Feeding the Flock

UV3362/10000 Feeding the Flock
Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

I Peter 5 v 2

A leader’s task is not to lead but to feed the flock. We become the flock of the Good Shepherd, when we listen to His voice, invite Him into our hearts. Thereafter, we grow to resemble sheep and the Good Shepherd Jesus in two aspects- humility and gentleness. We grow to maturity by living by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. We grow to become shepherds ourselves who feed the young lambs as well as the mature sheep the Word of God. The word is our daily manna. “Manna” has a hidden meaning, “Man, now apply.” The time to obey the word is now not later, to put into practice whatever the Lord speaks or teaches us from His word.

We should not lead the sheep reluctantly or with wrong motives of profiting from it financially. Freely we have received and been taught. Hence, freely we should give and teach. We should not use the influence we have over the “flock” to manipulate them, to discourage them but to encourage, edify, build their faith in the Good Shepherd. We must study, analyse and absorb the Word so that it saturates our minds. Our minds become the very mind of Christ and we learn to think, interact, speak graciously and wisely as Jesus. We are able to then give an apt answer to anyone who questions our faith or desires to clear his or her own doubts.

Initially and for some time, the flock can be fed “milk” or what is easily digestible by them but as they grow, they need more solid food that will strengthen their “spiritual bones”, that they exercise their own “faith muscles” more rigorously. They are trained in righteousness or the application of spiritual principles and precepts contained in the Word so that they become skilled workmen and the Word is a tool in their hands to help them handle any situation of life in an able and stable manner. We as well as those we are teaching or discipling become equipped for every good work. The Holy Spirit stands alongside us and guides us as we do the work of shepherds. He does not teach us all of it in one shot but line by line, precept by precept.

The Angelic Guard

UV 3361/10000 The Angelic Guard
He said, “No, rather I have come now as captain of the army of the Lord.” Then Joshua fell with his face toward the earth and bowed down, and said to him, “ What does my lord say to his servant?”

Joshua 5 v 14

The uni-verse reveals that the Lord as the Lord of hosts has a standing army of angels who do His bidding. The army has a hierarchy and there are captains or leaders among the angels. In this case, the angelic captain appears to Joshua to give him an intimation of the miraculous victory that Israel was about to gain over the fortified city of Jericho that had locked itself in. Joshua reacted and spoke to the angel with reverence as he would to the Lord. He prostrated himself and obeyed the angel by removing the sandals of his feet. Likewise, the Lord leaves His footprints in different aspects and areas of our lives though He may remain invisible.

The Lord sends His angels to protect, deliver and strengthen His people. He sent the archangel Michael to strengthen Daniel. He sent the angel to strengthen Mary before she became aware that she was going to bear the Messiah. Angels are servants of God even as we are today under the new covenant called to be servants of God. The captain of the angels told Joshua to remove his sandals as the ground on which he stood in his presence was holy or set apart for the Lord. Today, we believers are set apart for the Lord. We need to be careful or reverential to the Lord in what we think, speak and do all the time.


There are more instances of angelic visitation during the Old Testament times as today, God, the Holy Spirit Himself ministers to us. It does not however mean that we are not protected or ministered to by angels, too. We only need to be aware and thankful that the Lord is a God of power and He commands legions of angels who are often deployed on our behalf. He is the Commander-in-Chief and at His behest, the angels visit and appear to fulfil His will to this day.

Separated from the World, United with the Word

UV 3360/10000 Separated from the World, United with the Word

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ: Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?

Romans 8 v 35

The enemy separated man from God’s love by inducing him to sin. Indeed, separation from God is sin. Union with God is love. Jesus united us again with the agape love of God. The love of Christ is stronger than death, afflictions, persecution, threats, times of scarcity, shame or violence. History bears record of how through the generations since Paul wrote these lines, people have chosen to give up their lives rather than give up their faith in Christ.
We are therefore, emboldened, empowered, equipped by the love of Christ to deal with any situation. He has made us more powerful than a conqueror for no sword or weapon can cause us to give up our love for God having tasted first His agape love in Christ. He has made us more than any king or ruler for we do not fear death. He has made us more secure than any rich person for we are not haunted by threats of poverty or famine. We are so sure of His love that He will meet all of our need by the riches of His grace. We are not afraid of violence or persecution for the Lord has shown us how to overcome hatred with love, violence with gentleness, falsehood with truth.

No one can separate us from the love of God if we ourselves are rooted in Christ. If we are united with God in Christ, our needs are met, our safety is assured, our progress in moral character and perfection is assured. Our faith will shield us from every threat and danger. We rejoice in the Lord continually as our heart is like a merry feast. We experience the kingdom of God within which is about worship, praise, thanksgiving, contentment, love, fellowship and joy in the Holy Spirit. We are separated from the world, united with Christ. No power on earth or heaven can break or adversely affect our relationship, a covenant of love and peace with God.

The Purpose of Suffering, The Grace to Endure

UV 3359/10000 The Purpose of Suffering and The Grace to Endure

“But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.”
1 Peter 5:10 KJVA


The path laid down by Christ or the very Path He became for us to tread is suffering for a while, while we suffer we obtain grace through Christ who Himself endured extreme suffering to endure the suffering and grace to perfect, establish, strengthen and settle us in the kingdom of God.
The world looks for the kingdom without while we seek the kingdom within. The world seeks pleasure and ways to avoid suffering. The Word teaches us that God ordained suffering is not meant to weaken, frustrate, depress or oppress us but either to perfect us, strengthen, establish or / and settle us. The purpose can be any or all of these reasons.

The Lord by means of His word and His in dwelling Awesome Spirit perfects our character with love and patience. He strengthens us in the areas of our weaknesses. He establishes us in faith with rock solid foundations. He does not allow us to settle for anything less than His best. He stirs us up even as a mother eagle stirs up its nest to unsettle its young that they may jump out and learn to fly. The world is our nest where we cannot afford to rest but seek His best by flying out of it.


The strength or grace or power of the Lord are the winds that hold us up as we learn to fly. It is the wind on which we float and find our rest when we are weary. He like the mother eagle does not make things easy for us but He makes it possible. Perfection is not possible for us but He makes it possible. To always work on and out of Strength is not possible but He makes it possible. He settles us in the kingdom of God. This is why Jesus said, “ Be in the world but not of this world.”

The Law of Humility, the Wall of Pride

UV 3358/10000 The Law of Humility, the Wall of Pride
Humble yourselves (with an attitude of repentance and insignificance) in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you ( He will lift you up, He will give you purpose).

James 4 v 10

The Lord hates those who are proud and arrogant, who disregard the greatness of God and think no end of themselves. The Lord will humble them in due time. At the same time, He loves those who are humble, who are constantly aware of their own sinfulness, their insignificance and powerlessness. When we voluntarily humble ourselves, the Lord promises to lift us up, to give us both purpose and the power to fulfil it. He promises to exalt us so that we continue to exult in Him. Humility is not false modesty but a realistic assessment of oneself and one’s role and importance in the overall scheme of things. We have no grandiose notions about ourselves. We realize we are nothing before God, we are no one significant before Him. Anything we aspire for or achieve is done in Him, for Him, through Him.

Jesus is the ultimate model of humility. He has everything in the universe at His feet from before time or through eternity. Yet He humbled Himself to be one of us, insignificant, vulnerable. Though He remained sinless during His earthly sojourn even though He was subjected to even greater hardship and temptations than any of us He did not equate Himself with God or exalt Himself. He made Himself as small, vulnerable as a voiceless lamb. He did amazing miracles but He did not take pride in it. He never wantonly flaunt His power at any moment. At the time of His arrest by Roman guards, His mock trial and crucifixion, He could have avoided unbearable pain, scorn, torture and torment by using His own supernatural and unlimited power or summoned legions of angels to His aid but He humbly submitted to the will of God and of man. His is the absolute level of humility. Hence, He alone could say, “Look at me and learn from my humility and gentleness.” The very fact He upheld His quality as humility to His disciples to emulate shows that humility is the greatest of the fruit of the spirit.

Humility is an attitude of man vis- a- vis God and others where we do not regard ourselves superior to anyone else. Though it is an inner attitude, it gets reflected constantly in our thoughts, words and actions. The Lord examines us daily and when He finds there is no pride in us, He is most pleased with us. He then shows His favour by orchestrating circumstances to lift us up, to move us to higher and higher levels. We realize that it is His hand that is doing it and do not take any pride in our attainments but attribute it all to the Lord. Hence, scripture sums it up in these beautiful and truthful words, “ He gives grace to the humble but resists the proud.” He enables the humble to achieve their goals in line with the purpose set for them while He proves a foil and a wall of obstruction to the proud at heart.

Moving from Under Performing to Over Achieving Abundance

UV 3357/10000 Moving from Under Performing to Over Achieving Abundance

Great are You in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to reward or repay each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.

Jeremiah 32 v 19

The Lord is great in wisdom, in giving us practical advice or counsel as well as in executing the deeds or in undertaking action in line with the decisions taken. His eyes are all –seeing not partial or surface level sight like ours. He knows the very motives behind every thought of ours. He rewards or blesses us to the extent we conform to His word and His ways and not act according to our own light. He rewards us graciously and generously in accordance with our actions and not just our words. Thoughts, emotions, desires and actions are the primary level of His interface with humans and not mere words from our lips. Ultimately, He judges our lives by the results or the fruit as Jesus said.

The Lord ‘s execution quotient is a hundred per cent or absolute. What He decides He does, what He plans He executes. We, too need to up our Execution quotient so that many of our good thoughts and words and plans do not remain mere intentions but are translated into action. The preliminary stage in our planning should however be to consult the Lord, to take His counsel in every aspect of our lives. We do so by seeking it in prayer, in studying His word and what it says about the thing we are contemplating to do. We also should seek professional advice from experts, godly advice from our spiritual mentors. We gain different perspectives from different people based on their knowledge and experience. Clarity will emerge eventually and we will have the all surpassing peace of God and confidence that what we are setting on is the right course, the God-willed one. If we short circuit any of these processes, the cost will be high and the reward little or nothing. We might end it wringing our hands in frustration, anxiety and regret.

Once we have prayed, sought counsel of the Lord and man, studied the word, we must give the effort the hundred per cent it deserves. We should do everything that lies with us, do our utmost, stretching every nerve and muscle. We should do everything as if we are working for our ultimate boss, Jesus. The Lord will then add His grace and enable us to fulfill whatever we had planned or decided to an extent that we ourselves would be surprised and would give all the glory to the Lord. Indeed, I can say from our experience, He is able to do far more, by His wisdom and power working in us, than we can think, ask or imagine. Abundant thinking, abundant passion, abundant wisdom precedes abundant results. This is the reason most economies, individuals, firms fail for abundant thinking, abundant wisdom, abundant execution do not characterise what they desire, plan and do.

Complete Parenthood

UV 3356/10000 Complete Parenthood
Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me! We are for signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of hosts, who dwells in Mount Zion.

Isaiah 8 v 18

It is the Lord who gives us children and blesses them. They become like olive plants for they will endure, be fruitful like olive plants. They will be signs in our lifetime of the grace and love of the Lord. He who is wonderful in counsel and mighty in deeds will give them both wisdom and the power to execute the decisions. He will protect them from stumbling or either accidental blunders or deliberate ones. The fear of God will be like a fence around them and impart wisdom in everything they undertake. The Lord Himself will teach them and instruct them in the way they should go.

The uni-verse is also a promise that the Lord will do wonders or miracles that cannot be explained in natural terms. This will be a sign to other believers as well as non believers and their peers that the Lord ‘s strong favour is upon them. Hence, unlike worldly parents we need not fret or worry about their future, about their security and safety. We are not permanent parents –only the Lord is their eternal parent. As long as we and our children remain faithful, the Lord is committed as a Parent to care for them.

Eye has not seen nor ear heard not entered our imagination of our hearts or minds, the things the Lord has kept in store for our children. The word promises, “And great shall be their peace.” We cannot limit the things the Lord has planned and will do for them. We only need to share our life’s testimonies with them and encourage them to walk close to the Lord. The Lord will discipline them when they go wrong, encourage them from the Word and keep them on ny the path of the righteous and godly. The Lord dwells in Zion but also with those who live in awe of Him and delight in His word. He dwells in and with our children. Hence, we have no cause for anxiety, no need to worry. Any concern we have for them need only be committed in prayer to the Lord. He has battalions of angels at His command and would surely send these to guard our children. We may not know the inner workings of their minds, their hearts, their feelings. But He hears even their sighs and turns it into signs of hope and significance.

Sheep of His Flock, Jewels of His Crown

UV 3355/10000 Sheep of His Flock, Jewels of His Crown
And the Lord their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people: for they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign upon his land.
Zechariah 9 v 16

It is instructive to note that while Jesus is the Lamb of God, we who follow Him are called sheep. It is the extreme or absolute humility of Christ that He who is Mighty God took reduced Himself to be the Lamb, helpless, vulnerable, gentle, humble. As we learn and emulate His humility and gentleness, trusting all to God, we become His sheep. Followers of Christ are referred to in this uni-verse as a flock of his people. We are also referred to as the precious stones embedded in the crown of the Lord. We are lifted up by Him as His bejeweled scepter in His kingdom. As we are His flock, we should be obedient like sheep, listening to His voice, being content with what He feeds our souls. He is not fattening us for the slaughter but to live forever, to be fruitful, yielding good fruit for His glory, by His grace. We are people who are entranced by His incredible beauty and goodness. The best stones in a land are reserved to adorn the crown of the king or ruler of the land. Likewise, He beautifies our lives so that we resemble the precious stones that adorn a crown.

The two metaphors used in the uni-verse tell us how if we listen to His voice, abide by His word, we will grow spiritually and holistically. When we do that, the Lord turns us into rulers in His kingdom. When we proclaim His word and teach others too to keep His word, He keeps an eternal crown of life for each of us. Just as there is a huge variety of
Precious stones like diamonds, rubies, sapphire, emerald, ruby, beryl and so on, we fall into different categories based on our faith and walk with God. He examines us every day to see if we have any flaws and takes steps to correct these. Precious stones of every kind are rare and limited in supply. So also faithful followers of Jesus are smaller in number than those who follow their own lights. Like precious stones shine best not in the darkness but when the sun’s light penetrates through every crystal in the precious stones. Precious stones are not meant for ordinary use but for royalty. We are ordinary people with an extraordinary calling. Just as precious stones are owned and guarded by someone carefully from theft, Jesus owns us and guards us. Just as precious stones give joy to the owner and to every viewer, we give joy to the Lord and to those we witness and serve.

The sword and the shield and battle attire of a king on the battlefield are adorned with jewels. Likewise, we are not meant only for show but to be an “ensign” or the distinguishing standards of the King. The King wears us on His armour. He lifts us up to be a sign unto all. He glorifies His name through us. Like precious stones do not get corroded but endure with all their qualities, we need to endure till the end.

Faith- A Force Multiplier and Force Neutraliser

UV 3354/10000 Faith- A Force Multiplier and Force Neutraliser
With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall.
Psalm 18 v 29

Faith is a force multiplier for us and a force neutralizer for our foes. It gives us the courage and hope for us to face heavy odds very boldly. He enables us to make progress in difficult times. He will give us the wisdom to decide the strategy to fight. The Holy Spirit not only gave the young (inexperienced in battle) David the confidence and courage to take on the giant Goliath but He suggested the strategy that would neutralize the advantages of Goliath in terms of his greater height and strength. He suggested the cost effective strategy of using his sling with which he was skilled and accurate. That was only the first of the many battles David had to fight all his life. Hence, he from his experience of the help he got from Jehovah God, was inspired to write this uni-verse. In times of adversity, He is close at hand to help us. He is with us as a mighty warrior and is ever willing to deploy His whole array of power that can manifest in a trillion ways on our behalf. He is personally involved in our most intimate battles even the ones we fight within ourselves. Adversity is meant not to sadden us but to strengthen us and intensify our experience of God and increase our dependency on Him.

God is not only the One who helps us overcome heavy odds, He helps us cross barriers or walls. The barriers may be natural, man-made or caused by the enemy. He brought down the walls of Jericho for Israel under Joshua to conquer and defeat. He brings down the walls that stand between us and victory or triumph in life. If He does not bring down the wall, He will help us scale it. David uses the metaphor of the mountain goats that can scale a vertical cliff and stand firm there. The Lord is like the light at the end of the tunnel but He also travels with us through the period of darkness or intense difficulty when we have no clue what to do and no one to help us. He does it by either increasing our internal strength, wisdom or skill or lending us His own strength in the critical hour. We may see no sign of a breakthrough but just when we begin to despair and give up, the Lord shows up.

The conditionalities of this promise of divine help and strength are detailed by David in Psalm 18- a passion for the Lord, to consider Him as our personal strength, rock, shield, fortress, refuge. We need to call out to the Lord like David. We also need to have clean hands, be diligent in listening and obeying His word and be humble and blameless in His sight. We do not rely on our own strength, brilliance, power or resources. He is both the first and last recourse of rescue.

Desiderata to Have a One on One Relationship with God

UV 3353/10000 Desiderata to Have A One On One Relationship with God
Search me thoroughly, O God, and know my heart; Test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139 v 24

Yesterday, a simple man of God met me and explained that three things are needed to have all our prayers heard and answered by the Lord. Three things that are needed to make the tiny mustard seed of faith to grow into mountain-shaking, giant-killing power. The key is to have our heart clear and clean before the Lord. We need to invite the Lord to examine our hearts daily, to know our thoughts, our fears and anxieties that divide the heart and to examine if any wicked or harmful intention is hidden in our hearts. We need to ask the Lord to lead and guide us in the way of eternal truth and life. For this we need to hide His truth or His word in our hearts that the Lord reveals His wisdom to us through the hidden word.

The second thing is that we need to pray that in addition to a clean heart, we should have a steadfast spirit within us, a spirit of steadfast, faithful and consistent love for the Lord. We should stay true to our commitment to Him and stay the course till it is over, day after day till our last day. In fact, we should fan our zeal for the Lord and His word and work into full flame. If we err, we should confess it to the Lord and come back to the full fervor of faith.

The third thing is that we should ask the Lord to guard our mouths. The Holy Spirit will keep a watch over the door of our lips, to keep us from talking thoughtlessly. Our communication should be wholesome, edifying, noble, helpful, encouraging, building the faith and hope of others, not pulling it down. These three commitments together will make us the apple of the eye of the Lord. He will look at the world through our eyes and use our hearts, minds and mouths as His instruments of healing and deliverance. Through these three prayers at the start of every day, our thoughts, emotions, decisions, desires, actions and speech would be in alignment with each other and the Lord and His word. Without the Lord’s help, no man can bring the heart, the spirit and the tongue under control. Only God has complete knowledge of us, our inner thoughts and feelings, our strengths and weaknesses. Without Him our strengths can be a weakness. With Him our weaknesses can be a strength. Only the Lord as an examiner can spot, purify and cleanse us. Only He can make our spirits truthful, faithful and steadfast. Only He can help us regulate our speech. Only He who has complete knowledge and wisdom can lead. Hence, only God can lead us day by day. We cannot ask to see our final destiny but He will surely guide us step by step.

The Committed Praise and Bless Continually

UV 3352/10000 The Committed Praise and Bless Continually

I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 34 v 1

In this uni-verse, David makes a commitment to the Lord that he would bless and praise the Lord at all times and continually. At all times implies both in good times and bad times. David at this juncture when he wrote this Psalm was going through a period of adversity. In order to avoid any hostile actions against him, he was pretending to be insane in the court of Achish, king of Gath who drove him away. Faith enables a person to improve what I read about only yesterday, our adversity quotient. It will enable us to endure times of difficulty and torment with the same level of faith and hope we have in good times. David committed to bless the Lord for all the ups and downs of his life.

We are not just fair weather friends of the Lord but we stand with Him at all times even as He stands with us. He is in fact, nearest to the heart broken and crushed in spirit. It is a true saying that in order to save our souls, He sometimes needs to crush our spirit. Many are the troubles, David rightly concludes, of the righteous or those who trust Jesus but the Lord delivers us from them all. We can take refuge in Him and be sure that He will rescue us. He will deliver us from our worst fears by sending His angels or ministering spirits to surround us. Hence, we should bless the Lord from deep within our souls, from all that is within us.

The Lord always meets us at our point of need. He satisfies our heart’s desires. It is almost as if we can experience Him with our six senses and taste His goodness. Our response to such great goodness is to offer praise continually from our mouths and bless Him with our inner being. Only such adoration or worship is true and acceptable to the Lord where there is an agreement between our hearts and our mouths about His goodness, His mercy, His faithfulness, His love and wisdom. Intermittent praise keeps our mouth from uttering words of deceit or sarcasm. When our hearts and mouths are pre-occupied with the Lord, we leave no scope for evil to take root or rule in our lives.

Unshakeable Security

UV 3351/10000 Unshakeable Security
He will never be shaken; The righteous will be remembered forever.

Psalm 112 v 6

The Psalm describes a person who lives in awe of God. Such a person delights in obedience of the word of God. His generation and descendants will be blessed and powerful. His legacy will outlive him. He prospers holistically and his house is adorned with spiritual, emotional, relational and material riches. He will have hope and strength to face difficult and dark moments in life and emerge triumphant. He is generous and gracious. He is just. The security of such a person rests in the Lord and as such, he can never be shaken.

A believer’s sense of security is so strong, he does not fear that he will be overtaken by any bad news. He is steadfast or stable in his faith and does not vacillate. He knows his adversaries would be eventually defeated. His faith is built on the Rock which is Christ. He derives his confidence and his security from the name, the person and the teachings of Jesus. As long as he is faithful to these, he cannot be shaken by fear or doubt or frustration. He is not self actualized but Christ-fulfilled.

The believer will not be afraid of being put to shame by his own deeds or the deceit of the enemy. His feet do not stumble or get caught in the snare of the enemy as he walks in the power, wisdom, love, awesomeness and peace of Christ. He does not place his reliance on his own strength, wisdom, ability or resources or that of other people but He relies completely on the Lord. He knows the Lord will honour him for his faithfulness even if the world does not. He is not vain to seek fame or popularity in this world for He knows the Lord will remember his deeds forever and reward him in due time or in eternity.

Decision Making and Declaring By Faith

UV 3350/10000 Decision Making and Decreeing
You will also decide and decree a thing and it will be established for you; And the light of God’s favour will shine upon your ways.
Job 22 v 28

When we seek the Lord as men would seek gold, silver and precious stones, we delight in Him. We will do what pleases Him. He will make us a co-ruler who can decree things for himself and the world at large. The power to decree is the power exercised by a sovereign or ruler. The Lord shares His sovereign power with us. He backs our decisions and enables us to see it to fruition or fulfilment. His favour or grace will shine upon us like the noon day sun if we submit our decisions to the Lord and declare the Word that backs our decisions by faith. For faith is calling into being the things that are not as if they are. It is a creative process for if we lack ability or resources or knowledge or contacts, the Lord will cause these to come into position at the right time and place.

The uni-verse states that the Lord will establish for us what we decide. It is not just our will power or ability but His will power and ability are behind our decisions. We have daily access to His absolute but uncorrupted power as well as His infinite wisdom and resources to put our decisions or plans into implementation or translation into reality. We will be greatly strengthened by His power working within us which is able to do far more than we can think, ask or even imagine. I have many testimonies in this regard of how the Lord’s power was at work in many of my key decisions. I would decree or declare that my decisions and efforts would be fruitful and eventually, it would so happen that it would create awe and surprise.
The white light of God’s favour upon our decisions and confessions of faith appear in many forms and colours like the constituent colours of the rainbow- VIBGYOR. We become enthusiastic and confident that our decisions are in the right direction and that the Lord is backing and establishing what we have decided. The word “ establishes” implies that the Lord lays a strong foundation for our faith and builds on it through a process where we see the hard evidence of the way He works things out for us. God is the only orchestra conductor who conducts the symphony of life standing behind the orchestra. But we should be filled with an awareness that He is in our midst and be overjoyed and grateful when we perceive the results of our decisions.

Identifying With the Righteousness of God

UV 3349/10000 Identifying With Christ
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5 v 21


Christ’s identification with our sin was total and absolute.
He also bore the consequences of such identification in a complete way. He paid the full price for our prize of eternal life. Yet our identification with Christ’s righteousness is incomplete, partial, unfulfilled. We need to exchange our sinfulness for His righteousness by increasingly identifying with Christ. His mind has to be our mind. His thoughts, our thoughts, His desires, our desires, His feelings of compassion, ours. Christ has imputed to us His righteousness but in real terms, too in time and space, we while we live in this world have to be saturated with His righteousness and reflect it in our daily walk.

We will not identify with the righteous character of Jesus unless we empathise and feel the pain and sorrow He underwent on the cross and in the lead up to the cross. We need to feel His pain as if it were His own even as He feels our joy and pain as if it is His own. Instead, believers world wide are taking the pain of Jesus for granted. It is seen in our lack of identification with His righteousness. Identification with His righteousness implies that we take on the character of Christ, His attitudes and qualities of head, heart and speech.

Just as Christ is the visible image of the invisible God, the Father, we are to be the visible image of the unseen Christ on earth. This is doubtless a high calling for sinful people like us and we cannot do it except by the grace of Christ and the enablement of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables us to produce the fruit of the spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self control which taken together is the righteousness of God and of Christ.

The Problem Solver, The Peace Giver

UV 3348/10000 The Problem Solver, The Peace Giver

Peace I leave with you; My perfect peace I give to you; not as the world gives do give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.

John 14 v 27

The Shalom or Peace of Jesus is distinct from the Shalom of the old covenant which relied on obedience to the Mosaic law- the ten commandments and scores of rules. That peace was a partial and temporary one as obedience to the law was also partial and from time to time every man broke some law or rule. The peace that Jesus gives is what He has purchased for us at a very heavy price- His own life. He became the peace offering for our reconciliation with the Eternal Father, the One who breathed our spirits into us and created us in His image and in the image of His Son Jesus. The shalom of Jesus does not mean that we will have the absence of earthly troubles, trials and persecution but it means we will have the presence of Jesus in the midst of it. He is the great Problem Solver for in every situation He faced during the earthly sojourn He had an effective solution. If wine was short in a wedding feast, He turned the water into wine. If people were hungry, He multiplied available bread and fish to feed them. If tax had to be paid even if He had no income, He caused a fish to produce the gold coin needed to pay it.

Jesus as the Prince of Peace is not only a Problem Solver but a giver of inner strength to endure and overcome. If He does not help us solve a life challenge or problem, He will give us the inner strength and grace to bear it. Our hearts need not therefore, be troubled. The disciples panicked when they faced a storm while in a boat with Jesus sleeping peacefully even in the storm. Jesus was awakened and He commanded the waves and the winds as no king could ever, “ Peace, be still.” We only need to still our hearts in the midst of life’s great storms, focus on the locus of our lives- Jesus and a word greater and more powerful than the storm will calm the storm.


Satan often robs people of their peace and therefore, joy with small and big issues and challenges. Other people , even our near and dear ones, can rob us of our peace by what they say, do or do not do. Jesus restores our inner peace as we confide in Him. He will give us the courage and strength to face every situation of life and emerge victorious even as He emerged even from the cave grave victorious. The Shalom of Jesus is wholesome. It is holistic. It does not mean what the world calls peace- the absence of conflict. It means health and healing of spirit, mind and body, well being, wholesome success, all round balanced prosperity, joy, abundance of good emotions, thoughts and words, blessings of all types, everlasting life. Jesus is the underwriter or guarantor of such peace. He guarantees it with His blood and by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit who both fills and seals us. Peace is a supernatural enablement or unction and anointing He leaves us.

Moving From the 3 Dimensional Flawed Earthly Life to the Five Dimensional Victorious Eternal Life

UV 3347/10000 Moving From A Three Dimensional Flawed Life to the Five Dimensional Victorious LIfe
For the spirit that God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self discipline.

2 Timothy 1 v 7


Our own spirit is prone to fear, weaknesses, excesses. But the spirit that God sealed us with, namely, the Holy Spirit, equips, teaches, reminds, encourages, guides, strengthens us that we can live the five dimensional spiritual life of devotion to God, dedication to serve people, determination to pursue set goals in line with the vision the Lord has given us, diligence to study the word and meditate day and night, discipline in all things. We as believers are not called to lead an extrinsically successful life but a victorious life. We draw our strength to endure till the end from His miraculous grace, His power, His wisdom, His love, His peace. These are like the five fingers of the Lord that rest upon us, preserving us from evil from within us and without.

It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to live out the agape love of Jesus in our lives with all the attributes that St Paul so beautifully described in his epistle to the Corinthian believers. Any form of hatred, envy, bitterness comes from our common spiritual enemy. The Holy Spirit helps us overcome these negatives that harm our well being and our relationships. He builds or weaves love into the warp and woof of our character so that we closely resemble Jesus.

The three primal sins of lust of the eye, lust of the flesh and pride of life causes human downfall and misery. The sensual or carnal world cultivates and grows only these three flawed dimensions of our earthly lives. The Holy Spirit who dwells in us and fills us replaces our fears with a sense of security in Christ, assurance about the present life as well as the life to come. He gives us the grace to discipline our thoughts, our emotions, our speech, our desires. He corrects us when we go wrong and gives us the strength to rise when we fall or stumble. He endows us the boldness or bravery of the soldier, the patience of the farmer and the sense of commitment and focus of the athlete. The courage, patience, discipline are taken to new level or plane as we are not looking for an earthly reward that does not last but an everlasting prize of eternal life in Christ.

The Anointing of Lips

UV3346/10000 The Anointing of Lips
For the lips of the priest should guard and preserve knowledge (of My law), and the people should seek instruction from his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Malachi 2 v 7

Under the new covenant, every believer of Christ is a priest of God. As such our lips are anointed. The words that issue from our mouths should bless the hearers, encourage them to believe in God and the Redeemer, cause healing of people and relationships, remove barriers. People should seek our counsel to solve their problems and challenges. The Holy Spirit who anoints our words and keeps any from falling to the ground without being fulfilled will give us the gifts of the word of knowledge and of wisdom. We have a responsibility to study the Word and keep adding to our knowledge of His ways. Such knowledge gives us an edge over the worldly leaders who do not know where they came from and where they are going. We unlike them have knowledge of where we came from ( the past), where we are( the present) and where we are going(the future).

There should be no deceit or guile uttered from our mouths. St James equated oral or verbal perfection with perfection of our whole being. Our tongues should be under the perfect and complete control of our spirits and minds even as a rider controls a horse. The Word of God acts as the reins of control and the stirrups of motivation to change the direction of our speech. If we keep quiet about the truths we know and have experienced, it will burn in our hearts. Our mouths become fountains of eternal life and of hope for the seekers.

We have the responsibility to be the messengers of the Lord to the world. The Lord reveals to us ahead of time the things that are about to happen. He gives us a word to explain the things that have happened. The Lord blesses the feet of His messengers that wherever we go, we carry His presence and His blessings with us. As He is the Lord of hosts, the armies of heaven, we are escorted, surrounded, guarded by His spirit soldiers and chariots of fire. The message we carry is one of love, hope and peace.

Kinship to Kingship

UV 3345/10000 Kinship to Kingship
But He answered, “ My mother and My brothers are these who listen to the word of God and do it!”
Luke 8 v 21


Kinship with Jesus or God is based on how keen we are to listen to His word and to do it. We need a teachable heart in order to relate or be intimate with the Father or the Son. We should have a longing for truth and consider it more precious than anything else we know or have. Kinship with Jesus implies His kingship over our souls, our inner being. We align our lives, our thoughts, words, actions, emotions in line with His word, His teachings, His principles and precepts. The Word contains the keys or the secrets to unlock all of life’s issues, problems, challenges. We should use it to unlock the treasures of the kingdom of God within us and amongst us.

As far as the Word is concerned, we should use it or we would loose it. If we are going through a period of sorrow and mistakes or mishaps in our lives, we can use the key in the Psalms, “ Keep my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. “ The Lord will then keep His promise to place a safety net to catch us while we fall. He will wipe every tear from our eyes and make us joyful instead. If we are embarking on a journey, the key is again in Psalms, “ Kiss the Son before you leave lest you perish on the way.” If we are beginning a new project or mission, “ Anyone who sets His hand on the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God.” It implies that whatever we do, we should do wholeheartedly, single-mindedly as if we are working for the Lord, as if the Lord is working with us. We should pour in the best by way of preparation, sowing, tending and caring for what we are growing and see it through the season of harvest. If we are threatened by death and disease, we use the key, “ Lord, satisfy me with long life and after that give me eternal life.”

If we want success in business or academics or leadership, we need to use the key in Psalm chapter one, “ Blessed is the man who meditates on the word of God day and night.. He succeeds in everything He does.” If we are facing sickness, “ He forgives me of all my sin and heals me of all my diseases.” In short, in every situation, circumstance, stage of life, we need to depend on every word that proceeds from the mouth and mind of God given to us in scripture. When we do so, we are the next of kin of Jesus, we are His immediate family members, we are His intimate circle. If we ask in His name, we will receive, if we seek, we will find, if we knock, the door will be opened to us. We will lack in no good thing. We will be the son or daughter who when the Father asks us to do something will do it without hesitation and gladly. We will be the wise ones who built their houses on foundations of the rock of obedience to His word, on rock solid principles of life and leadership. We are the wise ones who kept our inner lamps burning with zeal for His word and sealed by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. We do not rely on our own limited understanding or our own six senses or seventh sense but the wisdom of the Word of the Lord.

The Warrior in Our Midst

UV 3344/10000 The Warrior In Our Midst

The Lord God is in your midst, a Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love (making no mention of your past sins), He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Zephaniah 3 v 17

The sun shines on us uninvited but God shines on us only with invitation and engagement. When we invite Him, He is in our midst. When He is in our midst, victory is certain. When He is in our midst, we have access to His power, wisdom and grace. When He is in our midst, we need not fear any enemy, any disease, any misfortune. When He is in our midst, worship not worry should be our response. When He is in our midst, joy not sorrow or regret should be our mindset. He wars on our behalf. We only need to remain quiet, still, watch and pray. Other warriors fight for pride or territory or some other cause but the Lord is a mighty Warrior who fights for the souls of people, to save us. The presumption is that there is a war going on all the time in the invisible realms for our souls. The enemy wants to take us captive through some dead habit or belief or action but the Lord loves us and redeems us. He rejoices when He wrests victory for us.


Jesus has in His agape or unconditional and absolute love made us more than conquerors for He has overcome or conquered death, defeating the power of sin and curses in our lives. We are more than conquerors as unlike other earthly conquerors who sacrificed their soldiers for their victory, our Commander –in –Chief Himself sacrificed His life for us. Not only that He continues to battle for us. We need not now be afraid of death, defeat, calamity. We can rejoice with the Lord for we are declared victorious even as the enemy is defeated, his head crushed by the heel of Jesus, the Son of man, the Son of God.

Since the greatest battle is already won for us, we need not fear the lesser battles or challenges and struggles of this lifetime. We can continually rejoice in the Lord, again and again for this is a victory whose taste does not fade with time, whose glory lasts forever. Nothing should therefore dampen our spirits or slow down our enthusiasm to enjoy the manifest love of the Lord. The Lord only wants us in return only to muzzle our tongues so that we speak no deceit or evil as with the same tongue we offer praise and thanksgiving to Him. He wants us to commit never to do wrong but to live a righteous life even as He is righteous.

Unshakeable Faith, Irrevocable Peace, Unalterable Love

UV 3343/10000 Unshakeable Faith, Irrevocable Peace, Unalterable Love

“For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, nor will My covenant of peace be shaken,” says the Lord who has compassion on you.

Isaiah 54 v 10


Even the seemingly powerful and mighty of the land can be shaken or their vulnerabilities can be exposed, they can be made to tremble in fear. But those who have an unshakeable faith in Jesus can never be shaken. Our relationship with God, the Father through His Son Jesus, the Prince of Peace cannot be altered, rescinded or ended as long as we hold onto our faith. Circumstances might change for better or worse but our covenant relationship sealed with the blood of Jesus and by the Spirit of God will remain strong and stable. He is the One we turn to at every juncture of our lives. His covenant promises are inviolable and guarantee our peace in this world and for eternity.

We may be tossed about by the storms and tempest of life and its afflictions but His word will comfort us, hold us still like a heavy anchor. He has built the foundations of our lives on precious truths and precious promises that are proven true during such times of afflictions and troubles. The grace of the Lord makes us both stable and able. He gives us relief as well as ultimate victory so that our faith is strengthened even more. His love and kindness is always at hand to support, comfort, fortify, encourage and enable us to overcome. Isaiah refers to precious stones, sapphires, rubies, beryl and precious stones as unshakeable faith, irrevocable peace and unalterable love have a transformative effect on human character and destiny. Our carnal nature susceptible to all types of weaknesses, vulnerabilities and temptations becomes the DNA or Divine Nature of Jesus. We are anointed to excel or shine for Him in this dark world.

Jesus never promised that our lives would be a bed of roses but He warned us of the thorns. He said, “ In this life, you will face many troubles but you shall overcome even as I have overcome.” If we walk in alignment with the will and word of God, we will overcome even as Jesus overcame. When we emerge victorious, we will be as gold refined in fire, diamonds metamorphosed from coal, precious stones burnished from the natural.

Absolute Power that Does Not Corrupt

UV 3342/10000 Absolute Power that Does Not Corrupt
Listen carefully: I have given you authority (that you now possess) to tread on serpents and scorpions, and the ability to exercise authority over all the power of the enemy (satan); and nothing will (in any way) harm you.

Luke 10 v 19


Jesus had sent seventy followers in pairs out into the cities and villages to bear good news of salvation. They were overjoyed to see that even demon possessed people were delivered at their word of command uttered in the name of Jesus. “ Serpents and scorpions are harmful spirits or demons that exploit the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of man. When the 70 followers reported back, Jesus saw the vision of satan falling like a lightning from heaven, meaning that the authority of satan over mankind was broken. He no longer ruled over the world. The word “authority” comes from author. The author of a book has absolute right and power of the characters and content of his book. LIkewise, Jesus, the Author of life has the authority to bless, to heal, to deliver, to command, to rebuke. He not only has the authority or power but He has delegated it to His followers to exercise it in His name.

Jesus revealed the authority of God by commanding spirits and healing all types of diseases and even altering or changing substances like He did by changing water to wine in the marriage at Cana and multiplying bread and fish to feed the multitude. He gave His followers the faith and the authority to exercise such power over the demonic spirits. The authority is like a blank cheque pre-signed by Him for the uni-verse states “ over all the power of the enemy.” He removed the sense of fear and apprehension of His followers that the spirits could harm or retaliate by saying, “ nothing will in any way harm you.” He sought to empower and equip His followers to do greater things than even He did on earth. We too should empower those we lead to do greater things than we could ever do instead of projecting ourselves as unique and non pareil. The sign of a true leader is such confidence that they are not threatened by the growth of their followers. Rather Jesus was overjoyed that their faith and spiritual knowledge had matured enough for them to challenge the deceptive authority and power of satan. Jesus gave His followers the authority to bless those who welcomed them and to withdraw that blessing when they did not. The latter He forewarned would have unpredictable consequences. Hence, one should not mess with someone who can bless us.

Jesus told His followers that the ones who listen to them are listening to Him and the ones who are listening to Him are listening to the Father. In this manner, He connects us with the omnipotent power and enabling grace of God, El Shaddai. We can pronounce blessing in His name and also rebuke in His name. The spirits would flee when we rebuke in the name of Jesus. We are to exercise such authority and the Lord will preserve us from all harm. Even lifeless objects as well as the dead will obey the authority Jesus gives us. Hence, He said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can command a mountain to move.” Faith like a seed does not remain small but keeps growing and we realize we have the authority or power to face bigger and bigger challenges even in the spiritual realm.

Giving God Hundred Per Cent

UV 3341/10000 Giving God Hundred Per Cent

Keep actively watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing but the body is weak

Matthew 26 v 41


The spirit is hundred per cent willing to obey God while the flesh is hundred per cent unwilling to obey Him and His word. Herein, comes the moral and spiritual dichotomy of man from the beginning of time. There is a struggle between our spiritual nature and our physical or carnal nature. It is reflected in the flawed choices we often make in life, the procrastination adversely affecting our work and schedule, the poor lifestyle habits that affect our health and well being, our lack of control of our tongues and temper, sexual temptations and so on. I recently heard of a senior doctor who owing to an alleged seduction by a servant maid when he was barely twelve was under compulsion to continue acts of adultery with medical students leading to his divorce. Though an avowed believer of Christ, it led to the destruction of his moral fibre, his mental peace and overall well being. By consistently deciding in favour of the flesh over a period of time, the spirit gets weakened. Jesus in this uni-verse asks His disciples, then and now, to watch their flesh and pray for strength to overcome the drag and pull of our inner being, towards the world and away from the Lord.

Jesus Himself, being dual in nature- Son of man and Son of God, living fully in the flesh even as He is Spirit Being from eternity, experienced the struggle between His spirit and His flesh but He consistently chose to go the way of the spirit. In this episode, just before the arrest of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus had exhorted His disciples to watch while He prayed. Yet, owing to their physical tiredness, the disciples slept off. Jesus then admonished them and asked them to pray for strength to overcome, to cause the spiritual to overrule the physical. When we pray, the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit will come to our help, strengthen our spirit to overcome the flesh and live in alignment to the will and purpose of God for our lives.

Every day is a battle for the believer in Christ between his inner spiritual being and his physical compulsions. We need to wear a defensive armour of many spiritual elements but we only need to be quiet, still and watch the Holy Spirit in action in our lives. The Holy Spirit is hundred per cent willing and able to help us overcome these compulsions that cause us to live the 3 D life of lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. He can empower, equip and enable us to live the 5 D life of devotion, dedication, determination, diligence and discipline. The 5 D life requires us to surrender the various members of our body and significant parts of our lives to the Holy Spirit. When we yield our otherwise uncontrollable tongues, we become gentlemen and ladies. When we yield our restless sexual organs, we become sanctified vessels. When we yield our invisible egos, we become humble and gentle like Jesus. When we yield our emotions, we become contented and joyful. When we yield our hands, our work is blessed. When we yield our legs, our coming and going are blessed, our feet which are the feet of a messenger become beautiful in His eyes and preserved from stumbling. When we yield our aspirations and plans, He helps us fulfil it.

Learn By Heart

UV 3340/10000 Learn By Heart

Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.

Isaiah 44 v 21

When we make an effort to remember our follies and meditate on God’s word, our struggles with our own nature and with God will cease. When we so remember, the positive patterns of our lives will get established in our hearts and minds and the negative patterns will be erased. As teachers in primary schools used to repeatedly tell us, “Learn by heart.” We will have victory over our impulses and passions that drive us to error and failures. We have been made with the purpose to serve God. We should deem it the highest privilege to serve God for He is a great, kind, loving, forgiving, noble Master. As servants of Almighty God, if we remember His word and apply it constantly and faithfully in our lives, the Lord will also remember us. If we take Him and His word for granted, He too would take us for granted or ignore us.

We should not rely on our own limited experience, knowledge, understanding and wisdom but lean on the Lord heavily and learn from the Word and the continuing life coaching by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit manifested as a dove over Jesus when God was most pleased that Jesus had remembered His word and obeyed the water of baptism at the hands of a servant of God, John the Baptist. The reason for such spiritual symbolism is that Jesus yearned that His followers eagerly learn two of His personal qualities and practice it constantly- humility and gentleness. The dove symbolizes both these qualities of Jesus- humility and gentleness.

We should therefore, not learn by head or by rote but “by heart” the Word of God. WE learn by heart by remembering and practicing the precepts and principles of Jesus. When we do, we get the wages of a servant of God- namely, the blessings of the Tri-Une God. The Lord commits in the uni-verse never to forget or forsake or leave us. The presence of the Lord will be with us, invisible but palpable. We can continually touch Him not just the hem of His robe as the woman with bleeding did and He will continually touch our hearts and make us whole, healing us of the many hurts, remembered and not remembered by us.

Broken Cisterns

339/10000 Broken Cisterns

For My people have committed two evils: They have abandoned (rejected ) Me, The fountain of living water, And they have carved out their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

Jeremiah 1 v 13


People carve out their own customs, traditions and practices after rejecting the Dayspring Jesus. Jesus revealed Himself to be the fountain of living water, water that will quench our thirst or meet our earthly need for refreshment and renewal as well as give us eternal life. The words of Jesus are the living water. We derive the principles of righteous living from the teachings and example of Jesus. Those principles shape our passion and give it a shape and direction. We will not be broken vessels as we once were when we lived in rejection of God.

We go to a fountain to obtain refreshment. Likewise, when we spend time in the presence of the Living God, we are refreshed and renewed. When our minds- our thoughts, emotions, will- are renewed, our spirits soar in joy. The yoke or responsibilities of this world will rest on our shoulders lightly. Since the Fountain is an inexhaustible source like an eternal spring whose water never dries up, we can return whenever we choose to Jesus. He will never send us away empty handed or dissatisfied. We as vessels appointed by Him carry His message of hope and love to our fellow human beings.

Abandoning God and embracing the ways and truths of man is the greatest evil from the perspective of this uni-verse. To follow the precepts and principles of any man, however good and wise is folly for any human’s wisdom and knowledge is bound to be very limited when compared with the infinite knowledge, wisdom and goodness of God. Though it might have the appearance of light and wisdom, it is a form of darkness. When such limited knowledge and wisdom rules over mankind, the result is faulty decisions, flawed relationships, broken lives, broken families, broken hearts and minds. The Apple Corporations symbol of the partial apple is ironically a symbol of such incompleteness, deficiencies, brokenness. There is something missing or broken in every human’s life but when we hand over this brokenness, incompleteness, lack of purpose and fulfilment to the Lord Jesus, He who has healed every type of brokenness from sin to premature death to incurable diseases, will heal us, too. We will no longer be broken vessels that cannot hold the truth, from which goodness leaks and evil creeps in. Jesus will fill us to the brim with vim.

All Seasons" Faith

UV3338/10000 All Seasons’ Faith

And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

Genesis 39 v 3


Our relationship with God is reciprocal. If God is with us, we prosper as Joseph did even through events and times of extreme adversity. If we are with God we learn of His goodness, His grace, His power, His love, His mercy, His wisdom. It is a two way process of learning from the Lord in all situations and being blessed to prosper in a holistic sense. Joseph continued to trust God even when his own brothers out of envy sold him as a slave. Therefore, God did not let him remain a slave. He uplifted him out of slavery step by step. Joseph was patient and waiting for the Lord to act. He did not second guess Him and take the initiative into his own hands. He remained faithful and diligent in every situation He found himself in. The result was that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

If the hand of favour of the Lord is to rest upon us, we should be humble and grateful in all circumstances. Our relationship with the Lord should be sustained in rough weather and not only in good times. He is God in our good times as well as our bad times and we should not be found wanting in our personal commitment to Him in either. Some let their faith slack in good times when they have everything they need. Some crib and blame God in times of difficulties and famine. But we are called to be consistent, not fickle or time servers.

To be faithful in all seasons requires a deep and intimate understanding of the character of God. We should know that He is closest to us in our times of hardship. He tests our hearts with trials and troubles. Are we easily discouraged? Do we complain or murmur like the ancient Israelites despite being witnesses of His awesome deliverance from the captivity of the Egyptians? Just as seasons of heat, rain and cold are needed to grow and ripen a fruit, He uses different seasons of our lives to grow and ripen and perfect our faith, both to deepen and strengthen our reciprocal relationship.

The Net Was Not Torn

UV 3337/10000 The Net Was Not Torn

So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty three of them; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.

John 21 v 11


In our lives, sometimes we get something we desire very much but at the same time, we are not satisfied as there are holes in the net. The different aspects –physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual are inter connected. The spiritual is the invisible thread that connects all the various dimensions and aspects of our lives. But if the spiritual is not strong, true to life, deep and connected to all other aspects, our “nets” are torn and whatever we have caught so far seems to slip through the hole. The other day I heard of an entrepreneur who owned 7000 acres of coffee estate and increased it to 16000 acres and yet was not satisfied and his life ended in tragedy- in suspected suicide. He had everything life could give him in terms of material success but there was a hole in his “net” and he lost all.

When Jesus enters our hearts and lives, He enables us to experience abundance in different dimensions of life but our net will not be torn. The spiritual thread of devotion, dedication, determination, diligence and discipline affects, influences and impacts all areas of our lives. Our focus is not the blessings or the results of our efforts but on the One who so blesses us. The resurrected Jesus who had both tasted and digested death proved that He is the Overcomer. Seven of his (former disciples) who had returned to their profession of fishing had a frustrating experience all night of not being able to catch any fish. They had drawn a naught when the resurrected Jesus whom they could not recognize called out to them to cast the net on the starboard or right side. When they did so, their net was filled with fish to the point of bursting and yet the net did not tear or break. Instantly, the disciples had moved from the economy of “hamartia” or miserable failure to the economy of “hyperbole” or overachieving, the economy of abundance. In our lives, too, the Lord will show us how to change the direction in which we cast our net.

Faith in Jesus is truly a strong net that will not break or tear. It connects all the dots of our lives. Like the internet connects computers and all devices world-wide, our hearts united in faith in Jesus is connected like a net. It is a net that catches and saves souls, gives each a sense of direction as well as salvation or everlasting life. Simple trust in the word of Jesus and immediate, total obedience without hesitation changed the results the seven disciples in the boat experienced. The frustration, misery and sadness they felt was transformed instantly into exhilaration and abundance of joy. Everything we do in life is a casting of the net of faith. We do not know what the end results will be. But we do know the One Overcomer, The Eternal One who knows both our external and our internals. He will help us keep our net from being torn even as we haul in abundance in our lives. Just as Jesus asked the astonished disciples to share some of the fish, we too need to share it with the needy and the hungry.

Eternal Life and the 5 D New Life

UV 3336/10000 Eternal Life and the 5 D Life

Now this is eternal life that they may know You, the only true (supreme and sovereign) God, and in the same manner know Jesus as the Christ whom You have sent.

John 17 v 3


Through history, people have sought eternity or immortality in a variety of ways but Jesus in this uni-verse, part of His communication with the Father in heaven just before His crucifixion, defines what is eternal life and how to obtain it. Eternal life, He says, is knowing God, our Father in a personal and intimate way, knowing that He is the one who authenticates our lives which is otherwise a lie. He makes known His sovereignty, His majesty, His power, His grace and love in sending Jesus, the One anointed, chosen to save all mankind who believe in Him. We are now the restored image of God on earth and whatever we think, feel, do, we should realize we are reflecting His image, His glory, His power, His wisdom and grace on earth like a mirror reflects the rays of light from the sun that falls on it. Just as the computer has an ios or internet operating system, we have an iog in us – the image of God leading, guiding, enabling us to fulfil His purpose in our lives.

Other teachers like Buddha taught about the way- the eight fold path but Jesus became the path, the way of salvation and the way to salvation. HE fills the hole in our heart left by the disbelief of man in His Creator-Father and makes us whole. Disbelief in the true Word of God led to death ruling over the earth. Belief in Jesus as the Word of God restored eternal life. Just as life has some necessities like air, water, food, clothing, shelter, eternal life has some necessities provided by Jesus, the Way. Our food is the Word and this is the reason, John refers to Jesus as the Word became flesh. He gives us the full clothing of salvation. He is our spiritual shelter, our refuge in good times and bad times. Prayer in Jesus’s name is the spiritual equivalent of breathing. Jesus identified Himself with the basic necessities of man like He said, He is the light of the world whereby, He provides us inner light, direction, energy , power. He is the Water of everlasting life for when we drink of His presence, we pass from death to eternal life, from darkness to marvellous light. The old life lived in spiritual darkness had only three dimensions, mainly, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life.

The uni-verse does not speak of the third person of the Trinity- the Holy Spirit but it is implied that once we accept Jesus as the Way to salvation or eternal life, the Spirit of God resides in us and equips, empowers, inspires, sanctifies, guides and leads us. In short, eternal life is a complete package, easy to comprehend and experience. We can now affirm in confidence and faith with St Paul, “ My God shall supply all my need according to His infinite riches.” We no longer have a scarcity mentality. We also reflect the omnipotence of God in terms of omni-competence in another assertion of St Paul- “ I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” With all these internal changes, eternal life is also described as “new life”- we have a change of heart, a change of priorities, a change of attitudes, a change of actions, reactions and habits. The new life is a life pleasing to God, marked by the five dimensions or 5 Ds of Devotion – to God in terms of worship, Dedication to Work, Determination to Goals set, Diligence in learning, studying, understanding His Word, Discipline in habits. Such a Five D life is holistic and good for the spirit, mind and body. Eternal life is not something that starts after our death but it has a "here and now" relevance. It begins now but never ends. It satisfies our desire for love and power now as well as immortality.

The Multi-Fruit Bearing Tree

UV 3335/10000 The Multi-Fruit Bearing Tree

And he will be like a tree firmly planted and fed by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season; Its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers and comes to maturity.

Psalm 1 v 3


A tree does not bear fruit for itself but for other creatures. Likewise, we humans who follow Jesus should be fruit bearing trees. We should abound in all types of fruit. Unlike a tree that can only bear one type of fruit like oranges, apples or bananas, we humans can bear a different type of fruit in different seasons like the trees in John’s Revelation that bear a different fruit every month of the year. We are to be fruitful in our work life, our home life, our creative life, our social life and our emotional life. But above all we should bear spiritual fruit of souls committed to God and the fruit of the spirit- of love with all the attributes described in I Corinthians chapter 13, of faith as described in Hebrews chapter 11, of joy as described in I Thessalonians chapter 5, patience as of Jesus, the Shalom or holistic peace of Jesus, the practical kindness of a Good Samaritan, the goodness of the Lord witnessed in His sacrifice on the cross for all humans, humility, brokenness, contriteness of a Moses, the self control or discipline of the Holy Spirit evidenced in Daniel and Joseph.

There are prerequisites or conditions necessary for a tree to bear fruit. It should be planted in fertile soil. Our souls are the soil of planting the seed by the Holy Spirit. The natural seed of our minds should be joined to the supernatural and spiritual Seed of Jesus who is dual in nature so that we can identify with Him and He with us in all our efforts for Jesus is both Son of Man and Son of God. This joining happens when we are born again in the spirit and make a personal commitment of our lives to Jesus. The seed dies to itself and lives to Christ. The tree on which the serpent hung and tempted the first man and woman was also cursed by God. The source of water from below the ground dried up and the earth produced thorns and thistles. That curse was broken when Jesus hung and died on the cross.

Praying is sowing, learning is ploughing, doing is growing. Once the seed dies to itself and lives to Christ, it begins to grow as we pray, learn the Word of God, practice it with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Then the roots have to penetrate downward and outward and spread till its ends are always dipping in the streams of water or the inspiration of the Lord. The deeper our spiritual roots, the greater the winds and storms we can withstand. The wider they spread, the more nourishment we can draw from the ground. When we live by such faith and not merely by our tangible senses or six senses and our limited human reasoning, we grow not just spiritually but holistically in every dimension of life. All our branches of life- work, family, ministry, social network, our influence and legacy will spread in all directions and bear a variety of fruit that is useful for the rest of humanity. Even the words we speak which is similar to the leaves of a tree will not perish and fall to the ground but flourish in the thing we have spoken about. It will grow in the hearts and minds of the hearers to produce faith, hope and love.