Jan 14

Pray Without Ceasing

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I Thessalonians 5:17

Pray without ceasing

These three words kept ringing in me last night so loudly that I woke up today to put the message right away. These are powerful and we are asked to do it. This means we have to keep praying continuously; no pausing; no taking a break; no resting. When we cease, the enemy tries to take its ground against us. Especially if we are living in Christ, walking closely with Him, abiding in Him, loving Him, serving Him, seeking His face and taking a stand against the enemy in the powerful, matchless and mighty name of our Savior, the enemy is waiting to pull us from our first love, our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us realize that the enemy waits on us and longs to see us losing our ground in Christ! This should make us even more vigilant, sober and watchful. I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”.

Last night, I was wrestling in prayer and pleading His precious blood on my body for I really didn’t know where exactly I needed the touch of His bleeding hand. All I could cry was I most badly needed His peace and rest from the torment in my body. Yes, I was given that rest and peace a couple hours later. I sought the Lord to use my hour of need to cry out to the many people suffering either in body, from a natural disaster (Ex: earthquake in Haiti), suffering children with various diseases, to the ones in authority so on and so forth. He helped me rise above my body to concentrate on Him and intercede. I was basking in His immense love and at the same time could feel the enemy’s battle to pull me down. But, God has got us and so we need not fear the attacks of the enemy.

These are perilous times and we should not take a moment to wink at the world. The other day, one of my colleagues mentioned “It is time to get mad at the devil”. This came to my mind last night and I was greatly burdened in my heart to intercede on various matters i.e. family, children, relatives, friends, colleagues, people enslaved in sins etc., I Timothy 2:1 says, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men”. The key is “ALL MEN”! Jesus did not love you or me alone, He loved everybody! We are asked to do the same. Love everyone like Jesus did.

Next: Michal – Part II

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Dec 27

The Temptation of Jesus Christ – Part II

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Matthew 4:5-7

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

The devil took Jesus to the Holy City and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple and said, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down”. Also the devil quotes the scripture from Psalm 91:11-12 that says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.” The devil knew that Jesus is a God of the Word and hence quoted the scriptures to tempt Him. Look here too he starts with saying, “If thou be the Son of God…” The devil is trying its very best to raise a doubt in Jesus’ heart about the Word spoken by the Lord God that Jesus is the Son of God in whom the Lord God delights greatly. The enemy tempts us on and on; he doesn’t try once and let you go our way; he will try many times and every time he comes our way, we should be ready with the whole armor of God so we can win the spiritual battle against the enemy. Ephesians 6:12 clearly says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Let us remember that our war is against all this evil forces. Unless we are fully armored, we cannot win this great battle. We need to be decked with truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, faith, salvation, Spirit of God and the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17) to win this deadly battle against the enemy. We should not only be prepared for the battle but we should also go for the battle with all these wonderful weaponry on us, in us and around us!

Lord Jesus Christ quoted from Deuteronomy 6:16: “Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.” Massah means testing. Israelites chided with Moses when they did not have water to drink in the wilderness and they tempted the Lord their God saying “Is the Lord among us?” as it says in Exodus 17:7. When Israelites journeyed from Egypt to the Promised Land, they passed through the wilderness; they complained against Moses and tempted the Lord many times. When we are in our wilderness i.e. undergoing a trial in our life, are we complaining and tempting the Lord or do we trust Him to get us through? Unlike the Israelites, the Lord Jesus immediately recognized that the devil was tempting Him by asking Him to cast Himself down. Let us also recognize the enemy when it comes to us in a cunning way by using Bible verses. We should seek the Lord’s wisdom at all times; otherwise it is easy to get trapped by the enemy. In our trials let us praise and worship the Lord and glorify Him so that the enemy flees away from us.

While what the enemy quoted from Psalm 91 is true, we should not take His promise to tempt the Lord. Yes, He will charge His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways but we should not take this promise to put ourselves in the way of the enemy. Let us seek the Lord and His strength; Let us seek His face evermore (Psalm 105:4). Without His strength, we are sure to get carried away by the enemy’s glamorous temptations. They look glamorous on the outside, but what is inside is sure to lead us to damnation. May the Lord provide us with His strength to resist the enemy!

 Next: The Temptation of Jesus Christ – Part III

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Dec 26

The Temptation of Jesus Christ – Part I

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Matthew 4:1-4

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. He had fasted forty days and forty nights and afterwards was hungry. Just before this, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and the Spirit of God descended like a dove and lighted upon Him. Matthew 3:16-17 says, “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” The Lord God declared that Jesus was His beloved Son in whom He was well pleased. The God of Glory declared Jesus as His beloved Son and nobody can take it away! The devil wanted to take that which God declared and see if he can raise a doubt in Jesus Christ. Devil waited for an opportunity to tempt Jesus. He knew very well that Jesus was hungry after His forty days and forty nights of fasting. Remember, the devil does the same to us. He (devil) waits for an opportunity to tempt us; the more we dwell with the Lord Jesus, the more he wants to try and pull us away from the one we so love. Just as he took the words of Lord God about Jesus as the Son of God and used them to tempt Jesus, he will tempt us with the promises that God gave us i.e., His promise to forgive us of our sins, His promise to free us of our guilt, His promise to pardon our iniquities, His promise to blot our transgressions, His promise to heal us, His promise to take away our fears and anxieties and so on and so forth. If we believe and trust in our heart that the promises given by God are for our sakes and that He will keep His promises, the devil out there will try raising a doubt in your hearts saying, “If you are forgiven…, or if you are freed by Jesus…”, or some other such deceptive trick. Be adorned by the Word of God and then you certainly will win the battle against the enemy.

Jesus answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. He quoted from Deuteronomy 8:3 which says, “And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.” Jesus knew very well that the Lord God can take care of His physical need for food like the way He took care of Israelites when they were in the wilderness. He fed them with manna from above when they were hungry. Our heavenly Father knows how to meet our every need; let us not have an agenda for Him; let us freely fall in His will for our lives. Jesus immediately spoke back to the devil the Word of God. Let us ask the Lord God to help us know His Word that we may be able to win the battle against the enemy through the precious Word and by His Spirit.

This coming year, let us ask the Lord God to help us know Him better. Let us ask Him to teach us His Word and to enlighten us with His Wisdom. The Spirit of God lighted on Jesus like a dove and He (the Spirit of God) is in us His children; He is ready to help us understand His Word. May this be one desire of our hearts and He will help us receive His Word by opening the eyes of our hearts. May God richly adorn you with His precious Word, the Living Word which is the Word for our lives!

Next: The Temptation of Jesus Christ – Part II

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Dec 19

Samson and Delilah – Part III

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Judges 16:13-14

And Delilah said unto Samson, Hitherto thou hast mocked me, and told me lies: tell me wherewith thou mightest be bound. And he said unto her, If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web. And she fastened it with the pin, and said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awaked out of his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web.

Delilah yet again tempted Samson to reveal the source of his strength. What surprises me is that Samson stayed on with Delilah knowing well that she would hand him over to Philistine lords waiting in her chamber. The same way even when we sense that a particular temptation from satan is deadly and that it has the potential to put us to death, we some times stay on subjecting ourselves to the enemy’s traps for the temporary joy it gives us. Remember, any happiness out of a temptation is short-lived and is detrimental to us. When doing a certain thing, wait for a minute and ask yourself a question: “Is this act of mine glorifying God?” He will reveal to you whether it is acceptable to Him or not. I would like to define sin as anything that does not glorify God; anything that displeases Him; anything that is not according to His will. I say this in love and am not judging anybody. Many a time people think it is acceptable to drink wine. I would say as you drink wine ask yourself if the act is pleasing Him. For example, Noah got drunk and the result was family feud and curse over Canaan (Genesis 9:20-26). Lot got drunk and the result is incestuous children (Genesis 19:30-38). Proverbs 23 has warnings against drunkenness. We can go on and on; wine in English refers to alcoholic beverage as well as grape juice. God will speak to us what is holy and acceptable to Him if we ask Him to reveal to us.

Samson’s answer to Delilah was, “If thou weavest the seven locks of my head with the web.” His answer was now close enough to his real strength. His first and second answers were far from truth but the third about the seven locks of his head is close to the truth. Look, how he slowly started yielding to the temptation. If we think we are strong and can resist the temptation living right where there is temptation, we become weaker and weaker. In Genesis 39:7 we see, “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.” Potiphar’s wife conceived a passion for Joseph and tempted him to lie with her. Genesis 39:10 says, “And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her.” Here too Potiphar’s wife tempted Joseph day after day, persistently! Such is the temptation from the enemy. It is after us and will try every means to make us yield. Genesis 39:13 says, “And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth”. See how Joseph fled forth from her leaving his garment in her hand. Let us also flee away from the devil when tempted and let us ask Lord to grant us strength to recognize what is a temptation.

Delilah did exactly what Samson told her hoping that she found the source of his strength. She spoke the deadly words that the Philistines are upon him. The same way when we give in to the satan’s tricks, the many fiery demons will rise up against us. We should guard ourselves with the armor of the Lord mentioned in Ephesians 6:11 (Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.) The wiles of the devil are evil and give us death and not life. Why even allow a wile of devil; cut it out before it emerges as a sin.

Samson awoke from his sleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web. When Samson was fast asleep Delilah attacked him with her deceptive trick. Before going to sleep let us ask God to put His hedge of protection around us and to fill our minds with His holy thoughts. It appears that Samson did not talk with His Lord God but spoke to an evil woman and the result is a serious attack from her. Let your thoughts surround the heavenly King, His Word, His goodness and His glory at all times. An evil thought results in an evil action in due course of time. Put an end to that thought and dwell on the Word of God. Let God arise while you are asleep also. May the Lord lead you in your spiritual walk with Him! Be mightily blessed!

Next: Samson and Delilah – Part IV

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Nov 27

The Girl Vexed with Devil made Whole

Women that Received Physical and Spiritual Healing Comments Off

Matthew 15:21-28

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Jesus went to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. Sidon was the first born of Canaan (Genesis 10:15) and was the mother city of Tyre (Isaiah 23:12). Tyre and Sidon are related to Canaan and Jesus went to these coasts. Jesus’ departing to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon is similar to Elijah’s departure to Zarephath of Zidon as mentioned in the blog The Widow at Zarephath – Part I. God had spoken to Elijah to go to Zarephath and dwell with a widow there for she found favor in God’s eyes and was about to experience abundant grace of the Almighty at a juncture when famine was prevalent, through a great prophet sent as a savior unto her although she was not a Jew. Jesus went to these two coasts to preach the good tidings of great joy, to perform mighty miracles and to show His care and concern to men of every kindred.

A woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts and cried unto him saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David. Though this woman was of Canaan, she cried unto Him for mercy. She pleaded not for a worldly favor but for His mercy. May we also in our humility cry out unto Him for His mercy! She knew that He was a Lord and Son of David. She knew pretty well that He was a Jew but yet approached Him for she must have heard of His mercy and grace. The news of Savior spread to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon as well and how she longed for this Savior’s mercy. She besought Him and was full of faith that He would grant her, her sincere plea. She sought His mercy as her daughter was grievously vexed with devil. She was a caring mother who could not see the suffering of her daughter. We as parents must seek the best interests of our children and plead the Lord for His mercy upon them. When we in faith carry our requests on behalf of our children, He will not shun us away. We have an ultimate friend who not only carried our sins and grief but we are privileged to carry our burdens unto Him in a prayer. He waits to hear our requests and pleas.

He answered her not a word. She brought in this request unto Him knowing pretty well that she can find His mercy and grace but Jesus did not respond to her. Many times in our lives too when we carry our requests to Him, He does not respond. He waits to build the right character in us, a character that is more pleasing to Him than our current state. Waiting does shape in us a special trait called patience for without patience what is a person in Christ for? And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. The disciples now intervened and pleaded the Master to send her away for she cries unto them as well. The intervention of His disciples is much like our intercession for the other people. Look, the Master now speaks! We are His disciples and the disciples’ asking Him to send her away is suggestive that they were tired of her pleading not only to Jesus but also to the disciples. Here is a woman who cried unto the Master directly for His mercy and when He did not respond approached His disciples and pleaded them. We too should request the people in Christ to pray for our sakes. We should not get tired of praying and pleading. When we do not hear from Him, that is when we should be more fervent in our prayers and seek the other believers in the Body of Christ to uphold our requests. The disciples spoke to the Master on her behalf and wanted Jesus to send her away. Although it is not clear whether they wanted the Master to grant her the request, I can imagine that they wanted Him to grant her request so that she would not bother them anymore.

But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Jesus is now saying that He came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel and not for the gentiles. He was thus testing her endurance to stand the test of faith and hang on to her petition although He did not address her directly. He is a God of mercy and grace and I am confident that she had heard of Him thus. But what He is saying now contradicts His character but will she still believe and trust in Him? He was testing her of this. He tests us as well and his silence for our petitions implies that He is working His character in us. It is not that He putting a deaf ear to our requests. He is well aware of the urgency of these requests yet He makes us wait so that we are turned into pure gold that stood the test of fire.

Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. She did not get offended when He said He came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. She did not apply to her and say that she is not a Jew and hence give up. Instead she turned around and worshipped Him. This woman was a woman of great faith and she worshipped Him when all she senses is a person turned down. She humbles herself and much to a human’s surprise worships Him. She says, “Lord, help me!” She is begging for His help for she very well knows that the help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth (Psalm 121:2). John 1 clearly explains that the Light of the World, Jesus was with God from the beginning. So this Canaanite woman believed in the authority of Jesus over every power and principality and especially over the devil that troubled her daughter.

 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Jesus is responding to her who sought His help that it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to dogs. The children here are the Jews while the dogs are the Canaanites or gentiles. He referred to her as a dog. But her answer speaks the humility with which she accepts herself as a dog. The Master will not look down upon us His children but will see if we are humble enough to enjoy His divine blessings. He was simply testing her faith, her humility and her perseverance. Her answer was that the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their Masters’ table. She is just asking for a crumb of blessing from the tons of blessings that the Master has for His children. She is willing to wait at the Master’s table and be blessed by a little crumb that falls off the table. Oh, how great is this woman’s faith and endurance?

Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour. Now the Master moves in an amazing way in her life and fills her with His mercy and compassion. He was impressed by this woman’s faith. He granted her of her one petition and her daughter was made whole that very hour. Her daughter though not right besides her, received His blessing that very hour and the mother here rejoiced in this miracle and in the Lord before her. Her heart must have overflowed with joy that is beyond explanation. Her prayer for her own daughter is an example to us parents today. We should hang on to our petitions for our children and beg Him of His mercy and worship Him even though the situation does not fade away. He shapes heavenly character in us and one day we will be mightily blessed like the way this woman was blessed. He is hearing our pleas and though He seems to not respond, be encouraged that He is shaping His character in us and when He sees us like He wants to see us, our request will be granted. Amen!

Tomorrow: A Disciple Named Tabitha or Dorcas from Joppa

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