Uni-verse 159/10,000 For better through verse Joel 3 v 14
Joe 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
On this day, 32 years ago I was in the valley of decision when a friend shared the gospel with me relevantly and effectively. The decision I took that day to follow Jesus became the single most important decision I would ever take in my life. That decision transported me from the land of the dead to the land of the living. That day became the day of the Lord in my life. Ever since then He has been the nearest to me even in the valley of death. Israel was both an individual and a nation. Jacob became Israel in the valley of decision when He had an encounter and an experience of God's power and blessing. Similarly, in the valley of decision each one of us become Israel. God encamps with us and resides in us. No longer do we struggle against God or struggle without God. It does not end our struggles. We do have our struggles but we struggle for God and with God. He is with us in all our existential struggles. We have assurance that we have decisive victory through the struggle and decisive triumph at the end of the struggle.
"The day of the Lord" has another meaning in that it is the day of His second coming. Before that day, multitudes or millions of people are waiting to be saved. The nation of Israel itself needs to be saved. We should pray that they give up their blind habit of struggling with God and have an experience of the grace and truth of the Messiah whom they are still waiting for. We should also pray for the multitudes in India. They who are spiritually hungry and are seeking should be fed. Once in a vision the Holy Spirit said," Pray for the salvation of Israel and for millions world-wide who are dying." The valley of decision is also the valley of death. When a person is confronted with the truth, he has the freedom to choose to accept or reject it. Like in the poem, "The Charge of the Light Brigade," today millions not just “six hundred” are riding not bravely but naively into the valley of death. But, hope is near if only they are willing to follow Jesus.
The vision that Elijah saw of dry bones coming to life are that of spiritually dead people becoming spiritually alive in Christ. When we become spiritually charged, even when people come in contact with us they will come alive spiritually just as a dead body came alive in a cave when it come in contact with Elijah. Every day belongs to the Lord and He is always ready to release such miracles of resurrection in our lives.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Sow to multiply
Uni-verse 158/10,000 For better through verse 2 Corinthians 9 v 8
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
It is God who gives us seed, whether literal seed or seed money or seed talent or seed opportunity. It is God who multiplies such seed and turns it into much harvest. We knead the harvested seed and it becomes bread for our table. It is He who enables us to turn it into bread. He is able to make all grace multiply in our lives. He gives us sufficient for all our need. Being satisfied, He expects us to look out for the need of others, the poor. When we do sow in this manner, we abound in righteousness.
Last weekend around this time, the Lord whispered in my ears, " I have poured much grace into your life. Why don't you revive the Goodness Billionaire Initiative you once started?" In response to that voice, I called a friend who leads a NGO that works with slums. I explained that the concept is that when we give the extra of the ordinary( clothes, shoes, books or other articles of daily need..) to meet needs of people around us, we become extraordinary- Goodness Billionaires. This morning at 11am at a school run by another friend, the GBI is being organized with participants from all the institutions in the group. God is able to make all grace abound towards making the idea of goodness grow.
The Norwegian young man allowed the seed of hatred to grow in his mind and he made destruction abound in a once peaceful city and countr y. If evil can take root in all kinds of places, good can abound everywhere. But, evil is like weeds, it just grows without any conscious planting or nurturing. But, good needs to be consciously sown, nurtured and harvested. Today, not only should we do good but we must make the seed of goodness to abound. The destruction of evil is also a kind of goodness but it should be done in a creative way so that we don't pull out the crop along with the tares. We can no longer afford to be complacent since we are self-sufficient, being concerned only about our needs and the needs of our immediate family but reach out to others in love and charity. The process of reaching out to others is summed up in these words: Know the need, do the deed, sow the seed, mow the weed.
Prateep V Philip
2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
It is God who gives us seed, whether literal seed or seed money or seed talent or seed opportunity. It is God who multiplies such seed and turns it into much harvest. We knead the harvested seed and it becomes bread for our table. It is He who enables us to turn it into bread. He is able to make all grace multiply in our lives. He gives us sufficient for all our need. Being satisfied, He expects us to look out for the need of others, the poor. When we do sow in this manner, we abound in righteousness.
Last weekend around this time, the Lord whispered in my ears, " I have poured much grace into your life. Why don't you revive the Goodness Billionaire Initiative you once started?" In response to that voice, I called a friend who leads a NGO that works with slums. I explained that the concept is that when we give the extra of the ordinary( clothes, shoes, books or other articles of daily need..) to meet needs of people around us, we become extraordinary- Goodness Billionaires. This morning at 11am at a school run by another friend, the GBI is being organized with participants from all the institutions in the group. God is able to make all grace abound towards making the idea of goodness grow.
The Norwegian young man allowed the seed of hatred to grow in his mind and he made destruction abound in a once peaceful city and countr y. If evil can take root in all kinds of places, good can abound everywhere. But, evil is like weeds, it just grows without any conscious planting or nurturing. But, good needs to be consciously sown, nurtured and harvested. Today, not only should we do good but we must make the seed of goodness to abound. The destruction of evil is also a kind of goodness but it should be done in a creative way so that we don't pull out the crop along with the tares. We can no longer afford to be complacent since we are self-sufficient, being concerned only about our needs and the needs of our immediate family but reach out to others in love and charity. The process of reaching out to others is summed up in these words: Know the need, do the deed, sow the seed, mow the weed.
Prateep V Philip
Attitude of Paul
Uni-verse 157/10,000 For better through verse I Timothy 1 v 15
1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
As believers we must not have a self-righteous attitude but an attitude like Paul that " I am the worst of sinners". Paul considered himself the least of the apostles and the worst of sinners as He persecuted the church. This attitude helped to keep him humble and free from any sense of superiority over the other apostles. True, he was better educated than the disciples of Christ. But, his better background did not make him feel elitist. Sometimes believers given their family background, their spiritual and intellectual gifts and their knowledge of the Word begin to feel that they know better about such matters than most if not all others. The feeling is " I am one of the better ones that Jesus has saved." Such an attitude affectst their spiritual growth and their effectiveness.
Paul repented of his past by showing the same zeal that He displayed in persecuting the Christians in evangelising the then known world. That zeal in the past had taken him only to Damascus. But, now it took Him to myriad places like Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Galatia and so on. The feeling that he was the worst of sinners, whom Christ Jesus had redeemed, motivated him to reach out to all people from the slaves to the rulers. God added grace to his efforts and made his journeys successful as he humbled himself before Him.
A pastor recently rightly taught in the course of a message that humility is an exercise towards God and not towards people. Paul acknowledged his sinfulness and submitted his life fully to the will of God. He had emptied himself of his own ego and his ambition. God made him a holy and useful vessel to carry the gospel across the world.
Prateep V Philip
1Ti 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
As believers we must not have a self-righteous attitude but an attitude like Paul that " I am the worst of sinners". Paul considered himself the least of the apostles and the worst of sinners as He persecuted the church. This attitude helped to keep him humble and free from any sense of superiority over the other apostles. True, he was better educated than the disciples of Christ. But, his better background did not make him feel elitist. Sometimes believers given their family background, their spiritual and intellectual gifts and their knowledge of the Word begin to feel that they know better about such matters than most if not all others. The feeling is " I am one of the better ones that Jesus has saved." Such an attitude affectst their spiritual growth and their effectiveness.
Paul repented of his past by showing the same zeal that He displayed in persecuting the Christians in evangelising the then known world. That zeal in the past had taken him only to Damascus. But, now it took Him to myriad places like Rome, Athens, Ephesus, Thessalonica, Galatia and so on. The feeling that he was the worst of sinners, whom Christ Jesus had redeemed, motivated him to reach out to all people from the slaves to the rulers. God added grace to his efforts and made his journeys successful as he humbled himself before Him.
A pastor recently rightly taught in the course of a message that humility is an exercise towards God and not towards people. Paul acknowledged his sinfulness and submitted his life fully to the will of God. He had emptied himself of his own ego and his ambition. God made him a holy and useful vessel to carry the gospel across the world.
Prateep V Philip
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Doing the Impossible
Uni-verse 156/10,000 Philippians 4 v 13
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Yesterday, I read on some passerby's shirt the words," Every time I find the key to success, someone changes the lock." It is so frustrating that when we want to do something, we just cannot do it. But, this uni-verse is an assurance that a believer can do all things through Christ. The word, Christ meaning " The Anointed One". He will give us the anointing to do what He has called us to do. It is no longer " I" or " we" alone who are attempting to do anything we want to do. We want to do the expressed will of God. We do it in the power and grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient for us in any situation. He enables, empowers and equips us primarily by strengthening us in the inner man. We begin any enterprise with the end in sight since our confidence is in Christ who is mighty. He who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, He who parted the Jordan, He who released ten plagues on Egypt to secure the release of His people, He who healed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, brought back the dead to life, multiplied the five loaves and two fish , is with us. He will act in, for and on our behalf.
Our position is no longer, " I" but " I -in -Him". All boundaries, moulds, assumptions and stereotypes are broken or changed. We move from the economy of scarcity and reality to the economy of abundance and faith-enabled imagination. It is the " im" in impossible that makes the impossible possible. Imagine the difficult goal that you have set before your self is possible in Christ. Pray for the realization of the goal. Work diligently for the realization of the goal. As a plus-Two student I set myself the impossible goal of standing in the top ten ranks in the state as well as securing the coveted National Talent Search scholarship, both in the same year. I imagined it is possible for a student who had never stood first even in a class of fifty students. I prayed hard and worked harder. The Lord strengthened me by speaking through various rhema verses. I lapped them up like a hungry dog laps up milk. When the results came, I had not just got one of the top ten ranks but had secured the First Rank in the state. I believed the NTS scholarship would follow suit and praise be to God, it did follow in a few months. In the past thirty two years since I made a commitment to Christ, I have been able to attempt and do many other amazing things on the strength of the promise of God.
Jesus, the good Shepherd creates the opportunities and circumstances for us to feed on the green pasture as well as to lie by the still waters of His refreshing presence. When He enables us to accomplish our goals and so be blessed, He makes us a signboard to point others to the Way of Truth and Life. You have a difficult family problem to confront. Jesus is the Way. You have a tough financial challenge, Jesus is the Way. You have a serious health problem - Jesus is the Way. You do not have any problem and you are quite bored with existence- Jesus is the Way. He does not drop answers from the sky but He strengthens us in spirit and mind and body. He will give us the spiritual succour, the mental ability, the emotional stability, the will power and motivation as well as the physical endurance and stamina to run the course. What is more, He will release strength in the areas of our known weakness so that we and others will know that it is of His doing and not ours. He will remind us through the gentle promptings and prodding of the Holy Spirit
Prateep V Philip
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
Yesterday, I read on some passerby's shirt the words," Every time I find the key to success, someone changes the lock." It is so frustrating that when we want to do something, we just cannot do it. But, this uni-verse is an assurance that a believer can do all things through Christ. The word, Christ meaning " The Anointed One". He will give us the anointing to do what He has called us to do. It is no longer " I" or " we" alone who are attempting to do anything we want to do. We want to do the expressed will of God. We do it in the power and grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ. His grace is sufficient for us in any situation. He enables, empowers and equips us primarily by strengthening us in the inner man. We begin any enterprise with the end in sight since our confidence is in Christ who is mighty. He who parted the Red Sea for the Israelites, He who parted the Jordan, He who released ten plagues on Egypt to secure the release of His people, He who healed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, brought back the dead to life, multiplied the five loaves and two fish , is with us. He will act in, for and on our behalf.
Our position is no longer, " I" but " I -in -Him". All boundaries, moulds, assumptions and stereotypes are broken or changed. We move from the economy of scarcity and reality to the economy of abundance and faith-enabled imagination. It is the " im" in impossible that makes the impossible possible. Imagine the difficult goal that you have set before your self is possible in Christ. Pray for the realization of the goal. Work diligently for the realization of the goal. As a plus-Two student I set myself the impossible goal of standing in the top ten ranks in the state as well as securing the coveted National Talent Search scholarship, both in the same year. I imagined it is possible for a student who had never stood first even in a class of fifty students. I prayed hard and worked harder. The Lord strengthened me by speaking through various rhema verses. I lapped them up like a hungry dog laps up milk. When the results came, I had not just got one of the top ten ranks but had secured the First Rank in the state. I believed the NTS scholarship would follow suit and praise be to God, it did follow in a few months. In the past thirty two years since I made a commitment to Christ, I have been able to attempt and do many other amazing things on the strength of the promise of God.
Jesus, the good Shepherd creates the opportunities and circumstances for us to feed on the green pasture as well as to lie by the still waters of His refreshing presence. When He enables us to accomplish our goals and so be blessed, He makes us a signboard to point others to the Way of Truth and Life. You have a difficult family problem to confront. Jesus is the Way. You have a tough financial challenge, Jesus is the Way. You have a serious health problem - Jesus is the Way. You do not have any problem and you are quite bored with existence- Jesus is the Way. He does not drop answers from the sky but He strengthens us in spirit and mind and body. He will give us the spiritual succour, the mental ability, the emotional stability, the will power and motivation as well as the physical endurance and stamina to run the course. What is more, He will release strength in the areas of our known weakness so that we and others will know that it is of His doing and not ours. He will remind us through the gentle promptings and prodding of the Holy Spirit
Prateep V Philip
Monday, July 25, 2011
Meditation, Motivation at the same time
Uni-verse 155/10,000 Romans 12 v 9
Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Scripture says that the world is neither flat nor round, it is binary. Both good and evil exists in it. We need to love the good and hate the evil. This is based on binary logic or binary pattern of thinking. How do we know what is good and what is evil? The Word of God and our conscience will tell us what is good and what is evil. We must cleave to or stick to what is good. We must abhor, implying both hate and avoid, what is evil.
Both good and evil have different shades. As we grow more mature in faith, we must increase in the intensity or the passion of our love for good and our hatred for evil. Many Christians think that positive thinking is sanctioned by the Bible. The author of the book, " The Power of Positive Thinking," Norman Vincent Peale pastored a 5,000 strong church. But, he was also a member of the Freemasons. Loving what is good and hating what is evil is the core of righteousness. It implies an ability to first of all recognize or discern what is good and what is evil. As one preacher once told me, counterfeit currency is 99 per cent like the original. It is only one per cent that makes the difference between what is genuine and counterfeit. Hence, we must be careful what we believe,think and do.
The Biblical pattern of thinking is based on the precept: cling to what is good, let go of what is evil. The key to the human mind is : be at it, beat it. Be at it -means that we need to be positive continuously or believe, think,talk and act positively. When we do this we are loving what is good. Beat it -means that we need to beat the negative continuously. In what we believe, think, talk and act we must get rid of the negative. In doing so, we abhor and let go of what is evil.
Be at it corresponds with our breathing in while beat it corresponds with our breathing out. Just as breathing in is as important as breathing out for respiration to be complete, be at it is as important as beat it for divine inspiration. For we can use this thought process to connect with God all the time in praying without ceasing as breathing is coterminous with life, in meditating on the Word of God day and night and in motivating or renewing our minds all the time.
Prateep V Philip
Rom 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.
Scripture says that the world is neither flat nor round, it is binary. Both good and evil exists in it. We need to love the good and hate the evil. This is based on binary logic or binary pattern of thinking. How do we know what is good and what is evil? The Word of God and our conscience will tell us what is good and what is evil. We must cleave to or stick to what is good. We must abhor, implying both hate and avoid, what is evil.
Both good and evil have different shades. As we grow more mature in faith, we must increase in the intensity or the passion of our love for good and our hatred for evil. Many Christians think that positive thinking is sanctioned by the Bible. The author of the book, " The Power of Positive Thinking," Norman Vincent Peale pastored a 5,000 strong church. But, he was also a member of the Freemasons. Loving what is good and hating what is evil is the core of righteousness. It implies an ability to first of all recognize or discern what is good and what is evil. As one preacher once told me, counterfeit currency is 99 per cent like the original. It is only one per cent that makes the difference between what is genuine and counterfeit. Hence, we must be careful what we believe,think and do.
The Biblical pattern of thinking is based on the precept: cling to what is good, let go of what is evil. The key to the human mind is : be at it, beat it. Be at it -means that we need to be positive continuously or believe, think,talk and act positively. When we do this we are loving what is good. Beat it -means that we need to beat the negative continuously. In what we believe, think, talk and act we must get rid of the negative. In doing so, we abhor and let go of what is evil.
Be at it corresponds with our breathing in while beat it corresponds with our breathing out. Just as breathing in is as important as breathing out for respiration to be complete, be at it is as important as beat it for divine inspiration. For we can use this thought process to connect with God all the time in praying without ceasing as breathing is coterminous with life, in meditating on the Word of God day and night and in motivating or renewing our minds all the time.
Prateep V Philip
Do not conform but be transformed
Uni-verse 154/10,000 Romans 12 v 2
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We are called not to be conformists but we are called to be transformed. Being conformed means we become conditioned and accept the standards of the world as our conditions. If we want to change our condition, we must first change our mental conditioning. Our minds meaning our intellect, our emotions and our will should be constantly renewed by the Word , by the Holy Spirit and by our own diligence in abiding in and by the Word of God and in being counselled and led by the Holy Spirit. The world's pattern is that what they have is more important than what they do or what they are. The Word's pattern is that what we are is more important than we do and what we have. The will of God is that we mature more and more so that our lives and our character reflects that which is good, acceptable and perfect in His sight.
Believers are God's proof on earth, proof that He exists, proof that He is holy, loving and just and proof that He rewards those who seek Him diligently Proof of the Kingdom of God is how we live it out on earth. Our lives have to reflect holiness, love and justice. In London subways we find the warning ," Mind the gap" to keep commuters from getting hurt. Similarly, we too must mind what is good, acceptable and perfect(GAP). We must act in a way acceptable to all, seek what is good and work towards perfection. We are called not to be violent revolutionaries but peaceful change agents in the contemporary world in which we live.
In forensic investigation, there is a technique called the Superimposition technique where a person's photograph is superimposed upon the picture of a dead man's skull to prove the identity. Similarly, we must superimpose the Word upon the dead influence of the world. The Word gives us templates and standards to follow in our daily walk. When we follow these templates and standards of thought, speech, action and reaction, the identity of God in us is proved or made evident to all. Our work, worship and our witness should begin to conform to the Word.
Prateep V Philip
Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
We are called not to be conformists but we are called to be transformed. Being conformed means we become conditioned and accept the standards of the world as our conditions. If we want to change our condition, we must first change our mental conditioning. Our minds meaning our intellect, our emotions and our will should be constantly renewed by the Word , by the Holy Spirit and by our own diligence in abiding in and by the Word of God and in being counselled and led by the Holy Spirit. The world's pattern is that what they have is more important than what they do or what they are. The Word's pattern is that what we are is more important than we do and what we have. The will of God is that we mature more and more so that our lives and our character reflects that which is good, acceptable and perfect in His sight.
Believers are God's proof on earth, proof that He exists, proof that He is holy, loving and just and proof that He rewards those who seek Him diligently Proof of the Kingdom of God is how we live it out on earth. Our lives have to reflect holiness, love and justice. In London subways we find the warning ," Mind the gap" to keep commuters from getting hurt. Similarly, we too must mind what is good, acceptable and perfect(GAP). We must act in a way acceptable to all, seek what is good and work towards perfection. We are called not to be violent revolutionaries but peaceful change agents in the contemporary world in which we live.
In forensic investigation, there is a technique called the Superimposition technique where a person's photograph is superimposed upon the picture of a dead man's skull to prove the identity. Similarly, we must superimpose the Word upon the dead influence of the world. The Word gives us templates and standards to follow in our daily walk. When we follow these templates and standards of thought, speech, action and reaction, the identity of God in us is proved or made evident to all. Our work, worship and our witness should begin to conform to the Word.
Prateep V Philip
Saturday, July 23, 2011
The Faith that alters fate
Uni-verse 153/10,000 Joshua 1 v 7
Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
In one brief verse, this scripture reveals the very secret of true success and fulfillment. Why does success and happiness elude the vast majority of humanity throughout history though it is the universal goal? Perhaps, we are looking in the wrong places. The history of mankind is the story of man climbing the wrong tree. If we wish to prosper in spirit, mind and body, then we must diligently study and obey the Word of God. We must not be deceived by the philosophies, beliefs and ideologies of the world, whether of the right or the left but exhibit an unswerving devotion to believing and obeying God's Word embodied in the Bible. This is not easy for God does not make things easy for us in our lives. He makes it possible.
Faith is not about being weak and ineffective. It is about being strong and very courageous. We need a little strength or all that we can muster in our spirit, mind and body and a lot of courage. For courage never denies hope and faith for the basis of courage is hope and hope cannot be carried to fulfillment except through hope. When we repose our trust in His Word, God will alter our lot according to His promise. It is impossible for man to obey " all the law" , for instance, who among us has never lied. But, God will supply the grace to fill the gaps in our faith, strength and obedience. Faith is like a blank cheque drawn on God's treasury which we can use once we have brought in our own equity and shown due diligence.
The promise is that God will prosper us regardless of whereever we go or what we do. The Word of God will cast light on what we must do and what we must avoid. It will impart to our spirits the spirit of true faith and worship. Our minds, it will transform into the mind of Christ. It will give power to our words so that none of it falls to the ground unfulfilled. It will give us flint-like determination to carry out our intentions and decisions. It will uplift our emotions. Our life will become truly purpose-driven and principle-centred. The results will be there for all to see: a life of quality accompanied by the quality of life.
Prateep V Philip
Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
In one brief verse, this scripture reveals the very secret of true success and fulfillment. Why does success and happiness elude the vast majority of humanity throughout history though it is the universal goal? Perhaps, we are looking in the wrong places. The history of mankind is the story of man climbing the wrong tree. If we wish to prosper in spirit, mind and body, then we must diligently study and obey the Word of God. We must not be deceived by the philosophies, beliefs and ideologies of the world, whether of the right or the left but exhibit an unswerving devotion to believing and obeying God's Word embodied in the Bible. This is not easy for God does not make things easy for us in our lives. He makes it possible.
Faith is not about being weak and ineffective. It is about being strong and very courageous. We need a little strength or all that we can muster in our spirit, mind and body and a lot of courage. For courage never denies hope and faith for the basis of courage is hope and hope cannot be carried to fulfillment except through hope. When we repose our trust in His Word, God will alter our lot according to His promise. It is impossible for man to obey " all the law" , for instance, who among us has never lied. But, God will supply the grace to fill the gaps in our faith, strength and obedience. Faith is like a blank cheque drawn on God's treasury which we can use once we have brought in our own equity and shown due diligence.
The promise is that God will prosper us regardless of whereever we go or what we do. The Word of God will cast light on what we must do and what we must avoid. It will impart to our spirits the spirit of true faith and worship. Our minds, it will transform into the mind of Christ. It will give power to our words so that none of it falls to the ground unfulfilled. It will give us flint-like determination to carry out our intentions and decisions. It will uplift our emotions. Our life will become truly purpose-driven and principle-centred. The results will be there for all to see: a life of quality accompanied by the quality of life.
Prateep V Philip
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