1 Corinthians 14:1

Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.

1 Corinthians 14: 3

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.

The book of Acts says that, every believer must be baptized in the water and the Holy Spirit, which empowers us to operate boldly in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, to witness unto the unbelievers. Here Apostle Paul says, desire for the gift of prophesy which is, God speaking to the church. Wikipedia explains that the Hebrew term for prophet, Navi (נבוא), literally means “spokesperson”; he speaks to the people as a mouthpiece of their God, and to their god on behalf of the people. Prophecy edifies, encourages and comforts, understood by both believers and unbelievers.  

Shall we stroll down to the book of 2 Kings22: 14So Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam, and Achbor, and Shaphan, and Asahiah, went unto Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college;)and they communed   with her. Huldah the prophetess’s name is mentioned only in two books in the old testament (2Chron 34:22 ). She was the wife of Shallum who was a man with clout, he held a prominent position in the palace as he was the keeper of the king’s wardrobe. They resided in the second district, both close to the palace and the temple. Huldah was well known in her own rights to be mentionable in these verses of the Bible. She probably was talented in needlework since her husband was keeper of the king’s wardrobe, scholars say she was a teacher, above all that, she was a Godly woman who had heard from the living God and was a powerful spokesperson of God.

Josiah became king when he was just 8 years old. When he was a young man he decided to repair the Lord’s temple. During renovation a scroll of the book of law was handed over to Hilkiah the high priest. When a part of it was read to the king, he perceived that God’s wrath was about to fall upon Judah, for idol worship and idolatry.  King Josiah commissioned high ranking officials Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Shaphan -secretary of state (the scribe), Abdon son of Micah and Asaiah, asking for Lord’s guidance. This was the time of great prophets like Jeremiah and Zephaniah, yet they went straight to Huldah to interpret the scroll. She was an audacious woman who didn’t mince words but said that the nation was headed for destruction but, the Lord God would spare Josiah since he honoured the Lord. This brought about a revival in Judah.

The king could have summoned her to his palace, but he sent five eminent officials to consult her. What I understood is that if the anointing comes upon a person and if the gifts of the Holy Spirit is operational then kings and geniuses will look for you. The gifts are freely available whether you are a man or woman, God is not gender biased, we need to just ask says the Father. Aren’t we called for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God?

Prayer

Loving heavenly Father, we pray that you will fill us with your power and grant us with the gift of prophesy as per your word in Jesus matchless name!!

Amen!

Sol.Lalitha Menon

“FOR UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN, UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN, AND THE GOVERNMENT WILL BE UPON HIS SHOULDER.AND HIS NAME WILL BE CALLED WONDERFUL COUNCELLOR, MIGHTY GOD,EVERLASTING FATHER,PRINCE OF PEACE”.

Isaiah 9:6

This is the prophecy about a future Child who would bear the government on His shoulders and be called by titles that could only rightfully be attributed to God. This is one of the most well known Old Testament prophecies about Jesus.

 Unto us a Child is born— The purpose of Christ’s coming was for “us”.It shows Messiah’s humanity.

He had to come as a human being,in the form of a Child, so He could endure the temptations men face, yet be without sin. 

Hebrews 4:15 says that,”For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses but was in all points tempted as we are,yet without sin”.

Unto us a Son is given—-From eternity God planned to “ give”Him,Jesus is the Son of God, He existed eternally as the Son. The Word “Son “is used to show the relationship between the Father and Son. It shows Messiah’s deity. He existed before the birth as the second person of the Trinity.

Philippians 2:6-7 says that,”who being in the form of God…….made Himself of no reputation,taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men”. He came as the Son of God,God in human flesh—to conquer sin and death forever.
Mathew 14:33”Truely you are the Son of God”. Those who are in the boat worshipped Him and said this.

Mathew 16:16. Simon Peter said” you are theChrist, the Son of the living God”.
“—-The government will rest on His

shoulders”!’ affirm His Lordship.

He will reign as king JESUS,

King Of The World.

The government of the entire world is upon His shoulders.If all the government is founded upon and supported by the Christ,God’s divine idea, it is permanent and complete. And the success is not dependent upon the election of anyone individual or party.This verse looks to a time still future when Christ will reign over all the kingdoms and governments of the world. Danie2:44says that , “And in the days of these King’s the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. Zechariah 14:9 says that,” And the Lord shall be King over all the earth in that day. This kingdom is free from confusion because Christ is a Wonderful Councillor. The King of King keeps His own counsel.He is God , the source of Truth. When He rules, He is the ultimate and only true God’s and nothing answer to political confusion. Scripture says, “God is not a God of confusion but of peace”(1 Corinthians 14:33) He is a God of order.He brings order to the troubled lives of all who surrender to Him.Nothing is too complex for the creator. There are no conflicts in His kingdom. He offers peace from God(Romans1:7) to all who are the recipients of His grace.

Heavenly Father we are waiting for the heavenly kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven and your rule over all the Kingdoms and governments of the World. We ask in Jesus name .
Amen.

Sr.Angelica, AOJ

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So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” Luke 17:10

When I was doing my work and all my work was a success there was a pride growing in me that I can do everything right. When I knew that this pride is not right in the sight of God because it is of his grace and nothing else God explained me how to overcome my pride with the above verse.

The above verse says us unworthy servants. I had a question in my mind why did Jesus want us to be called unworthy. Because in this world if we call us worthy servants there will be huge conflict between people saying one another that I am the worthy servant of God and you are not. To avoid this Jesus decided to call all of us unworthy.

In this verse Jesus tells you should say meaning spell it out in your mouth that I am unworthy servant and not to imagine in our hearts. There is a specific reason God wants us to spell it out. I have seen a famous evangelist from Tamilnadu who after every sermon and final prayer he says the above verse and finishes with all Glory to Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is because only when we spell it out the pride of our success leaves our flesh.

Our flesh is designed in such a way that it gets pride so easily after our victories and achievements and no one can overcome it without the help of God.

We see it in Jesus our role model. When a ruler called Jesus Good preacher in Luke 18:18 and asked a question Jesus did not accept it. He had no sin in him but he did not accept to be called good because Jesus knew he is still in the world and his work is not complete until his victory in the cross. So before answering the question He said only God is good and then answers the question. Jesus was so cautious to avoid any form of pride entering him in doing His Fathers work.

A famous bible teacher was introduced in a congregation by a pastor as “Here comes the big servant of God”. The Bible teacher after the congregation is over spoke to the pastor it is not big servant of God but a servant of a Big God.  The pastor said it is ok no problem but the Bible teacher said it is not ok, let us start to humble ourselves in words first, then it becomes our attitude.

Jesus did the same with Paul. Apostle Paul had many victories. Paul raised the dead even his clothes healed the sick and he was knowledgeable and God used Paul mightily than other Apostles. Paul always puts Christ first and he said put on Christ and humble yourselves like Christ did in Philippians.  But God gave a thorn in Paul’s flesh in 2 Cor 7 we see just for apostle Paul to be humble and not lose his prize because of Pride. Whenever Paul has a victory and when pride enters his flesh the thorn in his flesh reminds him that it is because of Grace I can do all these things. God loved apostle Paul so much that he did not remove the thorn not for Paul to suffer but not for Paul to lose his calling because of pride for all the revelations he has got and mighty things God did through him. 

Prayer:

 Our Father in heaven, please help us God to give you all the glory and spell that we are all unworthy servants and it is your grace we can do all that we can. In Jesus name i pray Amen.

Sol.Leo

“The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives”. 

Psalms37:21

               The righteous have what they need, because God blesses them, and therefore they  can give to others. 2corinthians9:11 teaches us that.  God enriches us for a reason; so that we may be generous in every way.

Psalms37:21–37 Points out the blessings of the righteous. David describes not only their character and conduct  but also how God bless them with promise of an inheritance, personal guidance, protection, provision, a good posterity and His presence. The blessing of God is the spring, sweetness, and security of all earthly enjoyments. And if we are sure of this, we are sure not to want anything good for us in this world. By His grace and Holy Spirit, He directs the thoughts, affections and desires of  good men. God forsakes not His saints in affliction, and in heaven only the righteous shall dwell forever, that will be their everlasting habitation.

                The ability to lend to others is referred to as a part of the promise of God to His people,  and is making their condition as a prosperous one, in Deutronomy15:6 “ And thou shalt lend unto many nations, and shall not borrow”. The wicked man’s character is that he often borrow and not pay again.

           Before coming to Christ, I would always bring need of money by the end of the month, so I would borrow money from my friend and pay her back when I got my salary. Though I was a nonbeliever Lord has put a character of loyalty in me, so I could return the amount in time. After attending financial discipline  gift school, Lord help me to search my heart and showed me areas  where I needed to make changes in financial matters, and by grace of God, I could do so immediately. Sometimes in our life’s journey, we need financial help in some of our emergency times, so we borrow money from our relatives and friends promising them to return it in specific time period, and I praise God for  those who fulfill their promises and be loyal to their loved ones. But, if not, we need to learn something. I want to share some of my personal experiences. As a believer, we should always help our  fellow believers in their need if we can, and so we all do. But, at the same time, we can experience ignorance of believers of being  loyal. One of my fellow believers borrowed some money from me, and promised to return back in instalments every month. Two months passed and he has not even talked about it. Moreover  he is talking on planning to go for a picnic. Another family borrowed some money with the promise  to return back in two months, even after four months doesn’t speak a single word about it when we meets  or talk  on phone. Many of us   may have Such experiences .I am not sharing this to point out their weakness. There may be some genuine financial reasons behind this, but  if we are not  able to pay back, we should talk to them and assure them that we will pay back soon.

                God watches over the works of our hands and intentions of our heart. One day we will be accountable to Him. Let’s have integrity to clear our financial debts as soon as possible, so we can’t be called wicked. Let us ourselves be loyal and teach our fellow believers in love to be loyal and integral specially in financial matters.

Proverbs 21:21 “ He who follows righteousness and mercy finds life, righteousness and honour”.

Prayer

            Heavenly Father give us the grace to be loyal and righteous in our deeds. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen

Sol.Grishma Patel

“And this we will do if God permits”.

Hebrew6:3

          The Word says that we get the grace or favor of God for our decisions and plans, if it is the will of God. We should aim to do things in our lives,  only if it is the perfect or pleasing will of God. If our  plans does not seems to be His will for us, we should avoid it. How can we know it ? When we pray, if we get a peace of mind, then we know that it is the will of God.

James4:15 says that,”…….you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that”. Whenever we plan to do a project let this  be  in our mind. We should not resist the will of God but resist the enemy of our souls who is always persuading us to believe that God is a liar, to disbelieve His Word.

           When we yield to the perfect will of God, He increases our yield. We should not boast as James4:16 says, ”But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil”. We should always be convinced that we will do it only if the Lord permits. If we do so we are humbling ourselves before the Lord and He will surely bless whatever we are proposing  or planning to do.

           In order to bring our plans and actions in alignment with Lord, we have to pray before start of any project. If it is the will of God, we will get the peace of Jesus, the peace that confirms that it is in alignment with His perfect will. If the plan disturbs us ,even after praying ,don’t proceed to do it. Lord only knows the complete plan and the future of it. When we ask for His guidance He will be with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us(Hebrews  13:5).

            We seek Him always means, we are acknowledging the sovereignty of God. Then He will pour out His grace and wisdom into all that we attempt to do. He will make it fruitful. Surrendering our will to God’s will , become  the responsibility of God to help us. He will enable us to overcome all the hurdles, when we say, ”If God permits…….” We are putting His presence and power over our plan.

           We need to trust Him that He will do it, with all our heart. He will guide and lead us in the correct path. We should be sensitive  to His voice and obey immediately without any hesitation, like that of  Abraham.  At no stage should  we doubt or waver, for James says that a man who is wavering cannot hope to receive any blessing. James 1:16 says that, ”But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind”.

Prayer

             Father God we Submit all our plans to you, if it is against your will, guide and lead us in the right path. We ask in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Sol.Gigi Jacob

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel…………says the Lord God.

Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin”.

Ezekiel 18:30

Jesus received the power and authority from God, the Father because of His obedience. He in turn distributes authority and power to those who follow Him in obedience as He says in  Luke 10:19 “…I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you”.

     We can receive the power and authority if Holy Spirit is in us (Acts1:8) and if we refrain from all sinful activities. Sin takes away  our God given power and authority from us.

Sin whatever variety it is of, have a common nature. It makes you oppressed and make you a slave. A slave to your own body, carnal instincts, a slave to other human beings, to your own family members, your colleagues, your boss, your in laws, your neighbor’s, to the society known to you, slave to some unknown feelings, unidentified compelling forces etc.    

             You feel like you are stripped off your authority over your family, children, workplace, subordinates, yield of land, crops, productivity of animals. Sin results in huge erosion— Erosion of intelligence, memory power,  health, willpower, commanding voice, spontaneity in thinking, innovations, free flow of thought, unity in the family, harmony of your own body, soul and spirit etc. An unsaved soul who has not accepted Jesus Christ and His words in his life is destined to  live in this continuous  war, with himself and with others and with the world. This is hell. By unsaved soul I mean those who have not become a  “Ruler” who have not learnt to govern himself, others and the world. We already saw that ”Administration “  is taking part in the divine work of the Lord. It is a gift to be claimed and developed by every individual who is created in the image of God. Even though all are blessed with this gift, we see this  gift inherent in certain people.

            They are the ones who are delivered and liberated from the tormenting spirits of oppression and suppression. Many individuals, people group (tribes), even nations are not in a position to exercise authority.

The condition is called slavery. It has been handed over to them as a curse from their forefathers. In some cases even if they have been liberated from political slavery, they can be still under mental, spiritual ,emotional slavery. Mental slavery— slavery of the mind. Their mind will not be under their control.  It will be under the control of another human being or even under the control of the evil spirit.

             We have to get out of this slavery by filling us with the Holy Spirit. Jesus  told the adulterous woman in John8:11 “Go and sin no more”. How can we live in this world  without sin? Put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh  in regard to its lusts. Ezekiel 18:30 God call out through the Prophet saying “……….Repent, turn away from all your offences; then sin will not be your ruin”

Prayer

          Heavenly Father give us the grace to overcome enemies work in us and fill us with the power of the Holy Spirit. I ask in Jesus name.

Amen

Sr.Angelica

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”.

Colossians 3:16

            John1:1-2 says that” In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God”. Again John says, through Him all creation was made and through Him only whole community can be saved to live for ever. The word bring meaning, purpose, power, grace, love and life to all who submit and obey His  Words. So the Word must dwell in our mind. The Holy Spirit gives us understanding of the Word. The Word help us to bless the Lord with our souls always. That is why psalmist sings

”Bless the Lord O my soul, with all that is within me”. (Psalms 103:1). 

We will be able to sing with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. ”Let the Word dwell richly” implies that allowing the Word to enter and grow in our lives. This will generate the fruit of the Holy Spirit love and joy in abundance in our lives. (Galatians 5:22)

              His mercy and grace fills our heart with joy. We must show our gratitude by songs of worship and adoration. The Lord was closest to us in our past trials and troubles. He poured out His anointing of strength and courage on us so that we will be able to endure and hold on to the hope even when bad things happen it will turn out much better than before. The Word gives us great insight and wisdom than any or all of the best books. The worldly leaders lead the people like” the blind  leading the blind”. They learn by trial and error. They keep falling in their lust for power .Their knowledge is inadequate or incomplete and their wisdom is not even initiated. Godly leaders have their inner eyes open and they are guided by the Word and the spirit of God.

              As teachers of the Word, we need to hide the Word in our hearts and bring it out at the apt time. The Word is the book of instruction for the life of a believer. Word gives us discernment of our own thoughts as well as motive behind each thought. The Sermon on the mount teach us about the attitudes we need to cultivate in all our lives in order to be blessed. The miracles of Jesus demonstrate the power of God over nature, our bodies, minds and spirits .

Prayer

            Heavenly Father give us the grace to hide your Word  inside of us  so  we will be blessed and  can bless others also. In Jesus name  we pray.

Amen

Sol.Gigi Jacob

“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God……………… because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God”.

Romans 8:19-21

Because of Adam’s fall sin entered the world.Satan took the authority. So the creation is in bondages and is waiting for the deliverance from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
What Adam lost in his fall was the gift to Administrator or to rule; a gift which was priceless and freely given. The whole earth with its animal kingdom, vegetation,oceanic kingdom,the arena of astronomy was subjected to his authority.In sin he lost control over everything.
Adam’s sin brought loss in two levels.
When Adam lost control over the creation, the creation also suffered without a proper AdministratorCreation is still longing to come
under the ruling of the one whom God has appointed . It’s earnest anguish is expressed in the Bible.

When the earth lost its proper administrator it suffered another evil simultaneously. It was brought under a wrong administrator, satan, enemy of God and man.He made the earth his own kingdom and started ruling the earth according to his own norms.He started implementing his laws in this earthly kingdom. His laws of administration are basically

Three Fold

“stealing,killing and destroying “.(John10:10).

In the following chapters of the Bible clearly portraits how Adam is losing this authority, over the creation one by one. They systematically break away from Adam after the fall .
So there is enemity instead of harmony. The whole creation was in perfect harmony with Adam before fall.

• Lord put enemity between the seed of woman( mankind) and the seed of the serpent.
  Genesis3:15 “ And I will put enmity between you and the women, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”
• Adam become enemy to himself, his own body,soul and spirit .He lost harmony between them. He became a slave to war going on within him.
  a. His body become enemy against his soul and spirit (Genesis 5:17)
  b. His mind is not under his control(Romans8:7)
• World become enemy to him(James4:4)

Father God help us to overcome the enemy of our body,soul and spirit.In Jesus name I pray .

AMEN

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Sr.Angelica, AOJ

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Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies”. 

Psalms 27:11

             Lord delights in the one that has a teachable spirit and a humble heart. He rejoices over one that seeks first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (Mathew 6:33).

     Let us put our trust in the Lord, learning  His ways, seeking  His face and praising His name . If  God is with us, we will be like a flourishing tree planted by the river.(Psalms 1:3).

       The Bible warns us that what seems the right way to us can lead to disaster if it is against God’s will.(Proverbs14:12). If David relied on his own military skill, he would have ended in disaster. But he chose to rely on the Lord to lead him along the correct path. We need to follow David’s example.

             We can learn any subject from the experts of that field. But in order to learn how best to live, one can learn  it only  from the author of life. He does not speak to us but makes us known to His ways through His Son Jesus, through  the Word and by the Holy Spirit. We must humble ourselves and realize how broken and incomplete we are in the absence of Lord.

               The Lord teaches us to live in a blameless way. He teaches us to live fearlessly. He teaches us the secrets of powerful living. He teaches us how to overcome our enemies, our challenges by His grace. He is never done with teaching us. With other teachers, we can reach a point where we can say that we have learnt enough or we have nothing more to learn from them. But with Jesus ,our learning is life long.

                 God says that” For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways”. Isaiah 55:8

We need grace and discernment to understand His ways. Jesus is a patient teacher He waits for us to grasp and do what  He has taught us. . Words of Jesus  penetrate our hearts and transform our lives.

Prayer

           Father God please teach me your ways, and guide me along the best  path for my life; I will give you all the praise  and the glory .In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.

Sol.Gigi Jacob

“ YOU HAVE MADE HIM TO HAVE DOMINION OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS;YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET”.
PSALMS 8:6

After creating man in His own image God blessed him(Genesis 1:26-28).In 1:26 God gave him authority over everything and in 1:28 He blessed them and God said to them”Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it”. It is a command and a blessing. So Adam was not only given a command but given all support,stamina,divine help ,wisdom and all that needed in administering and govern the whole earth.All the earth means surface of the earth,mountains,hills,rivers,clouds,trees,vegetation,forest,soil, air, animals, minerals, oceans etc.(Genesis9:2,psalms8:1,3-4,5-8)
Psalmist got the revelation that

God Made Man Ruler

Of Everything That He Created.

It goes even beyond the planet earth(Psalms 8:6).”The works of His hands”.

When Neil Armstrong landed in moon, he exercised the authority given to man over the planets.When Tensing and Hillary climbed Mount Everest , they were obeying God, by fulfilling the command in Genesis 1:28

“SUBDUE The EARTH”.

Those who are working in NASA are obeying the same command of God . Those who are working in Vikram Sara Bhai Center(VSSC) are obeying the commands and fulfilling it.Our late President. Abdul Kalam was obeying the command of God by spending his whole life by making researches on planets and trying to subdue them. He won to a great extend. He spent his whole life in fulfilling this command of God and hence the Lord blessed him with an award”Vision India 2020”.Since he was not able to interpret in the light of the Gospel, the Lord raised people in His church to interpret his book “ Vision of India 2022”. The first vision about the future of India was given to Dr. Abdul Kalam because he proved his competence in rule over the planets thereby obeying the ‘God given command ‘ in Genesis1:28.

All the inventions, discoveries made by man in the world are the best proofs of accomplishment of the commandment to rule over the earth.

Father God, it is Your purpose of us to subdue everything You created and rule over it . Give us the grace to fulfill Your purpose in our lives. In the name of Jesus we ask.

AMEN

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Sr.Angelica, AOJ

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