Uni-verse 299/10,000 for better through verse
The power of your God-given teeth
Isa 41:15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
The spiritual nation of Israel comprised of people of all nationalities and individual believers are like a new sharp threshing instrument that by incessant prayer, supplications, intercession and praise and worship will reduce all problems, challenges and difficulties (spiritual, physical, emotional, financial, relational) to a size and dimension that they no longer seem insurmountable. The small and vexatious issues that used to nag us will also disappear. We need to ask ourselves, “ which are our big mountains?” and thresh them into smaller ones. We need to ask “ what are our small problems?” and blow them away with the breath of God.
The exercise of spiritual authority that is vested in every believer is like sharpening the teeth of the instrumentality of our faith. We must rejoice when we set our eyes upon our Goliaths as our level of success is determined by the size of our enemy. The bigger the enemy, the opposing force that God allows in our lives, the bigger our ultimate triumph and testimony. But unlike the slaying of Goliath, our present day Goliaths are not slain in one fell blow but by a process of steady erosion till they become like chaff that the wind blows away.
The process of overcoming implies that we need to focus and stay with the problem, focused as an ironsmith would till the iron smelts in the furnace. We will feel the heat but we will not melt. We are not toothless as Almighty El Shaddai is with us and in us. He will sharpen our teeth against the onslaught of the mighty. He will deliver them into our hands. Finally, we just need to blow on the chaff and it will fly off like sawdust as if it never existed. The two sets of canines that the Lord gives us to bite are the Word of God and the Word of testimony ( of how we applied God’s Word in our lives). Yes indeed, we shall overcome by means of these sharpened teeth.
Prateep V Philip
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Showing posts with label power. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
The softening and hardening of hearts
Uni-verse 296/10,000 For better through verse Romans 9 v 17
The softening and hardening of human hearts are by the will and choice of God
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
God broke into Moses’s life and softened his heart towards Him that He might show His compassion and grace to Moses and the Israelites. God allowed Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened that He might show His power against him and the Egyptians. Today, Pharaoh is a phantom of the pyramids, lost in history on the sanddunes of the desert but Moses continues to inspire and teach all mankind through the Ten Commandments, the core of all laws of all nations. Thereby, God’s name is glorified and proclaimed through all the earth and through all history.
God has compassion on whom He chooses to have compassion. He shows mercy to whom He chooses to show mercy. But, is there a common factor that draws the attention of God to have mercy on some and to harden the others? Moses, it is testified by God Himself in the Bible, was the humblest of men. He did not think he had a special right or qualification to lead the Israelites. He was broken-hearted after all that had happened in his life. Pharaoh on the contrary exalted himself as a god among men. Naturally, God hardened his heart further and gave him a hard time. Moses found favour with God. When we soften our hearts toward God, He augments it. When we harden our hearts towards Him, then too He further augments it.
Our attitudes are the aroma of Christ. If there be in our ‘heartitude’ a trace of spiritual pride or intellectual arrogance or social conceit, it will be a stench in the nostrils of God. We need to daily come before God like Moses did- with a heart of contrition and reverence. Only in this condition is our heart a ready and prepared soil to receive the seed of the Word and the favour of God. His name and His testimony will be declared through all the earth for His praise and glory.
Prateep V Philip
The softening and hardening of human hearts are by the will and choice of God
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
God broke into Moses’s life and softened his heart towards Him that He might show His compassion and grace to Moses and the Israelites. God allowed Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened that He might show His power against him and the Egyptians. Today, Pharaoh is a phantom of the pyramids, lost in history on the sanddunes of the desert but Moses continues to inspire and teach all mankind through the Ten Commandments, the core of all laws of all nations. Thereby, God’s name is glorified and proclaimed through all the earth and through all history.
God has compassion on whom He chooses to have compassion. He shows mercy to whom He chooses to show mercy. But, is there a common factor that draws the attention of God to have mercy on some and to harden the others? Moses, it is testified by God Himself in the Bible, was the humblest of men. He did not think he had a special right or qualification to lead the Israelites. He was broken-hearted after all that had happened in his life. Pharaoh on the contrary exalted himself as a god among men. Naturally, God hardened his heart further and gave him a hard time. Moses found favour with God. When we soften our hearts toward God, He augments it. When we harden our hearts towards Him, then too He further augments it.
Our attitudes are the aroma of Christ. If there be in our ‘heartitude’ a trace of spiritual pride or intellectual arrogance or social conceit, it will be a stench in the nostrils of God. We need to daily come before God like Moses did- with a heart of contrition and reverence. Only in this condition is our heart a ready and prepared soil to receive the seed of the Word and the favour of God. His name and His testimony will be declared through all the earth for His praise and glory.
Prateep V Philip
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
How wisdom and grace endure over power and might
Dan 2:21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding
God is not a time server but time serves Him. He sets the times for the fulfillment of His purpose for each individual, for each nation and for all of humanity. He is a king-maker and a ‘king-breaker’. Time and tide wait for no man but it will wait for God. The sovereignty of God is awesome for those who love Him and fearful for those who ignore or hate Him. He humbles the mighty in all generations. He lifts up the humble.
Those who humble themselves before such a Sovereign Creator-Redeemer-God are the ones who are deemed to be wise. To such as these,He will give increasing wisdom. Wisdom is God’s knowledge and know-how given to those who know Him. Such heavenly wisdom, as opposed to earthly wisdom that makes us proud, deceitful and conceited, will make us peaceful, gentle, assured, merciful, full of the fruits of the Spirit of love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control, and remain ‘untilted’ by partiality and unstained by hypocrisy.
When we go through hard times, we can turn to God and ask Lord, “ Give me some relief as my times are in your sovereign hands. Change my hard times into good times, my bitterness into sweetness.” God turned the widowed and hapless Naomi’s bitterness into sweetness. When we pass through a season of barrenness, spiritually, physically, socially and financially, we can turn to the Lord and ask to turn it into a season of special fruitfulness, prosperity and abundance. When we come up against overwhelming and oppressive power unjustly used against us, we can pray, “ Lord, break this yoke with your greater power. Meanwhile, give me grace to endure till you give me the breakthrough.”
At all times, we can expect, pray and receive greater wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Prateep V Philip
God is not a time server but time serves Him. He sets the times for the fulfillment of His purpose for each individual, for each nation and for all of humanity. He is a king-maker and a ‘king-breaker’. Time and tide wait for no man but it will wait for God. The sovereignty of God is awesome for those who love Him and fearful for those who ignore or hate Him. He humbles the mighty in all generations. He lifts up the humble.
Those who humble themselves before such a Sovereign Creator-Redeemer-God are the ones who are deemed to be wise. To such as these,He will give increasing wisdom. Wisdom is God’s knowledge and know-how given to those who know Him. Such heavenly wisdom, as opposed to earthly wisdom that makes us proud, deceitful and conceited, will make us peaceful, gentle, assured, merciful, full of the fruits of the Spirit of love, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and self control, and remain ‘untilted’ by partiality and unstained by hypocrisy.
When we go through hard times, we can turn to God and ask Lord, “ Give me some relief as my times are in your sovereign hands. Change my hard times into good times, my bitterness into sweetness.” God turned the widowed and hapless Naomi’s bitterness into sweetness. When we pass through a season of barrenness, spiritually, physically, socially and financially, we can turn to the Lord and ask to turn it into a season of special fruitfulness, prosperity and abundance. When we come up against overwhelming and oppressive power unjustly used against us, we can pray, “ Lord, break this yoke with your greater power. Meanwhile, give me grace to endure till you give me the breakthrough.”
At all times, we can expect, pray and receive greater wisdom, knowledge and understanding.
Prateep V Philip
Monday, January 2, 2012
Shine like a candle in the contemporary darkness
Uni-verse 288/10,000 For better through verse Luke 8 v 16
Can you shine like a candle?
Luk 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light
We are each a candle. The Word of God is the match that is used to light it. The Holy Spirit is the one who lights the flame. The difficult situations we face in life are the hard surfaces against which the match is struck to give the spark to light the match. Thank the Lord for the difficult times and challenges in our lives for without these,how will we have a testimony or a “true believe it or not story” to share? Our natural abilities and talents, careers, positions and professions are the candlestick on which the candle is set. We need to be ambitious for God so that the candlestick will project the light more and more. We need to excel in our professions so that the candlestick is stable and strong. We should not however be too taken in by the grandeur of the candlestick, however exalted our position or our achievements. At the end of the day, the candle is the purpose, not the candlestick. Our hearts should melt like wax in the presence of the Lord.
In a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that when we spend less time in prayer and worship, it is like keeping the candle under a bed. When we keep a candle under a bed, not only will the candle not burn brightly owing to deficiency in the oxygen available for it to burn but it could set the bed on fire. Not taking enough time to fellowship with God is akin to setting the course of our life on fire. The Word of God says that those who walk in their own light are tormented and torn. Those who do so are like the candle in the famous Princess Diana memorial song " A candle in the wind." They burn out against the fury of the wind, forces within and without, natural and supernatural, that are too powerful to contain or contend with.
When we keep the candle under a lid or a vessel, it will be extinguished in a short while. We cannot hide our faith or the truth. We cannot camouflage our convictions to compromise with the world. We cannot allow fear , doubt ,disbelief , disappointment or discouragement or sin to put out the flame within us. We need to burn appropriately, consistently and unwaveringly. We need to burn high enough for others to see, long enough to make an impact and brightly enough to dispel the surrounding darkness. When all these conditions are fulfilled, then those who enter the Kingdom of God will see the light. A candle always thinks, “ I can burn”. It is not worried about becoming reduced to a dab of carbon. Similarly, a believer must always think, “ I can shine for God. I can shine forth for His glory and praise with His light, His wisdom, His power and His grace.” Grace empowers and enables and absolute grace enables absolutely.
Prateep V Philip
Can you shine like a candle?
Luk 8:16 No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light
We are each a candle. The Word of God is the match that is used to light it. The Holy Spirit is the one who lights the flame. The difficult situations we face in life are the hard surfaces against which the match is struck to give the spark to light the match. Thank the Lord for the difficult times and challenges in our lives for without these,how will we have a testimony or a “true believe it or not story” to share? Our natural abilities and talents, careers, positions and professions are the candlestick on which the candle is set. We need to be ambitious for God so that the candlestick will project the light more and more. We need to excel in our professions so that the candlestick is stable and strong. We should not however be too taken in by the grandeur of the candlestick, however exalted our position or our achievements. At the end of the day, the candle is the purpose, not the candlestick. Our hearts should melt like wax in the presence of the Lord.
In a time of prayer, the Lord revealed that when we spend less time in prayer and worship, it is like keeping the candle under a bed. When we keep a candle under a bed, not only will the candle not burn brightly owing to deficiency in the oxygen available for it to burn but it could set the bed on fire. Not taking enough time to fellowship with God is akin to setting the course of our life on fire. The Word of God says that those who walk in their own light are tormented and torn. Those who do so are like the candle in the famous Princess Diana memorial song " A candle in the wind." They burn out against the fury of the wind, forces within and without, natural and supernatural, that are too powerful to contain or contend with.
When we keep the candle under a lid or a vessel, it will be extinguished in a short while. We cannot hide our faith or the truth. We cannot camouflage our convictions to compromise with the world. We cannot allow fear , doubt ,disbelief , disappointment or discouragement or sin to put out the flame within us. We need to burn appropriately, consistently and unwaveringly. We need to burn high enough for others to see, long enough to make an impact and brightly enough to dispel the surrounding darkness. When all these conditions are fulfilled, then those who enter the Kingdom of God will see the light. A candle always thinks, “ I can burn”. It is not worried about becoming reduced to a dab of carbon. Similarly, a believer must always think, “ I can shine for God. I can shine forth for His glory and praise with His light, His wisdom, His power and His grace.” Grace empowers and enables and absolute grace enables absolutely.
Prateep V Philip
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