Month: July 2022

SO HE SAID, “COME.” 

And When Peter Had Come Down Out Of The Boat, He Walked On The Water To Go To Jesus.

Matthew 14:29

Jesus had sent his disciples away in a boat, post the 5 loaves and 2 fish miracle. The boat was in the middle of the sea, it was being hurled by huge waves as the wind was boisterous. Somewhere between 3 am and 6 am Jesus walks towards them, the disciples are petrified for they thought it was an apparition. But Jesus says, relax, it’s Me. Out of the 12 disciples, Peter did something radical and bold, he said, “okay if it’s you then command me to come to You on the water”. We know that Peter is the only disciple who got out of his comfort zone and to walk on water, this ended up being recorded in the bible

Let’s go to Isaiah 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together,”Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.

Here is a Great invitation from a Great God who says to Israel, that He will explain why Israel is afflicted and then says,” I will make you as white as snow “Usually, people want to avoid sinners but here our God says “I will wipe away your sins”, which only Jesus can, thanks to His willingness to die on the cross for our sins.

The Roman government had a place of banishment for criminals called Patmos, a rocky, barren, desolate island. Apostle John was banished to Patmos by the Emperor Domitian in AD 95 for preaching the gospel, assuming this would be his end. But this was the story of a man who made lemonade when life gave him lemons. 

Jesus showed up. Rev 4:1 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” John the Apostle was transported in the Spirit and gets to peak into heaven, he sees the grandeur of the throne and the “One who sat on it”, he sees live worship, the twenty- four elders and the four living creatures. Thanks to him we have the book of Revelation.

The bible shows us, each time God calls anyone, He has something unparalleled, phenomenal awaiting him. On 1st Sept 2001,

Jesus said to me “Come…” and the trajectory of my life changed.

Is He calling you today? He is not like man to call, make fake promises and forget it. If you heed to His call then rest assured that you are about to see some jaw dropping, stunning display of the power of God in your life.

Loving heavenly Father, may we heed Your voice and step out radically to Your call for You have something great in store for us, this we pray in Jesus mighty name. Amen!!!

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Sol. Lalitha Menon, AOJ

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And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles,second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings ,helps, ADMINISTRATIONS, varieties of tongues”

“1 C O R I N T H I A N S 12 : 28

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ADMINISTRATION is a gift of the Holy Spirit .It is the executive part or to manage an area,village, an institution ,a family ,or a set of students , citizens etc.It should be done with God,s grace.Ruling is exercising authority over it. Ruling may be defined in the following words—Government,Management,Direction,Running,Supervision.An administrator manage each.

Adam ‘s sin brought loss in two levels— he lost his control over the creation and creation suffered with out a proper Administrator.

ADMINISTRATION

Is Partaking In God’s Divine Work Of Creating And Ruling .

God created man in His own image to partake in His creative activity and to Rule over the Creations.”created in His image”(Genesis1:27-28) implies that man was invested with the same power of authority and creativity. Ruling tendency is inherent in man.That reflects God’s image in him.

This Tendency Of Ruling Is Manifested In All Stages Of Man’s Growth ,Even From Childhood. In SCHOOL right from kindergarten,children would like to become monitors or leaders in class.Those who are not able to rise up to that level look upon the leader with admiration.

YOUTH OF ADOLESCENT AGE will show symptoms of discontentment when they are not allowed to participate in making decisions in the family.They think they are grown up and are notgiven their due rights in the family.All these are proofs that by birth there is a passion in man to become a leader and to rule.The root cause of mother- in -law and daughter-in-law can also traced back to this,who is to rule the house,mainly handling the kitchen.Mother-in-law will be insecure in losing her control over the family. Daughter-in-law would like to establish her authority over her husband and thereby over the other members of the family.

Coming to the POLITICAL scenario,after the general election in a democratic country, one party gets the authority to rule over the nation. To get power and position man is ready to go any extent, even losing their dignity.

By all kinds of malpractices he comes to power and get the authority .

This is not according to the plan of God. In all spheres of life social or religious, this is a proved fact.Even the undeserved person, once got the power and authority to rule,do not want to exchange the position with others.It shows that man is created to rule.

Proverbs 8:15-16 SAYS THAT”BY ME KINGS REIGN AND RULERS DECREE JUSTICE”.
 Jeremiah 10:23 
SAYS THAT”THE WAY OF MAN IS NOT IN HIMSELF “.

Heavenly Father we want to use the authority and power inherent in us with your grace, not according to our plan. In Jesus name I ask .

AMEN

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SR.ANGELICA, AOJ

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“ Watch And Pray,

“ Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” Mathew 26:41

There in the Garden of Gethsemane, just hour before His arrest,Jesus asked His closest friends to stay awake and keep watch.He went a little farther to pray to His Heavenly Father and to prepare Himself for the greatest tribulation of His life on Earth.He had asked them to stay awake for only one hour while He prayed.The disciples also know that His heart was heavy with sorrow. But the disciples slacked off and slept.upon His return Jesus chastises His friends with the above verse

 Here Jesus exhorts us to watch and pray otherwise the enemy who is a roaring lion finds us spiritually dormant or sleeping and devour us.(1 Peter 5:8) 

We are to be watchful to overcome the weakness of our human nature. We are to be watchful to keep the Word and obey His commandments and statutes.

To be watchful means, we must be spiritually awake and aware We know our own weaknesses and stay on guard, otherwise they draw us into temptations and sins.

Weakness is a part of human nature and power to overcome comes from God.

Everyday watch on our own lives to see whether we are faithful or fruitful. WATCH how we use our talents, time and opportunities. We are to be watchful about the things we see, hear and believe. We must be the spiritual watch man for the kingdom of God in this World.We have to report to God about the things burdened us in this World .

We are the spies like Moses sent to Canaan . We are like the watchman Nehemiah appointed to watch as the walls of Jerusalem were being built(Ezekiel3:17,Isaiah21:6).

We have to be watch ourselves and walk in the ways of the Lord. We should produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit and not hatred,bitterness,anger,sadness and frustration. Our words should be kind and act of goodness. Our negative words give the enemy of our souls an opportunity to enter and cause defeat.

The Grace Of God Enable Us To Overcome. .

Holy Spirit empower,equip and enable us for the life of devotion, dedication,determination, diligence and discipline

We have to surrender the members of our body to the Holy Spirit

Heavenly Father give us the grace to watch and pray always . We surrender ourselves to you.

A M E N

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Sol.Gigi Jacob, AOj

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“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater; so shall my Word be that goes forth from my mouth, it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:10-11

In Isaiah 55:10 God compares His Word to the rain and snow. When it rains it drains into the land and helps in the growth of crops thus sustaining life. Rain and snow do not return back without accomplishing their purpose. God has an intention for His Word like rain and snow. God’s words bring forth life and produce good fruits in our lives. “The Words that I speak to you are Spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63.) When He says that it will not return to Him void, we are encouraged to abide in His Word, allowing it to absorb into our lives and soaking in it as the ground soaks up rain and snow. The truth will not return void as our hearts are charged. The Word rebuke us and corrects us (2 Timothy 3:16-17.) It is a light guiding us in this dark world (Psalms119:105.)

 The Word softens the soul of the receiver, the believer. It will cause the spiritual seed of His wisdom and truth to be sown in us, cause it to take root in us to grow and bear fruit. It will accomplish the desires of the Lord in our lives. If we cling to His spoken Word or the Word spoken to us by others or through reading the Bible, it will prosper in our lives.

The Word reveals to us the thoughts and ways of God. If we discipline ourselves to honour these thoughts and ways in our lives, there is nothing in this world to prevent it from fulfilling in our lives. Our lives will be a testimony of His mercy and grace.

Testimony

When I was going through a tough time for nearly 20 years, because of my husband’s heart problem, God gave me the promises that He will uphold me (Isaiah 41:10), and even if I go through waters, it won’t overflow me and even if I go through fire, it won’t burn me (Isaiah 43:2, Psalms 91.) Those verses comforted me and also gave me hope.

We have to abide and obey every word that cometh out of the mouth of God. We need to align our thoughts actions and behaviour with the principles and precepts of the Word. The Word will protect us from the evils in this world and also enables us to inherit and enjoy the blessings of this world.

Prayer

Father God, help us to cling onto your promises and believe that you will fulfil your purpose by sending the Word to us. Thank you for the Word.

Amen

Sol Gigi Jacob, AOJ

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.”

John 12:24

We all know that a grain of wheat contains the germs of life. Unless it falls to the ground, the germs will remain inside without growth. A single grain, by its death gives rise to a sapling. When it falls to the ground it releases the inner life power, which is held captive inside the husk. And when such grains fall on the ground, together they clothe the whole field with a harvest of much fruit.

Jesus is teaching this law for the moral world. From the scripture we know that “Jesus is Life,” “In Him is life” and “Whosoever believeth in Him has eternal life” (John 3:15, 6:47). Jesus is here saying that while He is still on this earth, this life exists. But this life grows and multiplies itself in the great spiritual harvest of the world, only after His death and resurrection.

Death in nature is an essential precursor to growth, renewal and fruitfulness. Jesus, by embracing death on our behalf caused many, including us, the first fruit of God. John 11:25 says that “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” We too should daily “practice death” in our lives. The seeds of sin, pride, lust of the flesh and lust of the eye, need to fall down into the ground and die so such evil does not multiply in us.

Some good seeds (good things) in our lives need to die in order to reproduce more good seeds. Some desires of our heart may not be a bad thing, but the Lord might impress on our hearts to let it die. This is what is meant when Jesus said, “If any man wants to follow me, he must carry his cross daily and deny himself.” (Matthew 16:24) We need to crucify some parts of us daily, so that the new life, the new nature, the Christ-like nature grows in us. Many of the traditions we love need to be put to an end.

Apostle Paul put to death his past priorities and goals, which were once valuable to him, as he now considered them rubbish (Philippians 3:8).

We need to put to death our doubts and fears. In our relationships, we can put to death certain arguments and quarrels and above all, we have to put to death our egos that stand in the way of our growth and fruitfulness.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, give us the grace to put to death all of our sinful activities and grow in you and produce good fruits.

In the name of Jesus I pray,

Amen

Sol. Gigi Jacob

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”.

Jeremiah 29:11

This verse gives comfort to all Christian believers going through afflictions. Here God has given us a promise that He has  a plan  for our lives, and He can work through  any problem to prosper us and give us hope. It is not a promise of immediate rescue but God has a plan for our lives. Believe that He will fulfill it if we surrender to Him.

                These words were spoken by  Jeremiah to Jews who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. In Jeremiah 28:15 —27 we can see that Jeremiah pronounced judgement upon the false prophet  Hananiah . He told the people that God would break the yoke of Babylon, freeing the people to return home within two years. That sounded appealing to the  people.  But it was a lie and God  removed Hananiah  from the face of the earth. Instead Jeremiah got revelation from the Lord and told the people that they would live in Babylon for at least  seventy years. So it was clear that God’s response was not to provide immediate rescue but He has a plan to prosper them in the midst of their current situation.

            We all have experienced such a situation. I myself have felt like this many times. During lockdown period my son got his posting order for  Field  Area  where families were not permitted. He had to join duty in a hurry  and could not get leave either. So we have to find our own way. However God guided and helped us to  settle comfortably in my own flat which was lying vacant since past three years. All glory to God.

             God’s promises are  there for us in such situations. This is given in verses immediately following  Jeremiah  29:11, about what God proclaims through Jeremiah in

Jeremiah 29: 12”Then you will call upon me  and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you”

Jeremiah 29-13–“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart”.

       This is also explained in Proverbs3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and  lean not on your own understanding “.

Romans 8:28 says that,” ….all things work together for good to those who love God ……”

      So dear friends trust and submit to the Lord in every situation. He will keep us and prosper us as per His promise.

Prayer

           Heavenly Father we trust and submit ourselves to you . We are proclaiming all your promises. Give us the grace to believe that you are always there to give us victory over the  work of the enemy. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen

Sol. Dr. Gita

“I shall not die, but live, And declare the works of the Lord”.

Psalms 118:17

In  Isaiah43:21 God says that, “This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise”.

He created us to praise Him and to declare His promises and the miracles  He done in our lives. For that our hearts must be pure and we cannot praise God if there is enemity and hatred in our  hearts. Then Satan will harden our hearts and our body becomes weak.

Testimony

               A few years ago a brother whom I knew well, the  father of a student of mine, who used to speak calmly and kindly became angry when I told him about his son’s draw backs in his studies . He reported badly about me to others and the higher authorities.I was very sad to know about it. I told them that I didn’t mean anything wrong but for the benefit of the student. So the parents can give more attention to his studies.

               A few days later he was down with a serious illness and was hospitalised. The teachers went to see him as he was an active member of Parent Teacher Association. They told me to go and see as he was serious. But I have a fear to see him. Then a sister came to see me and I went to the hospital with her. That sister prayed for him and took the above verse psalms118:17 and told him to declare it. She made him to repeat it, and told him to continue reading the verses. We prayed and came back. Within a weak he was  discharged.All glory to God. Second week I got to see him and with great joy he said after our prayer in the hospital he recited the verse and prayed on that day. His blood circulation started and little by little he started walking. Now he has received peace and  continued  reading the Bible, thanking God and giving all praise and glory to God.

             The purpose of our lives are to proclaim the good things that God had done for us.Apostle Paul, Stephen and many saints spent their whole life proclaiming the miracles God done in their lives. They proclaimed it when they were accused, brought to trial, after judgement and even at the time of their death. Let us spend our days proclaiming the miracles God had done in our lives and glorify His name

Prayer

                Our Heavenly Father, I thank you for the life you have given to me.I beg your pardon for defiling me with enemity and hatred. Give me the grace to give up all those sins and proclaim your wonderful deeds everyday.

In the name of Jesus I pray.

Amen

Sr.Anitta

“The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me, I know them, and they follow Me”.

John10:27

Jesus is our caring Shepherd Who  guards and guides us, Who feeds and protect us and knows each one by name. There is a special relationship between the shepherds and their sheep. The sheep recognizes the voice of the shepherd. We are the sheep of His pasture, and we must be receptive to His call, His voice and His Word. He knows us thoroughly and the differences and need of each of us.

        But unlike the sheep we are deceived by other voices. We sometimes get distracted by  these other voices and get led away from the good shepherd, Jesus. The Shepherd protects us from spiritual predators, from things that are  harmful ,from thorns that could hurt us, from flood waters that could drowns us. He causes us to grow and stay healthy. Jesus is the Shepherd Who owns us and we do His will and not our own. Just as sheep completely trust the shepherd. ,we trust the Lord. Our Shepherd is competent to handle all  the problems we have to confront. When He  does not take us to the food and water, He brings food and water to us. Unlike the shepherd ,the Lord is all knowing, all powerful, all loving and omnipresent. He is able to restore our souls, our minds and our emotions of peace  and Joy. He is able to replace despair with hope. He replaces fear with faith, weaknesses with strength and grace, folly with wisdom. While we hear His voice, He hears the very beat of our hearts and bleated whisper of our souls.

                Unlike sheep we are to be wise sheep, shrewd as the serpent and gentle as the dove, able to discern the wolf who comes in sheep skin. We rejoice in the words as sheep  delight in green pastures we are not tempted  even if the grass on the other side of the fence seems greener. He shines a light on the paths we should take in the darkness. We avoid the snares and traps of the common enemy of  all human beings and walk in straight paths. Jesus has bound the strong one who is against us. He embraced death to make it a doorway to eternal life for us.

               The Lord lead us to still waters or things that refresh, renew and rejoice our hearts. So we do not have fear or anxiety about our future. The natural shepherd  can only lead us to the external streams to quench our thirst while the supernatural shepherd will cause the streams of living water of the Holy Spirit to flow in us. We are contend with all we have and ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads us. The Lord uses angels and mentors to guide us. As sheep multiply and yield wool to keep people warm ,we too bear fruit and increase our yield for the Lord. Unlike the natural shepherd our Shepherd guarantees  us life forever.

Psalms23:6”And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever”.

Prayer

             Heavenly Father we thank you for being our good shepherd. Give us the grace to obey and trust you always. In Jesus name we pray .

Amen

Sol  . Gigi Jacob

“Therefore my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,slow to speak,slow to wrath”.

James 1:19

          Yes, it is the secret of effective communication. Our words are double edged and cause life and death, blessings or curses, benefits or harm. We need to listen not just with our ears but with our hearts and minds. If we listen like that our speech slows1 down. Then we will get the time and space to choose our words carefully. We  must use our lips and words to preserve and enhance life. Our speech should be salted with grace and truth, humility and authority. Speaking though and rashly are fools doing  according to scripture.

Colossians4:6 says that” Let your speech always be with grace ,seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

   Our speech should give others hope, confidence, understanding, wisdom and faith.

               Along with slowing down our speech we should restrain our emotions like anger. It is written that anger rest in the bossom of fools.Ecclesiastes7:9 says that,” Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rest in the  bossom of fools”.

We must control anger by the reins of self control and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Slowing down is needed for allowing time for processing inputs, and for filtering the thoughts and words. Our ears are always open. They are the mouths to feed our mind and heart. Primary way to increase our wisdom, knowledge and understanding is through hearing His Word.

              Words are powerful. God used words to create the Universe. We should listen to understand the words of others, to know their feelings,thoughts,and motives. We should listen not only with our ears but with our eyes, spirits and minds. Jesus listened with sensitivity and Compassion .He could know the afflicted woman’s need and touch  even in a great crowd. We have a tendency to speak swiftly and angrily without listening properly. It is due to our egos.

                Like reins control a horse we need to have an invisible rein on our tongues. We need to develop some filters so that the words comes out as pure and full of wisdom. Scripture says that we will be judged for every careless words we speak. We should display love, grace and goodness of the Lord. Ephesians 4:31 says that,”Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.”

Prayer

Heavenly Father  give us the wisdom and grace to enable to control our tongues and temper .

In Jesus name I pray .

Amen

Sol.Gigi Jacob

BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED

ISAIAH 53:5

We have a loving and compassionate God , he knows everything we need even before we ask. All we need is to trust in him and commit everything to him as he says in Proverbs 3:5,6 .

BUT SOMETIMES WORLDLY CARES DILUTES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOD AND US , we start relying on ourselves and worldly things to take control of our lives . But God gently but surely brings us back to him and we should be willing to listen and follow his direction as he says in Proverbs 10:22 .

Something similar happened to me when I was suddenly afflicted with chronic allergies . All tests were done and yet no solution found , doctors informed me I needed lifelong allergy medication and suggested experimental drugs and tests . And I was resigned to a lifetime of medication.My mother and sister did not give up hope and prayed diligently for me . And I was miraculously healed from these chronic allergies and didn’t need to take medication every day . There would be bouts of relapse but taking a couple of days medication was enough to stop the symptoms .

But I still had not grasped the power of healing which Jesus performed in my life . Then at my sister’s behest I joined the early morning WB fellowship . It was a new experience and my faith was renewed .

I realized that God had healed me but he was waiting for me to realize and acknowledge it and ask him for complete healing .

He wanted my total faith and surrender and when I was able to do it , Jesus worked miraculously in my life again and gave me complete healing, no more random bouts of allergies . It was such a humbling yet uplifting experience . Humbling because it made me realize the limitations of modern science and my faith and uplifting because we have a wonderful Lord God Almighty who never lets go of us but upholds us with His righteous right hand , according to Isaiah 41:10 . The only thing He asks of us is our faith and complete surrender to him .

PRAYER

Lord , strengthen and help us so that we can completely surrender to your will , and give you the control in our lives . Instruct and teach us in the way we should go and guide us with your eyes . Let your divine will be done in our lives . In Jesus name we pray .
Amen 🙏🏻

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SOL.RUMNA GOMES, AOJ

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