Biblio

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (ESV) Philippians 4:13 This is Paul’s testimony about how he lived a life through the power of God in good and bad times (Phil. 4:12). We can live a joyful life in every situation through the power of God. You can do everything in every good or bad situation through Christ who gives his power to your life. God’s power comes to us through constant dependency upon him. Moreover, God’s power comes to us through the indwelling presence of Jesus in us. It comes to us through our intimate union with Christ. Paul says he lives “in Christ” (Phil.3.9). Christ’s grace is sufficient for him to face every situation. Christ is the source of wisdom, encouragement and strength in his life. In every life situation, Jesus infuses His strength to Paul this is why he testified that  “Wherefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions and frustrations, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Cor. 12:10). Many people

And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set an ambush against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah, so that they were routed. (ESV) 2 Chronicles 20:22 Worship is very powerful. It is all about lifting up God through our praises and thanksgiving. Jehoshaphat and his kingdom were in trouble because of the enemy army who wanted to attack them. However, Jehoshaphat and his people turned to God and cried to God. When they went for war, a worship team went before their army and led the army in worship. In v.22, God defeated the enemy army when Jehoshaphat and his people began to sing and praise God. Worship includes singing, clapping, shouting, kneeling down, lifting up our hands, dancing and so on. As we meaningfully engage in worship, we are lifting up God over everything. This releases God’s power over situation. In the case of Jehoshaphat, they won the battle by worshipping God, fasting and praying. As Jehoshaphat and his people worshipped, God de

... . Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” ……(ESV) John 21:15 I feel that Jesus wants to remind us today saying “Love me.” Jesus had probably more than three and half  years of friendship with Peter, still Jesus asked Peter three times: Do you love me? Love is a word that is misunderstood a lot in today’s world. Some think that it is a mere feeling or likeness. In the Bible, love is defined very differently, especially the agape love – love is self-giving and self-sacrificing. The greatest love is laying down your life for someone. Love is a willful choice in favor of someone. Jesus has agape love towards us. The same way, he expects us to love him with agape love. The first and foremost commandment of the Lord is that we should love God. Here are a few ways to express love to Jesus: Lay down your life to Jesus. Many people would like to come to the presence of God only when they are free or things are convenient to them. When they are bu

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (ESV) Romans 3:23-25 Christ sacrifice on the cross changed everything. We all were sinners and fall short of glory of God. But now we become righteous (justified) through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus died on the cross to remove our sins and make us righteous before God. Righteous means right standing before God. Without Christ, we do not have right standing before God. The power of his blood impacted our lives. We appropriated blessings of atonement of Jesus on the cross through faith. This blessing came to us by the grace of God as a gift. We live a life from the position of atonement. Living in the power of atonement mea

Asa was a good king. He walked in the ways of God. However he didn't please God towards the  end of his life. When the king of Israel came to attack Asa and his kingdom, Asa didn’t depend upon God. Rather he was seeking help from the Syrian king. Asa missed God's support that he could get because he did not seek God's help. God's eyes are running to and fro throughout the whole Earth to give support to those who seek him from their heart. God is already ready to help. God is seeking people who is  seeking his help. Our God is a good God. Many times we miss God’s help because we don't seek him from our heart as a first priority. God likes to  see that your heart is completely devoted to him and you are completely dependent upon God especially in times of need through seeking him from your heart through prayer and trusting God completely. In times of need and crisis it is so natural that human heart seeks human help rather than seeking God’s help. Asa did that. Bu

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. (ESV) John 14:12 Jesus commissioned us to do what Jesus did and greater works than what Jesus did! Three major things that Jesus did while he was on the earth other than the work on the cross: healing, deliverance and proclaiming the gospel. The question immediately may come to our heart is “Am I qualified to do this?” YES. God is not looking for perfect but righteous people. Yes, we all are righteous through the blood of Jesus. The problem today is that believers are waiting to be perfect. Another issue is that they either overemphasise character while underestimating the power of God or overemphasising power while underestimating  character. We need both. We are righteous by the  blood of Jesus and we carry God’s power through the Holy Spirit who is indwelling in every believer. We can do what Jesus did, not because of our

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— (ESV) 1 Peter 2:2 Many years ago, I had taken a fasting without drinking water. After a day, I had severe dehydration. Every cell in my body was intensively craving and longing for water. It was an intense thirst for water. It was like a deer panting for the waters. When I had water, I still remember that I drank several glasses of water like a person who was drinking water for the first time. A new born baby would cry when s/he is hungry for milk. Spiritual craving is a mark of our spiritual appetite. Desire for spiritual things shows our spiritual appetite. I had seasons where my appetite was very low. Even if I see some food that I like, I could not eat them. There are many Christians who live in either low spiritual appetite or no spiritual appetite. Many lost their desire for spiritual things - No interest in word of God, prayer, Christian character, fellowship, sharing gospel etc.

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (ESV) Matthew 17:20 In Matthean Gospel, you will see Jesus refers to three kinds of faith: little faith, no faith, great faith. Centurion’s faith is called as great faith (Mt. 8.10, KJV). Jesus called faith of his own disciples as little faith (Mt. 8.25) because they were very fearful and lost their hope when they faced storm. They could not exercise their faith and calm the storm. But they called out for Jesus. Little faith is “not no  faith but ineffective, defective or deficient faith” (ESV Study Bible, 1836). It is seemingly a wavering faith. Jesus says that if you have such little faith, then you can peruse impossibilities. Faith is not just feeling or thought. It is basically an action along with strong declaration in God by putting trust in G

For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall. (ESV) 2 Samuel 22:30 This is David’s testimony. He was a man who faced giants, enemy’s troop and many life-threatening obstacles. Though he was an exemplary warrior, he did not depend on himself. He testifies here that he can go against the troop and jump over every wall through God. We do not need to fear the wall of difficulty, obstacles and impossibilities because we will leap over them by God. The wall can be too high for you but you will leap over them by God. You will not stumble by your wall or what stands against you. You will simply leap over them. When you see the wall, do not forget what you can do through Christ Jesus who strengthens you by his power. With God, you are unstoppable. No one can or nothing can stop your progress in God. God has a plan for you. You are more than a conqueror, no matter what you are facing. You are an overcomer in Christ. Do not allow discouragement, fear, disappointm

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. (ESV) Psalms 91:14-15 Our intimacy with God and God’s work in us is interconnected. Psalmist reflects his intimacy with God in three phases: he holds fast to me in love; he knows my name and he calls to me. Loving God is the foundation of our relationship with him. No matter what is going on in our lives, we need to hold fast God in love.   You will not be able to build up intimacy with God without knowing him. Knowing God’s name means knowing God’s character very personally. Calling upon God indicates our payer and dependency upon God. Many people go after what God gives to us such as deliverance, protection or blessings. However, Psalmist says he goes after God in hot pursuit of love and intimacy. The byproduct of this loving intimate relationship is deliverance, p

Elijah was a man with a nature like ours; yet he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. (HCSB ) James 5:17 Elijah was an ordinary man like us. Yet he released an enormous level of power and influence around him. It includes stopping rain, turning the nation to God and deciding the future of the nation prophetically. Prophets of Baal, drought, king of Israel and difficulties could not stop him. He could take victory over them. The key thing in his life was prayer. He was an ordinary person like each one of us, yet he exercised extraordinary power, authority over the nature, nation and evil forces through prayer. Prayer brings God’s rule over us. It brings God’s power down to us. It brings the Kingdom authority to us. It brings God’s enormous power to influence the society. Many people want to influence society and situations around them. But many of them feel powerlessness. Today the church really want to influence the

  Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” (HCSB) 2 Kings 4:2 God’s ways always are different from man’s ways. God thinks and acts differently from us. God sees possibilities and miracles in things that we do not see any possibilities. Our God has sometimes very strange ways to work in us and bring His greatness to us. One of such strange ways are that He will use little, menial, small and ignorable things to do something great in us or in this world. God used the rod of Moses to do miracles. God opened the source of flour and oil in widow’s jar: “The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord He had spoken through Elijah” (HCSB, 1 Kings 17:16). God opened a source of oil in the jar to pay off the debt of widow of a prophet. God used five loaves and two fishes to feed thousands. He multiplied them. He used rav

For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory. (HCSB) 2 Corinthians 1:20 Feeling down is a reality in everyone’s life. Sometimes, we may go through a season in which we feel down for many days and weeks. Especially things around us are not going great, we feel down and disturbed. Many times, consistently feeling down may disorient and disorganize us. Promises of God can give such a great strength in such seasons. In his faith journey, Abraham was down several times. But the promises of God kept him going forward. We can trust God’s promises in every season. We can see men and women of God in the Bible who took hold of promises and contended for them: Abraham, Noah, Moses, David etc. God will not change His promises to us. Every promise of God have a loud “Yes” in Jesus Christ. When we step on the promises of God, we will see that they become alive and real in our lives. It may or may not take time. Faith needs t

Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel. (HCSB Free) 1 Chronicles 21:1 The one who commits sin is of the Devil, for the Devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the Devil’s works. (HCSB) 1 John 3:8 Our biggest enemy is Devil. He always tries to attack us and deviate our path from God. Devil incited David to take census of God’s people which is prohibited by God. Incite means “to encourage someone to do or feel something unpleasant or violent.” Devil will try to attack our mind with his suggestions, intense feelings, fantasies, strong thoughts and wandering thoughts. He gave a deceptive suggestion to Eve. He incited David to do something that is not pleasing to God. He attacked Job. He accused God’s priests. He tempted Jesus. He entered into Judas and made him to betray Jesus. He deceived hearts of Ananias and Sapphira to lie. He blinded the mind of unbelievers from seeing Jesus. However, Jesus

So David inquired of God, “Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” The Lord replied, “Go, and I will hand them over to you.” (HCSB) 1 Chronicles 14:10 Inquiring God to take life decision was one of the life time habit that David had in his life. If you carefully read his life story, you will see how he is asking direction from the Lord for his life situations. One of the keys to hear God is to ask his direction. Ask questions to God. Call upon him. He will answer to you. Often times, we are carried away with the pressure of our life situations. Pressure and fear can be hindrances to hear God. However, when we tune to God and ask questions by seeking his face, He will answer us with His gentle voice. Another key to hear more God’s voice is to obey His voice that already came to us. David continuously obeyed God’s voice. He never questioned it. Probably David could be a man after God because he knew the heart of God by continuously hearing God about

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (NIV) Hebrews 11:8 Abraham stepped out from his own house, hometown, familiar situation, his own people and comfort zone to unknown. To just obey God, Abraham had to take the risk of leaving familiar situations to unknown territory. God called him to go to a place but He did not reveal the name of the place where he had to go. But Abraham simply stepped out from his house. This is called faith. Faith is taking risk for God by trusting him. Abraham took the risk and stepped out. That’s why he got the promised land and became the father of faith. God called us to live a life in His supernatural potential. He wants each one of us partner with Him in everything. For example, Jesus gave us authority to heal the sick, cast out demons and proclaim gospel. We do not need to wait to see these kinds of supernatural things. We need to simply

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (NIV) Matthew 6:10 God’s desire is to bring what is in heaven to this earth. “Your kingdom” refers to God’s rule or dominion. God’s will and rule or dominion like in heaven should come to this earth. This is why Jesus taught us to pray “your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The implication is that we are on a mission to bring what is in heaven on this earth and remove what is not heaven from this earth. I believe that there is no sickness, depression, disturbance, bondage, debt, anxiety, fear, poverty etc. in heaven. His dominion should manifest over these forces. Whatever is not allowed to exist in heaven should be bound on this earth.  We are citizens of heaven. Our model is heaven. We are ambassadors of heaven. We are sons and daughters of heavenly Father. We represent another world, power, king and reality. If something is there in heaven, we should lose them on this earth through

For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge — 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (NIV) 1 Corinthians 1:4-7 God is rich. He is rich in kindness, patience, mercy, and grace (Rom. 2:4; 9:23; Eph. 1:7; 2:4). Christ possesses unsearchable riches (Eph. 3:8), for in him lie hidden all the treasures of knowledge and wisdom (Col. 2:3). God meets the believer’s needs from the glorious riches that are in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19). He enriched the Corinthian believers in every way, especially in spiritual blessings from His enormous richness. They were lacking no spiritual gift. They had abundance of them. This enrichment has two implications: testimony of Jesus confirmed among them and they could wait for the coming of Christ. God really want to enrich each one of us especially with spiritual gifts. He is a good

And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” (ESV) Luke 5:5 Peter worked so hard all night but could not get even a fish. He was disappointed, feeling failed and his hands were empty. But Jesus came to him and said to put down the net. We know the result, he got a miraculous catch. This incident shows how we can be empty, a failure and looser without Jesus and how we can be a winner, fruitful and happy with Jesus.  With Jesus we can win, be fruitful and victorious in the places where we failed in spite of our hard work. This shows a life with our strength sometimes can be empty but a life that we live out from the presence of Jesus can be amazingly fruitful. We need to trust God’s word and develop an intimacy with Jesus. More than anything else, we need to learn to sit with Jesus in intimacy, rest and faith in God. From this place of intimacy, rest and faith in God, our life should flow out. Your destiny and miracle

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (ESV) 2 Corinthians 5:20 We are called as ambassadors of Christ. An ambassador represents a government of a nation. As ambassadors of Christ, we represent our heavenly Father. We are sons and daughters of God who are called to reveal and represent Father God. Everyday God gives opportunities to His children to reveal and represent the heart of God to people around them through their life situation. Parents get opportunity on daily basis to reveal and represent the Father’s heart to their children. Each one of us gets opportunities to reveal and represent the heart of Father when we have difficulty with others in relationship, dealings, conversation, office, street or even among friends. Moses was very angry with thrpeople and he struck the rock to bring out water instead of commanding the rock as God directed him. This disobedience of Moses, a man whom