have courage.

We need boldness because without it our lives will be lived in vain. And our boldness comes from God because only His approval can break the power of craving for human approval, and only his security and comfort can break the fear of losing human security and comfort.

PRAYER: Father, I thank you for bringing me to know You. Teach me to always trust you and help me to understand Your ways always. I choose to be obedient and faithful. This I ask in Jesus name. Amen.

HEAVEN is a place on Earth!

Did you know that a mama eagle will teach the eaglets to fly by lifting them and then dropping them off from a high altitude? If and when they loose their way, Daddy eagle circles nearby waiting to catch them if they forget to open their wings and start gliding. Eagle parents always have the best interest of the eaglets at heart even when it seems harsh.

My dear friends, sometimes when we face difficulties-we do not necessarily, see God. But that does not mean-He is not watching. Just like the eagle, God watches us from above and just at that moment, God will glide in and pick us up. I am sure; we all have experienced His amazing grace from time to time. Let us always remember-the God given moments, when God rescues us. Let us in our moments of trial, bring this to remembrance.

He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2

Friend, God knows what you need in your life in order to grow and flourish. Sometimes when things happen that we don’t understand, we have to just trust that He is working behind the scenes preparing you to go to another level.

When you’re going through a trial or a change don’t get bitter and down and don’t start thinking that you’re a failure. Have the right attitude and belief that God has better plans for you. If you will accept the change and stay in faith, God will take you to another level of His glory!

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5

If the branch is not attached to the vine, it withers and dies. The same thing happens if we try to operate in this life without Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We are cut from our life source. But through prayer, and study of the Word, we can remain connected with God.

Much fruit-means you will have an abundant harvest in your life. God wants to overwhelm you with His goodness. Remain in Him today. Make God your top priority!

The Earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it...   Psalm 24:1

God wants you to live an abundant life! He wants you to enjoy the fullness of the earth and experience His goodness everywhere you go.

It’s easy for people to get stuck doing the same thing all the time. But when you open yourself to new people, new experiences and new ideas, you are making room for God to reveal Himself to you and work in different ways in your life.

Let God direct and broaden your horizons. Look for new opportunities to grow and stretch so you can live the life the Lord has in store for you!

...time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11

God has laid out a plan for your life. He has marked moments already laid out that are going to come across your path. These moments are God-given moments. They are designed to thrust you years ahead.

Ecclesiastes tells us that time and chance come together for every person. That means you will have the opportunities to fulfill your dreams.

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

If we look to the Word of God, we see God’s definition of love. 1 Corinthians 13-tells us that “love is patient and kind. It does not envy, nor boast. It is not proud. It is not rude. It does not seek its own way, is not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice in evil, but rejoices in the truth. Love believes, hopes and endures. Love never fails.” This is how God responds to us, and this is how we should respond to the people in our lives — with patience, kindness, hope, humility and love. God is love and God is always faithful.

God loves you with an everlasting love. He will never leave you nor forsake you. He is for you and has a good plan for you. Let Him transform you from the inside out. His love is the greatest love and will last throughout all eternity!

CONCLUSION: Those who wait upon the Lord … THEY SHALL MOUNT UP WITH WINGS AS EAGLES. Isaiah 40:31. Eagles are the only species of bird that are known to fly up through the storm. Have you ever been able to fly over to God through all the storms of life to the land where the sun shines and there is nothing but blue skies? Are you peaceful in prayer when everything thing around you spells chaos? Find yourself  a prayer life that fills you with comfort and hope even when the storms rage all around you. Let Jesus be the calm amidst the storm!

Friends, today, open your eyes of faith and see the good things God has in store for your future. Thank Him for what He’s doing and what He’s about to do. Thank Him for divine connections because He is ready and willing to fulfill every dream and desire He’s placed within your heart!

REMEMBER: Love never can confuse you.

Love is truth-Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32.

Love is courage-to love and to sacrifice, always doing the Will of God.

Love is patience-to endure all trials.

Love is faith-that says nothing is impossible for my God.

Love is a hope-that says, that God can and will make us triumph.

Love my dear friends, is our greatest possession-it is the Cross of Christ-that we need to take pride in. As St. Paul says, ‘As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world's interest in me has also died.’

Love is my whole world. I am living my dream. Heaven is a place on Earth!  

 

PRAYER: Father, right now I take time to remember and acknowledge Your goodness in my life. I praise You because You are good. Thank You for loving me, thank You for setting me free. Thank You for pouring out Your blessings on me and leading me into everlasting life in Jesus’ name. Amen.