It was a Sunday morning in Tuticorin. My sister came to pick me up from the railway station to her home. I was curiously seeing the new improvements the city has seen in its infrastructure over the years. It was well and good. But what attracted me most was that I saw families going to church together early in the day, by 5 in the morning. God has blessed the district with godly people who have the heart to seek the Lord. I was so glad to witness it. The coming few days were hot indeed, but the atmosphere was clear with the presence of God. I simply loved hearing the chiming of the church bells from the beautiful church that is near to my sister's house. The sermons were loud, and I loved hearing them every day. Songs were played for ten minutes or more every evening. Oh, how I miss such beauty in the places I have lived. I was touched to see one of the grocery shops having a New Testament book tray along with the trays of vegetables. The shopkeeper must have understood that the Bible is the only nourishing food for the soul. It was a new normal to me to see Christians living as themselves with freedom there, as in many parts of Tamil Nadu, sadly, it is not possible. All this summed up to bring the verse in the Psalm to my mind. Psalm 53:2 says, “God looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God.” When this picture of Tuticorin brings joy to my mind, then won't it bring joy to God's heart? One of the highly rewarding characteristics we can have in us is the heart that searches for God. Our body signals and asks for food when it's tired. Our soul requires only one thing. It is the fellowship we can have with our God. Do we have the thirst for Him? Can we live with a thirst for water by ignoring it? No way, right? Then how can we think it is normal when we live without searching for God, the lover of our soul? Never ignore the loneliness that peeps out when you are distant from the presence of the Lord. As Joshua Yestove Annan said in his message recently, the secret to a victorious Christian life is not fighting against the world. But it is in covering yourself with the presence of the Lord. Worship the Lord and let your spirit enjoy the presence of the Lord. Immerse yourself in the Word of the Lord. Even if you read two chapters, read them with your full heart. May the Holy Spirit talk to you and lead you. Hold on to the verse that the Lord searches for you when you have the thirst for the Lord. You might think you are searching for the Lord, but the Lord is also searching for people who seek Him. Psalm 145:18 says, “The LORD remains near to all who call out to him, to everyone who calls out to him sincerely.” Seek Him, my friend. May the Lord find you seeking Him, thirsting for Him. Nothing in this world is more rewarding than His presence. Cut the world in you. Spit it out. We can't serve the world. We need to detach ourselves from the world and should attach ourselves to the Lord. Dear God, you are a God who consecrates us, you are a God who strengthens us, you are a God who seeks us and is joyful over us. Give us the grace to live out loud for You, Lord. Let no trace of compromise be found in us. Let no trace of the world be seen in us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

One of the most important things a person expects in a relationship is understanding. That gives one a feeling of security. I was thinking a lot throughout the day about a particular thing in my life, and I was wondering whether God knows about it. I wanted to quit the thought, but it was not easy to do so. I wanted to seek help from my mentor regarding the same. Surprisingly, I got an invite to join a session of prayer with my mentor. Never expected how glorious it could turn out to be. Throughout, I often controlled my tears, as God was talking through the time of the message. I completely felt He understood me and what I was going through. The meditation was about Peter's encounter with Jesus. The incident can be found in Luke chapter 5. It goes like this: many people crowded around Jesus, and Jesus wanted to use the empty boat of Peter to preach to the crowd. Isn't it wonderful that Jesus can identify Peter's empty boat in the middle of the crowd? Verse 2 says, “He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets.” The key word is, “He saw.” How lovely that Jesus sees that which is empty, that which is a failure. The boat is the symbol of a failure, as Peter and others couldn't catch fish, and it remained empty. Many times, when we are empty, we wonder and think about various solutions to fill the emptiness. But here, Peter let Jesus into his empty boat, and what happens next is undeniably significant. Jesus used the empty boat as His pulpit. Peter might have thought nothing good was going to come out of his empty boat on that day. But God chose his empty boat to be used for His work. When we let Jesus in, He can use even our failure to bless others. Next, Jesus wanted him to push the boat offshore. This is to help Peter to emotionally distance himself from his past failure, from the emptiness, from the hopelessness. Then Jesus gives him a fishing instruction which sounds not so great to the fisherman. But Peter obeyed blindly. And the blind obedience resulted in an abundance of fish overflowing Peter's boat. The abundance overwhelmed Peter. Now he is no more worried about the emptiness or the abundance of his boat. But he is fully into Jesus. He couldn't think of anything apart from Him. He knew He is better than anything, any abundance that our life can offer. Hey friend, when we are struggling with anything, we just need to let Jesus in our boat. It is not just to experience the fullness of the abundance, but it is just to understand that we need nothing but Him. Dear God, thank You for touching our lives, thank You for seeing our emptiness, thank You for coming into our boat. Fill our hearts with Your presence, dear Jesus. May we be filled enough that nothing makes us worried or hopeless. May we know all we need is You. Love You, dear Lord. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Psalm 121 1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. Psalm 121 is one of the Psalms we will teach children, along with Psalm 23 and Psalm 91, because this Psalm carries the truths that we need to hold on to. It insists us to go to the Lord when we need help, as for sure, our help is in Him. He is our Father who is our Keeper. He is not a brother who asks, “Am I his keeper?” He is our Brother who protects us all throughout the day, 24/7. Verse 3 says He will not suffer thy foot to be moved. It was in my college days and my friend Angela was walking with me. We were happily walking and talking. But I stumbled upon a stone and lost balance for a second and went straight to hit a tiny sharp rocky thing that was near us, but I stopped intact, away from hitting the stone. My friend Angela said, it is like an angel holding you suddenly and you stopped. How true the Lord is protecting us. How true when the Bible says He protects our steps and our foot. The most beautiful thing about the verse 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep is when it says He neither sleeps nor slumbers. I remember an incident about my neighbour, a young lady who wanted the prayers of my parents when she felt like something was bothering her safety. When my mom and dad went, she never allowed sleep to come to her eyes, believing that she was protecting everybody like that. But when my parents prayed over her, she slept like a baby. Yes, we humans can't protect the people we love by staying awake. But the Lord can do that. He never fails for a minute to keep us safe in His arms. He is our watchful Shepherd who holds us close to His heart. The verse 5 pushes us one more step closer to Him when it says He is our shade. Our shadow can never leave us. This verse gives us the assurance that, as our Protector on our right side, like a right hand which acts instinctively when an attacker comes against us, the Lord is with us and can never leave us, but stays one with us like a shade. Though the shade and shadow are different in modern days, they were used to show that the Lord's presence will be with us every minute of the day. Then the Psalmist says neither moon nor sun will hurt us. The Psalm is a “Song of Ascents,” sung by pilgrims travelling to Jerusalem. Travel in the ancient Near East involved real physical dangers from the extreme climate, so the verse assures God's constant protection day and night. Simply put, in every season of our life, we are protected by the Lord of the armies. All of us on earth know that both good and evil exist out there. One of my friends whom I met recently, who is not a believer, said that for sure good and evil exist. And the Bible says, “The Lord shall preserve us from all evil. He shall preserve our soul.” The Lord guarantees protection not only for our bodies but for our souls. What more do we need? Since this is written for the pilgrimage, it again stresses the Lord's protection for the journey. “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.” Thus, the Lord's protection is immediate, ever-present. It is there all through the day, and it extends in every season and forever. Hey friend, when our mind frets about anything around us, we need to remember that the Lord, the mighty God of armies, is with us. He protects us. He is our Keeper. Nothing will fall apart when He is our Keeper. Dear God, thank You for being our Keeper. You are our shade, Lord. You are with us through the sun and the moon, Lord. You stand against the evil that comes against us, Lord. You keep our feet steady. You keep our hearts steady. You preserve our mind, body, and soul. Cover us, Lord. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

We might have heard people saying, “I was so happy when I was saved. The first love was great.” Then what changed? What brings the distance between us and the Father? I would say it is misunderstanding. In the beginning, we would have been like, “Life is all about God, and overcoming anything that separates us from Him sounds like nothing.” Then life brought us more challenges, painful events, separations, loss, etc. Those were the times when Satan tries to have strongholds in our minds. Lana Savchuck, in her interview, said the devil strikes us hard when we are at low points in life, when we are emotionally vulnerable. He brings all sorts of accusations against God into our minds. And it develops into a thinking pattern over time. In the natural world, this is how we keep ourselves detached from someone: by adding all accusations against them in our minds. The same goes for spiritual attacks. A.W. Tozer, in his book The Root of the Righteous, says, “Nothing twists and deforms the soul more than a low or unworthy conception of God.” As we give space to the words of the devil in our minds against God, which say, “All went wrong because of God,” or, “All went wrong because you are unworthy of His love,” we are drenched in guilt and push ourselves away from the God whom we think of as so pure, so holy, so unreachable, too hard to please, etc. But Tozer says, God is someone who is easy to live with. Who tried to work hard with their own understanding of God to please Him? It was the Pharisees. How were they? They were bitter. They thought themselves superior to others. They were interested in finding faults in the spiritual life of others. The other one is, surprisingly, the elder brother in the prodigal son's story. He was not able to understand that the Father's love for him was still the same when He welcomed the prodigal brother into the home. May we Christians, children of God, never get tangled in any of these things that separate us from God. May we never allow the devil to play anything negative against God or ourselves. May we clearly know that the battle is not between us and God. The battle is against the evil one. What will free us, then? Renewing our minds by covering ourselves with God's truth. Long for God's Word as the child longs to have milk. “As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.” I Peter 2:2 Tozer says, “Progress in Christian life is exactly equal to the growing knowledge we gain of the triune God in personal experience. And such experience requires a whole life devoted to it, plenty of time spent at the holy task of cultivating God.” I have personally witnessed the same in my Dad's life. He provided well and enough for his family. He worked very hard, used every opportunity, used all his skills, and God blessed our home. At the same time, I have never ever seen anyone in my whole life spend hours together in the presence of God. No one can serve two masters. We will end up pleasing one over the other when we serve two masters. We can't devote our lives to the worldly lifestyle and God. Just check and see how many times we are able to keep ourselves away from distractions like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and focus on and maintain our prayer life with God. The answer will clearly tell us whom we serve. Tozer says, “The fellowship of God is delightful beyond all telling.” Are we able to delight in His presence? May we turn our hearts away from the distractions and enjoy and grow closer to God as a friend, as a daughter, as a son, as His beloved servant. May we learn to know His heart. Dear God, equip us with the knowledge of knowing You. May no thoughts be able to separate us from You. May we learn the height, length, depth, and width of Your love. May we rest in Your love. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

There was an interesting subject when I learnt my English literature course. It was called Greek mythology. It was full of stories of Greek gods and goddesses which made no sense at all. Still, it had so many fascinating elements to it. So, the Greeks had gods and goddesses for love, war, wisdom, hunting, poetry, the sea, the sun, and even for death. The list goes on and on.. Paul encountered one such goddess' temple when he ministered at Ephesus. This temple played a central role in the economy of the city. It was a huge temple, reaching the height of a five-storey building, with huge pillars. The temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. It was a main tourist attraction. One of the prosperous occupations was selling statues of Artemis. So, this Artemis was considered to be the goddess of hunting. The women in Ephesus thought they would be protected by this goddess during childbearing. She was looked upon like a Wonder Woman kind of heroic goddess in the ancient world. So, when Paul saw this and preached the Gospel, we can see him writing a letter to Timothy, a city dweller in Ephesus. He talks about childbearing in 1 Timothy 2:15: “But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.” Paul here was very well aware of pregnant women seeking protection from Artemis. So, he insists that they continue in faith, holiness, and propriety, and also, during pregnancy, they have to be worshipping their Lord God alone. And the most beautiful transformation that happened in the city is that the statue sellers started to experience loss because of the spreading of the Gospel. We can see Demetrius complaining about Paul to his fellow men and trying to create a riot. It is written that they shouted for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” There was a big crowd doing that. I love the verse that continues in Acts 19:32: “Most of the people did not even know why they were there.” But they were there shouting the name of Artemis. Whereas the Word of God was working mightily through Paul in the city, where the statue sellers were losing their business. In the Old Testament, we have incidents where the statue fell down when the Ark of the Covenant was placed before it. Here, as a result of Paul's preaching of God's salvation through Jesus Christ, Acts 19:19 says the new believers voluntarily brought out their incredibly expensive books of spells and incantations to destroy them, which were worth 50,000 silver coins. Lives are redeemed, darkness was losing its grip over people, and people were turning away from their old ways. Transformation is happening when God's Word is proclaimed. Hey friend, you might have heard that a single man's obedience can do much for God's Kingdom. Here, Paul was bringing a transformation or revival to the entire city. Dear God, thank You for placing us in different cities and villages. May the powers of darkness flee from the places where we step in. May our words be full of wisdom, as Paul's were. May You move mightily in the city as You moved in Ephesus. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Can money buy everything? Money is needed to buy certain things. But there are also certain things which money can't buy. Acts 8 talks about Philip preaching in Samaria. Verse 6 says, “And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed.” And the next verse is so beautiful. It says, “And there was a great joy in the city.” My grandma is the most loving and selfless person I have on earth. Oh, I am not exaggerating. I have never seen her thinking badly of even people who treated her badly. But years back, she was affected by paralysis, and she went through physiotherapy sessions for months together to function as before. And when I read this, I thought how good it would be if Philip was here. If such things happen even today in our ministries, wouldn't it bring great joy to our whole family? Also, when the verse says there was joy in the city, it was because of the Spirit. This joy is from the Lord, not from money! Then I continued to read to find out about someone to whom this grace and privilege was refused when asked. It was Simon, who was baptized by Philip when he decided to accept Christ. He thought he could buy these gifts of the Holy Spirit by giving money. In verse 20, we can see Peter answering him thus: “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased.” Peter further called him to repent and said he was poisoned with bitterness and bound in iniquity. Hey friend, one thing is clear: God can use us when He sees that our heart is not after money. Simply put, money can't buy God's gift, which is needed to serve Him. The Bible chose to record about such people who are after God's heart and His mission. May heaven record our lives and add us to that list. Dear God, may our eyes be fixed always on Your loving gaze. Thank You for graciously giving us the Holy Spirit, God. May we always put our hearts in obedience unto Him. May we be like Philip, bringing joy to the entire city. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Church, when it began, had a system where they helped widows, says Acts 6. I heard about a church in Chennai where they take special care of the widows and poor people at their church. They have a low-price shop where people can go and get some clothes they need. Isn’t it beautiful? Acts 6 says there were complaints as the Hellenist widows were neglected in the daily distribution. Hellenists (or Hellenistic Jews) were Jewish Christians whose primary language was Greek and who had adopted Greek culture. They were Jews whose families had lived abroad in the wider Greco-Roman world before returning to or visiting Jerusalem. And to solve the issue of serving the tables for these neglected people was given to Christians who were filled with the Holy Spirit, people with good reputations, and people of wisdom. This is not the mainstream ministry where a stage is given like a preacher. But this is a place to humble oneself and serve. In the year 2019, my mom started a pizzeria, and for some time, I helped her. I waited tables, cleaned it, received feedback, and sometimes cleaned the vessels too. It was the time during Corona, and we lacked staff. I know for sure it takes a heart of humility to do that. It requires wisdom. It requires the help of the Holy Spirit. We prayed over tables, prayed over the food we prepared, and prayed for people who came to dine with us. And God miraculously worked in our pizzeria one day when a couple came, and at that time, one of them struggled to breathe. But on entering our pizzeria, they felt the presence of God and were immediately delivered from the sickness. They later shared this testimony with us. Here, verse 8 talks about Stephen, who was selected as one of the persons to serve. It says, “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.” How beautifully God works through people in the mundane works they do. And about Stephen, another verse is there. It says when people who wanted to accuse Stephen looked steadfastly at him, they saw his face as the face of an angel. Hey friend, the Bible is talking about real people here, real church-going Christians here. Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit, he did miracles, his face looked like that of an angel, and in the next chapter, we can see the remarkable bold speech of Stephen in the face of death. The same can apply to us too. May God adorn us with bold speech and wisdom, a spirit to serve our fellow brothers in faith. May people experience miracles when we serve them, when they enter our homes, our offices, our restaurants. May God overflow through us. Dear God, bless us with Your overflowing Holy Spirit. May He touch everyone we meet, everyone we serve. Give us the wisdom to speak Your words. May people who meet us see Your heavenly presence in our faces. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

After planning and failing many days to visit Vandalur Zoo, my husband and I finally went there last week. We decided to explore by walk. Though there was this electric vehicle and electric cycles, this time we wanted to take it slowly. They had a vast place, carefully dividing one animal from the other with so much gap. So it was a whole-day walk to cover the entire park. All of us started the journey with joy. But, halfway through, we saw people exhausted. Some sat on the sides, and many stopped. And then we saw a couple. The wife was exhausted, but the husband was telling her, “See, here is the Sarugu Maan’s(a mini version of the deer)cell. Let’s go and check.” But the woman, after wandering and walking for a long time, said, “Why see anything anymore? Tell me where is the exit.” She was putting so much pressure on her mind, while her body was exhausted. And she had surely reached the verge of quitting. I understood that anything that takes much of our effort, time, and pressure exhausts our mind and soul. Sometimes we wonder where we are exactly and where the exit is. But this morning, God woke me up and encouraged me with a quick verse which says: Proverbs 23:18 “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” Though I was walking on the same path as that woman, walking for a long time and exhausted in body, I had a different attitude that helped me look forward, as I clearly knew that there is an ending. You know why? It was because I was walking while holding the hands of my husband, enjoying and talking even through the tiredness, as he has been to the place and knows the exit. I know for sure he will surely take me to the exit. And a hopeful trip back to our safe haven is there for us. Hey friend, we are not going through anything different from what the people in the outside world are going through. We fight almost with the same issues that they fight with. But we don't need to be panicked. For we can be assured of the One who is holding our hands through it all. He says to us, “For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” in Jeremiah 29:11. And like He said to me this morning, as in Proverbs, surely there is an end and your hope will not be cut off. Proverbs 23:18 Dear God, thank You for being our guide, thank You for holding our hands, thank You for walking along with us and filling our minds with hopefulness. Love You, dear Lord. I pray that You encourage every heart that is troubled, every heart that needs comfort and hope. Strengthen us once again, dear Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

A same verse is repeated in the Bible four times. It says, “The just shall live by faith.” It is in Habakkuk 2:4, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38. Let's first look at Habakkuk 2:4. It has a different scenario where the faith of the righteous person is needed in the time of waiting. 2:2 says, “Then the Lord answered me and said: ‘Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. 3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.’” Only in very few instances does God request certain words to be written in tablets for the sake of keeping, believing and walking in it. In the days of Moses, we must clearly remember that Moses brought down two tablets from the mountain after God wrote the Ten Commandments on them. Wow, what a moment it was. And then here, when God asks the prophet to write certain things on a tablet, would not God consider that which is supposed to be written on the tablet as very important? Yes. He must have. So what was on the tablet? It was about the vision qqthat will happen for sure. When God promises someone, for example, Abraham (God showed him a vision of his generation being countless like stars), the promise of a child, to Israelites the promise of the land. It was a vision in the beginning, but soon there came a time when they were literally walking in it. The country Israel is a tangible example of this vision coming to fruition in our present world. They make news most of the time. When God promises, and that too when He asks us to write, it is for us to never forget about what He says. It is for us to hold on to what He says, to believe in the vision, in the promise He gives us. Times will be there when it makes us feel that it is tarrying. So the Lord asks the prophet to write, “Though it tarries, wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not tarry.” Then the Lord calls those who believe this as just or righteous. Hey friend, are you waiting? Then wait like a just person in the eyes of God. Be humble and believe. Hold on to it till you will see yourself walking in it. Next is Romans 1:17. This verse is too good to behold. It says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” I was pondering on the words “from faith to faith.” It means we begin with faith, we continue with faith, and we end (eternally live) by faith. Here Paul explains to the Roman church that our Christian journey can be done with faith and faith alone. We can see Paul advocate for the same in many instances in many of his epistles to the church. Paul advises the Christians, the believers, that they should never end up believing that our righteousness comes from our work, but on the accomplished work of Christ on the cross, and the redemption comes through it. Simply put, we can live by believing that we are righteous because Christ made us righteous. No more lamenting over the past. Walk in the belief that in Christ we are righteous. Won't we be more confident, more joyful if we live by faith? This brings us to Galatians 3:3. Paul here talks to Galatians who are worried about keeping the traditions of the Old Testament times to keep them acceptable before Christ. Paul says, “Are you foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?” (Circumcision). Hey friend, there is no need for us to worry about keeping ourselves holy by ourselves. It is not possible by our own efforts. There is no need for us to keep some traditions to keep us holy. No, simply have a strong conviction about who you are in Christ. Know that you have crucified the Adam in you on the cross with Christ when you accepted Him and received the new life in Christ. In that way, you know you are already made righteous by Christ Himself. Now you know, as Paul says, you cannot walk in the flesh. You cannot walk in sin, as you have crucified your sinful self when you accepted Christ. Walk in victory that Christ got for you. Walk in righteousness that Christ got for you. You can do so only if you put your hundred percent faith in what Christ did for you. Finally, we have Hebrews 10:38, where it again says, “The just shall live by faith.” Paul pushes us one more step closer to God's love by quoting Hebrews 10:16, which says, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws into their heart, and in their minds I will write them.” Then he adds, “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Then verse 35 says, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great rewards.” Then only the following verse says, “The righteous shall live by faith” in verse 38. In the beginning of this blog, we have seen God insisted to write the laws on tablets, vision on a tablet. Here, He comes more closer to us who are in Christ and writes the law in our hearts. Jesus is the Word of God written in our heart, so we ought to be hopeful and nonetheless, we need to walk in confidence, knowing we are made righteous in Christ by faith. Dear God, thank You for the righteousness we have in You. May our faith grow deeper in You. May people search our hearts and motives and find nothing but You. Be our confidence, Lord. Thank You for the cross, for the redemption, for the new life in Christ. Open our eyes to embrace and walk in it joyfully. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

There is a beautiful truth about growing in our spiritual life. C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, explains this in a common-man language. He is known for explaining deep theology in layman’s language. Yes, it is true that we are righteous in Christ. But does that mean there is no failure in you and there will be a super-empowerment with complete angelic transformation? God can certainly do it, but He also allows us to grow through the process. But we Christians, once saved, can still struggle with sin and sometimes fall into it. Why does this happen? Indeed, we are delivered by the cross, by the blood of Jesus Christ. C.S. Lewis describes this transformation as a horse becoming a new creature, a winged horse. The winged horse can do the impossible that the normal horse cannot do. But can wings grow in a day? Here is the learning part. C.S. Lewis says when a horse is changed into a winged horse, the beginning of the growth of the wings will be like a lump. Can a lump be beautiful? No way. It is going to look ridiculous. But it is sure to grow into a winged horse that will fly. When a person is a new creature in Christ, it does not mean that every struggle disappears overnight. The old challenges may still try to wage war against him. But now, he is no longer fighting from the side of defeat. He is learning to fight from the victory Christ has already accomplished. He is learning to use the sword of God. In reality, the transformation happens in our minds. As Romans 12:2 says, “Be renewed by the transformation of your mind.” Now the new man is equipped with new equipment. He is equipped with the Word of God that can overcome every lie, every deception, and every temptation. Like the horse is growing wings, we need to grow in using the Word of God. With this comes the renewal of the mind. With this comes the destruction of the strongholds. Allow yourself time to grow into the new creature where God surely intends you to fly. Like I said in my other blog, we are now waging war from the side of accomplished victory. We do not fear the enemy now. We don't fear that we will fall. We don't fear defeat. We are victorious in Christ already. Hey friend, having the transformation in the mind is what we aim for. Read the Word. Break every stronghold one after another. Move, soldier. Victory is yours, as you are of Christ. Dear God, may we be patient and grow consistently in You. Empower us with Your Word, Lord. Open our eyes to every truth, Lord. May the devil know there is no way he can have his way with us. Strengthen us, dear Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

One of my favourite verses in the Bible is Daniel 12:3, which says, “Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like stars forever.” We have so many people whom the world celebrates as stars. But in heaven’s language, stars are those who lead many towards righteousness. Proverbs 11:30 says, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.” We had a three-day convention at our church, and I was hesitating to travel a long distance from our area to our church, as it requires three modes of transport if we take public transport to reach our church, like a bus, then a train, and then a metro. Finally, I decided to go and attend because of the encouragement I received from my husband. I was thinking I am putting myself under so much pressure by travelling like that. But I felt ashamed when they introduced the speaker. It was Pastor Solomon Kings, who was travelling a long way from Delhi to Chennai amidst his church being demolished in the same week. It was broken down to pieces. What drove him to push forward and continue the ministry no matter what he lost? It was the thirst to win souls for Christ. It was like an Elijah moment where God showed me how committed many are out there, working for Christ. I wish to share one challenging story from his testimony. It was the second wave of Covid, and everyone in the pastor’s family got Covid. Pastor’s health was getting worse day by day. At one point, he couldn’t breathe well. His oxygen level dropped to 78. And he decided to go into the city, like how in II Kings 7:3, during a siege of the city of Samaria, four men with leprosy dared to enter the camp of Aram with their illnesses. The second wave of Covid was at its peak, and they were digging huge pits to bury thousands of dead people. And with social distancing being the method to get out of Covid and with a lack of hospital beds, four people were lying down on a single bed. Pastor went to the hospital as he was Covid positive. Before leaving, he informed his wife that she should take care of herself. If he comes back, it’s fine, or else she should take care of the ministry. He wanted to take people to heaven with him from the hospital if he was going to meet God soon. Upon entering the Covid ward, he saw a doctor telling a man in a particular bed, would die very soon. And the man was in despair. Pastor went to him. He put his hands over his shoulders. He was not afraid, as he too was positive for Covid. He taught him about Jesus and helped him to accept and reconcile with God. He continued this ministry for many patients in the following days. He gave him his card and left. Upon leaving the man, Pastor’s oxygen level increased from 78 to 98. Soon, he recovered along with everyone in his family. After a few months, he got a call from the same man. He asked Pastor how he was able to reach out to him, touch him, and talk to him when even his own family was hesitating to meet him as he was having Covid. Then Pastor asked if he was willing to give one room for a prayer meeting. The man, who was now willing to do anything for the love of Christ and the people of Christ, gladly opened the house for the Lord. There they started the rescue ministry, and they rescued thousands of young children from prostitution. Yes, ministry is not what you are doing for the Lord with your strength. It is God who is working through you. Wow! Isn’t it amazing to see people like this who shine for God amidst every challenge they live through, like what Paul says in Romans 8:35, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Dear God, thank you for the amazing testimonies around us. May we too be used as a beacon of light in the middle of the darkness around us. May we add more treasure in heaven. May we add more into your kingdom and spread life and joy. May you touch many through us. Use us, dear Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

There are brothers in the Bible who are quite the opposite to each other. The first is Cain. When Cain saw that God blessed Abel and his offering, Cain was angry and he killed his brother, Abel. Genesis chapter 4, verse 9 says, “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel your brother?’ He said, ‘I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?’” The answer shows sheer negligence, shrugging off his responsibility towards his brother and accountability towards Father God. Then we have another brother called Reuben, who was in a situation to take his younger brother Benjamin to the ruler of Egypt (he never knew that the ruler was his brother Joseph ) to prove their loyalty and bring food to their family. When Jacob refused because he was afraid of Benjamin's safety, Reuben took accountability to bring him back to their father. Genesis 42, Verse 37 says, “Then Reuben spoke to his father, saying, ‘Kill my two sons if I do not bring him back to you; put him (Benjamin) in my hands, and I will bring him back to you.’” Here Reuben is talking like Moses. We know how Moses requested God to blot his name from the Book of Life to save the Israelites. Reuben here is offering his own sons to his father to bring back his brother to him. But Jacob didn't agree to this plan. Then as the famine went on, after the food from the first trip was over, the family had no other way but to go back to Egypt to meet Joseph with Benjamin to get the food. This is where, Judah comes into the picture. Then in Genesis 43:8–10 comes the strongest conversation between Judah and Jacob. Judah says: “Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones.” Then Judah takes personal responsibility: “I will be a surety for him; from my hand you shall require him.” And then he says something very powerful: “If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.” Here Judah is taking responsibility giving full guarantee and finally gets permission to take Benjamin to Egypt and meet Joseph. Later, when things go wrong and Joseph plotted Benjamin to be with him in Egypt, again, we can see Judah interceding with Joseph. As Genesis 43 verse 33 says, “Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord... For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me?” This shows how Judah is willing to put himself under risk and be a slave to get his brother Benjamin back home to be with his father. And here we learn one truth about the heart of the father here. It is in Genesis 43, verse 38. Jacob says, “If any calamity should befall him along the way in which you go, then you would bring down my grey hair with sorrow to the grave.” This is the love of the earthly father. Hey friend, we too have a responsibility, accountability to our fellow brothers in our own families, in our neighborhoods. What are we doing to take them back to the Father? Are we shrugging off our responsibility like Cain, or are we risking our lives to bring them to the Father like Judah? And most importantly, do you want to know about the heart of our Heavenly Father? It can be seen in the book of Jonah, where He says the following verse after forgiving the people of Nineveh: “But the Lord said, ‘You have had pity on the plant for which you have not laboured, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?’” Jonah is the only book in the Bible that end with a question. Nothing more than these words can melt our heart. We have a good, good Father, and each of our brothers deserves to go back to Him. More than that, our Father deserves them back in His arms. Dear Father, may our heart melt for what moves You. Help us to use everything we’ve got to bring our brothers back to Your arms. Use us, dear Lord, in ways unimaginable. Hold our hands and guide us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. ( Post inspired by Bro.Solomon kings)

I was thoroughly captured by the article I read recently. It was about The Uncontainable Christ, written by Robert Clements. As my daily reading is on Acts, I was able to relate well to what he was talking about. It was a call to ask Christians to be daring enough to face anyone or any law that tries to stop them from sharing the good news. The same scenario of people trying to stop the disciples can be seen in Acts 4. As I was writing in my previous blog, when we have the Holy Spirit in us, we cannot compress the good news, but we will be compelled to share. And what happened when Peter and John shared the good news, as in Acts 4? They tried to stop them by threatening them. And when they saw that in Jesus' name they had done a miracle and the man who was healed was standing near them, they found no way to punish them. Like the Bible verse says, like a lion, Satan will come after people to devour. Yes, Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah. Satan can imitate as if he is powerful. He can try threatening us through laws. But may we know that we are waging the battle from the side of victory. Like Robert Clements says, "You cannot frighten a God who has already defeated death." In chapter 4, verse 16, it says, "What shall we do to these men? For, indeed, that a notable miracle has been done through them is evident to all who dwell in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it." I love how the verse ends here. It says they can't deny the truth that is before them. May God be so evident in our lives that no one can deny the presence of the living God. May people learn and witness the power of God that is displayed in our lives. May we, our family, and our church be the signs and wonders of God on display. May the Uncontainable Christ reach others through us. Dear God, may we be a reflection of the uncontainable love and power of Jesus Christ. May You increase in us. Cover us, Lord, as the waters cover the sea. May people who look at us tell, "There is no way to deny the presence of Jesus, the Son of God." In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.

We must have often heard a question from fellow believers or elders in our family: “How is your prayer life?” Some say that as long as we feel close to God, we do not need to set aside a specific time for prayer. Opinions may differ, but here is what the Bible says: “Pray without ceasing” (I Thessalonians 5:17). Some may say, “That sounds difficult,” but the Bible also says, “Rejoice always.” Prayer and rejoicing go together. Hannah prayed to God, and afterward, she was no longer sad. Here is a real incident from history involving Mrs. Gracie, whose husband, Colonel Archibald Gracie, was traveling on the Titanic. She stayed at home while her husband traveled on the luxurious ship. That night, Mrs. Gracie felt very uneasy and could not sleep. She fell at the feet of the Lord and prayed for her husband for a long time, from night until dawn. At that very same time, the great tragedy was unfolding in the vast ocean. After the Titanic struck an iceberg, it began to sink. Colonel Archibald Gracie found himself struggling for his life in the freezing water. Thinking that he might die, he prayed for his wife and daughter. He even prayed that, if he died, his spirit might somehow communicate with them and say goodbye until they met again in heaven. At the same time, back home in New York, Mrs. Gracie was unable to sleep. She later described feeling as though she was being told, “On your knees and pray.” She immediately obeyed and took her prayer book with her. By chance, it opened to a prayer titled “For Those at Sea.” At that moment, the thought came to her: “Archie is praying for me.” She remained awake for hours, praying while her husband struggled for his life in the middle of the ocean. Colonel Gracie eventually survived the sinking. After being thrown into the water, he managed to reach an overturned collapsible lifeboat, where he and other survivors spent the night. They even prayed the Lord’s Prayer together while waiting to be rescued. What a powerful picture of prayer! Mrs. Gracie was praying before she even knew what was happening to her husband. Her husband was also praying while fighting for his life. What a day of relief and joy it must have been when Mrs. Gracie finally learned that her husband had survived. Hey, friend, pray to overcome the enemy’s tricks. Pray for protection from seen and unseen dangers. Pray and be joyful at all times. Dear God, we seek You to fill us with the spirit of prayer. May You cover us under Your mighty hand. May You teach us how to pray and how to grow in prayer. May we witness the power of prayer in every day of our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

How beautiful and powerful it will be if we wear the armour of God. A soldier who is going to war will wear the armour of the army. Every army officer from a country carries a different set of equipment based on their training. I love it when the Bible calls us to wear the armour of God. It is not an Indian army dress, not an Israeli army armour, but that which is of God. Our God has a name which always gives me goosebumps when I say it. It is the Lord of Hosts, or "the Lord of Armies." And when He calls us to wear the armour of God, how amazing it is. As His kingdom's citizens, we wage a war with the ruler of this world. The Bible says the weapons of our warfare are not of this world; they are mighty through God. And our armour has the divine quality. We are supposed to wear the belt of truth. The belt is supposed to hold us together. One of the strongest pieces of equipment that the devil uses against us is lies. The Bible calls him the father of lies. And the opposite of a lie is the truth. When we are filled with truth, it will hold us together. It was a tough time for me when I went through the loss of my baby, and I always had a thought in a corner of my mind, nudging itself and trying to put down the faith I had in God. It goes like this: "God could have saved my child if He had wished." And when, as a good Christian, I uttered the Bible verse which says, "The Lord gave and the Lord took away," it pierced my heart. Before the magnitude of the loss, my faith in the goodness of God was weakening. Through many things, God was trying to talk to me. I understood Him fully only when I got an invitation to visit our family friend and a pastor in Chennai. Till then, I was not able to understand the attack the enemy was trying to make on my mind. When that pastor started telling me about the goodness of God by quoting the verse, "There is no darkness in Him," he clearly put things into place. When my mind started understanding that, I was able to kick the nudging thought, or the lie, that was troubling me. My tears started rolling down when I understood how much I am being loved by my Heavenly Father. I was able to run back to my ever-loving Father, who can never do anything to hurt me. Hey friend, what are you fighting with? I pray that God will reveal it to you. Is the path of loss, or lack, or wilderness breaking you? Take the armour of God. Stand in truth. Dear God, I praise You for how beautiful You are. I cannot imagine or comprehend the love You have for me and each of us. May You strengthen our inner man. May we always wear Your armour. May we be victorious in the battle we are in. Be with us, dear Lord. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

What was life like for the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus Christ? It was an about 360-degree change for them. From listening, they started preaching with the power of the Holy Spirit. The receiving of the Holy Spirit gave them so much confidence to face whatever was ahead. And they knew that those who repent and put their faith in Christ can live like them. It is in Chapter 2, verse 38. Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and to your children, and for all who are afar off, as many as the Lord will call.” What clarity Peter has! He knew what started in Christ would spread throughout the whole world. In Chapter 3, verse 25, he says, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” What gave them so much hope, courage, and boldness? It is the fact that they are the witnesses of the Christ who is resurrected. They have understood the power of salvation in Christ. They have understood that the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, lives in them. We too know it. We had our day of salvation. We too have experienced the touch of the Holy Spirit. We are also the witnesses of the resurrected Christ. Are we living with courage like Peter and the other disciples? Are we still going under the pressures of the world? The key to living in this power is to have a strong conviction about who Christ is, what salvation is, and what it means to have the Holy Spirit living in us. Hey friend, if you are finding yourself questioning the things that are happening to you and letting your faith waver, may I tell you to go back to the basics? Learn about the power of salvation. Learn about what it is to have the Holy Spirit living in you. Drench yourself in studying the Word of God. Get to know who your God is and what He has done for us. Ask Him to reveal the depth of the Father’s love. By doing so, we can surely see the change that our spiritual man will experience. Strengthen yourselves, my friend. We have so much love, confidence, and power in Christ. We just need to believe that we already have the love of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit in us. May God help us to live in the depth of the power of our faith in Christ. Dear God, thank You for the salvation. Thank You for the confidence that the Holy Spirit gives us. Thank You, Lord, for filling us with the knowledge of knowing You and what You have done for us. May we live it, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

If there is one life lesson a Christian should learn and live, it is this. It is in Romans 12:2: "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." As Christians, do we find ourselves wrestling with our thoughts and succumbing to their power? Then we need the transformation of our mind. What is having this transformation? It is the act of putting on the new man. Who is this new man? This new man is the new self we receive when we put our flesh to death when we receive salvation. It is in Galatians 5:24: "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there." The message is clear that when we receive salvation, we are dying to ourselves. Then who is living? We are patterned to live like Jesus. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the exact representation of God Himself. When the Holy Spirit comes into us, we ought to see a change in our lives. We should not be very comfortable living the old style of life where sin is normal. Then, according to the Scripture, a sinless life is what is possible for a man who lives in the Spirit. Looks like a big statement. But dear friend, indeed salvation, the receiving of the Holy Spirit in us, is a big deal. If we really look into the Scripture, the way the apostles lived after receiving the Holy Spirit is different from the way they were living and walking as disciples without the Holy Spirit. Then why do we find ourselves falling into defeat after defeat? Why are we failing to live a victorious life? We entered the life of redemption. If we sin, then was what Jesus accomplished on the cross not enough? Certainly not. One thing we fail to remember is that sin is not a one-day event. It is conceived in our thoughts. When a sinful thought comes—or even worry comes (worrying is a sin)—how are we handling it? Do we find ourselves engaged in worry? When we engage with it, we are actually giving importance to it. Just keep it under the authority of Christ. The Bible teaches us to captivate every thought under Christ. Be it worry, declare that by worrying I am not adding anything profitable to life, as said in the Scriptures. Instead of dwelling, learn to say you are dead to that worry. Think of yourself as a mountain. Many more birds are going to fly over it. Will the mountain react to the birds? It will not. Thus, whenever a thousand thoughts come over you to drown you, be a mountain that won’t give a thought to them. Because you should be clear about one thing: the old man is on the cross with Christ, and the one who is living is alive with Jesus for good works and holy living. In this way, we empower our spirit man and start to live in obedience to the Holy Spirit. When we don't know the depth of the power of salvation, even after receiving it, we will still believe we are under threat. No, friend, walk in freedom. The Bible says, "When the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." Believe that you have put yourself on the cross when you received Christ. Trust that God has given you the new spirit and embrace the newness, the righteousness, the peace, and the joy that Christ gives us. Dear God, thank You for Your love. Thank You for the salvation. May we live victoriously as children of God. May we live out the power You have given us over everything. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Peter was an apostle who was greatly used by the Holy Spirit. The followers of Jesus Christ (disciples) became the leaders with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. There was an outpouring of signs and wonders. The new disciples and the new church then had a great beginning. Acts chapter 1, verse 14 says, “They all met together and were constantly united in prayer.” On the day of Pentecost, these simple people spoke in multiple languages, like the languages of Parthians, Medes, Elamites, Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, the province of Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene, Rome, etc. They spoke God’s words clearly in those languages. What a wonderful thing it is! The Holy Spirit did the impossible through them. Peter’s sermon pierced people’s hearts. Peter, in chapter 3, can be seen doing the healing work of the Holy Spirit. They healed a lame man through the power of the holy spirit. What a joy for that man! Verse 9 says people who saw that were absolutely astounded. Peter, in verse 12, says whatever they do is not through his own power or through godliness. Oh, I felt this is so beautiful when I read that statement. Soon, the following words were a blow-away moment for me. It is in Acts chapter 3, verse 15: “You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. AND WE ARE WITNESSES OF THIS FACT.” Now Peter surely is talking in God language, in spiritual language, in faith language. Now, for the transformed Peter, now to the Peter filled with the Spirit, the impossibles of life are looking like a fact. Simply put, he knew nothing is impossible when you are a witness of the God who is risen. For us who are called believers and witnesses, impossibles becoming possibles is just another fact. As we serve Jesus who is risen, we serve the Jesus who empowered simple people and did wonders through them. We serve Jesus who outmarts the facts of the world and gives us a new set of facts, where giving life to the dead is normal.( He paved way for the eternal life) Hey friend, we can’t be people whose spiritual life is a deathbed when we are witnesses of Christ. We can’t be giving up on anything. As we serve a God who is the author of life, we should be like Peter, who confesses with so much trust in God that anything that seems impossible to the world is a completely normal possible fact before the eyes of the God I serve. Dear God, may we be filled with the Holy Spirit and partake in the journey of wonders that You have got for us, Your witnesses. We praise You for choosing us to know Your name, to witness Your power over death. May we know that when we are in You, impossibles are simple possibles for us in Christ. We trust in Your holy name with everything we’ve got, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thorns and idols are the two things that separate us from God. Jeremiah 4:1 says, “If you wanted to return to me, you could. You could throw away your detestable idols and stray away no more.” And then verse 3 says, “Plow up the hard ground of your hearts! Don't waste your good seeds among thorns.” God always wants us to stay by His side. Why do we wander away from Him? What makes us do so? According to the above verses, it is the idols we have. What are our idols? Our possessions? Our relationships? Our dreams? Our addictions? What is occupying God's place in our hearts? Next, we have thorns. In the Gospels, we have the parables which clearly tell us about thorns that are worldly worries that separate us from God. In the above verse 3, God is talking about our hearts as a hard ground. A hard ground is like that because it is never into receiving the water regularly. God's Word, the seed, is in our hearts. Are we allowing, submitting to the Holy Spirit to work on those to bring fruit and life, or are we leaving it hard enough to lose the seed itself? No worldly worries, worldly riches are worthy enough to lose our growth in our prayer life, in our spiritual life. Hey friend, read Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 22. It says, “My people are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right.” Are we losing our ability to do the right things, to make right choices? Let's examine. Romans 16:19 says, “Be excellent on what is good, be innocent of evil.” How are we? May God help us to cherish the good seeds He puts in us. May we continue to grow in Him. May we be excellent in everything He desires us to be. Dear God, thank You for Your words. You have been so good to us; You are teaching us and helping us to walk in Your ways. May we grow in excellence in doing what is good before You. May we not be concerned about worldly worries or riches, but may we choose to grow in You every day. May we cherish Your ever-loving presence every day. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

David was pursued by Saul for what may have been around ten years. Saul was after killing David. Saul was after cutting short the plan of God for David. There was no king before Saul in the land, and when so much power was bestowed on a person for the first time over people in Israel’s history, Saul became obsessed over it. He never understood that God can give and God can take away. And here, poor David was hunted by him for being anointed by Samuel in his place as the king of Israel. David was having the anointing to rule Israel. But he was hunted like an animal for ten years at least. In those days, the promises were there with David, the favour of the Lord was there. Simply, the Lord Himself was with him. Yet he ran for his life every day. The weight of the calling never went easy on him. It was heavy. What gave him strength to stand through it all? The answer is in Psalm 18:1: it is the love for the Lord. God saw his heart when He anointed David. And after Saul was no longer there to pursue him, David sang Psalm 18. Still, his heart was after loving the Lord his God. When he ran against Goliath, he was having the same love for the Lord, and he went against Goliath by keeping the Lord as His strength. Through all battles, from the time of being a shepherd, then during the slaying of Goliath, and during the time of rest from the enemy, David remained the same in loving the Lord. The ten years of pain never changed anything. Instead, it added more fuel to the love he had for the Lord. It is true that Saul was after David, the enemy was after David, isn’t it very true that the Spirit of the Lord was protecting David for ten years? Isn’t it true that the Spirit of the Lord delivered David from his enemy? As much as the enemy tried to kill him, isn’t it true that God was fiercely keeping David alive and made His promises come true by making him king over Israel? I understood one thing: as much as the enemy is after destroying your anointing, the words that are spoken into you to rest over your head by the Lord, the Lord, with all His might, is on your side, fighting for you, protecting you, delivering you, and is going to fulfil His promises unto you. David says in Psalm 18, He saved us from the cords of death, He shatters our enemy, He drew us out of deep waters, rescues us from our powerful enemy, from those who are stronger than us. The one who ran away now says, “You have made me the head of nations; people I did not know are subject to me,” in verse 43. God did it for him. Wouldn't He fulfill his promises unto us? The anointing didn't remove the wilderness. The promise didn't remove the pain. The calling didn't remove the waiting. But God's presence never left him. Hey friend, God anoints us, He strengthens us. Though the lost years look great before us, like David, God will make us say that He has done what He has promised unto me. Dear God, we trust You in our waiting, we trust You when we are not able to see the end, we trust You in the midst of war. You are the faithful God. Like David, we will say, “Who is like our Lord?” We love You, Lord. You are our strength. Thank You for giving us victory over our enemy. We know that in all these years, You protected us, never failed us, and never left us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

One of the most beautiful things I love about our God is His heart for the poor. It can be evidently seen in Isaiah 25, verses 4 and 5. The verses go like this: “But you are a tower of refuge to the poor, O Lord, a tower of refuge to the needy in distress. You are a refuge from the storm and a shelter from the heat.” How true when the Bible says He is the helper of the helpless. When we look back, many good people were in our lives for a season and must have left. But the One who was with us throughout all the difficulties and challenges is The Great I Am. The above verses clearly talk about Him being a tower of refuge for the poor. This surely will change our perspective on people who have no shelter, no roof over their heads. Yes, the Lord Himself is their shelter. And God knows how the cold and heat are going to affect them. He knows the harsh reality and says He is their refuge. What is a home? It is a place where we have a sense of belonging. Can a house give us that? Certainly not. Our safe Home is the Lord. These verses certainly flashed the memories of days when God has been my continuous help during the extreme harshness of life's weather. Looking back, not one moment did He leave me alone to face it. It is true that I might have run away from Him for a while. But He was rooted for me. Hey friend, He is our Home, He is our Shelter, He is our tower of refuge. May we always know that He is welcoming us back into His arms as we pour out our hearts like Hannah, as we surrender like Jacob, as we cry and repent like Peter. The same God who turns and fights against the enemy with might is the same God who protects us gently and holds out His hands gently. Verse 5 says He silences the roar of nations; He stills the boastful songs of people against us. Verse 2 says He turns mighty cities into heaps of ruin. But He is cool shade for the poor, for the helpless. He cares enough that the heat does not bother them, that the storm does not suppress them, and that the distress does not crush them. Dear God, You are our mighty Savior, You are our gentle Father, You are our Home. In You, we are being protected from everything that is coming against us. You are our cool shade. Thank You for Your care, dear Father. May we always remember to come home and know and be assured that You are for us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Two things can happen when the Lord lives among us. Judgement and restoration. Zephaniah 3:5 talks about the Lord staying in the midst of rebellious and polluted Jerusalem. What was the nature of the Jerusalem that God was talking about at the beginning of the chapter? It was rebellious and polluted. It was filled with violence and crime. It refused all correction, and it didn't trust the Lord. The leaders of the city, the judges of the city, the prophets, and the priests lived for their own gain, hurt the innocent, and never had the fear of God in them. Verse 5 says, "But the Lord is still in the city." The rest of the verses talk about the fierce judgment Jerusalem received from the hand of God. Today, when I was listening to a message, I was stunned to hear a pastor saying, "In a Christian walk, you may not have signed up for suffering, but I am sure you signed up for sanctification." And sanctification will happen through suffering. God Himself worked on the rebellious, haughty Jerusalem to bring it back on track. In verse 11 God says, "I will remove all the proud and arrogant people from among you. There will be no more haughtiness on My holy mountain." God brought down His judgments and purified His people by living in the midst of them. How true it is when the Bible says, "The Lord detests the proud." It is in Proverbs 16:5. Dear friend, we expect blessing after blessing when we feel that the Lord is in the midst of us. But the Lord puts us through sanctification before He lifts us. He purifies our speech, as in verse 9: "Then I will purify the speech of all peoples." The rest of the verses, from verses 11 to 20, are so beautiful and talk about how God blesses the nation, the city, and the people who are sanctified to be humble before Him. The sanctified people trusted the Lord. They did no wrong, they stopped lying and deceiving, they were not afraid of anyone, and they slept in safety. And now comes the beautiful moment where the prophet calls the people of God to rejoice and dance, as the Lord is going to live in the midst of them. This time, it's not about judgment. This time it is to clear away the disaster, to wipe away the tears, to get rid of the enemies and the trouble. This time it is to comfort those who mourn, this time to protect His people from disgrace, this time to remove mockery and shame from His people, this time to bring them back to their home, to their God, this time to give them a good name, a name of distinction, and finally, this time to restore the fortunes of His people before the very eyes of their enemies. Yes, dear people of God, are you tired of the suffering that you are going through? Are you fed up with the discipline you are receiving? It is the Lord who purifies, and again, it is the Lord who comforts. He is in the midst of us through the suffering, through the sanctification, and throughout the restoration. Dear God, We thank You for who You are to us. May we humble ourselves when You correct us. May we be sanctified in our speech. Remove every unholy thing in us, dear Lord. May we be assured of every promise that You are going to fulfill for us. Thank You for the hopeful future You have for us. Thank You for the days of restoration that are not far away. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

God the One and Only "I'll wait as long as He says. Everything I need comes from Him. So why not?" says David in Psalm 62 (The Message Bible). This verse is again repeated to add emphasis to the never-changing nature of God, on whom we can rely, put our trust, and wait. Why should we trust God like that? David says He is his Rock. David was a man who had braved bears, lions, Saul, the Philistines, and Goliath with God's help. Where was he running when he was under search and attack by Saul? He hid himself in hills, rocks, and mountains: the Cave of Adullam, the Forest of Hereth, the Wilderness of Ziph, Maon, En Gedi, and the Hill of Hachilah. Scholars say that David was running like this for almost 7 to 10 years. So, he uses this imagery. The Message Bible describes God as David's "granite strength." It is in verses 7 and 8: "My help and glory are in God—granite strength and safe harbor God." What is granite? Granite is one of the hardest and strongest rocks in God's creation. It does not crack or wear away easily. It can withstand heat, rain, wind, and storms for millions of years. Because of its strength, it is used to build strong buildings, bridges, monuments, and foundations that last for generations. Granite can carry great weight without breaking, making it a symbol of strength, stability, and endurance. These are the qualities of a rock that was in God's creation. When David calls God his Rock, how much more could He be for him? How much stability we have in God. How strong a foundation there is for us in the Lord. Isn't it amazing that we have Someone awesome in whom we can wait? Yes, why not? We will wait. David thus says God is his hope in his waiting. He knows salvation is very sure in the Lord. He knows God will protect him and his generations. Even under severe pressure, it is He who will hold him. He can brave any season when God is his help. David is so firm in his faith that he asks again, "So why not?" Waiting was not a burden to him when he knew on whom he was waiting. He knew that God would never, ever fail him when he put his expectation on Him and waited for Him to redeem, waited for Him to save. Hey, friend, is God the center of your waiting? As long as He is your anchor, He is your granite, He is your Rock, salvation is very near. The prolonged seasons of waiting cannot wear us down as long as we wait on Him—God, the One and Only. Prayer Dear God, thank You for Your love. You have helped us overcome the challenges in the past. You will help us face what is ahead. You are our Rock, our firm foundation, and our trust for generations. We will wait for You, Lord, with firm trust. We confess that our expectations come from You. You are our Rock. In Jesus' name, we thank You. Amen.

Isn't it so wonderful when we receive a "Yes" from God for our prayers unto Him? And how do we react when we get a "No" for our prayers? Hmm... sometimes I have been very much disappointed with God for rejecting my plea. Yes, sometimes the "No" hurts. But God taught me some valuable lessons from people who reacted in another way to the "No's" they received from Him. I was reading the Bible with my husband, and we were discussing the same. The topic was about David. David was so excited and grateful to the Lord that He had made him king over Israel. He loved God so much that he wanted to build a temple for the Lord. When the prophet Nathan heard it, he appreciated the thought, but after enquiring of the Lord about the same, he came back with a different answer—not a favorable one. But David humbled himself before the Lord and submitted himself to His will. 2 Samuel 7:12–14 says: "When you die and join your ancestors, I will make one of your sons the next king, and I will set up his kingdom. He will build a house for Me, and I will let his kingdom rule forever. I will be his Father, and he will be my son." After hearing this, David never murmured. He humbled himself and thanked God for revealing what was in the future and for being so kind to him. The "No" never stopped him from gathering everything that his son would need to build the temple. The "No" never stopped his love for the Lord. This message came to me when I was pondering the many losses I have had in my life. Yes, we have so many unanswered questions. So many "why's." Then God shifted my mind to look at how He changed my own plans for my life when I was about to enter my college days. I then regretted it and cried so much because my dream was no longer there, and God had replaced it with something else. But if you ask me to go back and reverse the past toward the dreams I once had for myself, I would never, ever do that. God fulfilled His purpose beautifully by literally destroying what I wanted for my life. That one incident is enough to let me know that He thinks only the best and most excellent things for me. Hey friend, are you worried or sad that God said "No" to your choices, your wishes, or your dreams? Yes, it is hard to pay the price for our calling. But remember, ten years from today, five years, or maybe even two years from today, when you look back, you will see how good God has been to you by not giving a straight "Yes" to all your pleas. When the devil brings before us another imagined reality, do not sin in your mind. Know that we can never have a better plan than being rooted in God's plan. Let us learn from David to be humble when receiving the "No." Cry it out if that is what you want to do, but know that you and your future lie safe as long as you are in His hands. In the Bible, we see no one described as a man after God's own heart more than David. God sees our hearts too. May God call us daughters and sons after His own heart. May we allow Him to write our stories. May His will be done. Dear God, thank You for writing our stories. May we never write our own chapters. If given a chance, may we still write, "Let Your will be done." We are Yours, Lord. May You be immensely glorified in our choices. May we continue to choose You over everything. We thank You for all the "No's," for all the tears, for all the broken dreams and wishes. In Jesus' name we pray and give thanks. Amen.

Isn't it a privilege to be born and raised in a family that knows and teaches Jesus? It is one of the greatest privileges, writes J.C. Ryle, the 1800s author known for his deep, uncompromising teaching. He has written a book called Holiness, and there he mentions a chapter titled A Woman to Be Remembered. I was expecting to read about Hannah, Deborah, or Esther in that chapter, but surprisingly, I found Lot's wife there. The Bible does not give us much of a story about Lot's wife. But how was her beginning and ending? If we look closely, she lived very close to Abraham, the father of faith. Lot lived with Abraham before moving to Sodom and Gomorrah. In those days, they never had the Bible. But God selected the privileged family of Abraham to know Him personally. I can't even comprehend God reaching out to a family to reveal who He is. She began like Jacob, David, and Peter but ended like Esau, Saul, and Judas Iscariot. Staying much closer to Jesus, yet not knowing Him. That really scared me. Ryle says she was like Mr. Facing-both-ways, a character in John Bunyan's book. She wanted God and also the world. God took her looking back so seriously and took away all that( her life) He had given her in a second. How disastrous. Was looking back really such a big sin to be punished? A crack in the wall of a house points to a problem much deeper. It says the foundation is shaken. Our God is a jealous God. He is not going to take it lightly if we replace Him with riches, or with any man, any woman, success, or anything else. Ryle says, "Little things will often show the state of a man's mind even better than the great ones. Little symptoms are often the signs of deadly and incurable disease." Turning to look back, even while holding the angel who directed them to move forward, was a grave mistake by Lot's wife. Hey friends, most of us are privileged to know God, surrounded by everything about Him. But are we able to make our life all about Him? Is He given the priority? Are we ready to sacrifice our own will for Him? Or are we longingly looking back at the things God willingly took away from us? When the Bible talks about Lot's wife, it uses the word "Remember." It means we can never forget what she did and what really happened to her. Remember to be careful and remove the problem when the sign first shows up. How dangerous it is to walk closely with Jesus and have a heart that can betray Him at the same time. The fatal end of both Judas and Lot's wife was immediate. They died in their sin. I don't see a story of redemption there. "Remember Lot's wife." — Luke 17:32. Let's settle it firmly in our minds. Dear God, Thank You for raising us in a God-fearing family. Protect us from every wilful sin that leads to total destruction. May we look forward and move towards the mountain. May we move towards You, leaving behind everything that tries to hold us back. We submit our heart, our mind, and our body to be covered and sealed to fulfil Your will and Your purpose for us. May we never take lightly the things that can remove Your grace from us. Protect us, dear Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Have you felt that the things happening to you are unfair? Then you are not alone. But from where can we get the strength to move on? Verse 1 from Hebrews 12 guides us: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." What a profound statement. I felt the beauty of this verse when I met my grandpa in the beautiful Sencottai, a place known for its lovely weather. It is also the border between Tamil Nadu and Kerala. He has now crossed 85 and is living with his lovely daughter, who is alone after losing her dear husband. After spending my day with the family, experiencing the bond they have for each other and the love they showered on me, I asked my grandpa to pray for me. He quietly said the following words, as gently as a person who had braved life's storms. He said, "Suffering will come into our lives. But when someone is going through suffering, will they accept it when we say it is for good? It will not make sense to them." He continued, "See, I have lost my two sons and a son-in-law. You losing your dad was unexpected. It was sudden. Did we ever expect things like that would happen? Yes, life is hard. When Joseph was going through all his suffering and unfairness, was it easy for him to believe that God had a purpose? But we know the ending. So whenever something bad happens to you, keep in mind that something good is there even in the suffering." I have not felt so much peace as I did after I had that conversation with him. I thought, if my grandpa can find peace and strength to move on after the losses he has faced in life, then God would make it possible for me too. I lost my dear little Moriah baby when she or he was just 17 weeks in my womb, whom we conceived after nine years. I understood that when God strengthened my grandpa's weary heart, He would strengthen mine too. Hey friend, if you are going through the unfair treatment of life, if you are facing losses that you are not able to come to terms with, look at the people around us—the great cloud of witnesses. God helped them move forward. Even after so many heartbreaking losses, they are still running the race that is set before them. They are running with perseverance. Dear God, thank You for surrounding us with such a great cloud of witnesses. May our hearts be strengthened, healed, comforted, and able to move on and run the race that is set before us with Your help. Be with us, Lord. You have been the hope of our ancestors, and You are our hope. In faith, I say You will be the hope of my generations after generations. Build us again, Lord. Heal and mend what is broken. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

It was a God moment for me when I read Hebrews 11. It strengthened me to overcome my tiredness. The first verse goes like this: "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see." What a verse. It holds a timeless message about God, who strengthened people's faith. Yes, it's not about the people; it's about Him who strengthens our faith. What has God done for the people as in Hebrews 11? He helped Abel bring an acceptable offering. He helped Noah build an impossible boat to save his family. He helped Abraham believe that he would have an inheritance. He helped Sarah believe and have the child of promise. He helped Abraham receive his son back from death. He helped Joseph believe that his bones would go to the Promised Land. He strengthened Moses' parents to disobey the king's order to protect baby Moses. He helped Moses flee from the pleasure of sin and the privilege of being called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He helped Moses not fear the king. He helped Moses keep his eyes on Him who is invisible. He helped the Israelites sprinkle the blood of the lamb on their doorposts to protect their children. He helped the Israelites cross the Red Sea. He saved Rahab from destruction. He made Jericho fall before the people of Israel. He helped people overthrow kingdoms. He helped people receive the promises that He gave them. He helped Daniel by shutting the lions' mouths. He quenched the fire to protect Daniel's friends. Yes, it is He. Our God did this. He also helped some go through torture( persecution). He strengthened His people to stand bravely in the face of death. He placed the hope of resurrection in their hearts. Persecution, death, mistreatment, and cruelty could not stand before the God who strengthened His people to face them. Why is it God who did it? The Bible says He is the Author of our faith. He is behind our trust, our faith in Him, and in His promises. Whatever He has promised is secure in Him. Be it good or bad, high or low, plenty or nothing, in every season He is with us, helping us hold on to Him. Dear God, how blessed we are to have You in every step of our faith. Through You, we declare that we will offer the offering that pleases You. We will do the impossible when You guide us with Your plans. We will have an inheritance. We will have the child of promise at the appointed time. We will see our sons and daughters protected by Your blood. We declare, like Joseph, that our generation will walk in God's promises. We will stand unshaken and protect our families like Moses' parents. We will flee from the pleasures of the world. We will not chase privileged titles. Our steps will be guided not by the world but by the invisible King. We will see the barriers and walls before us fall. We will cross the Red Sea before us. We will be saved from destruction like Rahab. We will overthrow kingdoms. We will walk quietly even when lions surround us. We will not be consumed in the fire. We will believe You when our faith is challenged. We will stand for You with the hope of resurrection. We will receive our loved ones whom we have given over to death (in heaven). In faith we say, Lord, You did it for Abel, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Daniel, Rahab, and Noah. You will do it for us. Do it again, Lord. Do it for us. Do it through us. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Isn't it so warm to get welcomed by the Holy Spirit when we open our Bible? I felt so invited to dip more into the Word of God when He said, "Greetings, favoured woman! The Lord is with you!" It put a wide smile on my face, and I thanked our dear Lord, wishing Him back, "Good morning, dear God."(This happened today. I am writing about what I experienced) I send the same greetings to you, dear friend. May you be highly favoured by the Lord. He showed me something very beautiful today. It is in Hebrews 5:14. It says, "Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong." Paul saw people whom he is referring to here as not being able to differentiate between right and wrong. Have you seen people doing the same thing again and again even after you insisted that they should not do a particular thing in a particular way? It has become a habit for them—a habit they have developed in the wrong way. For example, children may leave water dripping from the tap without closing it tightly after washing their hands. They don't care to change because they are not aware of the water loss that is happening, which, in due time, will affect the whole family that runs on limited water resources. Sometimes children think it is very trivial. Until they put their mind to changing that habit, it cannot be changed. Similarly, as long as we entertain disobedience to the Holy Spirit, we are not going to grow. Even after many warnings, we will continue doing what is not right. The Bible clearly says in verse 14 that recognizing, practising, and growing to do what is right will happen through the right training that we put our minds through. Only then can we move out of the baby stage and continue growing in the Lord by focusing on other areas of our spiritual life. Simply put, learning to differentiate between right and wrong, without manipulating it, is one of the first baby steps we can take. May God bless us to grow well and eat enriched solid food by making us steady in our baby steps. Hey friend, let's just make a decision to obey our dear Lord. Let's train ourselves to put our mind and body in obedience unto Him. May we hold our Father's hand and walk through the day. Dear God, thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your corrections. Thank You for Your dear presence. May we continue to grow in You, Lord. May we know, understand, and do what is right while shunning evil. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Do you want to know the letter in the Bible that is against slavery? It is the letter written by Paul in his old age. Paul writes this letter to Philemon, a believer. We can see Paul beautifully handling the conflict between two believers here. From the letter, we can see Paul appealing to Philemon to accept Onesimus as a brother now. Paul insists on forgiveness from Philemon. Paul praises Philemon for his faith, for his love for God's people, and for his kindness that refreshed believers. Then he asks him to take one more step towards showing forgiveness to Onesimus, who had indeed hurt Philemon's heart. Paul, like Jesus, shows God's love here. He says in verse 18, "If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge it to me." We can see the beautiful maturity that the old Paul has when he is trying to solve the issues between brothers. How is our approach towards people? Are we hurried to punish someone? Or are we like Paul, trying to bring peace between believers, whom Paul calls brothers in Christ? May God move our hearts toward forgiving people who hurt us. Dear God, May we continue to grow in You. May we grow in Christlike character. May we be like Paul in uniting people. May we be like Christ in forgiving people. May we grow in refreshing kindness that can bless others. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Sometimes I feel that one of the topics not much appreciated is the topic of "modesty." These days, the modern world looks for trendiness in every way. I remember wearing a black polka-dotted top with blue jeans for a retreat at our college, where I heard that wearing jeans was not good. I am not going to share anything about the rigid dress code here. In metro cities, we are adapting ourselves to the culture around us. But may we also know that we don't need to impress anyone with how we dress. For a week, God was putting these words about modesty from the letter of Paul in my heart: "I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God." 1 Timothy 2:9–10 (NIV) It is good when people say that when our heart is right, we can dress in the ways we want. But what does the Bible say about the heart? It says, "The heart is deceitful above all things." Jeremiah 17:9. And one more thing—we can ask ourselves one question. Is what I am wearing giving God the glory He deserves from me? Is it helping others to be attracted towards the God I serve or towards me? Proverbs 31:25 says, "She is clothed with strength and dignity." With modesty, our strength and dignity only increase. May God lead us towards pleasing Him. Hey friend, dress modestly, adorn yourself with good works. This is not for church-going days alone. May our lifestyle reflect this. It is true that we have let our families and our minds tolerate everything the world gives. But may we not tolerate what the Spirit urges us to resist. But we should also know that, be it any change in a person's life, it can happen only through the Holy Spirit convicting them, and they choose to obey Him. Dear God, thank You for the wisdom in the Bible. Mould us into women of wisdom. May our good deeds be louder than our appearance. May we not become bound by the world in trying to please it. May we know that our approval should come from Christ. Adorn us with things that please You and not the world, Lord. May we have the courage to stand for You and keep us rightly aligned with the Word of God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

It felt very heavy after reading Paul's second letter to Timothy. Paul was not living under favorable circumstances at that time. He was in prison, awaiting his execution. We can see him talking about the people who deserted him in his suffering. In chapter 2, verse 9, he says, "And because I preach the Good News, I am suffering and have been chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained." In many instances, he talks about the death that awaits him. We can see it in chapter 2, verse 11, and then in chapter 4, verses 6 to 8, which all of us strive to say when the end of our life on earth nears us. "As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I HAVE FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT, I HAVE FINISHED THE RACE, AND I HAVE REMAINED FAITHFUL." How beautiful this sounds. These are the words of a man who suffered a lot for preaching the Good News of Christ. In this letter alone, we can see him encouraging Timothy many times about the suffering that he will face in his life for Christ. When he says the word faithful, it takes me to another verse in 2 Timothy where he says, "If we die with Him, we will also live with Him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with Him. If we deny Him, He will deny us. If we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny who He is." Paul's words clearly point out that he decided to follow and work for Christ in the middle of persecution. In the midst of people who were his assistants in ministry abandoning him, he continued his work. When people thought ill of him because he was chained for Christ's sake, he endured it all and remained faithful to God's work because of the unshakable trust he had in Christ—that HE IS FAITHFUL. Paul, in his last days, encouraged Timothy, a timid person but one who truly followed Christ. Paul saw the potential in him to lead the church. He encouraged the next generation of rising ministers. He encouraged him to stand for God in the middle of false teachers. We can also see Paul longing to see him in person in his last days. Paul wanted Timothy to do very well. In chapter 1, verse 6, he says, "I REMIND YOU TO FAN INTO FLAMES THE SPIRITUAL GIFT GOD GAVE YOU WHEN I LAID MY HANDS ON YOU." Hey friend, may God help us to have a courageous heart to stand faithful to God in doing His work, in preaching the Good News, and in growing the gifts we have to glorify Him with the life we have on earth. May we look at the examples of the great people of God. The Bible says we have a great cloud of witnesses before us. May we learn from them and fight the good fight. Dear God, we commit our lives to You. What a great testimony Paul has left us. How faithful he was in serving You. How courageous he was in the midst of troubles, in the midst of people deserting him because he was in chains. God, help us to be faithful to You. Help us to stand with true men of God when they need us most. May we equip ourselves and the generations after us to rise for You. Be with us, dear Father. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

God's Heart for the Fatherless and Widows I was recently listening to Giftson Durai's podcast with Joyce, which I really loved. Giftson Durai made a profound statement where he said nobody can understand "grief and rejection." We, at churches and in our houses, talk about widows, but we rarely talk about them in a good way. As much as I have seen, we are not too different from secular society. There is a Bible translation called the NRSV, which says in 1 Timothy 5:3, "Honor widows who are really widows." I was shocked by this translation of the Bible. When I looked into another version, the NIV, I found no such wording. In the NIV, it is written, "Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." At first, I felt troubled by the wording in the NRSV. I had questions like, "What is a real widow? Isn't it enough that they have lost their husband or wife to become a widow?" As I continued reading the chapter, I understood that Paul was referring to widows who had no family to support them, not redefining who is a widow. Yet the wording made me reflect on how easily we ourselves categorize widows and treat them differently. I have even seen women giving authoritative advice or making the choice for another young or even older widow to get married because this woman thinks it is right and good for the widow. Do we recklessly talk like this about women and men who have lost their spouse? How do we treat their sons and daughters if they are our sons-in-law or daughters-in-law? Are we boldly confronting a widow's children because there is no father figure? I am sad that I have to bring our ugly side into confrontation today. I have seen widows who earn and take care of their own living go through a lot. Then how much worse will be the case of widows who rely on their friends and families for their livelihood? How difficult is it for their children to look to another father figure to get something for them? How much are the children losing without a father figure? Insecurity falls over us when our father tries to help a family without a father. People, none of us can understand another person's pain unless we walk through it. Till then, it is wise to remain calm in the Lord. I love James 1:27 (NIV): "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Dear friend, God is not after only families who are privileged to have mothers and fathers by their side. He is the Father of the fatherless and the Defender of widows. If we want to call ourselves religious, we need to look after widows and the fatherless. If we are not helping, at least let us keep ourselves from harming them emotionally. Their Dad, who is our Dad, cares about all of us. He is our heavenly Father who made Cain pay for Abel's blood. Dear God, we commit every family who has lost their father or mother into Your hands. We ask Your forgiveness when we knowingly or unknowingly made a move that might have hurt them. Give us a heart like Yours when we look at the fatherless and women who have lost their husbands. Fill us with Your compassion, Lord. May we live out what You call true religion. Protect us and our families, dear Lord. Help us to help the fatherless and widows when we see them in need. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We, those who love Christ, have a divine purpose for our lives. Each of us has a calling. Some are called to preach, some to evangelize, some to lead worship, some to literature ministry, some for teaching, some to counsel and exhort others, some to build churches, some to prayer ministry—the list goes on and on.. Paul is clear when he writes to the Thessalonians about this. To the believers he says, "So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of His call. May He give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do."1 Thessalonians 1:11. Now, my friend, has God revealed His calling to you? What is it that you have to accomplish for the Kingdom of God? What are we going to do with the life we have been bestowed on earth? All we need to do is pray like Paul prayed. Ask God to enable us to live in power, to enable us to walk in our calling. May we understand what we have to do for God in faith. Paul, in the next verse, says the Lord Jesus will be honoured if we do so. And let the day come when we all say, as Paul said, "This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and our Lord, Jesus Christ." Yes, my friend, may He finish what He started with your hands. May He lead you in every righteous path He has for you. May you walk in your calling. May Christ enable you to do it. May it become possible for you through Christ. John Wesley, the famous preacher of England, is known for praying, preaching, and bringing revival there. He had a friend named John Fletcher who asked himself some questions for self examination every day. One question goes like this: "What have I done this day for the souls and bodies of God's dear saints?" About him, John Wesley said, "I have known no man like him." Get up, dear friend, we have a long way to go. Let us hold Jesus' hand and live a life worthy of our calling. Dear God, we pray that You strengthen us and enable us to live a life worthy of the calling You have for us. Through Christ, help us to achieve great things for You. May we nurture the vision You have given us. Protect our body, soul, and spirit. May we honour You in every way, dear Lord. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

I remember meeting a young girl, a pastor's daughter, many years ago in Chennai. A non-believer friend called Divya introduced her to me. She said, "Today I am going to take you to a friend of mine who is so full of bright joy." We walked to her house and met the young girl, who was, I'd say, simply adorned with the beauty Paul mentions in Colossians 3:12–14. "Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony." This meeting with that pastor's daughter happened long ago, nearly ten years ago. But I can still remember how welcoming she was, how joyful she was, and how bright her face looked with a genuine smile. Truly, it was a face filled with the love of Jesus. Hey friend, how refreshing it would be if we, as Christians, adorned ourselves with such qualities and gave people who meet us a moment that would stay with them for life. With the everyday situations and the people in our lives, it is not going to be as easy as it looks to live this out in our own strength. This is possible only when we are Christians who walk filled with the Holy Spirit. May God help us to love those who hate us, to be merciful even when people have denied mercy to us. May we be careful not to allow the gentleness in us to break because someone triggers us. May we be patient with the people we meet, even if they come across as those who test our patience. Let us forgive, even if people hurt us again and again, not understanding what they are doing to us. It may even be our fellow Christians. Even if they are not reading their Bible, let them read us and learn from us, for these qualities will bind us all together in harmony. Dear God, we pray that we may have gentleness, love, patience, forgiveness, and kindness toward everyone we come across in this life. May those who hate us, who do evil things against us, and who are with us only for material gain, learn about Christ's love from us. May we be clothed with the character You want us to have. Teach us, dear Lord. May we grow more and more like You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Sometimes some of us are not aware of the weight of God's purpose for our lives. I have read the Book of Esther many a time. In a way, it was a feel-good read. An orphan girl raised to be a queen in a dramatic way. But God, in His great purpose for Esther, raised her as queen at the Susa Palace for such a time to be a weapon against the enemy who was there, fuming, scheming, and plotting against the Jews to bring them to nothing. And Esther got grace and favor in the eyes of the king. The favour got her the right judgement for the enemy. The same grace and favor that brings us mercy from God empowers us to destroy the schemes of the enemy. God uses the same favor to bring judgment over the enemy who schemes against us, our family, and our people. Esther was going through a trauma in her mind when she was quietly preparing the feast for the king. She only reveals it later, as it is in the verse. It is in Esther 7:4. "For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king." Not a single plan from the enemy is against just us, but to eradicate our generation. When Haman schemed, he plotted not against a man but a clan. God has given us families to build; may He bestow us favor to destroy the enemy who is plotting to destroy us too. I love the following words, which are the exact words of Priscilla Shirer in one of her sermons: "If I found out that someone is scheming, that's a whole different story. Because scheming implies 'preplanning.' If you've been scheming against me, that means you've been watching for a while. You've been trying to figure out what is about me that is most vulnerable so that you can take advantage of me. You've been studying to find out what my patterns are, what the prediction of my flesh is, what my preferences are, so that you can figure out the best time to take full advantage of me. And I've found out that you are not just scheming against me, but you have eyes on my family, my husband, my children. When I find out that you've been scheming against me and the people that I love, well then, it's a war you want." What is Esther's way to protect her family? She fasted, prayed, and showed bravery in reaching out to the king. Throughout it all, God was with her. Before Esther was even born, her purpose on earth was written by God. She was chosen to eradicate the enemy who would plot to kill God's chosen people, herself, her family, and every one of the Jews. Hey friend, when God opens your eyes against the scheming plots of the enemy, do not wait till he steals and kills. Arm yourself with the right weapon. Go to the King of kings. When He steps in, no schemes can stand. He will help you unmask the deeds of the deadly schemes of the enemy and will crush him under your feet. Dear God, we pray that Your greater purpose be fulfilled in our lives. In every war we face against the enemy, may Your victory be declared over every scheme he is plotting against us. May You help us remove the mask under which he hides and works against us. May You intervene in a supernatural way to bring our salvation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Preaching the Gospel where it has not been heard is the most challenging, yet most meaningful, work anyone could do for Christ. Paul started it. He taught the Galatians about Jesus. He says that he taught them everything about Jesus as though they were watching it (the life of Jesus) happening before their eyes. But Paul sees that people are being attracted to a gospel that was not true. It was a gospel based on getting approval from God by following Jewish traditions. Paul said it was for freedom that you were saved by Christ. How beautiful and light it is to know that we are not bound to any tradition to get the approval of God. Paul says some of them are swayed by the idea of circumcision, and some of them are caught up in keeping special days as they did in the past. Paul says that, in trying to gain the approval of others, even Peter was caught in error when he refused to eat with the Gentiles who had accepted Christ. And when other Christians saw that, they followed him. Hey friends, are we still holding onto any traditions that we are supposed to leave behind after accepting Christ? How true it is when Christ says, "My burden and My yoke are light." May we rest and be free in Christ. The conclusion of the whole book is found in Galatians 6:15. It says, "What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation." Dear God, may we be Your new creation, ready to do every good work. May we never be swayed by any teaching that is not from the Gospel of Christ. May our minds be steadfast in holding on to the truth. Give this wisdom to us, our families, and our generation. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

-Jasper. "Five Times More" Today I want to open up the story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 45. If you know the story, Joseph was sold by his brothers, falsely accused, thrown in prison, forgotten. But God used all of it to put him in a place of authority in Egypt. Years later, famine hits, and his brothers come begging for food. They don’t recognize him. But he recognizes them. Now here’s where we pause and see the picture: *Joseph is a type of Christ.* Rejected by his own, sold for silver, thought dead, but raised to the right hand of power. And from that place, he becomes the one who saves those who rejected him. Sound familiar? *Benjamin is a type of Israel, the Jews.* Benjamin was Rachel’s son, Jacob’s beloved, the one Joseph had a special claim on. In Genesis 45:22, when Joseph reveals himself, he gives Benjamin 300 pieces of silver and 5 changes of clothing. But the detail that jumps out is this: “to Benjamin he gave 5 times as much as any of the others.” *The other brothers are a type of the Gentiles.* They’re part of the family, but they’re not the beloved son. They’re the ones who came later, who didn’t have the same history, the same promise. So what’s God saying here? 1. God’s heart has always been for His covenant people Joseph didn’t forget Benjamin. Even when Benjamin didn’t know him, even when the family was fractured, Joseph’s affection was there. Jesus says the same thing in Matthew 15:24: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The gospel starts with the Jew. Romans 9-11 makes it clear: Israel is still beloved for the sake of the fathers. The gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. That 5-times portion isn’t favoritism in a petty sense. It’s recognition. “You are mine. You are special. You have a place at my table that no one else can fill.” The church has sometimes forgotten this. But if you rip Israel out of the story, you rip the root out of the tree in Romans 11. We’re grafted in, not replacing. 2. Grace always exceeds what we deserve Why 5 times? Five is the number of grace in Scripture. Grace is unmerited favor. Benjamin didn’t earn it. He was just Benjamin. That’s how it is with Israel, and that’s how it is with us. Deuteronomy 7:7 says, “The Lord set His love on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than any other people, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loves you.” We Gentiles got brought into the family through the Messiah of Israel. We didn’t earn it. We were brought near by the blood of Christ, Ephesians 2:13. The 300 pieces of silver and 5 changes of clothing are extravagant. They’re not survival rations. They’re “welcome home” gifts. That’s how Jesus treats us. Not just forgiveness, but sonship, inheritance, a seat at the table. 3. Reconciliation means a shared table Look at verse 15: “And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them.” Joseph doesn’t just send food. He restores relationship. The goal of God’s plan isn’t two separate tables, one for Jew and one for Gentile. Ephesians 2:14 says Christ has made us both one and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility. The special portion to Benjamin doesn’t create distance. It creates the basis for the family to be reconciled. When the brothers see how Joseph treats Benjamin, they see Joseph’s heart. And they’re drawn in. That’s what Jesus is doing today. He’s showing Israel, “You are still beloved.” And He’s saying to the Gentiles, “You’re included in that love.” *So what does this mean for us?* If you’re from a Jewish background, Hear this. Your Messiah hasn’t forgotten you. The 5-times portion is still on the table. Romans 11:23 says “God is able to graft them in again.” Don’t think Jesus doesn’t want you. If you’re a Gentile believer: Don’t get arrogant. Romans 11:18 says “you do not support the root, but the root supports you.” The gifts and calling of Israel are part of why you have a Bible, a Messiah, a covenant. Honor that. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, Psalm 122:6. And for all of us: Look at the table. Jesus, our Joseph, has made a place for you. Not because you earned it. Because He chose you. And He’s still in the business of giving 5 times more than we deserve. The brothers came expecting judgment. They got a kiss and a feast. That’s the gospel. Let’s pray. Lord, thank You for being a God who remembers, who restores, and who gives more than we deserve. Open our eyes to see Your heart for all Your people. Help us to be a church that loves what You love and honors the root from which we’ve been grafted. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It is always amazing to get to know an author like Paul through his writing. He had his own principles in doing the work of God, which is really impressive. Indeed, he never did anything to impress others. Let me share what I learned about his ministry from the book of 2 Corinthians. Firstly, he says he preached God's Word with sincerity and with Christ's authority (2 Corinthians 2:17). He used the word sincere again when he wanted people to know that his ministry was not a very spectacular one, but a sincere one (2 Corinthians 5:12). Like John called people toward repentance, Paul says he called people to come back to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). Paul understood the importance of living the Christ he preached, so he says he lived in such a way that no one stumbled because of him (2 Corinthians 6:3). He was faithful in preaching the truth (2 Corinthians 6:7). As a minister, he waged spiritual wars. He used the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and in the left hand for defense. Most importantly, his fuel to run for the work of the Lord was not the praise of people. He served God whether people honored or despised him, whether they slandered or praised him. He considered himself someone who blessed others with spiritual riches, yet he says he owned nothing in this world, but he knew he had everything (2 Corinthians 6:10). Suffering had always been a part of his ministry. He went to prison, was whipped, beaten, stoned, and shipwrecked (2 Corinthians 11:24–25). He worked with his own hands to support his ministry. Paul's standard for ministry is indeed great. Hey friend, all of us have the calling to work for the Great Commission of God. My pastor used to say that all of us are called to introduce Jesus to our fellow people on earth, for whom Jesus shed His blood. Wouldn't it be good and excellent if we learned from Paul and tried to be excellent in the way we live for Christ? Dear God, We come into Your presence seeking strength, grace, and power to work for the calling You have for us. May we preach with sincerity and with authority. May our lives never cause others to stumble, but instead uplift them. May we be faithful in preaching the truth. May we wage war with the weapons of righteousness. May we run the race toward the goal despite the slander or praise we receive from people. Let us be joyful in having treasures in heaven rather than on earth. May we be brave in all the suffering we endure for Christ. May everything build us up for the glory of God. In Jesus' name I pray Amen.

Apostle Paul is a great personality. He talks about God with so much authority. He has understood God in a personal way. Otherwise, how could anyone declare such a firm affirmation about God? In 2 Corinthians chapter 1, verses 12 to 23, he speaks to the Corinthian church about his upcoming visits to them. He says he is going to bless them doubly by visiting them twice. It is in verse 15: "I wanted to give you a double blessing by visiting you twice." And then he affirms the same by saying that his visit is going to be certain when he promises to visit. He draws the example from God Himself. He is telling the people that he doesn't carelessly tell people something. And Paul says God's promises will not wander between yes or no. The meaning is that when God promises yes, He will never change it. Paul's visit to them is also going to be certain. A very beautiful verse can be seen in verse 19: God's ultimate "Yes." He always does what He says. How assuring these verses are. How assuring Paul's faith in God is. Hey friend, do we have God promising to visit and bless somebody? It is in Genesis 18:10. He says, "I will return to you about this time next year, and your wife, Sarah, will have a son." And we all know what happened. When it is a yes from God, as Paul says, it is an ultimate yes. Hey friend, in our waiting, if we have our God who promised to visit us, it is an ultimate yes. If He promised to visit us twice, it is an ultimate yes. Move forward in your great joy. Hold on to your great faith. The God who rewarded Abraham and Sarah will reward us. Dear God, thank You for Your faithfulness. Thank You for Your promises of visiting us. We humbly say amen to Your ultimate yes for us. Love You, Lord. May You be glorified in us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

One of the dream lives all of us who have accepted Christ as our Savior would love to have is a life of victory. What is a life of victory in the Christian life? It is a life that overcomes sin. It is a life that puts the old man and his desires on the cross and walks victoriously in holiness in every walk of our life. The Bible clearly gives us the key to having a victorious life in Christ. The Bible says that when we have the knowledge of God, a life of victory in our Christian walk is possible. In 2 Peter chapter 1, Peter urges the believers as follows. Verse 5 says: "For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love." Peter asks the believers to grow in these character traits and be abundant in them, as this will keep them from being ineffective and unproductive. He calls the other group, who do not seek to grow in godliness, blind. In verse 10 he says, "Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall." Hey friend, how interested are we in growing in godliness? Are we complacent in being ineffective or unproductive? May we be of good use for God, and let us bring His kingdom on earth. May we carry His presence. May we walk in godliness. Peter says that if we do so, a rich welcome awaits us on the other side. Dear God, may we be Your people who always walk in victory by having the knowledge of Christ. May You grow godly character in us for Your glory. May we never be ineffective or unproductive Christians. May we be richly blessed with faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.