Friday, December 30, 2011

Y2012 not the end but a bend

Uni-verse 286-10,000 For better through verse-
New fruits every month
Eze 47:12 And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine.

While spending time in the Lord’s presence two nights ago in our home, the Tabernacle, the Lord said that this is His gift for the new year. The Holy Spirit is the river of life that irrigates the two banks on either side of human souls that believe in Jesus. He will cause us to flourish in the new year with new fruits for every month of the year.

Our thoughts will not perish as mere thoughts or good intentions but will grow into words of hope, healing and comfort. Our words will not perish as mere words but will grow into good deeds that are motivated by the love of God. Our good deeds will not remain mere deeds but will produce lasting results for the glory of God. We are a branch of His planting to declare His glory forever. We are grafted onto the true Vine Jesus. His thoughts, words and life will flow through our veins. Nothing we do will be in vain.

The fruit of our lives and our ministry will meet human needs. It will satisfy the hunger and thirst for righteousness. It will be a balm of Gilead for the healing of many hurts and wounds, the curing of many diseases. Either side of the river will be so blessed, meaning both the spiritual and the physical, the intellectual and the emotional, the personal and the professional. We are nourished by the water that issues from the sanctuary- the presence of God. While the rest of the world are restless like a monkey on a fruit tree waiting to jump to the next, we will remain calm as we are ourselves a branch of the tree of everlasting and abundant life. While the rest of the world rush to falling banks, we rest on the banks of the Lord.

Prateep V Philip

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Our hearths and hearts -His Tabernacle

Heb 9:4 Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;

Our hearths or homes are the Lord’s Tabernacle under the new covenant. To go one level deeper, our hearts are the tabernacle of God for He dwells in us by our faith and His Word. Our faith is an act of our freedom of belief and God’s Word embodies the choice that the Lord makes of us.

Virtually, everything physical in the Old Testament prefigures or symbolizes something in the New. The holy articles of the Mosaic Tabernacle point to the articles of faith and the new life under the new covenant. Two days ago in a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that we must reflect the same sense of reverence towards these that inspired our Jewish forebears. As the saying goes, “holy things for holy people.” He pointed out that we must cut out needless arguments and petty conflicts in our homes and in our midst that violate the sanctity of the Tabernacle.

The multi-pronged golden censer symbolizes our multi-pronged and multi-dimensional life today in which faith and purity should stand out in each aspect as the pure gold of the censer. Every thing we do must be an act of worship, a sweet smelling sacrifice in the eyes of the Lord. The ark of the covenant overlaid with gold that contained the tablets on which the Ten Commandments given to Moses. It symbolizes the reverence for the Word of God. The golden urn that contained the manna symbolizes the promises of God that meets our daily physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual and relational needs. Aaron’s staff that budded stands for the miraculous power and grace of God that will vindicate our stand in life. “Buds and blossoms and almonds” or fruits will follow in our lives. The tables of covenant stand for the elements of the Holy communion, the bread and wine that we partake off in remembrance of Christ who made all these things possible and who makes all things possible. When all these articles of faith are in place in our lives, our homes and our churches, then there will be visitations of angels- the cherubim that surround the mercy seat of God on High. Angels form the protective rings around God’s servants on earth just as several rings of police personnel surround heads of state and government. The mercy seat is a reminder that we have all these privileges in Christ Jesus not as a matter of right or on account of anything we have done for God but on account of His mercy and grace.


Prateep V Philip

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Be a warrior, not a worrier

Jdg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

Gideon was fearful and apprehensive of the Midianites. So much so, he hid the barley for fear of the raiding Midianites. Yet the angel of the Lord hailed him as a mighty man of valour. Likewise, Jesus called Peter the rock even though he was so fearful that he denied His Master thrice. The Lord sees our potential in Him and speaks words of affirmation. He knows our human failings and our fears but an assurance of His presence with the faithful is sufficient to drive it all away. We are called to be warriors and not worriers.

The Lord Himself is with us as a mighty warrior. He deals with our formidable foes and enemies in His inimitable way. Often, He lets them fight among themselves and bring destruction upon their heads. Sometimes, like an expert judoko He turns their own force and strength of the opponents against themselves.

The other day in a time of prophetic prayer, the Lord revealed, “ Only I know the ways in which I have protected you and led you this far.” Our role is just to believe, trust the Lord and take a stand. He does the rest and manifests the grace and power of Jehovah Nisi, the God who gives victory. Gideon was a farmer turned warrior. We too must combine the patience and endurance of a farmer with the courage,strength, strategizing ability and vigour of a soldier. We must combine the ability to wait for a long time for the seeds to germinate and grow with the ability to strike swiftly.

Prateep V Philip

Sunday, December 25, 2011

My Christmas Present-can be yours too

Uni-verse 282/10,000 2 Timothy 4 v 8

2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.


God is no man’s debtor. He is a righteous and impartial judge. He has reserved a crown of righteousness for those who love Him. He amply rewards those who serve Him. He gives a prophet’s reward to us even if we merely receive a prophet if he comes in the Name of the Lord. He that receives a righteous man in the Name of the Lord will receive a righteous man’s reward.

At the midnight of 24/25th December as a family we gathered near the Christmas tree to wish each other and to pray. As I was praying, our older daughter saw an appearance of Jesus and was given a word of wisdom. In His hand he held a beautiful crown for each of us. It was His Christmas gift for us even as we exchanged other gifts among ourselves. But as the uni-verse says He will give a crown not only to me but to all “who love His appearing”.

We must greatly rejoice and throw away our crown of thorns, of worry and fear, of anger and frustration. We must wear the crown the Lord gives us. Though it is not visible, it will reflect on the light on our faces,our attitudes, our smiles and our general “face language”. For easy lies the head that wears the crown of righteousness that Jesus gives.

Prateep V Philip

Friday, December 23, 2011

UV 280-10,000 Get a pitbull grip

Psa 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

Fearing the Lord means to be always in awe of Him, to be in love with Him and to always depend on His grace and mercy. When we delight in the fear of the Lord, we will delight in the Word of God. When we delight in the Word, He will bless us and make us succeed in everything we do: He will even make us succeed in our failures and despite our failures and shortcomings.

Last night in a time of prayer the Lord revealed that all the members of our family were kept safe through the past year as the eye of the Lord was upon us. The eye of the Lord was upon us as He revealed that “we were fixed on Him as the teeth are sticking to the gums.” He confirmed that therefore our older daughter escaped death by the skin of her teeth.

We must lay hold of the hope that is set before us or the hope that is written about in the Word. We must bite it into that hope with clenched jaws, our teeth never letting go like a pitbull takes hold of a hunted prey. A pitbull’s behaviour is described as “ bite, hold and shake”. Similarly, we must pray and bite, hold and shake in the name of Jesus, our faithful Master. . We must never, never, never, never let go of our hope in His mercy. When we get a " pitbull " grip on His Word, it will keep us from the pit. At the same time, our mouths must be muzzled so that we do not speak what displeases the Lord and offends others. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Pit_bull_restrained.jpg

Prateep V Philip

UV 279/10,000 Exodus 33 v 17

Uni-verse 279/10,000 For better through verse Exodus 33 v 17
Exo 33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.

Two days ago, the Lord spoke this verse concerning me to a certain man of God. Accordingly, two days ago , a complicated issue requiring the cooperation of many people and many agencies was resolved by His power and grace miraculously without any one opposing it. It was a matter that I had laid before the Lord in prayer and spoken to many people about. Just as Caleb was sent to the assistance of Joshua, the Lord sent a man to assist me in resolving this rather intractable issue.

Finding grace in God’s sight – how much depends on us and how much on God? It is our faith that pleases God and wins His favour. Moses pleaded for the LORD’s presence saying that it was His presence with the Israelites that distinguished them from the rest of mankind. Thereby, in showing his faithfulness, Moses found favour in the Lord’s eyes. The fact that the Lord was with Moses was sufficient for him. Moses had faith that His presence would meet all his needs and overcome whatever opposition or challenges that he would face in the long journey to the promised land.

The Lord knows us and calls us by name. It implies that He knows us personally and He desires that we too enjoy a personal relationship with Him. When we are walking in intimate fellowship with the Lord, He hears and understands our need even before we speak it. He answers even as we pray or before the request is made just as a lover knows his beloved’s deepest desire even before she whispers it.

Prateep V Philip

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

HOW an instrument of progressive death became hope

Uni-verse 277/10,000 Galatians 2 v 20
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.


The God-man separation is the ultimate curse, the ultimate penalty. When we are separated from God, we are cut off from the source of our life, the source of our power, the source of unfailing love. The God-man separation ended potentially on that accursed despicable pieces of joined wood- the Roman cross. The cross was designed to be an instrument not of swift execution like the clinically precise guillotine but an instrument of progressive death. It was to be a spectacle for all the world to see to deter the wrong-doer. But, it was also a symbol of a life of separation from God. Our life without God is but a progressive death.

History was split into BC and AD( not the secular , now fashionable BCE and CE) in that one cathartic act of dying by the sinless Christ on the sinful cross . The defining moment in our lives happens when we stop living in our BC period where we rely on our sense and senses, on our own light and our own strength. The defining moment happens when we move into the year(s) of grace (AD period). We no longer live by sight but by faith.

Everything about Jesus Christ was predicted well ahead of time: His immaculate birth, His sinless life, His ‘sin-ful’ death, His glorious Resurection and His even more glorious Return. But, nothing that He does and what He is going to do in the lives of those who believe and trust Him is predictable. It is interesting to note that this uni-verse speaks not of living by faith in the Son of God but living by the faith of the Son of God. It means we need to move from a level of faith in Jesus to the level of His absolute trust and obedience of the Father that Jesus demonstrated. Nothing, absolutely nothing can now separate us from the love of God. “I-in-Him” becomes “He-in-me”. Listen to this blessong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOY0mjjmx8Y&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Prateep V Philip

Monday, December 19, 2011

UV 276- The primacy of belief

Uni-verse 276/10,000 For better through verse Luke 1 v 45
Luk 1:45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.


This verse holds the key to faith and the victorious life. Yes, there are many things that we can do in this life that will bring us success, happiness, fame, wealth or conversely, sorrow, pain, failure and misery. But,there is nothing that we can do that can save us for eternity. If we merely believe the Word that the Lord spoke to us and speaks to us, we will be saved and we will be blessed. If we believe the Word of God we will keep it, meaning we will hear it, retain it and not allow it to leak out of our conscious thoughts, emotions, decisions and memories as a sieve lets water to flow through without retaining any of it.

In real life we focus on the performance so that we will be established. But, the Lord says, believe my Word and there shall be a performance of what the Lord has spoken into our lives as He spoke into Mary’s life. When we believe the Word of God, we believe God and His Word, Jesus. When we believe Jesus, we believe His words.

The word “ belief” has in it the clue for the old English word for the root “lief” means kingdom. When we believe, we live forever as we are ‘supernaturalized’ citizens of the Kingdom of Christ. Belief releases the power, the grace and the peace of God into our lives. The defining quality of the human being is not doing or performing or having or possessing, not feeling or emotions but it is belief. Indeed, believe in the Great I Am, the One who said, “ I Am who I Am” and His Son Jesus who said, “I am the way, the truth and the life,” and you will be blessed. The doing, the feeling and the having will follow in its season or due course.

Prateep V Philip

Saturday, December 17, 2011

UV 274-10,000 Rootless and fruitless

Isa 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:


Jesus though He is the Lord of the entire universe chose to be born by the Father’s will as a little vulnerable baby as part of the family tree of Jesse, the father of King David. At the time, he was born circa 4 AD in that line, the family tree of Jesse had been reduced to be a mere near lifeless stump. There was no more any king in the line of descent –only Joseph, a carpenter by profession remained. But, onto this stump, Jesus was grafted in most uncongenial circumstances. But, over the next two millennia that tender twig became a tree of eternal life for all of humanity. The insignificant and the unimportant had become the source of significance and blessing for those who choose to believe.

Ironically, the Christmas tree though it is symbolic of joy and gaiety and festivities, is a rootless and hence, a fruitless tree. The implication is that if we are rooted in Christ, we become fruitful. Being rooted in Christ means that we must be rooted in the Word of God. We must also be rooted in continual prayer and worship. Then, we will bear a variety of internal fruits of character and external fruits of good deeds and accomplishments. When we are so rooted in Christ, we will experience all-round success and victory.

Jesse had bad genes lurking in his family background. His grandmother was Rahab, the prostitute. But, God turned bad genes around to make a non-Jew Rahab an ancestor of the God-child Jesus Himself. Faith in the God of the Jews enabled Rahab to prove the promise of “ rehab” or transformation by faith. The principle of fate or “ as you sow, so you reap” is transcended by faithful rooting or grafting onto God, His Word and His presence. We are empowered to bear a different kind of fruit for every month of the year and our “ leaves” or our words and thoughts will be used for the healing of nations.

Prateep V Philip

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Practising Mindfulness of God

Uni-verse 272/10,000 For better through verse Psalms 115 v 12


Psa 115:12 The LORD hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of Aaron.

Unlike the earthly lords, He is LORD not because He lords it over us. In fact, He makes very few demands of us. He is Lord as His Love (lo) rose out of His death (rd). As He Himself said, “the greatest thing a man can do for his friend is to die” for him or her. Jesus did the greatest thing for each one of us and thereby declares out of His death that He is our greatest friend.

He is mindful of us, meaning He is ever conscious of who we are and what we are in need of. Consciousness is a trait that God shares with mankind. Among all species, we alone know who we are and that we exist. Deep inside each of us, we hold the consciousness that “ I am”. But, God is the “ Great I Am.” He knows our every thought and desire. He alone knows what we have been through. Others may judge us based on our appearance or our social standing but He sees and understands the totality of our circumstances. Once He told me, “ I admire the way you deal with the faithful and the unfaithful, the wise and the foolish, the crooked and the simple. You are moving among all kinds of people.” He knows the kind of people we have to relate to, the kind of challenges we have faced and are facing. He sizes up these challenges and gives us every spiritual blessing we need from heavenly places.

The “ house of Israel” refers to a person placing His trust in the Great I Am through His Son Jesus and enjoying a personal relationship with the Creator. The house of Aaron refers to that person moving into an even deeper and more intimate relationship
by dedicating every thought, desire, breath, word and deed to the Lord. When we belong to the “house of Aaron,” we become mindful of God. We remember Him at all times,His presence, what He has wrought for us this far, His Word, His promises.

Prateep V Philip

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

UV 271-10000 Proverbs 27 v 23

Uni-verse 271/10,000 For better through verse Proverbs 27 v 23
Pro 27:23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds.


Our leadership style must be that of a shepherd-king. David was a shepherd-king. Jesus is a Shepherd-King. We must be diligent in knowing not just the number of the sheep in our flock but also the state of the flock and indeed, the state of each sheep or believer in the church.

A shepherd is aware of the threats the flock are facing at any given moment and takes proactive steps to defend them from becoming a prey. Similarly, we too must evaluate the threats the flock face and take steps to thwart the threats. We must ensure the fencing around the pen is close enough and without gaps for the foxes of deceit and cunning and strife to enter. Our prayer must be proactive and protective. As the Lord Jesus Himself prayed, “ let none of the sheep be lost.”

We must always feed the sheep. Peter was asked repeatedly to feed the Lord’s sheep as a mark of his love. We feed the sheep with the Word of God. We must not look to our own profiting from the sheep but look to the well being of the flock. We must be courageous like David to snatch the sheep from the jaws of an attacking lion (sin, sickness, death). We must multiply the Father’s sheep like Jacob increased the flock of Laban, his father-in-law. We must not while away our time as the sheep graze in different pastures( professions, careers,)but keep harping on praising the Lord, as David did, for what He has done in the midst of the flock and in the life of each believer.


Prateep V Philip

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

The Process of Fruiting

Uni-verse 270/10,000 For better through verse Luke 8 v 8

Luk 8:8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear

In order to be able to bear good fruit in our lives, we need to first hear the gospel at first and then, the Word thereafter. Hearing it, we must receive it with faith that it is true. Having received it, we must understand it by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Having understood it, we must keep it or retain it in our hearts and minds. Having kept it, we must claim it and obey it. Then, we are enabled by God’s grace to bear fruit a hundred-fold by faith and patience.

Conditioning by the world’s thought systems and human traditions makes our hearts hardened over time. Traditions rob the Word of God of its inherent power. We loose our ability or sensitivity to hear, receive, believe, understand and apply. It is easier to doubt, question, reject and to be deceived. It requires a lot of ploughing to find a furrow to plant a seed. Hence, a person needs to hear the Word in a variety of ways and very often in order to break the hard ground.

The seed is powerful and effective. Even a fragment of a verse is sufficient to convict or redeem a person in the right frame of mind. I have met people who were convicted by a biblical phrase like “ a half-baked loaf” or “ kicking against the thorns.” Both sensitivity at the time of receiving the Word and diligence in the period of growing spiritually precede hundred-fold fruitfulness. We are called like Isaac to plant the seed in every realm- the physical, the financial, the emotional, the spiritual, the social, the professional and receive back a hundred-fold. The result is contingent upon our response. Genesis, the ‘book of beginnings’ reports that Isaac sowed in that land and received in the same year a hundred-fold: and the Lord blessed him. It does not say that the Lord blessed him and therefore, he received a hundred-fold. But, he received a hundred-fold and the Lord blessed him. Likewise, may we be fruitful and be so blessed.
A blessing for fruitfulness:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbGtB5geSLI
Prateep V Philip

Monday, December 12, 2011

UV 269/10,000 Mathew 10 v 8

Uni-verse 269/10,000 For better through verse Mathew 10 v 8
Mat 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give

These words of Jesus are as true today as when He spoke it to His first disciples. Jesus appeared to confirm these words in a time of prayer a couple of days ago. He spoke these words of encouragement, “ Freely you have received and freely you have given. You are the salt of the earth. You bring hope to the hopeless, help to the helpless. You are eligible for your reward as a workman is worthy of his meat.”

The Lord is generous. Even when we are faithful in a little, He acknowledges it as if it is a lot. We are each called to a ministry of healing, cleansing, resurrecting and casting out. Sometimes, we think that these acts are meant only for the apostles and not
for lesser mortals like us.

We may not even know that by our prayers, the work of God has been accomplished. I was surprised when He once said, “ Three people have been brought back from death by your prayers.” Then, I recounted the three people who I had prayed for and who had recovered from deadly situations. It is not we who do it but the grace and mercy and power of the Lord does it every time. We are just like a magnifying lens to allow the light and warmth of the Sun of Righteousness to pass through and to be focused on a particular need of a specific fellow being. We need to muster enough patience and faith to hold the magnifying lens long enough in the right direction to start a fire of faith. When we do so, we magnify the Name of the Lord. We become in His eyes, His workers to declare His works. Coincidentally, my wife ( without knowing what I am meditating on) is just now playing the Don Moen ‘blessong’, “ Be magnified, O Lord, You are higly exalted.. there is nothing you cannot do..”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpPTjHpIIOw
Prateep V Philip

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Learn from the beasts and worship the Best

Uni-verse 268/10,000 For better through verse Revelation 5 v 13
Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

As I sit meditating on this uni-verse in the garden, I can hear the birds chirping with joy, the squirrels crying with excitement. I can see the trees swaying gently in the breeze.
I recalled what the Lord had revealed two days ago in a time of prayer, “ The birds and the beasts acknowledge, praise and worship Me but much of mankind even in this city does not.” Like in the time of Noah, He likened the city to Sodom and Gomorrah and regretted that He had even created them.

The Psalmist says, “ He commanded and they were created.” The sun, moon and the trillion stars praise Him by shining in the darkness. All beasts and creatures praise His Being for their being. But, Kings of the earth, princes, judges, young men and maidens, old men and children and all people are not praising Him for His excellent Name. Firstly, for causing them to be and secondly, for redeeming them. Instead of focusing on their being and rejoicing at being, they are each engaged in “ becoming”-becoming richer, more famous, more powerful, more secure, more healthy, more happy. In doing so, they are missing the mark. They are too busy seeking blessing, glory, honour and power when all this both belongs to and originates from the Source of life, the Lamb of God-Jesus. The name of our planet Earth is split into “ ear” and “th..” The hint is hear with your ear and think and thank the Lord.Take the cue from this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7VHHAl8dL4

In the name of secularizing history,recent revision of history have sought to rename B.C. and A.D. as Before Common Era or B. C. E. and Common Era. In a recent testimony that I gave before Members of Parliament and the capital’s elite, I said that “ Jesus is the X factor responsible for the rise and fall of individuals, families, organizations, societies, cultures and nations. When we acknowledge him as the beasts of the skies and the lands and the seas do, He is the X factor responsible for our Xcellence. When we do not and choose to ignore Him, He becomes the axe. Why is He above all things and persons to be worshipped in heaven and earth? He caused us into being as the First Cause of life itself. He paid the ultimate price for our shortcomings by being slain for us and thereby, placed before us the promise of eternal life. Therefore, blessing and honour and glory and power belong to Him and to Him alone in all of history and all of the universe.


Prateep V Philip

Learn from the beasts and worship the Best

Uni-verse 268/10,000 For better through verse Revelation 5 v 13
Rev 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

As I sit meditating on this uni-verse in the garden, I can hear the birds chirping with joy, the squirrels crying with excitement. I can see the trees swaying gently in the breeze.
I recalled what the Lord had revealed two days ago in a time of prayer, “ The birds and the beasts acknowledge, praise and worship Me but much of mankind even in this city does not.” Like in the time of Noah, He likened the city to Sodom and Gomorrah and regretted that He had even created them.

The Psalmist says, “ He commanded and they were created.” The sun, moon and the trillion stars praise Him by shining in the darkness. All beasts and creatures praise His Being for their being. But, Kings of the earth, princes, judges, young men and maidens, old men and children and all people are not praising Him for His excellent Name. Firstly, for causing them to be and secondly, for redeeming them. Instead of focusing on their being and rejoicing at being, they are each engaged in “ becoming”-becoming richer, more famous, more powerful, more secure, more healthy, more happy. In doing so, they are missing the mark. They are too busy seeking blessing, glory, honour and power when all this both belongs to and originates from the Source of life, the Lamb of God-Jesus. The name of our planet Earth is split into “ ear” and “th..” The hint is hear with your ear and think and thank the Lord.Take the cue from this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7VHHAl8dL4

In the name of secularizing history,recent revision of history have sought to rename B.C. and A.D. as Before Common Era or B. C. E. and Common Era. In a recent testimony that I gave before Members of Parliament and the capital’s elite, I said that “ Jesus is the X factor responsible for the rise and fall of individuals, families, organizations, societies, cultures and nations. When we acknowledge him as the beasts of the skies and the lands and the seas do, He is the X factor responsible for our Xcellence. When we do not and choose to ignore Him, He becomes the axe. Why is He above all things and persons to be worshipped in heaven and earth? He caused us into being as the First Cause of life itself. He paid the ultimate price for our shortcomings by being slain for us and thereby, placed before us the promise of eternal life. Therefore, blessing and honour and glory and power belong to Him and to Him alone in all of history and all of the universe.


Prateep V Philip

Saturday, December 10, 2011

On a world that is upside down

Uni-verse 267/10,000 For better through verse I Samuel 2 v 30
1Sa 2:30 Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

When we honor God, He honors us though we are not deserving of such honor. When we serve God, He esteems us. We are precious in His eyes. To give the Lord first place in our lives is to honor Him. To bear faithful witness to what He has wrought in our lives is to serve Him.

Yesterday, I participated as a guest in an unique event- where a young pastor who is also a gospel music radio jockey was suspended upside down in the air for nearly 30 minutes even as He interviewed me on my testimony and changed music for two radio channels that are listened to globally. He accomplished an India record and a Guiness record in doing so. We all rushed to congratulate him and pose for photographs with him. Later, the Lord Jesus in a time of prayer confirmed that He honors those who honor him. He said, “ The program was excellent as many people prayed for it.”

In my interview, I said that much of the world was like the radio jockey living upside down with topsy- turvy values. When we give priority to the world, we are dishonoring God and His Word. When we give priority to the Lord and His Word in our daily schedule, we are honoring Him. To be esteemed by men is a much sought after goal of many persons. But, to be esteemed by the Lord Himself is far better. We will strive to do what is uppermost in the mind and heart of the Lord. Our house will be a “sure house”, meaning that people would live full, fruitful and purposeful lives, that the legacy of faith and the covenant of peace will pass like a baton in a relay race from generation to generation.


Prateep V Philip

Thursday, December 8, 2011

UV 265-10,000 Adversity as the best university

Uni-verse 265/10,000 For better through verse Habakuk 3 v 17
Hab 3:17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:


We seek the Lord for His presence and not for His presents. Even in times of adversity, we must continue to enjoy His presence and praise His name. He will strengthen us from within to face our challenges. Strength will rise up as we wait upon the Lord as in the popular song:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMdWjL2kiU
Times of adversity are the best university for the believer who having nothing else to depend on in such times will walk close to the Lord. As a young police officer when I was severely injured in the Human bomb assassination of the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, everything seemed so bleak before me. With such a huge failure behind me, my future seemed uncertain: the labour of the olive was in vain. All my years of labour to get into the coveted Indian Police Service seemed to be in vain. Spiritually, physically and intellectually, I was greatly weakened. The fig tree and the vine had not yielded. Some believers said that I must have sinned and therefore, the Lord had allowed it to happen. Some relatives said that I must have beaten people with my hands and that is why my hand was injured and fractured. The pain was both very deep and very intense. I was a literally broken man. Every promise to me seemed to have been broken. There seemed to be little hope. The fields had yielded no meat. The flock had been cut off and the herd was not in the stall.

Yet as I held on to my faith in Jesus, hope and joy once again appeared first as a trickle out of the rock and bramble. Then, it became a gushing stream. A river of life. A cascade of joy and laughter. At first I limped. Then, my feet were strengthened like the hind feet of the mountain stag that I can once again romp free on the mountain heights.

Prateep V Philip

Monday, December 5, 2011

Forever Diamonds for free

Uni-verse 264/10,000 For better through verse Ezekiel 16 v 11
Eze 16:11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.

As a groom desires to deck his bride with ornaments, the Lord desires to beautify the church and every believer with His ornaments: a crown of life implying both eternal life and an earthly life that is fulfilled and adorned with achievements for the glory of God. This is the crown that we lay before the Lord daily as an act of worship acknowledging that we value His Name and His Word above all things.

The Lord gives us a royal diadem or a diamond-studded scepter in our hands to rule and decree things that are to be. He places a golden chain around our neck as a symbol of His recognition and honor, a symbol of all-round influence for God’s kingdom in 360 degrees. He adorns our character or our inner being with grace and truth. He puts bracelets upon our hands as a symbol of blessing on the work of our hands. He places earrings in our ears as an emblem to show that we are blessed by hearing His voice and His Word.

The jewel that the Lord places on our forehead is a sign that we belong to Him forever. We are sanctified and consecrated. As the prophet Isaiah wrote, “ the Lord of hosts shall Himself be a crown of glory and a diadem of beauty unto the residue of His people.” We do not place much store by any physical or intellectual attributes or possessions or earthly positions, power or influence as these are perishable in contrast with the ineffable or unfading, everlasting and awesome but invisible ornaments that the Lord invests in and with us.

Prateep V Philip

Sunday, December 4, 2011

UV 263 Imitate God

Uni-verse 263/10,000 for better through verse Ephesians 5 v 1
Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;

Imitation is said to be the greatest form of worship. Whom we admire we imitate. We begin life by imitating our parents, consciously or unconsciously. As parents,we often feel gratified in seeing our children like us in their character and conduct much more than we are gratified by their similarity in physical aspects. Likewise, since God is our eternal parent, we are to imitate Him. It pleases Him to see us being and acting like Him. We normally imitate people based on what we see in them. But, how do we imitate God when no man has seen Him?

In physical life, we see and believe, we see and imitate. In spiritual life, we hear and believe, we also hear the Word of God and imitate Him. A good guide to following God is to ask ourselves, “ What would Jesus do?” and do likewise. Jesus in His sermon on the Mount said, “ Be perfect because your Father in heaven is perfect.” Trying to be perfect in all that we think, speak, do is one of the important ways we confirm that we are indeed the children of God, that we do have His DNA and there is no need for any DNA fingerprinting to prove the point!
One of the most significant ways we can be like our Father God is to be forgiving like Him, to be merciful and gracious. We must also try to be pure and pleasant in our conversations. We need to order our conversation to be in line with God’s ways. We need to be charitable and compassionate. We need to be faithful and believe that nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with our Father. At the same time, we should be aware that being like God is quite different from being God or playing God in different situations. We must avoid being judgmental, a common failing of believing Christians, a “holier than thou” attitude. We must take care not to lord it over others. We must always cultivate and demonstrate an attitude of humility and repentance, regardless of the calling, gifting and fruits that the Lord in His mercy and generosity has endowed us with.

Prateep V Philip

Saturday, December 3, 2011

UV 262-10,000

Uni-verse 262/10,000 For better through verse Numbers 23 v 19
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

It is our nature to lie and be fallible. But God never lies and He does not need to repent. This is the God-man gap. If He has spoken something or promised healing or deliverance or blessing, He will make it come to pass. When we disbelieve or doubt God’s Word,we make Him out to be a liar. When we trust His Word, we honour Him for who He truly is: truthful and trustworthy.

There may be a vision about us that has not yet been fulfilled. We wonder why it tarries and even doubt if it is true. We must remember that God will bring it to pass in His own way at the appointed time.

Scripture reaffirms :“Faithful He is and He will do it.” There are two heart attitudes we need to show as we wait for Him to do it: We need to be patient and we need to be joyful and thankful in anticipation of what God is going to do.

Prateep V Philip