The X Factor

UV 1661/10000 The X Factor
For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased.

Proverbs 9 v 11

This uni-verse holds the secret of longevity as well as productivity. Without Jesus we are zero, with Him, we are hero. He multiplies the days and fills our right hand with length of days and our left hand with riches and honour. By Him, days which would otherwise have been filled with misery, trouble and weakness are filled with peace and grace. Though we live finite lives with measurable strength and limited knowledge and ability, He will enable us to experience the infinite riches of His wisdom and knowledge. He adds life to our years and years to our lives. He knows the number of the days we will live even as He knows the number of our hair. Before a day begins, He knows the direction it will take and how it will finish. The Lord renews our youth and strength as we grow older and thereby, increases our years. Faith enables us to be productive and useful well into old age. When our ears are inclined to hear His Word and our minds are devoted to meditating on it and our hearts on treasuring it, our years will be extended. We will flourish while others will perish. Other rulers through history divided their subjects and ruled but Jesus alone multiplies us, our blessings and our influence as well as impact.
The number of people on earth today is 6,775,35,842 including you and me in the last digit. If you calculate this number as a ratio of the 300 sextillion stars in the universe, it is a decimal of insignificant value. Yet, you and I are more significant than all the stars put together. We rule the stars and not vice versa. We derive our significance from our relationship with our Father and Creator through our Redeemer Jesus. We number our days as we are excited to see Him in all His glory face to face without the veil of our fleshly life and its limitations. Yet we desire to life a life that is long and full so that we do our utmost for Him in this earthly sojourn. Like St Paul, we believe that to live is Christ, to die is gain. We do not cling onto this life and the things of this world but we cling onto the Lord.
The Lord gives us wisdom, knowledge and understanding in abundance to make our days productive and our lives fruitful. The so called secular literature does not factor in the X factor of the grace of God in making our lives productive and impactful. A person without faith is like a bird without feathers. It is feathers that define a bird as a bird and enable it to fly. Similarly, it is faith in the invisible but ever present God that enables us to sprout feathers and equips us to take wing in prayer and the Word every day of our lives. Without faith, we will be vulnerable as new born birds that quiver in the heat and cold of the day. Without faith, we will be like the well dressed broiler chicken ready for the enemy to make a good meal of us. He uses us whether we are many or few. Faith, imagination and creativity are a winning combination that will unlock many doors for us. Jesus is the X Factor or the Factor which when multiplied into us can cause one to overcome or put to flight a thousand and two to put ten thousand to flight. Of Him, by Him, with Him, for Him, our days are multiplied, and our years are increased.
Prateep V Philip

The Universal Password and the Eternal Passport

UV 1660/10000 The Universal Password and the Eternal Passport
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Joel 2 v 32
Password security is a common challenge facing almost all of humanity today. We struggle to remember all the passwords we have for all our online accounts but we can so easily remember our password to heaven: the name of Jesus. The name of Jesus is not only our universal password but our passport to heaven. The password Jesus is not kept secret unlike our other passwords but can be made known to all. Our passports issued by the governments of the earth have an expiry date but the name of Jesus is our eternal passport. It works on all the portals of earth and heaven. Whenever we call on this name, the ears of the Lord is open to our prayers. The word, “whoever” implies that it is available for anyone anywhere anytime. We have the certain promise that He will certainly deliver us. Mount Zion is a metaphor for the kingdom of God and Jerusalem is a metaphor for His kingdom on earth. He delivers us from the mouth of the roaring lion, the enemy of our souls.
Some people think that the expression, “ this too shall pass away” is the most reassuring words in language but this uni-verse asserts things in the affirmative, “ It shall come to pass.” Our prayers, dreams and wishes shall come to pass. Our hope shall be fulfilled. The Lord delivers us from eternal death as well as untimely death in this world. He delivers us from the curse of unfulfilled potential. He delivers us from our weaknesses and moral failings. He delivers us from shame and disgrace. He delivers us from those who are much stronger and powerful than us. He delivers us from temptations and troubles. He delivers us from persecution and oppression. He delivers us from all our fears and curses. He delivers us according to His promises. He delivers us from spiritual bondages. He delivers us from Jezebel spirits.

The remnant refers to believers who are called to faith by the Lord. People who do not have faith are like birds that have no feather. They are exposed and vulnerable. They cannot fly on the wings of prayer and the Word. They cannot be spiritually buoyant. The remnant or the residue of humanity that the Lord has separated on account of their faith in Jesus call on the name of the Lord. The word “calling” does not merely mean verbally or orally calling out but it means believing in the heart and confessing faith in Jesus with the mouth.
Prateep V Philip

God Governance

UV 1659/10000 God Governance
Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Isaiah 48 v 17

When we live our lives according to the principles taught to us from the Word, we are greatly benefitted and blessed. The Lord counsels us on the specific paths we should take. We will find rest for our souls or peace in taking these paths without swerving to the right or left. This uni-verse teaches us that the Lord is our Redeemer, The Holy God of Israel, Our God, Teacher and Leader. As the Holy God of Israel, He revealed His character and His doings in the lives of scores of individuals. In the course of our lives, we experience the interface and learning that each of these biblical personalities had in their relationships and encounters with God.

The Lord is not teaching us to harm us but to help us improve, change, grow and prosper. It is for our good that He disciplines us as parents discipline the children they love. God proved to Israel that He was their Leader. He led them from slavery to freedom, from defeat and oppression to a succession of victories and triumphs. He multiplied them. He blessed their land. Through the history of the Jewish people, the Lord was demonstrating to all people that He could lead them in the same way if we leant on Him.

Our only true leader is the Lord Himself. When Israel asked for kings like other nations, the Lord was disappointed and tried to dissuade them through the prophet Samuel. The Lord told them that they would be exploited and oppressed by human leaders or kings. Human leadership right through history had its feet of clay that brought it crumbling down in due course. Ignorance, pride and arrogance, depravity, avarice, selfishness and folly are the results of the blindness of human leaders. Human leaders are not a substitute for the leadership of God. Good governance is not a substitute for God governance. Even men like Moses and Joshua were used by God to carry out His instructions. By themselves they were blind like the rest of us but once we follow the instructions of the One who knows all things about us, about the future, about our needs and desires, about the hindrances and obstacles, we will know the way we should go, the things we should do and say.

Prateep V Philip

Factors of Spiritual Productivity

UV 1658/10000 Factors of Spiritual Productivity
And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
Daniel 10 v 19
When we have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, we will be surrounded by peace and filled with strength. A Christophany or the appearance of Jesus before His birth on earth came to strengthen the civil servant Daniel. Daniel was initially overawed and fell on his face to the ground but Jesus affirmed His love for him and exhorted him not to fear. Christ chose to appear before him as he had humbled himself before God. He persisted in seeking the face and will of God. Though he occupied high position in the Babylonian empire as a seniormost civil servant, he humbled himself before God to regard himself as first and foremost a servant, by grace, of God. Jesus spoke the words that He often used during His spell on earth, “ Peace be unto thee.” He then reiterated the words, “ be strong.” Likewise, when we walk close to the Lord, He will appear to strengthen us greatly.

Peace comes from an assurance that the Lord God loves us and cares for us. Nothing in this world can harm or touch us. Our faith in Jesus drives away every type of fear. Fear is paralysing and disempowering while faith is enabling and empowering. He fills us with peace and with the power of His might. The words of Christ are the source of our peace and strength.
While the young Samuel heard the voice of the Lord and said, “ Speak Lord for thy servant hears,” Daniel on hearing the words of Jesus said, “ Speak Lord for thy servant has been strengthened.” Whatever task the Lord gives us or whatever vision we see, the Lord will strengthen us in our souls to fulfil. He enabled Daniel to understand the great visions of the future of Israel and the world. The wise will understand the words of Jesus and shine as bright and strong as stars forever. From this uni-verse we understand that love is the greatest attribute followed by humility, grace, peace, strength, wisdom and understanding. These are the factors of spiritual production just as the factors of production is Economics are :land, labour, capital and enterprise. The source of these factors of spiritual productivity is the Word.

Prateep V Philip

Paradigm Sift

UV 1657/10000 Paradigm Sift
For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.
Amos 9 v 9
Every few years, mankind comes up with a new cliché or expression that almost everyone in the know of things or in leadership and management positions use frequently. One such expression is “ paradigm shift”. But in reality, we see very little change happening in human behaviour or in the impact on lives and destiny of individuals, organisations and nations. More than paradigm shift what we need is a "paradigm sift" where we sift and sort out our default patterns, interrupt and disrupt the normal patterns of our beliefs, values, thoughts, speech, actions and reactions. The default patterns that are a result of our human conditioning are the chaff that need to be separated from the grain. The grain are the faithful people while scripture constantly refers to the godless and faithless as the chaff that the wind blows away. The Lord uses our life’s circumstance and event to sift us, to separate the chaff from the grain. What we need is not a paradigm shift but a paradigm sift where we choose patterns of life that are God-pleasing and faith-building.

While the Lord uses circumstances and events to sift the patterns of those who live in ignorance of the principle of faith, He uses the Word as a sieve to sift our patterns of belief, work and living. The purpose of sifting is to separate what is useful from an eternal perspective from what is not useful. We should constantly examine our patterns of belief, expression, thought, action and reaction so that we more and more conform to the patterns of the Word and not those of the world. We need to constantly eliminate from our lives the negatives. We need to put ourselves on an “elimination diet” of removing anger, hatred, jealousy, bitterness, depression, laziness, lust, pride and insensitivity from our lives. The Holy Spirit will continually highlight the areas where we need to focus.

Sifting of patterns is needed to make us more effective and productive or fruitful. The Lord sifts His people before He deals with others. The more we yield to the Lord and His Word, the greater our yield. The more we are yielded to Him and willing to learn and change, the higher our yield or fruitfulness. The seed or grain that was planted in good soil of an obedient and willing heart produced a hundred fold. The chaff has no nutritive value. Similarly, we need to avoid or reduce activities that are of no value and correspondingly increase those that add value to our lives and that of other. There are different kinds of sieve depending on the type and size of the grain as well as the chaff. Similarly, we need to use different types of biblical leadership, management and life tools and skills to separate the different grades of grain- the most useful, the useful, the least useful. The Lord will command or direct and lead us to choose the appropriate sieve to sift our patterns.

Prateep V Philip

Sharing the Awe

UV 1656/10000 Sharing the Awe

Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, which thou hast purchased
Exodus 15 v 16
We are redeemed from those who are stronger than us in the natural. Their hearts are stony towards the Lord while our hearts are responsive and sensitive to the move of the Lord and to His Word. The Lord will deliver us from powerful foes, forces and enemies by the power of His right arm. He has bought or purchased us by the blood of His Son Jesus. He has called us from darkness to light to declare His greatness and His praises for the great things He has wrought in our lives. The heart of the enemy of our souls will become as dead and inert as stone. Though we once belonged to the enemy as we had mortgaged our souls for temporary gain or pleasure, we now belong entirely to the Lord. The awesome God makes us also share in His awesomeness.

We will pass over from death to life eternal, from the scarce life to the abundant life, from a scarcity mentality to a mentality of abundance. We will move from bondage of Egypt to the freedom of Israel. Our testimonies will drive a sense of awe and foreboding into the hearts of those who oppose us. He will make us formidable. We are a kingdom of priests, a peculiar people different from all the people on the earth. We are distinguished by our faith and the presence and power of the Lord manifest in our lives. We are a royal priesthood, holy and dear to the Lord. The Lord has transformed us who were mere stones into precious stones, a treasure that is collected.

The Lord will execute marvels, signs and wonders in our lives. In response to the work and word of the Lord, we should be a people who are zealous for good works. The Lord has purchased us at a great price and we should understand that our salvation is so great and not take it for granted or take it lightly. Whatever be our goals in our lives, the Lord will create a safe passage for us to reach those goals, clearing the opposition, the hurdles and barriers in our paths. When we are continually overshadowed by the Spirit of the Lord, we are protected, delivered, promoted, provided for and we are sanctified and enabled to be creative and productive in every aspect of our lives.

Prateep V Philip

The Secrets

UV 1655/10000 The Secrets
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Deuteronomy 29 v 29

The secrets of wisdom and knowledge, true wealth and power, true beauty, true joy and of the future are hidden in the Lord. It is revealed to us in and through the Word. The Word, Jesus who came in flesh and blood communicates to us the secrets of heaven and the after life. The world does not change by revolution but by revelation. The secrets of the Word are the heritage of the children of God and after us our children, too will inherit the promises and be subject to the discipline of the truths of the Word. Everything is not revealed to everyone. The Lord knows what secret to reveal to whom. The one to whom it is revealed has to cherish and use it diligently and not neglect it in any way. The secrets of the Lord are not like that of the Pandora’s box that destroys but are life-giving, life-enabling and life-enriching.

The secrets are revealed to us not just to know and cherish but to follow, obey and practice in our lives. The Word will counsel us in the decisions we take. It should shape and determine the priorities of our lives. It should influence our actions and reactions. It enriches our understanding and rules over our relationships. We must strive to do all that the Lord lays on our hearts. We need to be wholehearted in our obedience to the Word. We cannot be selective in our obedience of the Lord’s Word.
The Word should saturate our minds and dominate our conversations. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to reveal the truths hidden in the Word. These truths instead of restricting our freedom as many of us fear sets us free from all our fears and all that shackles us and keeps us from realizing our full potential in Christ. The Word is like a sponge that is filled and dripping with the anointing of the Lord. The secret is not revealed at one shot but secreted drop by drop in our minds and hearts. As we soak in it, we receive the enablement and become privy to the secrets of the Lord, the secrets of the heart, the secrets of the universe, the secrets of the mind, the secrets of leadership, the secrets of good relationships, the secrets of blessing, the secrets of healing and deliverance, the secrets of success and prosperity. He uses the Word as the secret key to unlock the treasures of darkness. A treasure kept in darkness is a deep secret. It is not known to anyone. It is mystical and mysterious. It is the domain expertise that belongs to the Lord and those to whom He reveals it.

Prateep V Philip