Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them? (Judges 1 : 1)
And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand. (Judges 1 : 2)
Beloved of the Lord, my greetings to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ. When we see the above verses, we find that after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel ask the Lord who among them should go out first to fight against the Canaanites.
The Lord’s response was: “Let Judah arise and lead” and He delivered that country into their hands. The name Judah signifies praise – a powerful reminder of offering our adoration to God in all circumstances. Indeed, extolling our Creator is both pleasing and befitting. The profound truth emerges that the Lord actively employs those who raise their voices in praise.
This means that when Judah gets up, that is, when those who praise the Lord get up and lead, the enemies will turn back. We see that the fortress of Jericho fell because of praise, and when Paul and Silas praised, the prison doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosed. Our Lord is able to give glory instead of ashes, and a robe of praise instead of a desolate spirit.
Are you stuck with intractable problems? Are you tired? Enemies surround you? Fear not, when Judah rose up, the Lord defeated the Canaanites. When you start praising the Lord, you will be victorious and your enemies will be scattered.
Fortresses of Jericho around you will fall, and even the Red Sea will give way. You will be freed from the shackles of prison existence. Praise the Lord in every situation and live victoriously. May the Lord bless you! Amen
Faith is so vital to the Christian life that Scripture tells us that, without it, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Yet faith is such a powerful gift from God (Ephesians 2:8–9)
Christ told His disciples that, with just a tiny measure of it, the size of a mustard seed, they could move mountains. So, what does it mean to have “mustard seed faith”?
It is not little faith that moves mountain but the mustard seed faith.
Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20).
Faith can move mountains. I truly believe that, with faith, we are able to achieve more than we can ever imagine. It takes great courage to overcome one’s fears and take that leap of faith. It may be difficult to let go of control, but time and time again, I am reminded that God is in control of everything. It is also not easy to step out of one’s comfort zone and let God take the wheel, sort to speak, but I must say that from my own personal experiences, it is in those moments of surrender that God truly makes His presence known. It is in those moments of sweet surrender that God does His greatest work and performs miracles in our lives.
“God’s timing is a strange thing, but when you let go of the wheel and allow Him to drive, you can sit back and enjoy the ride.” Isn’t it absolutely right? When we surrender all our fears and worries to God, we allow the real healing and transformation to take place within ourselves — spiritually, mentally and physically — and God is able to transform our lives in ways that we are not able to imagine.
Remember, however, that when we decide to let go, this does not mean that our faith will not be tested and things will be easy. There are times things in our lives must be broken apart for God to do His work and put the pieces back together where they belong. There are times situations will arise that become opportunities for us to change our focus, put us back on track or simply steer us in the right direction. We must also remember to trust in God’s intervention and that everything happens in accordance with God’s plan and, therefore, everything has a time and purpose.
Every mountain, no matter how threatening, can be moved by the weapon of faith. Mountains are not movable when faith is out of place.
According to Our LORD Jesus Christ the mustard seed faith is the mountain-moving faith.
Faith the size of a tiny mustard seed—can overcome mountainous obstacles in our lives.
Prayer
O LORD, I ask for the impartation of the mustard seed faith. Break every spell of littleness in my life, LORD, in Jesus’ Name.
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16.
God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ is absolute, eternal, and an expression of His love.
God’s forgiveness penetrates our heart and transforms our soul.
Forgiveness is more powerful than we realize, because it operates within the spiritual realm. What’s more, forgiveness operates in three different spiritual dimensions— where each type of forgiveness enables us to more fully know and experience God’s heart.
These three different forms of forgiveness comprise the content of this lesson, and is depicted by the triangle to the right:
1. We must be forgiven by God.
2. We must forgive: a. Others b. Self c. God
3. We need to be forgiven by those whom we have harmed.
We Must be Forgiven
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23
The mystery of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is we are freely forgiven—not by what we do—but by the grace of God. This is difficult for those who are not born again to grasp because it conflicts with our human rational thought process—which is based upon everything we earn and achieve in life is based upon what we do. No one gives us anything of value for free…especially eternal life…which cannot be purchased (it has already been paid for by Jesus). As we read it in Ephesians 2:1-10 , Psalm 103:11-12
We Must Forgive
God is very straightforward about forgiveness for those who are born again: because we are forgiven, we must forgive. The following words spoken by Jesus Christ reveals His truth regarding the importance of forgiveness. Although we are forgiven and will live with Him for eternity…to not forgive someone has many undesirable consequences that stifle our internal peace, joy, happiness, and spiritual growth. As we read inMatt 18:21-22
Consequences of Unforgiveness
When we hold onto unforgiveness, we will also experience anger, bitterness, hatred and a desire for retribution— which results in:
• Distress to our body and mind.
• Continued aggravation of our internal “scars” cause by the one who harmed us.
• A “restricting filter” between us and God.
What’s more, the day-to-day internal suffering and pain associated with unforgiveness soon becomes “normal” to us because we forgot what it was like to live without the internal turmoil.
Meanwhile, the never-ending boil of caustic rage continues to fester to the surface in what we say and do.
In addition, when we hold onto unforgiveness:
• We are held in bondage by the person(s) who committed the offense against us.
• Their crime continues to influence our ability to live life to the fullest by limiting all that there is to experience in our walk with our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.
However, when we are able to stand back from a distance…and look at everything that has occurred to us from an eternal, spiritual and “big picture” perspective—and reflect upon the grace and forgiveness God has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ—is when we are able to begin the process of breaking the stronghold and chains of unforgiveness.
It is safe to say those who harmed us do not deserve to be forgiven.
However, it’s also safe to say we did not deserve God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ. God’s desire for us is to:
• Let go of that which continues to destroy us from within.
• To forgive as He has forgiven us—as a reciprocal act of His love, His mercy and His grace.
Forgiveness—the deliberate act of relinquishing (surrendering, abandoning) our feelings of resentment and/or vengeance towards someone who has harmed us—is biblically mandated. But there is a very good reason—because forgiveness is much more powerful than we realize in that it can heal the internal “damage.”
Forgiveness:
• Is a powerful spiritual weapon.
• Will restore our body, heart and soul from the devastating harm caused by trauma, such as:
o Verbal abuse.
o Mental abuse.
o Physical abuse.
o Sexual abuse.
o Domestic violence.
o Parental separation.
o Loss of a loved one.
• Takes power away from Satan and his demonic minions.
• Changes our perception of:
o Those who have harmed us.
o The world around us.
Jesus Christ was a perfect reflection of God. As such, consider some of the last words spoken by Jesus…after he had been rejected, accused, and abused…as He hung on the cross dying, He said “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Luke 23:34 It is these words that provide spiritual insight into the nature of God’s heart, and words that provide us with guidance in how to respond to a dark world.
Prayer:
According to Colossians 3:12-17 , Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ I come before Your throne of grace and mercy to find help in my time of need. Thank you, Jesus, for dying for me and paying the price for my sins. Your word says that we are to forgive others as we have been forgiven. However, Lord, I have been deeply hurt and I am having difficulty in forgiving because of what was done. Holy Spirit, I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I give you my emotions, and I give you my pain—because only You can change me from within. Help me to forgive as you have forgiven me. Amen.
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
What Does the Parable of the Lost Sheep Mean?
The meaning is simple yet profound: lost humans need a loving, personal Savior. Jesus taught this lesson three times in succession to drive home his meaning. God deeply loves and cares personally for us as individuals. We are valuable to him and he will seek far and wide to bring us back home to him. When the one who was lost returns, the Good Shepherd receives him back with joy, and he does not rejoice alone.
Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep to show that the Kingdom of God is accessible to all, even those who were sinners or strayed from God’s path.
He uses the example of a shepherd (God) who has 100 sheep and one goes missing. The shepherd leaves the 99 others and searches high and low for the lost sheep. Jesus stresses that when the shepherd finds the lost sheep he rejoices over it more than the 99 who did not go astray. This is how God will rejoice when a sinner returns to Him.
“I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent”. (Matthew 18:10-14, Luke 15:3-7)
THOUGHT
God is merciful. He wants us to repent of our sins and follow his Son’s Gospel teachings. Like the one lost sheep, when we do it, heaven will celebrate.
REFLECTION
Lord Jesus, guide those burdened by their sin and trapped in life’s material world, to your loving mercy. May they find peace and joy in your Son’s teachings and a friendly welcome in our Church.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father ,Lord of the harvest, your Word finds a home in our heart, calls us into community, and invites us to generous service of the human family. Bless with courage and spirit your priestly people,called to full participation in the one Body of Christ.May many choose to respond in public service to your call offered in Jesus’ name.Amen.
Rejoice in the Lord and again I say rejoice – Philippians 4:4
Give thanks with a grateful heart, give thanks to The Holy One, give thanks for He has given Jesus Christ our Lord. Such beautiful words of praise and worship this song teaches us.
Lord Jesus promises us that if we have faith of a mustard seed, we will be able to tell the mountain to fall into the see. We often wonder why Jesus Christ compared our faith to a mustard seed which is the smallest of seeds.
Does He mean we should have little or small amount of faith and it is enough. When we crush a mustard seed, we find that it is compact from within there is no hollow or empty space to be found. Similarly, our faith in the Lord God Almighty should be complete and there should be no space for doubt to exist.
When we can have this kind of doubtless faith, we can remove the mountains of oppression and problems in our lives and cast them away.
Testimony
Sister Laxmi Sakre from Maharastra recently lost her job which was very important for her livelihood. She was sad at the turn of events, but she thanked the Lord and believed that He must have something better planned for her. She went home singing and praising God. As she returned home earlier than usual, she met her next-door neighbor who was bedridden for over a year.
Prompted by the Holy Spirit Sis. Laxmi shared the Lord’s word with the lady and sang a hymn glorifying the Lord God Almighty. She had just entered her home when the neighbor’s daughter came running and took her back to their home. The lady who was bedridden was walking in the room.
Glory to God in the highest. Sis Laxmi was surprised because she had not prayed for the lady’s healing but only shared God’s good news with her. But we know according to Psalm 107:20, it is written “He sent His Word and healed them” and we know that Jesus Christ is the Word of God according to John 1:1.
So, when the lady received the gospel and Jesus in her heart she was completely and miraculously healed in her body. Such a wonderful Name it is the Name of Jesus, the Name above all names. Sis Laxmi went back home praying and glorifying the Lord and by God’s grace got a new job in a few days. God saw Sis. Laxmi’s faith and trust in Him, even at a difficult situation in her life her faith in Jesus was not shaken but she praised and rejoice in Him according to Philippians 4:4. The Lord God Almighty rewarded her faith with these beautiful miracles in her life. Praise the Lord!
God is good all the time, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good – Romans 8:28
Prayer
Praise the Lord O my soul, praise His Holy Name. Sing like never before O my soul and worship His Holy Name. Thank you, Lord, for your presence in our lives, thank you Lord for going ahead of us and making all the crooked places straight. Amen
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
I am sure we all must have been hearing –“Eat, drink and be merry” from the people around us and must have wondered is there anything else that we are to do in this world until we came to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. The writer in Ecclesiastes 8:15, 3:12-13 tells us to enjoy this life that God has given leaving aside all the anxieties and tensions. Undoubtedly, God wants us to be joyful in all the circumstances, but then how can we live this life cheerfully and at the same time give glory to God by our eating and drinking as apostle Paul says in 1 Cor. 10:31?
I never understood this until now that we can actually glorify and worship God through our belly. God has made us perfect and the hunger, the taste buds, our organs -everything comes from God only. He has made us wonderful (Psalm 139:14) and we are to strive to achieve that perfectness that will unite us with Him. The temper will continue to tempt us but we need to claim victory by understanding that this mortal body will ultimately be merged in dust so why to gratify the lust of the flesh.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)
Eve looked at the fruit of the tree and when she was tempted, she ate that but when Jesus was fasting and was tempted by tempter, He overcame that temptation and thereby defeated the cry of the flesh. He set before us His exemplary life and we are trying hard to follow. In order to overcome this temptation of the flesh, Jesus asked us to fast and pray. He said in John 6:35, “I am the bread of life “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” What a wonderful promise that Jesus has made with us that he will satisfy our hunger and thirst when we eat of Him i.e. remain in Him.
In this life we are full of choices and somehow we don’t know what and what not to eat. Prophet Isaiah correctly said, “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food” (Isaiah 55:2-3). We need to choose healthy food that will keep our body going and functioning well. Feasting and celebrating shouldn’t be our daily affair no matter how much resources we have to buy those but should be limited to particular occasions. Gluttony is a sin and it takes the place of God in our lives in no time as apostle Paul says in Philippians 3:19, “….. their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things.”
I thank God that when I came to Christ and asked about fasting after knowing that there is a particular fasting season for Christians, I was asked to leave that one thing that I can’t live without and immediately I said tea is something that I need everyday no matter what. From that day till today, I never desired tea in my life.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for making us understand yet another way to worship you, through controlling the desires of our living bodies as Romans 12:1 says offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. Let us not be tempted beyond what we can bear and make food an idol in our lives. In Jesus name, Amen.
It is true to say that there’s no more sacrifice needed to pay for our sins. Jesus paid for us all. We are forgiven. But certainly Not the end of the story but it’s now the new beginning of spiritual life that is why Jesus said you must be born again. Meaning Accept that you are a sinner sinned against God and men. Jesus said I am The Way, The Life and The Truth.
Remember What Jesus said to the woman who was about to be stoned for her adultery, woman neither I condemn you, your sins are forgiven, go and sin no more.
How it’s possible? Yes this was before the crucifixion and after the crucifixion Jesus has not changed. His word still says sin no more even though I paid it for all.
Dear Soldiers of Christ God’s Word is same, Yesterday, Today and Forever the same. It is established in heaven and now You and Me have to established it here on earth.
Things are bit serious and no fun. Now how to walk free from Sin daily as there is no more sacrifice for sin remaineth? In other words to maintain our deliverance we are told by Apostle Paul to bring daily sacrifice . Let’s see from the point of view of scriptures what does it mean to offer sacrifice to God for maintaining our day to day life free from sin.
In Romans 12:1 Apostle Paul writes to the body of Christ saying I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Here Apostle Paul beseech the brethren meaning – beg urgently or anxiously, request earnestly. He was requesting the believers that you need it very much to keep your deliverance or maintain your freedom from sin, we need to do the daily sacrifice not to take away our sin but to keep us falling into sin, we have to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. That means with purity and sincerity we have to present ourselves before God just as the angels of God do in heaven.
That’s why Apostle Paul was eagerly requesting each and every believers to offer ourselves to God.
Now how can we offer our bodies as a living sacrifice?
In Romans 12:2 Apostle Paul goes on to say, And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Again He says in Ephesians 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
By renewing our Mind daily. It’s called a sacrifice to be presented before God one must do to keep himself pure and holy before Him in love.
After renewing our mind He says in Colossians 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: Put on the New Man meaning imitating Christ Jesus our Lord.
So let’s sacrifice our lives daily by presenting our bodies to keep our deliverance from the old life style called Sin and enjoy life hereon earth with Joy and gladness.
This all we have to do with the help of the Holy Spirit of God and His precious Word of God. Amen
The priests have violated my law and profaned my holy things. They put no difference between holy and unholy, clean and unclean (Ezekiel 22.26).
It is said that Joshua placed God’s tabernacle in Shiloh and later it was placed in Jerusalem by King David. Before Samuel’s birth, Priest Eli was ministering in Shiloh and his two sons Hophni and Phinehas helped him with the offerings of the Lord outside God’s temple.
The son’s of Eli were sons of Belial. They paid no attention to the Lord or to the regulations concerning what the priests could demand from the people. (I Samuel 2:12)
While a man was offering his sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three pronged fork and take away from the pot whatever it brought out. It belonged to the priest. In addition, even before the fat was burnt,their servants would demand by force raw meat for the priests which was totally wrong.
Thirdly, the priests had illegal relationship with women who assembled at the door of the tabernade (I Samuel2:22)
The sin of the young men was extremely serious before the Lord’s sight. Men abhorred the offering to the Lord. It is sad that even today, in some churches, Priests are after earthly things.
Warning
Eli was very old, and heard the wrong doing of his sons. He said “If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him, But if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intercede for him? But they did not listen to him.
God’s revelation to Samuel about Eli’s family
God said, “Someday I am going to do to the people of Israel that is terrible. Everyone who hears about it will be stunned. I will carry out all my threats against Eli’s family, from beginning to end. I am going to punish his family for ever. No sacrifice or offering will ever be able to remove the consequences of this terrible sin”. (I Sam 3:11-14)
The lessons we learn are that today we, believers of Christ are ordained as priests. We should obey to God’s command as such and should set example to others. When warnings come, one should repent. Otherwise God turns against us.
Testimony:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s voice and they were sent out of Eden. Today the entire world is living in sin.
Prayer:
Lord! You have given priesthood to your children. Help us to safeguard your commandments with the help of “Holy Spirit”. Amen.
James 1:5 “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
We have all been reading these words from the Bible and also encourage our young ones to ask for wisdom during their hard times in their studies and so on……
Is it the only time when we need wisdom? What is the wisdom that God is talking about here? Why do we need wisdom?
We need wisdom everyday for everything and we see in this verse as we read ahead that if we lack wisdom it will be given but we need to ask in faith without doubt.
Let us see what the wisdom God is talking about…..
Wisdom to understand God’s decision and God’s way
Romans 11:33 “Oh how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!”
There is always confusion in our life when we do not get what we pray for, when things do not go according to our expectations. It’s hard at these times. This happens only because we do not have the wisdom to understand God’s decision about that matter in our life. We need wisdom to understand God’s decision and God’s way for us.
Wisdom to understand the mystery of God, his plan
1 Corinthian 2:7 “No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.”
This is the wisdom we should ask for to understand God’s plan in our life. The verse says he made the plan for us even before the world began, but it is kept as a mystery with him and to understand this mystery we need wisdom. Therefore the crave should be for a wisdom to understand God’s plan in our life.
Wisdom to understand and know Jesus Christ
1 Corinthians 1:30 “God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.”
God made Christ the wisdom, those who have it, will have a correct relation with God. Christ when as wisdom is inside us, we will be pure and holy and above all will be free from sin. So if we ask for wisdom we ask for Christ in us. And when Christ is inside us we will be able to lead our life according to God’s will and God’s purpose. That is the wisdom word of God is speaking about.
And when we have this wisdom to understand God’s decision, God’s way, God’s plan and wisdom as Christ himself in us… James 3:13 -15 says that we can prove this wisdom and understanding by living an honourable life, by doing good work with humility that comes from wisdom. The wisdom from above is pure peace, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others, full of mercy and fruit of good deeds with no favoritism but always sincere.
Heavenly Father, we lack wisdom and according to your word we ask for wisdom to understand your decisions, ways and plans for us. Above all we ask for wisdom to understand Christ as he is. Fill us with the wisdom from above. Amen
” And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.”
Matthew 19:29
Jesus talked about how hard it is for the rich to enter into the Kingdom of heaven. It was because the rich want to rely upon their wealth to live and not The Lord. Jesus finishes out talking by telling them that everyone who has left anyone or anything for Him, will receive much more and eternal life.
” But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these thing will be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
Giving up something now for something greater later is often hard for people to do. Investors tell people that they must give up a little money now in order to have a large amount of bank balance later. Some people will follow that, while most will not do it. They do not see the value in giving up some money now in order to have greater wealth later.
Following Jesus requires that a person puts Him first in his life. ” If anyone comes to me and does not hate is own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26 However, some will go to the point of following Jesus that they neglect others in their life. This was not what Jesus was saying.
Looking at the whole of God’s word, one will see that they are to love every person. They are to work for their food. Following Jesus means that you will love every person and will also work. Jesus means you will do the ministries, and will also work for livelihood. Jesus is not saying that you give 24 hours for ministries.
The challenge is to not let other people or your work get in the way of doing what Lord wants you to do. In the Bible the people wear to be willing to give up their land to follow Jesus. This was their livelihood, their job.
Today Lord may call us to leave a job in order to do another work for Him. He may call us to not spend the time with family members, on mobile, watching tv, or may be readying other materials or may be chatting with people in order to do another work for Him. This does not neglect others, but puts Lord and His work first.
Trust Lord today as you follow Him. He knows what our needs and responsibilities are. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Be willing to step away from the things and people of this earth to follow Lord when He leads. He can do great things through us and redeem all the time. We will receive much more in the end.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the Sur passing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.”.
Philippians 3:8
Prayer
Lord Almighty I pray today that we will follow you Lord with all our hearts and mind that we will put you our Lord first in our lives . then in other things that we will trust Lord's leading in our lives, and that Lord will redeem all that we give up for Him. Amen.
