The Joy that Comes From Sincere Sorrow

UV 4307/10000 The Joy that Comes from Sincere Sorrow Blessed are those who mourn (over their sins and repent), for they will be comforted ( when the burden of sin is lifted). Matthew 5 v 4 Each beatitude is related to a specific fruit of the spirit. When we repent and mourn over our personal sin, we are comforted by the Holy Spirit, the Comforter and our spirit of mourning is replaced by one of joy. We feed a great relief as if a big weight has shifted off our shoulders. This uni-verse, then is the one related to the fruit of joy. Though we are saved by faith when we first repented and placed our faith in the saving grace of Jesus Christ, we need to keep practicing mourning daily and from time to time over specific sins as long as we live even as it is necessary to bathe every day in order to maintain our personal hygiene. We are to mourn as that part of us which caused us to sin is to die or to be put to death on the cross. The other beatitudes – to be poor in spirit is related to the fruit of humility. To be gentle is related to the fruit of kindness and patience. To hunger and thirst for righteousness is related to the fruit of goodness. To be merciful is related to love even as God forgave us in His agape love and Christ chose to pay the price for our sin. To be tolerant of insults, persecution and false accusations is also related to this beatitude of mercy. To be pure in heart is a choice or in other words related to the fruit of self control. To pray and work for peace is related to the fruit of peace. Hence, it does not mean that Jesus is asking us to only practice one of the attributes or beatitudes but with the help of the Holy Spirit to manifest all nine. When we give priority to practice all the nine principles that Jesus taught and so manifest all the nine fruit of the spirit, we will be exceedingly joyful. We may not see our rewards and “promised land” on earth but we will see it from afar in heaven and the hope will keep us from being frustrated, from questioning or doubting God, from weakening in our faith. All these attitudes or attributes are useful in responsibly and effectively putting to use each of the nine spiritual gifts- gifts of healing, doing miracles of deliverance, other miracles, speaking in tongues, word of knowledge, word of wisdom, gift of discernment, prophecy, discernment of spirits.

Word's Worth

UV 4306/10000 Word’s Worth But Jesus replied, “ It is written and forever remains written, “ Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4 v 4 Jesus, as the Author of life and of our faith knew and uncovered for all mankind the fundamental principles of life. In this uni-verse, Jesus countered the devil’s tempting words challenging Him to prove His deity by turning stone into bread. Jesus was extremely hungry as He had fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness. The devil was trying to take advantage of a weak moment- a physical weakness due to lack of food for an extended period of time. Moses had likewise fasted for forty days and nights. The long fast was intended to both strengthen Jesus spiritually and to test Him. But Jesus replied to the tempter with the uni-verse. The verse implies that though we live physically and we need food and water to sustain us, what sustains us spiritually is the word of God. Every word from God counts. This is the reason that I have over the past eleven and three fourths of an year meditated, analysed every word in each uni-verse as the Spirit laid it upon my heart. Every word has life-giving, life-sustaining, life-enhancing power like nutritious food has as far as the body and its organs are concerned. Just as food contains even medicine and vitamins needed for the body in its various functions, every word in scripture contains and releases healing to our spirits and minds. Every word is part of the sharp edge of a spiritual sword or part of the strong base of a spiritual shield. The principles of life and of eternal life are contained in the word. We need to believe that every word in scripture is actually the utterance of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, committed to writing by faithful men through the generations. We need to trust that God is able to do unto us as it is written in the word. We need to believe that Jesus is the ultimate word of God incarnated in flesh. It is in Him and through Him that our every inner need is met, satisfied, fulfilled. The hope of the promises of God, the authority of the commands of God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit are released in us as we intake the word. The word is the fuel that lights up our lives. We have an apt word for every situation in life. We need to meditate on each word and phrase and apply it to our lives. The word is the wisdom from above meant for our internal needs and our eternal needs, that is pure, serene, perfect. We need to treasure each word as if it is more valuable than pure gold. We need to taste each word as if it is sweeter and more delicious than wild honey. We need to handle each word carefully as if it is a sharp weapon. We need the help and training of the Holy Spirit to analyse and interpret the word correctly.

Our Primary Identity

UV 4305/10000 Our Primary Identity But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right ( the authority, the privilege) to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in ( adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name. John 1 v 12 We, who believe in the name of Jesus, that He is the Son of God, the Messiah sent by the Father to save all mankind from sin and its consequences, are declared by Jesus as the children of God, born not of flesh but of the Spirit. As children of God, we have many rights, privileges and authority derived from the name of Jesus. Just like the constitution of a country gives its citizens a bill of rights, we have a biblical bill of rights, privileges and powers. We have the right as children to call Him, “Abba, Father”. We have the right to supernatural provision, the right to supernatural protection, the right to being taught by Him, the privilege of talking to Him at any time and for any reason. We have the right to live for eternity. We have the right to every blessing and every promise of God in the name of Jesus, the first born. We have the right to inherit His mantle of leadership and influence in the kingdom of God. Our primary identity is no longer that derived from our earthly parents of nationality, religion, community. Our primary identity is derived from our kinship to Jesus. We, also deem it a privilege to suffer like Jesus in this lifetime. We have the privilege of sharing His divine nature that enables us to endure such suffering. We share in the authority of Jesus over the angels as well as the demons. We have the privilege to experience the truths of the beatitudes taught by Jesus as we reflect those attitudes. We have authority over disease, natural phenomena, the spirit world for Jesus demonstrated such authority. We believe nothing is impossible for us as we are children of God. We have the right to seek the Lord’s help to overcome our inner weaknesses and temptations. We have the right to seek His counsel and comfort at all times and in any affliction. We have the right to seek deliverance from any issue, problem, conflict or affliction. As children of God, we have the right to rule over the political, economic and social structures of this world. We have the authority to command satan and his fallen angels to flee at the mention of the name of Jesus. We have the right to enjoy every good thing or blessing in this world without any sense of guilt. As children of God, we trust in the name of Jesus wholeheartedly, we trust in the word of God as His revealed will, we depend on His grace in every circumstance.

The Arrows of the Lord

UV 4305/10000 The Arrows of the Lord Your arrows are sharp; The people (nations) fall under you; Your arrows pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies. Psalm 45 v 5 God’s word is like a sharp arrow and can penetrate even a stony heart, to turn it into a soft, sensitive one of flesh and blood. The Lord Jesus is the only true king who rules the nations with truth, humility and righteousness. When we bow to Him, acknowledging Him as King of our lives, He sends arrows into the hearts of leaders and people following them in all nations. Our prayers direct the arrows to the hearts of different people in all nations. The mythical Cupid’s arrows pierce hearts of humans to fill them with romantic love while the arrows of the Lord cause people to love God and man with agape or unconditional love. When we allow the Lord to bend and shape our lives and careers, He uses us as His bows to fire His arrows into the hearts of people we relate to. Our responsibility is to surrender to His will and He chooses the targets to be fired at. The enemies of the King refers to satan and his agents, the fallen angels, the demonic spirits that plague mankind. These forces fire the fiery darts of the enemy into the minds of human beings to cause sorrow, loss, death and destruction. The results are the mishaps, tragedies, crimes, wars that result from the negative influence of these nefarious forces on humanity. In contrast, the arrows of the Lord are life-giving, life- changing, empowering, enabling and enhancing. These arrows never miss or fall short of their targets. The word of the Lord which the metaphor of arrows represent has a powerful, transformative effect on us. Instead of resisting it, we should welcome, cherish and relish the word and its influence in our lives. The word penetrates like a sharp arrow the layers of insincerity and hypocrisy that cover our hearts and makes our hearts sensitive to the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It plants the seed of faith, hope and love deep in our hearts that will grow and bear much fruit in all seasons of our lives.

He Carries Us

UV 4304/10000 He Carries Us Even to your old age I am He, and even to your advanced old age I will carry you! Be assured I will carry you and I will save you. Isaiah 46 v 4 God not only cares for us but He carries us. He carried us while we were in our mothers’ wombs, implying that He was involved in forming, shaping and protecting us in the womb. He carried us while we were young and vulnerable. He carried us on His shoulders like a shepherd carries a young lamb. He carries us on His wings like an eagle. He carries us through the storms of life. He carries us when we are old and He carries us even in our advanced old age implying nineties and beyond. When we believe, pray over, claim this uni-verse the promise of living into old age and advanced old age becomes operational in our lives. It is not only an assurance of longevity but of protection all our lives and till the very end and beyond. When we die, He carries our souls to His side in heaven. When we are carried by someone, it is the ultimate care we are receiving. The person carries us has the confidence and the strength to carry us. The Lord is the only one capable of carrying us. He is strong enough to carry an entire nation – Israel on His shoulders. We have total protection when the Lord carries us. We, on our part, need only to carry this seed, the promise, this uni-verse in our hearts and minds all the time. The seed will grow and bear fruit in our lives in a variety of ways so that our faith in the Lord is complete. There is a saying that when we carry the Bible when we are young, the Bible will carry us when we are old. Life is larger than law but the Bible is larger than life. In all the diverse challenges of life, this uni-verse can uphold our faith, strengthen us, encourage us. The assurance we derive from such a portion of scripture fills us with hope and joy. The Lord carries us in all stages of our lives as He loves us more than even our own mother or parents. He is the One who sustains us, who supports us, provides for us, protects us and fights for us. We begin our journey in Him, end it in Him and continue into eternity with Him. We are never alone, never isolated, never abandoned for the Lord surrounds us with His love.

His Way, Our Highway

UV 4303/10000 His Way, Our Highway And I will make all My mountains a roadway, and My highways will be raised. Isaiah 49 v 11 We begin life by being stubborn and thinking, “ My way or the highway!” We change to some extent when we hit some roadblocks. But the Lord promises to make His way our highway. Every path we take becomes a virtual “road to Emmaus” for the Lord accompanies us on whichever road we take. Jesus said, “ I Am the Way!” In other words, Jesus is the way to eternal life, truth, peace, happiness, health, success, holistic prosperity, destiny, fulfilment. So we can walk in Him and walk with Him, too. Further, the Lord promises in this uni-verse to make all our problems a path to help us progress to where He wants to see us in terms of character, faith, testimony, contribution. The word of God is the sledgehammer to break the rocks in our mountains, to level it and flatten it to build the highways of the Lord. The word gives us guidance on what we should do immediately or today ( a lamp unto our feet) as well as in the short, mid-term, long term and in eternity ( a light unto our path). Not only does the Lord build a road or highway for us to traverse through life but shines a light on our pathway. For every problem or mountain we face in our lives, there is a promise or a specific word from the Lord in scripture. Building a roadway through mountains or by clearing mountains is not an easy task. It takes time, effort, discipline, energy, technology and sometimes even explosives and heavy machinery. The Lord will give us explosives from the word to blow up the spiritual strongholds, the barriers that stand in our way. He does not just give us the blueprint for the highway to be constructed but He stands with us as we build the road. The landscape keeps changing in our lives. Sometimes, we are travelling in a desert with no landmarks to guide us. Even in the desert where it is difficult or impossible to lay a good road, the Lord will enable us by His grace. The ways of the Lord are higher, much higher than the ways of man and hence, the highways of the Lord are raised far above the human ability to perceive, imagine or think of. As we engage in road building with the Lord, we will experience, see and hear things that the eye has not seen nor the ear heard or entered even into our very imagination. Every time we confront a mountain or a challenge in our lives, we are moved by the Lord to the next level of faith, hope and love. The purpose of the journey is not to get somewhere but to experience newer and deeper facets of our relationship with our Road Builder- the Lord.

The Daily Need for Self Examination

UV 4302/10000 The Daily Need for Self Examination God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good and He validated it completely. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. Genesis 1 v 31 Even God evaluated what He had made. He examined the results of creation and had it validated. We, too, need to evaluate, examine and validate whatever we do. We need to check the quality of all our efforts in every field. We need to examine everything we do every day of our lives and aim to make improvements, changes in the days that follow. If we have the habit of introspecting and evaluating for some time every evening, it would be a very useful practice. We need to check in what ways have we fallen short of the image of God in our thoughts, words, actions and reactions. Having identified these shortcomings, we need to confess it to the Lord daily, seek His help to overcome it in the future. If there is some area where we need guidance, we can seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Our evaluation needs to be honest and truthful, not hiding anything from the Lord. Under the new covenant, any willful acts, any hidden sins, any unintentional errors can all be confessed and the Lord promises to cleanse us of all unrighteousness and set our record straight. We need not seek our validation for anything we do from any people other than the Lord but we can consider the feedback and constructive suggestions of people whom we trust. Every new day is an opportunity for us to make amends, to make changes for the better. As long as we are examining our lives in the light of the word of God and using it as a plumbline to verify if our lives are being built in alignment with the cornerstone Jesus, we are on the right track. Making ourselves accountable to an inner circle of believers or colleague is another useful way we can get frank and valuable corrections and endorsement as well of our decisions, actions and responses. We should not be emotion-driven, mood-driven, impulse-driven or even reason-driven. We need to be spirit-driven. We need to have clear standards or principles based on the word to evaluate ourselves. We should also check if our actions each day help us advance towards realizing the vision God has given us, the purpose set for us.