360 Degree Peace

UV 1595/10000 360 Degree Peace
And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land.

Leviticus 26 v 6

Today, though the world is lacking in peace and security, the Lord assures His own of complete peace and security such that we will have peace in our homes and a sense of security. No one can make us afraid. He will protect us from violence and evil beasts which is a metaphor for those who are wicked and violent. The peace that God gives us in Christ Jesus is beyond human understanding and comprehension. It cannot be taken away by anyone. He will give us peace-hence, peace comes as a gift from the Lord. He will enable us to sleep peacefully. He protects us from every curse and penalty of sin in the course of our lives on earth and even beyond. He gives us the Redeemer’s peace: the fact that we need a redeemer is an acknowledgement that part of our souls and lives were once pledged or mortgaged to the enemy. We had to be bought back or won back paying a heavy price.

He will give us peace all around- or 360 degree peace. Our hearts will not be troubled by anything in our past, present or future. We will not yield to worry or anxiety but rest all our fears in the Lord knowing that He is both willing and able to deal with every fear, worry or anxiety. When we take responsibility for all aspects of our lives, we are trying to play God. We do not have complete knowledge or ability. If we entrust the matter to the Lord, He will resolve it effectively in His time.

The starting point or genesis of our peace is that Jesus gives us inner peace with God – He reconciles us with Him and hence, our relationship with the Father is the source of our strength, our resources and our solutions to the issues of life. The Father is the God of peace. He makes a covenant of peace with us. He is with us and therefore, wherever we are and in whatever situation, we have peace and security. He preserves us from death and destruction, from disasters and losses. As we have inner peace, it should be reflected in our peace with others around us: we need to do our best to be at peace with all the people we encounter in our lives. "Peace in the land" implies that we will enjoy the fruit of our labour and we will not be overtaken by rude surprises or overcome by shocks. We will be hearers of good news and not bad news. We will be positive minded and enjoy the blessings of the Lord. In order to grasp the value of such 360 degree peace, we just have to visualise the suffering of millions of refugees fleeing from the cauldron of unrest and strife in Syria and Iraq. They have no peace in the land, or peace in their homes or hearts.

Prateep V Philip

Making A Difference

UV 1594/10000 Making a Difference
And of some have compassion, making a difference:
Jude 1 v 22

The evidence of God and the devil is in the good and evil in our lives and in the world. Our consciences are like compasses whose needles are swerving around to keep pointing out both the north- the way of God, the straight, narrow and steep path to heaven as well as downward to the opposite south- the way of the enemy- the smooth, broad, easy way all the way down into the belly of the earth. There is certainly a gravitational pull towards the latter direction but leadership is all about direction- finding the right direction that in the long term will amount to our good, our present and eternal good. When we receive Jesus into our hearts by faith, we also receive a GPS or God’s Positioning System in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are filled with the spirit of compassion and not the spirit of judgement and self righteousness. Like St Paul we need to think of ourselves as the worst of sinners, guilty of every act of violating the absolutely good standards of the Lord but we receive the compassion of God to be declared good and righteous by faith and grace. Having been recipients of compassion, unearned and unmerited, we are now to extend the same hope of compassion to all people in our circles.

Apart from extending compassion to others, we are called to make a difference in this world, in our professions, in our workplace and wherever we are. We are to make conscientious and persistent efforts to improve life around us in small and big ways. We can make a difference by wiping someone’s tears, by comforting or helping someone in distress. The Lord demonstrated and taught us that the purpose of life is not the pursuit of our own happiness but in helping others overcome their sorrows and find hope, our lives are both blessed and a blessing.

The Lord will enable us to make a difference by imparting certain fruit of the spirit in us and by giving us some special gifts of the spirit that will enable us to meet the spiritual and holistic need of the people we are called to lead and serve. A leader is someone who has had something happen in his or her life that made a big difference. Leadership is all about multiplying that experience of advancement, of well being, of breakthrough in the lives of others. We make the greatest difference by bringing hope into the lives of the hopeless, love into the lives of the unloved, care into the lives of the uncared for.

Prateep V Philip

Light and Darkness

UV 1593/10000 Light and Darkness
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Genesis 1 v 5

The day and night are not exactly equal in most places and times around the globe except during the Equinox. The day is usually longer than the night. This is a symbol that though evil and ignorance symbolised by darkness exists in this world, the good predominates. The good outlasts and outweighs the evil. Though the potential for good and evil exists in our lives, the potential for good is greater by far. The rising of the sun at the end of each night and the beginning of each day is a symbol of the unfailing love and hope we have in Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness in whose wings we find healing, salvation and deliverance for our spirits, mind and body. He is therefore called the Daystar, the Bright and Morning Star. The light of the sun overpowers the darkness and likewise, the love of Jesus overpowers death and evil.

The withdrawal of light is darkness – hence, the withdrawal of the love and knowledge of God is darkness or evil. We are called in scripture as “children of light”. We should not have any part of darkness in our lives. We are called by Jesus to be the “ light of the world” as the world is in darkness or in ignorance of the truth and love of God. We are to reflect His light, love and glory in this dark world. We should minimise or eliminate the potential for evil and maximise and explore the potential for good in our lives. We should make manifest or evident the glory of God in and through our lives. Light has an energising function, a warming function, a healing function. Jesus energises us, warms our hearts and heals our entire being. There are certainly some dark hours or nights in our lives. During these times we need to completely rest in the Lord and learn from Him. The purpose of the dark hours is so that we shine more brightly for the Lord in this world.

The Word is light stored in verbal form. The more of the Word we store in our hearts and the more we meditate and apply it in our daily lives, the more enlightened will be the eyes of our understanding. We will have the power to discern and dispel darkness. Wherever we find darkness, we should pray, “ Let there be Jesus here.” Wherever Jesus is there is peace, there is love, there is joy, there is healing and deliverance, there are solutions and answers. Every morning we should dedicate our activities and our schedule to Jesus. He will light up our paths and show us the way we should go as we trust in His guiding light.

Prateep V Philip

Watch Word

UV 1592/10000 Watch Your Watch
Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Matthew 26 v 41

Jesus exhorts us to watch and pray. The context of this uni-verse is that Jesus is full of anguish to the point of death as His hour of trial and crucifixion is about to happen. He asks the disciples to keep vigil while He goes a little away to pray to the Father. On returning thrice, He finds the disciples sleeping. He admonishes them and each time asks them to “watch and pray.” We are expected to watch or be alert and vigilant lest the enemy who is a roaring lion finds us spiritually dormant or sleeping and devours us. We are to be watchful lest we fall into temptation. We are to be watchful for deliverance from evil. We are to be watchful to overcome the weaknesses of our human nature. We are to be watchful to keep the Word and to obey its statutes. To be watchful is to be spiritually awake and aware: we need to be aware of our own weaknesses and stay on guard lest these draw us into snares or temptations. Weakness is a part of our human nature but the Christ nature in us needs to be awakened. The power to overcome comes from God. If we are not watchful and pray, our spirits may be in sync with the Lord but our bodies and minds would be out of sync.

We are also to watch our own lives whether we are being faithful and fruitful. We are to be watchful about how we use time and opportunities. We are to be watchful about the things we see and hear and believe. We are to be spiritual watchmen for the kingdom of God in this world. We are to mount the prayer tower and look out for signs of any movement in the distant horizon. We are to report to the Lord in prayer the things we are burdened about in this world and to convey the concerns and burdens of the Lord to the world. We are to like the spies that Moses set out to study the land of Canaan. We are like the watchmen that Nehemiah appointed to watch as the walls of Jerusalem were being built. We do not know when or where the opposition or attack on us will come. We need to discipline our bodily appetites and watch out against lusts of the flesh, of the eye and pride of life. We need to watch our or be sensitive to the move and touch of the Lord in our lives.
Finally, we are to watch ourselves. The word “WATCH” itself is a watchword to caution and enable us to take a grip of ourselves and walk in the ways of the Lord. We need to look through the lens or the perspective and teachings of the Word at our Words- the words we use to express ourselves should contain the seed of the fruit of the spirit and reflect not hatred, bitterness, anger , sadness and frustration but it should contain love and reflect our joy, peace, patience. Our words need to be kind particularly to those who cannot retaliate owing to their position under us. We need to do acts of goodness with a sincere motive to help people and to bless them and not to show ourselves in good light or for publicity. We need to watch our attitudes: we are to check whether we are faithful and humble before the Lord. We need to watch our actions. Beyond actions and the visible, we are required to watch our thoughts and to take every thought captive to Christ. We need to watch our character whether we are conforming to His godly character. We need to watch our habits- the things we do on a regular basis. We are to examine our Words, Actions/Attitudes, Thoughts, Character and Habits through the templates of the Word of God. As a goldsmith or jeweller examines his gold or precious stones, we need to examine and evaluate as well as take steps to refine or correct our words, actions/attitudes, thoughts, character and habits. We should be careful to always think thoughts that are noble, positive, beautiful, praiseworthy and excellent. We can seek the help or enablement of the Holy Spirit as the most difficult and challenging aspect of life is managing ourselves or managing our words, attitudes, actions, thoughts, character and habits. We should pray asking for the Lord’s help to perfect us in all five aspects of our testimonial life. If we do not watch and pray for our WATCH- our own words and desires could ensnare us. Our negative words give the enemy of our souls a window of opportunity to enter and rule our lives and cause misery and defeat. The grace of God will enable us to overcome the power of dead habit in our lives.
Prateep V Philip

Joy, Motivators and Fulfilment

UV 1591/10000 Joy, Motivators and Fulfilment
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions.

Psalm 20 v 5

This uni-verse has three parts:1. a commitment to rejoice above all that we are saved regardless of circumstance as our chief joy or highest priority and desire is our salvation. 2. An expression of that joy in visible and audible ways even as a banner is held high over one’s head so that all can see. A banner is a motivator, a standard to rally our strength in a battle. Our motivators are all found in the name of the Lord. He is the be all and end all of our existence. 3. The Lord will hear our prayers and grant our desires or meet our need so that our joy shall be full to the brim. The joy of salvation is compared in scripture to the gladness experienced by a farmer on seeing his crops in full bloom or ready for harvest, to the satisfaction of a soldier over the spoils of victory in battle. Salvation is commenced by belief but it goes on to involve sowing, watering, ploughing, fertilizing with nutrients, trimming, deweeding, transplanting, protection from predators and threats and finally, reaping. It does not involve fighting but it does involve taking a stance of faith and warfare in the spiritual realms. The battle is indeed the Lord’s but the victory is ours.


Like David we go forth to battle each day in the name of the Lord. The name of the Lord- be it Jehovah Nisi, Jehovah Jireh, Jehovah Rohi, Jehovah El Shaddai, Jehovah Rapha -is a strong tower, a refuge in times of trouble, a source of hope and help. We are not giants like Goliath who revel in their own strength but GI-ants or God-inspired ants. Like ants we have nothing to revel in on our own- we have neither beauty nor strength nor power on our own. But inspired by the spirit of God and His Word, powered by prayer, we are valiant soldiers like Gideon. We do not crush the barley in the winepress but we squeeze the Word in our minds to extract every drop of meaning, every source of blessing and strength or grace. We have set up a variety of banners around us- the banner of love- of relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the banner of victory in all our personal battles. We set up the banner of joy- the joy of eternal life, the banner of blessings, the banner of wisdom, the banner of grace. These banners are emblems of what we stand for just as flags represent nations.


Faith is a two way agreement or relationship or commitment between God and man where our affirmation and confession of faith in the Lord is met by His confirmation, anointing and proclamation. Our petitions or prayers for our daily need are fulfilled by the Lord according to His spiritual riches in Christ Jesus. In the name of Christ, we are anointed and have access to every spiritual blessing of the heavenly realms. We find fulfilment of our need, our hope and our expectations in Jesus.

Prateep V Philip

The Stillness Strategy

UV 1590/10000 The Stillness Strategy of Spiritual Warfare
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.
Exodus 14 v 13
The Egyptians are a metaphor for the superpower or powers that threaten our freedom and security today, who held us in bondage in the past, who suppressed us and prevented us from reaching our full potential as human beings and as children of God. The uni-verse exhorts us not to fear such as these for just as the ancient Israelites never saw Pharaoh and their former slave masters ever again, we will leave them behind as a remnant of our past. Moses tells the Israelites to hold their tongues and not to confess or give expression to their fears, to stand still and perceive the amazing way in which the Lord God would save them.
The Lord expects us to hand over our greatest fears or apprehensions to Him in prayer and to await an amazing answer. Terrorism and violence are the ancient weapons of the weak while prayer and faith are the powerful weapons of the strong. Terrorism and violence leaves their victims stronger in faith and courage while it drains the strength and power of the perpetrator. Pharaoh and his commander thought that the Israelites would be trapped by the topography of the place they were camping and would have no escape route. At times we might seem overwhelmed and trapped in our circumstances. As we look up to the Lord for salvation, He will show us the way of escape that we will be able to endure and overcome it. The Lord desires that we do not attempt to even defend ourselves but to surrender or commit our protection to His able hands. Standing still does not mean that we freeze or get paralysed with fear. The Lord asked Moses, “ Why are you crying to me? Move forward and use over your staff over the water of the Red Sea.” We are to move in the direction we are led by the Spirit of God. We are to use the all powerful weapons of the Word and prayer as our defence and shield. To yield to the Lord is our best shield and it also increases our yield.
We should hope and quietly wait for the Lord to reveal His plan of salvation as He did with the Israelites in piloting them with an angel and guarding them with a thick cloud at their rear so that the Egyptians could neither see nor approach them in their powerful chariots. When they reached the Red Sea, as Moses lifted his staff over the water, the Lord send a powerful east wind to make the waters part and stand as a wall on either side as they crossed. Likewise in this day and time, the Lord will show us the path and direction we should take as we stand still and lean on Him. This reminds us of the hedgehog who rolls into a still and impenetrable ball anytime and every time a fox attacks it.
The Lord allowed Pharaoh to chase the Israelites and hardened his heart so that His name would be honoured, so that the Israelites’ faith would be strengthened, Moses’ leadership would be vindicated. The strategy of faith is passivity of physical retaliation or action accompanied by intensity and dynamism of the spirit of God in us. Moses and the Israelites under his leadership did not panic at the sight of the dust of the horses’ hooves pursuing them. They calmly moved forward trusting in the deliverance of the Lord with a mighty hand. The result was that they were given safe passage through the sea while the same waters that stood still as walls when they crossed came down crashing and drowned the chariots of Pharaoh. This taught the Israelites that the battle is the Lord’s. We too should realize that the battle is the Lord’s. We only need to calmly do all that lies with us in the natural and in terms of our responsibilities and move forward. We shall see the awesome salvation and deliverance of the Lord but those who oppress us, we shall see no more.
Prateep V Philip

First Love

UV 1589/10000 First Love
Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame
Song of Solomon 8 v 6
When we pair our wounded hearts with the heart of the Lord, we will experience repair and healing of our hearts. Death silences but love hurts. The love of God for mankind whom He created in His own image and the possibility of attaining the infinite is as powerful as death. The Lord has sealed our hearts and our bodies with His own spirit, the Holy Spirit and in so declaring our bodies as His temples, our minds as His pathways and our hearts as His throne room and sanctum sanctorum. We do not have to go on pilgrimage to search or find Him but every morning, every day and night and at all times, we just have to delve deep into our own hearts to find the love of our lives. The human heart thirsts for God as the parched throat thirsts for water, as a baby hungers for milk, as dry ground cries for rain, as a desert traveller longs for the sight of an oasis. Nothing less than God, nothing other than the living God can satisfy this hunger and thirst. In Him, we live and move and exist. In Him we thrive. In Him we find fulfilment and strength. He is Lord as His love enables us to rise from death.
When we are not zealous for God, He is jealous. It is the love of a person for his or her beloved. The beloved cannot be shared with anyone else. “The beloved is mine and I am His and His banner over me is love.” “ His banner over me- this implies what the Lord declares in His Word regarding His own: His banner over us is victory, health, deliverance, justice, mercy, peace and grace. We are His first love and He wants to be our first love- our highest passion, our greatest desire. He won our love by first demonstrating His love by sending His beloved and most precious Son Jesus to embrace death on our behalf. The highest evidence of love is to die for another. He died on the cross to cancel the power of anything that separates us from God, anything that distances us from Him, anything that negatively affects our relationship with Him.

A seal is a sign or symbol of authentication or authority, of testament of covenant. We are sealed as a sign of consecration or dedication. Only documents or articles of highest value or significance are sealed. Once sealed, it cannot be broken except by the authorised person or a higher authority. Our hearts are sealed – our inner being is consecrated and dedicated to our first love. His love enables us to live and to live well and fully. The love relationship with the Lord cannot be broken. It is everlasting and endures past all times, seasons and situations. His love enables us to overcome death and the power of the grave. Our hands are sealed- it implies that just as our being is dedicated and blessed, our doing is dedicated and blessed. Naturally, our “having” will also be blessed. The uni-verse clearly states that love, death, jealousy are not lukewarm or half-hearted but have the intensity of fire. Love, death and jealousy are high energy forces. But love manifests as the fire of the “burning bush” on Mount Sinai- it burns within us without destroying or consuming us. The agape love of God has the power of negating death or declaring it null and void. Righteous jealousy is what sets the boundaries of love and protects it. Love is the highest creative energy and is never destructive. We can demonstrate our love in our being, doing and having. For instance, giving is a way of demonstrating our love in “having”. We love God for what we know of Him. We trust Him for what we do not know. Our faith enables us to prove that love is more powerful than death. In all that we are, do and have, we need to fan our faith and love into full flame.

Prateep V Philip