Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Build on rock to last forever

Mat 7:24 “ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:” Amazing Principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse Wisdom consists of hearing the Word of Christ and doing it. It is knowledge of the teachings of Christ combined with practical application. Christ unlike other teachers did not teach philosophy but taught what is doable. We are considered wise to the extent we hear His Word and obey it. Wisdom is applied knowledge. The word, “ whosoever” implies that the call to build is given to every human being, regardless of race, religion, cultural background, gender, age,class or nationality. When we look around the world and at world history, we hear of many amazing buildings, palaces and structures being built but today we have only at best ruins of these constructions. When they were built, they were built to impress and last. But, few if any have survived the centuries in their pristine glory, having been beaten by the weather or by invasions of marauding intruders. The Word of Christ is a solid rock foundation. The crises we face in life nor the temptations will not shake or move it. The changes in society and in the world around us will not affect us. We must dig deep into the rock to give a sure footing to the pillars of the foundation. What we build on the rock foundation, the superstructure of the house will be our own original work. We are each called to be a master builder, careful of the materials we use, not building with hay but with materials worthy of a King, the best that we can muster. In the Kingdom of God, no two houses will be built exactly the same way. Every one of our lives, our testimonies will be unique. We have little strength of our own but we borrow from the infinite strength and power of Christ. David ran and hid from his mortal enemies’ attack in a rock and he called it “ the rock of Escape.” Jesus is the Rock of Escape for us. A sense of conviction,an absolute sense of security, inner strength that springs forth from a deep source, a clear sense of direction or vision, a confidence that things will turn out beautiful in the end, a single-mindedness and wholeheartedness in our belief in Christ, the ability to undergo hardships or endurance, a constancy of purpose and a consistency of attitude and behaviour are the rock-like characteristics that distinguish a believer from a non-believer. Tsunami –sized events will take place all around our house or all through our lives to test the rock foundation. But, the rock that has stood the test of times will withstand any pressure, overcome any challenge. The rock will hold aloft the superstructure of our lives, safe from harm and destruction. Prateep V Philip

Monday, February 27, 2012

Precious in His Eyes

Zec 2:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me unto the nations which spoiled you: for he that toucheth you toucheth the apple of his eye We are the apple of God’s eye in the sense that we are the focus of His attention, love and care. We are also the apple of God’s eye in the sense that we are the lens through which He sees the world around us. We are therefore precious in God’s sight. He will give people in exchange for our lives even as He gave His only Son Jesus for our sake. I believe that at Sriperumbudur where 18 people died in the blast,He gave some in exchange for my life. There is a kind of bargaining in Heaven where the Lord tells the angel of death, “ You can take this one and that but as for this child, you spare him or her.” He deems it righteousness and justice to send troubles of many kinds to those who trouble us without cause or without provocation. “ He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye” – this is a statutory warning of the Lord that holds good for all times. It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the Almighty God when His anger is aroused as Pharaoh and the ancient Egyptians discovered to their remorse. They suffered repeated plagues that affected their air, water, skin, food, streets, homes and children. The Lord increased the heat of His anger against the oppressive masters of His people progressively so as to break down the yoke of oppression, exploitation, bondage and resistance to God’s will. Moses asked Pharaoh to “ let my people go.” Today, we need to command Satan and his forces to let God’s people go, to free them from bondage of dead habit and sin, from fear and exploitation, from poverty and misery. In many nations they continue to be oppressed, harassed, discriminated against. In some nations, they face the threat of death as Pastor Youcef in Iran. The Lord will send a revelation of His glory as well as practical and progressive manifestations of His vindication in these nations as also in our daily situations even in the places and amongst the people with whom we live and work with. He will not permit any one to spoil our lives, our peace, our future, our reputation and our freedom. Prateep V Philip

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Not half full or full but overflowing

UV 334/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse verse by verse: The experience of abundance 2Ch 1:1 And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly Each of us is a magnifying lens in the hands of God. He uses us to magnify His Name and His glory. The fact that the Lord, our God is with us is sufficient to guarantee and establish our exceeding greatness. He strengthened Solomon by giving him a share or portion of His wisdom, power and love. That portion the Lord gave Him made Him exceedingly great. His enemies were cut off before him. He had peace all round his kingdom. His kingdom prospered in an unprecedented way. His wisdom attracted foreign visitors. His reputation travelled far beyond his domestic boundaries. The Lord expands our boundaries in every direction. We need not seek the Lord’s wisdom, power and love. Instead, we just ask that the Lord remain with us and in us. His presence in us and with us will distinguish us from the rest of mankind. We will prosper in whatever we do. Our foes, rivals or enemies will see that the Lord’s hand is upon us and they will not mess with us. In the world, the perspective is to think in terms of a half full or a full glass. But, in the kingdom, we have an overflowing experience of exceeding greatness. What else can we expect when the Lord is with us. The widow’s oil jar blessed by the prophet Elijah overflowed with oil. The wine overflowed in the banquet at Cana. The fish overflowed to the point of bursting in the net of Peter. The food overflowed when the Lord multiplied the loaves and fishes. When the Lord abides with us, we abound and are bound to live the abundant life. Prateep V Philip

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Isa 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass. We must sow not just in the church context or those who are comfortably Christian, but we must sow the seed of truth, the gospel in the family context of immediate family members as well as other relatives, in the context of our workplace, in the context of our neighbourhood. We must sow wherever God places us. The words, “ sow besides all waters” implies that we must look for hearts or lives that are not hardened by disbelief but are softened by the tears of sorrows and pains. We must sow by all the means available at our disposal. We redeem our lives by placing our faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. We redeem our time by sowing the seed of that truth wherever and whenever the opportunity arises. In so doing, we receive the blessing of fruitfulness in our lives. We will sow in tears and reap in jo Before the sowing, we must prepare the soil by ploughing. A word here, a smile here, a kind gesture there – all amount to ploughing. By ploughing we prepare the spiritual and emotional furrows in which the seed can be planted to bear root. When the seedlings grow to maturity, they will in turn become fruit-bearing trees planted besides streams of water. Our thoughts, words and actions will be both meat and medicine to people around. The kingdom of God grows from being a seedling into a plant, from a plant into a garden and from a garden into a forest. Each believer should not be contented in remaining a bonsai plant but grow to our full potential in Christ to be like a cedar of Lebanon. Even the birds that take shelter or alight for a time on our branches will drop some seed that will turn the garden into a forest. The bees and butterflies, too will cross pollinate the seed to produce an astounding variety of flora. As to the fauna, the Keeper of the garden will put a fence around the growing trees to preserve it from the crushing feet of any beast or foe. We must keep the links of the fencing close together by prayer and fellowship, praying for one another and encouraging one another to grow in the Lord. When we do our part of ploughing and sowing the good seed, God does His part. He promises to keep the plant or to protect it, to water it day and night and to watch over it. No plant is watered day and night but when it comes to faith, the Lord undertakes to nourish our faith round the clock. In drip irrigation, drops of moisture keep falling constantly on the growing plants. Similarly, drops of God’s Word should keep falling on our consciousness constantly. We must saturate our minds and hearts with meditation upon the Word. His eyes are upon the faithful. His ear is inclined to our mouths to hear our sighs and prayers. Prateep V Philip

Friday, February 24, 2012

Dan 1:20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. The spirit that inhabited Daniel is the same spirit that inhabits us as believers. It is the spirit of excellence, of counsel and wisdom that is manifested in its fullest in Jesus. In all matters of wisdom and understanding, not necessarily of information and knowledge, Daniel and his friends were found to be ten times better than their colleagues. Similarly, in matters of insight, each of us must personify the spirit of excellence. Our insight and excellence should find its practical expression in our attempts to improve things around us. We should not leave things as they are but strive to make it at least a little better than we found it. Daniel and his companions disciplined themselves so as not to defile themselves with the seductions of life in the palace. Today, we are discipled by the Holy Spirit. We are called to keep our bodies undefiled temples of God. We must constantly tune our receivers to receive the correct interpretation of the Word or of a dream or of a vision. The outcome of our efforts will be increased productivity and the favour of God and man. Our productivity measured in whatever terms will be thirty times, sixty times or even a hundred times what it was earlier. Our outcome determines our income. Daniel’s wisdom won him the favour of successive kings who showered him with gift and honours. Daniel was given wisdom and might: Wisdom to interpret dreams and visions such that no vision troubled him or was too difficult for him to interpret and might or strength to share the interpretation he received from the Lord boldly but graciously and without any inhibition. He did not tell the king what he liked to hear or fear for his life for daring to tell it. We too must pray asking for abundant and abiding wisdom and boldness in declaring the Word of the Lord. Prateep V Philip

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The Secret of Perfect Peace

UV 331/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse The secret of perfect peace Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. We all know what is relative peace. But, this uni-verse speaks of “perfect peace”. Many people seem to be externally very calm but below the surface,they may be seething with anxieties and troubled thoughts including guilt. But, the person who is continually focused on the Lord enjoys a complete sense of peace. He or she is at peace with self, with others and with the Lord. He or she is at peace about the past, present and future. That sense of peace is lasting and not fluctuating depending on circumstances or happenings in one’s day. Jesus said, “ The peace that I give you- the world cannot take away.” It is based on trust in the Word of God. It is based on a confidence that God is able to do all that He has promised. It is based on an assurance that we are forgiven all of our sin and freed from all of its consequences. Even great military conquerors were afraid of death. But, we are freed from the fear of our physical and spiritual deaths. It is based on our belief that Christ in us is the hope of glory or eternal life. It is based on the confidence that we are successful. That we do not seek to become successful but we are declared successful as we have found the purpose of our lives and we are fulfilling that purpose. Stephen Covey talked about seven habits of successful people. But, we need to cultivate only one habit to be successful or peaceful- to have our minds “stayed” or anchored in Christ. In dog training, the command, “ stay” prompts the dog to lie flat on its stomach with its fore-paws outstretched forward in an act of complete submission and surrender to its master. Likewise, our minds, implying our thoughts, emotions and decisions should be stayed on the Lord in an lifelong attitude of trust and obedience. Our peace will not be the peace of a monk who secludes himself from the world and normal living. It will not be the manufactured peace of those who depend on stimulants. It will be a dynamic peace, peace like a river, always flowing and full of life. Pl check out this video link- Peace like a river http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6NMlFoaESM Prateep V Philip

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

UV 328/10,000 Isaiah 65 v 23 65:23 “ They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.” The seed, the labour and the harvest This promise to the children of God is amazing in its implications. Our labour shall not be in vain. We will enjoy the work of our hands as well as the fruit of our labour. Our children will not be brought forth for trouble in our lives but they too will be blessed as they are the seed of the blessed. The blessing will also pass down to their generation or offspring. It is a spiritual inheritance that we pass on from generation to generation as we walk in the fear, faith and love of the Lord and teach our children likewise to so live. Our children will be recognized by unbelievers as blessed of the Lord. For if we are Christ’s, then we are children of Abraham, children by faith in the promise of God to Abraham. The Lord will multiply His children in multiple ways and multiple times. He will bless our land, the fruit of the land, the cattle, the basket and storehouse. He will bless and protect our journeys to and fro. He will disperse our enemies and scatter them in the imagination of their hearts. Recently, the Lord said , “ I am sending you the blessings of the latter rain.” The latter rain is useful to ripen the crop for harvest. Yes, He will send a rain of blessings in due season. The seed belongs to us. The labour is ours in which our strength is spent. But , the harvest belongs to Him for He is the Lord of the harvest. He determines which seed shall grow, which shall remain fruitless and which fruitful, which thrive and which perish. In that margin of difference, He proves He is truly the Lord. He will establish us as a holy people, a royal priesthood, a people dedicated to Him. He will bless and protect our reputations and enlarge our names. Once, the Holy Spirit revealed, “He who has fear of God, what He has will be blessed and multiplied. He who does not have fear of God, even what He has will be taken away.” He will according to His sovereign will make some of us For all their love of philanthropy, the riches that people like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet have will one day be taken away. This is the lesson of history of empire builders in all spheres of life. They will build and someone else will live in it. They will plant and someone else will reap. Their labour will ultimately be in vain without the blessing of the Lord upon their lives and the work of their hands. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RjLEcomNcY Prateep V Philip

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Miracle Gateways

2Ch 16:9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars. Asa, the king of Judah succeeded as long as He trusted and relied on the Lord. The militarily stronger and more numerous cavalry led armies of Ethiopia and Lubim were delivered by the Lord into Asa’s hands. But, as Asa leant for support on Benhadad, the king of Syria against Basha, the king of Israel in thwarting the latter’s plans to build the fortress of Ramah, the Lord departed from Asa. He purchased Benhadad’s support with gifts of gold and silver. He had acted foolishly in the eyes of the Lord. He had relied on the hand of flesh and on money. When Hanani the prophet pointed out his sin, he had him imprisoned. He had no peace thereafter. His heart had hardened towards the Lord. When his feet were afflicted with disease, he turned again not to the Lord but to his physicians. We need to lean on the Lord for support as a ladder leans on the wall. Yes, we must have our ladder riveted on the Lord’s wall so that none, neither us nor others can attempt to shift us. It is better to trust on the Lord than on princes of His people, meaning it is best not even to depend on fellow believers or relatives who are influential or spiritually gifted or affluent. The eyes of the Lord keep scanning our human hearts to know if our attitudes are perfect towards Him. Our thoughts, emotions and decisions lie bare before His eyes. When He sees that we are directing all our thoughts,emotions and decisions to be centered on Him, to be pleasing to Him and on doing His will in our lives, He shows Himself strong on our behalf. When we trust Him whole-heartedly or without entertaining an iota of doubt, He directs our paths. Very often,we find men and women of God as well as people in secular callings depend on the Lord for early success or deliverance. But, once they become affluent or influential, their heart does a slight tilt like the earth’s axis and become increasingly dependent on their wealth and their human contacts. We need to pray every day, “ Lord, scan my spirit, mind and body and show me if there is any willful or unconscious tilt away from you in my life that you would have me avoid.” The Holy Spirit would do a 360 splice scan of our spiritual hearts and reveal to us what needs to be “circumcised” in our hearts and lives so that we stay focused on the locus. The “seven eyes” of the Lord and the seven angels of the church are actively,relentlessly and persistently searching for such focused individuals to find opportunities to act on their behalf, to give them amazing breakthroughs in their current challenges, be it in health, or security or finances or careers or ministries or families. These slots or situations in our lives are the ‘ miracle gateways’ of the Lord. We must take care to see that our heart does not shut down the miracle gateways before the Lord can act on our behalf. For nothing, nothing can thwart the Lord’s purpose and plan for our lives. Prateep V Philip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBizFJJNDNQ

Saturday, February 18, 2012

UV 327/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse Jeremiah 51 v 20 Believers are the battle axe of God Jer 51:20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms We are the battle axe and the weapons of war of the Lord. We are a mighty weapon in the hand of the Lord. A battle axe is a very heavy weapon. It requires strength to wield it and skill and precision in using it. We need to build up our spiritual strength and stamina as well as our skills and precision in aiming our weapons strategically. As the expression goes, we need to go for the jugular. By our constant prayers the kingdoms of darkness, the strongholds of evil will be stormed, shaken and destroyed. Imagine by our prayers the destiny of whole nations are affected! By our prayers, we are striking at the root of mighty trees of evil. By our commands in the authority of the Lord, they are driven into disarray. By claiming the specific promises of God in any given situation on any given day and at any given time, we can overcome every power of darkness. The powers of darkness are behind every human problem whether it is conflict, poverty, crimes, violence, adultery, curses, disbelief, exploitation and oppression. These are the mountains and hills that stand in the way of God’s people reaching the land of promises. We will be used to make the mountains into hills and the hills into chaff. Recently, the Lord told me, “ You are a violent warrior. What you think, you speak and what you speak happens.” We are not warring against flesh and blood but against the spiritual powers of darkness, the principalities and strongholds of the enemy of human souls. There is a hierarchy of forces of darkness that rule over nations. As an evangelist once told me, “ The real world is the spiritual world. If you want any change to happen in the physical world, you must first see it happen in the spiritual world. Zion or the Kingdom of God alone is not shakeable. All other nations and kingdoms are shakeable. The authoritative use of God’s Word in conjunction with targeted faithful prayer can change the course of events of history and expedite the fulfillment of God’s will on earth. The Lord will use us to set free His people from Egyptian bondages and Babylonian captivities. Jesus is the Battle Axe in the battles we fight on earth while are His battle axe in the battles He fights in the heavens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0r1X0Qh38I Prateep V Philip

Friday, February 17, 2012

Our shield and reward

UV 326/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse Genesis 15 v 1 The Lord is our shield and our reward Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward Though no man has seen God the Father, He appears in visions as He appeared to Abram. A vision of God will transform our lives as nothing else can. It transformed the fearful Abram into the faithful Abraham, the childless patriarch into a father of many nations, the idolatrous Abram into the worshipper of Jehovah. We must seek and receive a vision of God in our lives. When we do so, our identity will change.The Word of the Lord will be conveyed in the vision. We will receive the vision only when we are prepared. A shield is useful only if we hold it in a manner to defend us from any blows or impending attacks. So also we need to hold the shield of faith by exercising it actively in all areas of our lives. The Lord does not say, I will give you a shield or I will give you a great reward. Instead, He says that He Himself is our shield and our exceeding great reward. He is the shield of our help. He encompasses us as a shield. Nothing can come near us without His express permission. He is the sword of excellence. His Word is both a shield and a sword. He takes away the spirit of fear and gives us the spirit of love, power and self control. It is said that religion is inspired by the spirit of fear in man. But a vision of the perfect love of God inspires trust and faith that propels us to growth, victory and fulfillment. Faith leads up to experience and knowledge. We learn to get personal with God. Once we realize that God is all powerful, we will be confident that He can defend us against anything or any one any time. Once we realize that He is able to do all that He promises, that He is generous and gracious and has an abundant source of resources, we will be confident He will meet all our needs. Normally, one gets a reward for a brave act or a good deed. But, the Lord rewards us as He rewarded Abraham for our faith. He will give us a full reward, or a reward that is lacking in nothing. He gives us a reward that is abundant or overflowing. The word, “ exceeding” implies that it will exceed both our capacity to ask or expect or imagine. Abraham never imagined that he would be known as the father of nations. He was strengthened from within that he would neither fear nor fret nor doubt. The Lord will likewise add redoubled strength and courage to our lives. The Lord will clothe us in His greatness. He will equip us with His full armour from head to foot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhMdWjL2kiU Prateep V Philip

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Attached and detached like a lotus

UV 234/10,000 Amazing Principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse Philippians 2 v 15 Attached but detached like a lotus in the miry pond Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; This uni-verse recognizes the reality of the world around us being crooked and perverse. We live in a grossly imperfect world that is not even trying to be perfect. Yet, we as children of God are called to be perfect. In ourselves, we are not perfect since we are cut out of the same flawed stone or the same miry clay. But, as we obey the Word of God, we reflect His perfection by grace in different areas of our life, character and contribution. Often, I am asked how can you stand for righteousness in a department that is known for corruption, brutality and negativity. I reply, “ The dimmest light shines brightest in the darkest night.” Yes, we are called to stand for righteousness and love and mercy in a world of unrighteousness, hatred, anger and bitterness. We are called to be lights in the contemporary darkness of a world riven by divisions and driven by unprincipled greed. People around us may be crooked or perverse but we need to walk the straight and narrow. We need to repay the evil that is done to us with good. In a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that we need to be like the lotus in the miry pond. We need to be above the filth and slime of the pond, a metaphor for the world. We need to be floating above it. We are in it but not of it. We are attached yet detached. Yet, like the lotus or like a star in the darkness of the universe, we will look bright, beautiful and resplendent, an emblem of the glory of God. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvhUoiPt810&feature=related Check out this video Prateep V Philip

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Primacy of Praise

UV 323/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse 2Chronicles 20 v 22 2Ch 20:22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten We prime a weapon to get it ready to use. We cock a pistol before using it to fire a bullet. We prime a grenade by removing the pin. Similarly, when we sing and praise and worship the Lord, His weapons are primed. This underlines the prime importance of praise and worship in ensuring and enabling a victorious life. Among all the qualities or characteristics of God that we appreciate, adore and praise, the most pleasing to Him is the praise of the beauty of His holiness. King Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground to worship the Lord and the people of Judah and Jerusalem followed suit by falling to the ground. The first prerequisite for acceptable and pleasing worship is humility. They prepared themselves for worship in many ways: they went out into the wilderness. They worshipped the Lord with a loud voice. King Jeshoshaphat proclaimed the faithfulness of God and the need to believe. They appreciated the fact that the mercy of the Lord endures. They then made known their plea or prayer to the Lord. The singers went ahead of the army praising the Lord. Praise should precede our battles. It will not cease during the different stages of the battle. It will continue after the battle when victory has already been grasped. The end result was that the Lord set up ambushments against the enemy forces of Judah. They were smitten or defeated. The secret of victory revealed in this uni-verse is worship. Praise enables the power of God and His army to rise on our behalf. The word “ ambushments” implies that the Lord will deploy the element of surprise, timing and strategy to upset the balance in our favour. Very often the enemy forces we find in scripture are confounded and turn against each other. Praise is a precursor of victory against all odds. Prateep V Philip

Saturday, February 11, 2012

UV 321 WWW

_10,00UV 321/10,000 Amazing Principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse
Nehemiah 4 v 17 The WWW principle
Neh 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.


Each of us is a builder and a soldier in God’s kingdom. With one hand we must do our work, the professions or our official responsibilities. With the other hand, we must gird ourselves or protect ourselves with the Sword of the Word of God. The Word is a powerful and effectual weapon for it pierces the places which no sword of steel can- the deepest core of both the user and the listener. Though it is not made of stainless steel, it will keep our souls stainless and steel us to fight great resistance and and aggression. It will help both in our building and in our soldiering. God’s Kingdom is built like a wall, brick by brick, one life by one life. Each of us have our own burdens or responsibilies to carry. Instead of being weighed down by these burdens, we must joyfully do our work with one hand and be prepared to fight with the sword in the other. We do not slay people in the flesh but we “pray and slay” in the spirit. There is nothing in the enemy’s arsenal to match the weapon of offence and defense in our hands for that little stance we take in faith will move the array of forces of God to act and fight on our behalf and at our behest. He will fight our battles for us but we are expected to carry our burdens, carry our own swords and do our own work.


If we look at the root of the words, “ Word, work, worship, worth” the common root is “ wor” indicating there is a commonality underlying each of these.
Perhaps, the spiritual and holistic equation should read :
Word+Work+Worship=worth.

The Word will enable us to know our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ who commands all the awesome forces and armies of heaven, who comes riding on a white horse, with a sword from His mouth, slaying the Adversary of our souls. Our work itself is an act of worship of the Living God, who is both a chief Partner and the purpose of our work. Psalm 149 states that it is the glory of His saints to praise and worship God with our mouths, to carry a double-edged sword in our hands, to execute judgement on the nations and peoples, to bind kings with fetters and the nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them.
The Word will also give us guidelines for our work. The Word will equip us for our work. The work of our hands will be blessed in accordance with the Word. Our net worth in the sight of God and man will increase. We become worthy in His sight and He will call us “ good and faithful workers.” We can then confess like Paul, “ I have run the good race, I have fought the good fight.”


Prateep V Philip

UV 321 WWW

_10,00UV 321/10,000 Amazing Principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse
Nehemiah 4 v 17 The WWW principle
Neh 4:17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.


Each of us is a builder and a soldier in God’s kingdom. With one hand we must do our work, the professions or our official responsibilities. With the other hand, we must gird ourselves or protect ourselves with the Sword of the Word of God. The Word is a powerful and effectual weapon for it pierces the places which no sword of steel can- the deepest core of both the user and the listener. Though it is not made of stainless steel, it will keep our souls stainless and steel us to fight great resistance and and aggression. It will help both in our building and in our soldiering. God’s Kingdom is built like a wall, brick by brick, one life by one life. Each of us have our own burdens or responsibilies to carry. Instead of being weighed down by these burdens, we must joyfully do our work with one hand and be prepared to fight with the sword in the other. We do not slay people in the flesh but we “pray and slay” in the spirit. There is nothing in the enemy’s arsenal to match the weapon of offence and defense in our hands for that little stance we take in faith will move the array of forces of God to act and fight on our behalf and at our behest. He will fight our battles for us but we are expected to carry our burdens, carry our own swords and do our own work.


If we look at the root of the words, “ Word, work, worship, worth” the common root is “ wor” indicating there is a commonality underlying each of these.
Perhaps, the spiritual and holistic equation should read :
Word+Work+Worship=worth.

The Word will enable us to know our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ who commands all the awesome forces and armies of heaven, who comes riding on a white horse, with a sword from His mouth, slaying the Adversary of our souls. Our work itself is an act of worship of the Living God, who is both a chief Partner and the purpose of our work. Psalm 149 states that it is the glory of His saints to praise and worship God with our mouths, to carry a double-edged sword in our hands, to execute judgement on the nations and peoples, to bind kings with fetters and the nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them.
The Word will also give us guidelines for our work. The Word will equip us for our work. The work of our hands will be blessed in accordance with the Word. Our net worth in the sight of God and man will increase. We become worthy in His sight and He will call us “ good and faithful workers.” We can then confess like Paul, “ I have run the good race, I have fought the good fight.”


Prateep V Philip

Friday, February 10, 2012

Tread on your threats

UV 320/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse Luke 10 v 19 Authority over evil
Luk 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Through out scripture, wherever the Lord uses the word,” behold”, it is an indication that that particular verse is very significant and that we need to pay particular attention. We need to lay hold on to the promise contained therein. In this uni-verse, the Lord gives us authority to tread on all the power of the enemy. We have authority to anul all the power of the enemy to cause pain and death. The scorpion signifies all things that cause pain to us. The “ serpent” signifies all things that cause death to us. Death does not necessarily mean only physical death but could mean death of a dream or death of a relationship or an opportunity.

The Lord assures that nothing will hurt or harm us as we walk in faith before Him. He offers us “ blanket protection” from all kinds of threats to our well being and security. We need to exercise our spiritual authority over all the work of the enemy of our souls and his spiritual and human agencies. We can crush the head of the serpent under our spiritual heels. The sting of sin and death have been removed forever. This uni-verse contains both sides of the coin: assurance of victory in an attacking mode( tread) and assurance of protection in a defensive mode.

Once a group of snake catchers were called to clear the large compound of the quarters in which we were staying at the time. They carried with them a bunch of leaves of a plant that repelled the snakes to keep them from attacking them. We too must always carry the Word in us to repel the serpent attack. They also knew the different types of snakes, the poisonous and the non poisonous. They held in their hands sticks that ended in a narrow “ V” in which the snake’s head could be held and crushed. The “ V” symbolizes the victory we have in Christ. Some of the snake catchers had lost a few fingers that were cut off once they got nipped by the serpents when they attempted to catch them. It is a warning not to get too close, wittingly or unwittingly to the source of temptation in our lives. The Lord has told us to be shrewd as serpents and as gentle as doves, implying that we should know all the devices of the enemy to deceive and harm of the enemy and be the wiser to develop a kind of “spiritual cunning” to keep ourselves out of harm’s way even as we seek to harm no one.

Prateep V Philip

Thursday, February 9, 2012

The testing and trying of the remnant

UV 319/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse
Zechariah 13 v 9 The testing of the remnant
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God

Why are the Lord’s people called the remnant? After a precious metal like gold or silver is smelted in the fire, what remains in the crucible is the remnant. These are the ones who are chosen, called, tested, tried and proved. What is that portion who constitute the remnant? This uni-verse says that a third of humanity constitute the remnant.

We will be tested in the furnace of afflictions. At the end of the process, we will come forth as gold. Many are the sources of our suffering but the Lord will hear us even as we suffer. He will send us deliverance and relief. Yes, belief brings relief. When we call on His Name or when any one calls on His Name, He will send relief. Suffering has three purposes –refinement or to purify us of the dross or impurities as silver in a refining pot, testing in the flames of fire as gold in a furnace and to draw us closer and closer to the Lord. We must be thankful that the Lord turns the heat on us in a gradual way- first, in the refining pot and later on, directly in the fire. Our personal and eternal relationship with the Lord is confirmed as He calls us His own people and we call Him our God and Lord. When we undergo such fiery trials, we must not grieve or complain or be afraid but look to the Lord for help and increasingly depend on Him.

At the end of the process of suffering, we will receive the stamp of approval that says, “ Tested and certified to be Kingdom quality gold.” If we have not had enough suffering in our lives, it is time we got concerned about it and ask, “ why am I not tested, tried and proved? Is the Lord not regarding me as His own?” It is not our mental or physical strength that the Lord tests- it is our heart. Abraham’s heart was tested when he was asked to sacrifice His only son, a child born of prophecy, the only legal heir and the one who had a destiny to fulfill. When we are tested and we succeed in choosing the Lord’s way over the world’s way or the way of flesh, we receive the crown of life. We are declared victorious. Recently, the Lord affirmed, “ I have tested you in the furnace of afflictions and you have come forth as gold.”

Prateep V Philip

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Power of Meditation

UV 318/10,000 Amazing principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse
Profit from meditation
1Ti 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

When we meditate on the things of God, we also begin to prosper in the things of man: in health, in peace,in strength, in wisdom, in relationships, in life as a whole. The Word of God talks of a direct link between meditation on the Word and wholesome success or well being summed up in the word Shalom. When should we meditate? It is not just a particular time set aside for meditation but we should meditate day and night. We must meditate in the morning on His Word and on His deeds during the day, on the happenings that the Lord allowed during the day. We must meditate while we lie in bed. In the morning, our meditation is a meditation of hope,during the day it is a meditation of strength and at night – a meditation of rememberance and thanksgiving. Meditation is a spiritual exercise that adds up to godliness. It is not a part time exercise or a spare time exercise but a whole time obsession. The word," give thyself" implies that it requires a conscious effort. The word " wholly" implies that over time meditation runs concurrently all the time in our subconscious parallel to any day time or night time activities we are doing

What are the things of God that we should be increasingly obsessed with in meditating upon? The Word of God is the most important as it contains the revealed will of God. We must eat the Word, digest it or understand it and it will nourish our deepest being. Our meditation should lead up to application of what we thought upon in different areas of our lives. We must meditate on the works of God: nature, His redemption plan for us, His judgements on evil in history, His testimonies or accounts of God working in our midst even in contemporary times, the precepts or teachings of the Lord. We must talk of His doings in our lives. In other words, there must be an outflow of joy from our meditation that we share with others.

If prayer corresponds to the physical process of breathing, meditation corresponds to the physical process of eating or nourishment. In the book of Revelation, we read of the vision where the angel exhorts the writer to take the little book and eat it. He eats it to find that it is sweet as honey in the mouth but becomes bitterness in the belly. It implies that meditation is like medicine. It is a spiritual germicide. It is also a spiritual multivitamin that stimulates all our thoughts, words, deeds and decisions. Like some medicines with different flavours it is sweet in the mouth but becomes bitter in the stomach as it attacks the root cause of many human ailments-germs and takes healing and strength to the inner parts of the body. The beneficial results of such meditation will be evident in all areas of our lives and it will be increasingly evident to all others around us. Our friends and well wishers will recognize that this is the source of our blessings. Our foes and rivals will realize that this is the secret of our strength, success and fulfillment. Unlike food and medicine, we will never suffer the ill effects of too much meditation. On the contrary, my practical experience over the past thirty years shows that it is a great stress-buster.

Prateep V Philip
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Monday, February 6, 2012

The Spirit of Liberty

UV 317/10,000 Amazing Principles of the Uni-verse revealed verse by verse 2 Corinthians 3 v 17
2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty
The Spirit of liberty

It is said “ knowledge is power but wisdom is liberty.” This uni-verse both defines and describes what is wisdom. The Spirit of the Lord is wisdom. When we believe, repent and receive the Lord as our personal saviour, we are set free from the law of sin and death. We become truly “ free” of the spirit of bondage, the spirit of fear of death and the consequences of sin. The Spirit of the Lord inhabits our hearts and minds and bodies and we become “wise unto God”, though we may be considered foolish by fellow men.

The Spirit of the Lord removes the veils on our understanding. We begin to understand the Word of God as the Spirit of the Lord interprets it to us. The Spirit of the Lord is the spirit of adoption by which we can call God as “ Appa, Father.” The Spirit of the Lord quickens our minds that have been dulled by sin hitherto.
The Spirit of the Lord removes the spirit of fear and imparts to us power, love and a sound mind. The law of sin and death like the law of gravity had held us in our past as prisoners and earth-bound. Now, the spirit of the Lord like the law of aerodynamics enables us to escape that gravity and soar sky-wards to the very bosom of the Lord. Time, distance or eternity will no longer separate us from the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord will witness to our spirits that we are truly His children. We become ministers of the new testament. The law of the Lord is written on our hearts and minds. This new wisdom gives us abundant life, eternal life and liberty. The joy of salvation is restored to our souls. But, much of mankind being prisoners of sin and death, we must not be complacent that we have been set free. Our attitude ought to be that of freedom fighters, “ Lord, set our people free..”

Prateep V Philip

Sunday, February 5, 2012

The promise of a messenger

UV 316/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse Mark 1 v 2 The promise of a messenger to prepare the way
Mar 1:2 As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

With our human intellects we often limit God’s Word to the context in which it was spoken or written. The Word of God being the Word of God, the content can jump out of its context to be meaningful in our day to day contexts too. In a time of prayer, the Lord gave this promise that He would always send a messenger ahead of me to prepare the way in what I was doing or proposing to do.

In the police context, when we are planning the security detail of a particular key person visiting a new area for a meeting, we do what I call the Triple A formula: Advance Liaison, Anti-sabotage check and Access control. Similarly, the Lord sends before us when we venture out on a particular mission either in pursuit of our secular calling or a ministry opportunity, a messenger who is capable of doing advance liaison to sort out matters and tie the loose ends, to counter any moves to disturb or obstruct or harm us and to decide who should come in close contact with us and who should not.

The Lord uses both angelic agency as well as human agency to execute His will as a herald. The Holy Spirit gave intimations to many before the birth of the Child Jesus. He sent angelic host to herald His birth. He also sent the Magi to confirm the intimations. Similarly, the Lord gave Abraham a faithful servant who vowed to find a wife for his son Isaac out of His own people. When the servant asked if the maid he so finds refuses to come with him, what should he do, Abraham said that the Lord would send His angels ahead to ensure the success of his journey. When we undertake our work as if we work for the Lord and when we undertake His work as His servants, He promises to send faithful and competent messengers ahead of us to ensure the successful completion of the mission.

Prateep V Philip

Saturday, February 4, 2012

UV 315-10,000 Fulfilment our birth-right

UV 315/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse
Isaih 41 v 10 Fulfilment of life’s purpose our birth-right

Isa 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness

Natural life is a process that is characterized by fear before an event, weakness during it and disappointment after it happens. But, the Lord promises supernatural help in the way we process life. He will strengthen us from within. He strengthens us with the knowledge and understanding of the Word. Knowledge comes from reading, hearing and learning scripture. Wisdom and understanding comes from applying it in practical ways in our life.
The Lord will give us help from above by anointing us with the Holy Spirit. We will not fear regardless of the end result as we know that whatever happens will be for our good as we love the Lord. He also helps us by sending people and resources our way in ways that seem so natural or even accidental or coincidental but behind it all His invisible hand is moving. He opens doors and slams shut some so that we don’t take the wrong turn on an irrevocable path.
The Lord is more interested in the process than in the end result. He desires to see that through it all righteousness and integrity resembling His own character being shaped in the process of life. He is not just a spectator. He effectively participates in our life and accompanies us everywhere. He upholds or supports us when our spirits sag, when our morale falls low, when our hearts are broken, when we suffer losses and face opposition or resistance or persecution of different kinds. In so doing, He substitutes our break-downs with His breakthroughs. Success or failure is not significant for the Lord. Fulfilment of His purpose for our lives is guaranteed. In short, He deals with our fears and apprehensions before life’s happenings, weaknesses during it and disappointments and regrets afterwards. If we have the Lord for company, we should not give room to fear or failure or disappointment. Fulfilment is our born again birth-right.

Prateep V Philip

Be an empowerer

Isa 65:22 They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Many of the empire builders of yesteryears and even some of the modern day like Steve Jobs, for instance could not long enjoy the fruit of their labour. They were cut down in the middle of their days. But, one of the promises the Lord gives His elect or the chosen ones is that our labour shall not be in vain. We will not only enjoy our work and also enjoy the fruit of our work.

We are called not to be emperors but to be empowerers. When we empower others to live better lives, we are doing the work of God. We are breathing life, hope and strength into others. Our focus should be on building people and not in capturing markets or accumulating profits.

The Lord will turn the sweat of our brow into the “sweet of the brow”.
When we seek first to build His kingdom, implying that we speak and do things to touch hearts for God, He will build our house for us. He will bless our food and water so that diseases do not afflict us and cut our days short. He will answer us even before we pray and even as we are speaking, He will do the miracle we need. We will not have offspring that have come forth for trouble but who are blessed in themselves.

Prateep V Philip

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Significance of the Names of the Lord

UV 313/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse
Malachi 3 v 16 Significance of Names of God

Mal 3:16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name

We need to fellowship with one another as often as we can. We need to speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The Lord both hears and delights in our conversations. When we love the Lord, we will think often upon His name.
We have one God with many names. A name defines and signifies a person. It is meant to stand for the essence of that person. When it comes to human beings, our names and our characters may have no resemblance. In some parts, we have people given names like John F Kennedy, Gandhi, Lincoln , William Shakespeare and so on but the Shakespeare so named cannot pen a single line, the Lincoln might be the accused in a murder case, the Gandhi may be arrested for drunken driving. But, the names of the Lord reflect both His character and His power. When we hold his Names continually in our minds and reflect on their meanings, our lives will begin to reflect the blessing associated with that name or title. The Lord manifests Himself according to His various names in different seasons and situations of our life.
Thinking upon His name implies that we need to think of the many titles of Jehovah, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Together, they are the Great I Am. We can describe the “ I Am” that He is in our lives but we cannot define or limit Him to just one manifestation. The names of Jehovah instruct us about a specific aspect of His grace and mercy. Jehovah Shalom is the God of peace of wholesomeness, blessing and peace. Jehovah Nissi is the God who gives us victory over sin and over our enemies. Jehovah Rapha is God our healer. Jehovah El Shaddai is Almighty God. Jehovah Jireh is our provider.

The names and titles of Jesus are a great subject to meditate upon to edify ourselves: Ebenezer, the one who helps, Immanuel or God in us, Wonderful Counseller, Mighty God, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, the Good Shepherd, the True Vine, the Messiah, the Christ, Lord Amen.. We can try creating our own titles for Jesus. I have thought of this one: “Lion of Zion.” The Holy Spirit is the Rememberancer, the Comforter, the Dove of God, the Empowerer, the Enabler, Giver of good gifts,the Spirit of God, the Gentle Teacher. Remembering the names of God is a way of worshipping the Lord. When we often remember His name, He remembers our name forever by writing it in His eternal record as one of His own flock. It will be a good spiritual exercise to reflect on each day’s predominant grace in our life and at the end of the day describe it by one of the related names of God. If for instance, this is a day in which we found great deliverance from our foes or adversaries, it can be etched in our memories as an “ El Shaddai day”, if it’s a day of receiving generous supply for our needs- a Jehovah Jireh day and so on. No wonder , is said that there are 365 names for the Trinity in the scriptures. Hence, we can celebrate each day in our life and each day manifest and adore
the Lord in our lives. In return, the Lord gives us a new and unique name, a “name that is written on a white stone” or an eternal and enduring name.

Prateep V Philip

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

The Divine Mandate to Help

UV 312/10,000 Amazing principles of the Universe revealed verse by verse
The divine mandate to help
Isa 1:17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow

This is the Father’s will for His children: that we must do well. He desires that we prosper in spirit,mind and body. He delights in us when we imitate Him in seeking and executing justice as far as it lies with us to alleviate the suffering of the weak, vulnerable, the orphans and the widows.

As Commissioner of the city of Trichy, an old woman came to my office one day. She wanted a sum of money to do a surgery. I extended monetary help to her. Later, the Lord confirmed that “ I have come to in different forms at different times to test you and you have not said no to my requests.” It is not as if the Lord had come in the shape of these different people but when the needy approach us for help it is as if the Lord Himself had sent them to us and we should do what we can within our official and personal capacities to meet their need. What we do to the least of humankind, we do to the Lord.
During a flood in the city of Trichy, I was on a tour by car along with the Collector. At the time, a poor single woman with a little child wailed with anguish pointing to the sheer slush in which she lived. She asked the Collector for help to build a home for her. He said, “ There is no provision for building a house for her.” I gave her an assurance that as part of the Friends of Police we would build a house for her. The local police along with FOP volunteers of the city joined hands and built a house for that poor woman.

When we lend to the poor our voice, our official help, our resources or our time, we lend to the Lord. When we so lend, He will defend us in our hour of trouble. A senior officer sent me a memo questioning the propriety of giving an assurance to the poor woman when it was not part of my job to do so. But I had felt a higher calling from above as I heard her crying out. I gave a fitting reply that the action was done voluntarily out of the good will and efforts of FOP volunteers and that it won widespread appreciation for the police in the city. Even today that little house in an obscure street of Trichy city remains a testament to how the Lord moves us to action beyond the call of duty.

Prateep V Philip