On Wings Of Eagles

free counters

Sunday, March 31, 2019

Victory part 2


Matthew 18:18 (ESV)
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed[a] in heaven.

Colossians 1:13, 14 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His Beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins”.


At one time, all of us sinners belonged to the domain of darkness and were ruled by demonic spirits. The cross is the instrument by which God delivered us from the penalty of our sins and from the hand of Satan. Now we are a part of God’s kingdom.


Matthew 18:18 “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth, will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, will be loosed in heaven”.


To bind means to make secure by tying – like arresting by putting handcuffs. Binding is done by legal authority. We have the legal authority in the name of Jesus to bind the works of darkness and all demonic activity. We, who were once ruled by the kingdom of darkness, now can stop its advancement. That’s real authority!


Loose means to untie, release and set free. People need to be loosed from destroying influences. Jesus gave us the legal authority to set people free.


Sheila, a former witch, who gave her life to Jesus, says, “After practicing magic for over twenty years, I want to say- I have never encountered any power like the power I encountered since I have become a believer in Jesus!”


In Acts 8, we see Simon, who was a sorcerer in Samaria. He held the people in awe through the power he demonstrated. But when he saw the Holy Spirit power in Peter and John’s life and in their ministry, he was so amazed that he offered to buy this great power.


“Let me also have this power...” (Acts 8:19)


Now, this power is yours through Christ Jesus. Use it over the powers of darkness, and set people free, in the name of Jesus.



Dear Lord, we thank You for the victory that You bring to each of us. Help us to share that gift with those around us today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Victory


Colossians 2:15 (ESV)
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Christ’s death was a defeat of the power of Satan. Satan’s only weapon that can ultimately hurt people is an unforgiving sin. Christ took this weapon away from him!


Colossians 2:13, 14 “… having forgiven us all our trespasses, by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross”.


The record of our sins was like an arrest warrant- a death sentence, hanging over our heads. But Jesus took it and cancelled it when he suffered on our behalf.


Now if you look closely through the eyes of faith, you will see that arrest warrant nailed to the Cross where His hands were once nailed!


Forgiven! Free! O what a God we serve!


Colossians 2:15 “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross”.


With the only weapon removed, Satan, along with his forces, were disarmed through the Cross. Now they can’t harm you. They have to submit to you. Jesus gives you the authority to trample on demonic spirits and assures you that they will not be able to harm you. In Jesus, you are victorious!


Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to death”.




We have to believe and we have to speak!


Dear Lord, we thank You for the victory that You brought by dying on the cross and raising from the dead to take our sins away. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Friday, March 29, 2019

Acceptance

Matthew 27:46 (ESV)
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Rejection, simply defined, is the sense of being unwanted or unloved. Usually, this stems from some form of broken relationship or merely a failure to show love and acceptance. It may start from the womb, childhood, adult life, marriage, and even old age. Rejection brings deep wounds in our souls and negatively affects our thinking and relationships. God has provided healing for the wound of rejection.


For the first time in the history of the universe, the Son of God called out to His Father and received no response. So fully was Jesus identified with man’s iniquity that the uncompromising holiness of God caused Him to reject even His own Son. In this way, Jesus endured rejection in its most agonizing form. Almost immediately after that, He died, not of the wounds of crucifixion, but probably of a heart broken by rejection.


Matt 27:51 “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”.


Almost immediately, as soon as Jesus died, the thick veil, in the temple, that forbade a sinful man from entering God’s presence, was torn in two. The blood of the sinless Lamb of God was shed! The way had been made!


Ephesians 1:6 “...He has made us accepted in the Beloved”.


Jesus was rejected so that we, unworthy sinners, can have the acceptance of God. To all those who are in the Beloved Son of God, He extends His acceptance.


Dear Lord, we thank You that You were rejected so that we can have the acceptance.  Help us to never forget what You did for us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.   

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Freedom


Hebrews 2:14-15 (ESV)
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

All people exist, but very few live. Why? Because fear of death brings slavery. A slave’s life is a low life of misery. Without freedom, you merely exist but don’t live.


Through His death, Jesus freed mankind from this slavery.


John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men”.


The Greek word for life is ‘zoe’, which is the God-kind of life. It’s the life which God himself enjoys.


Light stands for development. So, the above words can also be read as “In Him was zoe, and the zoe was the development of men.”


Jesus set us free by His death. Now God’s life in us brings development or growth in our lives. We are free to become all that God intended us to be!


Eternal life is not something you will, one day, enjoy in heaven. Eternal life is what you start enjoying, the moment you believe in the sacrifice of Jesus. The moment of the new birth.


Victor Torres received Jesus into his heart when someone shared the gospel of God’s love with Him. That day as he knelt on the street, God, set him free. He went to Bible school, and later started a successful youth ministry, which helped thousands of young people find freedom from drug addiction and gang life. He went on to become the pastor of a great church in Virginia. They have 22 churches all over the United States and the world. He travels all over the world, telling what God has done for him!


Now that is the life Jesus came to give us.


Dear Lord, we pray today that You would send people our way that are open to You so that we can share Your love with them.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Abundant Life


Romans 6:23 (ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Victor Torres was a poor nine-year-old boy who lived with his mother in a rough neighborhood in New York. He was already a member of a gang. By 12, he stabbed a man. He was hooked on drugs and had been arrested for many crimes involving robbing, stealing, killing and illegal activities.


His poor mother didn’t know what to do, so she started praying for him, that one day he would serve the Lord. She would speak words of faith over him. But he seemed to get worse.


John 10:10 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly”.


What we can observe in Victor’s life is a downward spiral, a gradual death. That’s what sin does to us. It pays us with death.


Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord”.


The reason Jesus came to earth was to give us life – eternal and abundant. Eternal means it stretches beyond this world and beyond the grave. Abundant means life for every area of our being, more than sufficient for every challenge and pressure.


How can Jesus give us this high quality of life?


Hebrew 2:9 “Jesus...suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone”.


Jesus tasted death for every one of us. He bore the rebellion of the entire human race, and so died the death due to all men. In return, to all who accept His sacrifice, Jesus now offers the gift of eternal life.

Dear Lord, we thank You our life and life more abundantly.  We pray for God’s hand of protection around each of us. We pray that we would daily be filled with Your love and protection.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Glory


Romans 8:16-17 (ESV)
16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

What was the joy set before Jesus, that He endured the shame of the Cross?


Hebrew 2:10 “For it was fitting for Him, for who are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”.


Jesus was bringing many sons to glory. He bore our shame so that we might share His glory!


Each one of us has something in our background that we are ashamed of. The negative thoughts and painful memories hinder us through life. Often the identity crisis, that shame brings, is the primary reason we cannot live productive lives.


But Jesus came to change all of that.


Romans 8: 16, 17 “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory”.


First, He calls us His own. As children of God, we receive a new identity in the place of the marred one. Then, He takes it a step further and declares us heirs of God! On the same level of Jesus! What an honor He bestows on us. That is the glory!


Romans 8:18 “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us”.


There’s more glory to be revealed! I believe, God will honor His children in the most enviable ways before all creation.


All our shame should be a thing of the past. Don’t dwell on it.


Thank God for the Cross.

Dear Lord, we thank You for the cross and what you accomplished there for each of us. We thank You that because of Your sacrifice we can have eternal life with You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.


Monday, March 25, 2019

Freed from Shame


Hebrews 12:2 (ESV)
looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Shame is a very cruel thing because it cripples us for life. It may range from embarrassment to complete unworthiness. It damages our personality and confuses our identity. The roots often go down to different experiences in our childhood.


Some of the common ones are failure, weakness, accusation or emotional or sexual abuse. Only when we come to the foot of the Cross, will we be set free from shame. The scars of shame can only be healed by the grace of God.


Isaiah 50:6 “I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who plucked out the beard, I did not hide my face from shame and spitting”.


On the Cross, Jesus bore our shame. There is no form of death more shameful than crucifixion. It was the lowest form of punishment reserved for the most debased of criminals. The Cross was an instrument of shame and torture.


The victim was stripped completely naked. Jesus hung naked on the Cross before the eyes of people for three hours or more. People walked past and made fun of him.


Hebrew 12:2 “Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy set before Him, endured the Cross, despising the shame”.


The shame that Jesus endured on the cross has opened the way for all who trust in Him to be released from their own shame.


Not only that, He then also shares with us the glory which belongs to Him by eternal right!

Dear Lord, we thank You that You took not only our sins away on the cross but also the shame. We pray that we would have a boldness and love for others and share Your great love with them. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Good health


Isaiah 53:5  (ESV)
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

The chastisement or punishment for our peace was upon Him. Peace is the word shalom and it means soundness, completeness, health, and safety. What a heavy price Jesus paid so that we can have shalom!


His body was literally broken so that we can be made whole!


Among the many barriers, that may stop a person from receiving their healing is the inability to control our tongue.


Psalm 34:12, 13 “Who is the man who desires life, and loves many days that he may see good?


Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit”.


We often visualize a long life filled with pain and sickness. But the Bible says it is possible to live a long life and also see good, all the days of your life. But we must fulfill the condition in that verse.


A 70-year-old man who barely looked 50, said the secret to his health was Psalm 34:12,13. By the Lord’s help, he had learned to keep his tongue from speaking words which were toxic or brought unbelief.


We must train our minds to focus on what Jesus has done for us on the Cross, be thankful and learn to declare God’s truth as a lifestyle.


Our words carry the ability to produce death or life. We must learn to speak God’s life-giving words instead of what we feel or sense. Because what we sense can change, but the Word of God endures forever!

Dear Lord, we pray for Your powerful presence in our life. We pray that we would experience the power of God and declare You in our midst.  In the Name of Jesus. Amen.

Saturday, March 23, 2019

Healed

Isaiah 53:4-5 (ESV)
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
    smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.

I once read a story, of a 90-year-old lady, who was in every bit of good health possible. She even did housework. Her secret? When she read Isaiah 53:4-5, she believed it with all her heart.


Isaiah 53:4-5 “Surely, He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes, we are healed”.


The word ‘griefs’ should actually be translated as ‘sicknesses’. It means all diseases. The word ‘sorrows’ should be ‘pains’ and include all types of pain – physical, emotional and mental. These are more accurate translations and closer to the original Hebrew words.


On the Cross, just as Jesus took our sin, curse, punishment, poverty – He also took our sicknesses and pains and gave us healing. He literally experienced a full load of our pains and He carried them away from us.


The 90-year-old had believed, early in life, that if Jesus bore her sicknesses, she didn’t need to bear them anymore!


She had already accepted Jesus as her Savior. One day, the Lord invited her, “Why don’t you accept me, today, as your Healer?” So, she had knelt down and accepted Jesus as her Healer. From that day on until she went home to be with the Lord, she enjoyed good health.


He desires us to live disease-free!


We don’t need to carry arthritis, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, asthma – you name it – anymore! Let Jesus be your strength.




Dear Lord, we pray for our sick family members and church members. We pray that You will work in a mighty way and heal them from the sickness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen

Friday, March 22, 2019

Poverty to Riches


2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich”.


The exchange is clear: from poverty to riches. Jesus became poor that we in return might be rich.


When did Jesus become poor? Surely, He was not poor throughout His earthly ministry. Any man who can provide food for a crowd of 5000 men along with women and children cannot be poor!


Jesus did not have a large bank account, but He certainly had an abundance when the need arose. He may not have carried money in his purse, but he surely knew where the money was and how to get it! At no time did He lack anything.


So, when did Jesus become poor for our sake? The answer is: on the Cross.


In Deuteronomy 28:48 Moses summed up absolute poverty in four expressions: hunger, thirst, nakedness and in need of everything. Jesus experienced all this in its fullness on the cross.



He was hungry. He had not eaten for nearly 24 hours.

He was thirsty. One of His last utterances were, “I thirst!” (John 19:28)

He was naked. The Roman soldiers had stripped him of all His clothing and divided it among themselves (John 19:23,24).

He was in need of all things. He no longer owned anything. After His death, He was buried in a borrowed robe and in a borrowed tomb (Luke 23:53).


Thus, Jesus exactly and completely endured absolute poverty for our sake that we might partake of his riches!


Dear Lord, we pray for Your blessing to fall upon each of us. We pray that Your favor will rest us and our family. We pray for our financial needs as well as those of Your church. We thank You for answering our prayer. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.  

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Grace to Prosper


2 Corinthians 9:8 (ESV)
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Henry Crowell, suffering from tuberculosis, was listening to the great preacher D.L. Moody. He prayed, “Lord I can’t preach. But if you help me in my business, I promise to give to build your kingdom.” Later he started the Quaker Oats company and continued to give up to 70% of his income to the Lord’s work.


Our God gives us the grace to prosper!


On the cross, when Jesus identified with our sins, He became poor. His poverty was not just spiritual, but he was physically and materially poor too.


That means because of this beautiful exchange, we receive not just spiritual riches but even physical and material wealth so that our needs will be met and we will have enough left over to share with other people.


However, this does not mean that we are exempt from working hard. If we will be irresponsible, lazy or dishonest, the grace to prosper cannot work in our lives. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20).


If we truly believe what Jesus has done for us in the area of finances, then we will learn to operate in God’s principles and receive His finished work in our lives.


2 Corinthians 9:8 - “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work”.


The grace to prosper is given for the purpose of doing ‘every good work’. Remember, if money can go through you to someone else, money will surely come to you.


Dear Lord, we pray that You will open doors, give us new contracts, so that we will be able to bless others. Help us to work hard so that we can be a blessing to those around us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Results of Righteousness


Zechariah 3:4 (ESV)

And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”



In the above passage, Satan stands before God opposing Joshua the high priest. The Lord rebukes Satan and commands that Joshua’s filthy garments be replaced with rich robes.


Isaiah 61:10 “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord...for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”


Jesus took away our filthy garments of sin and gifted us his own robe of righteousness instead. And thus, He silenced our accuser- the devil.


Isaiah 32:17 - “The works of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever”.


Righteousness produces certain immediate results in our lives. The three results of righteousness are peace, quietness and assurance.


Peace comes as all our striving to be right, ceases. It’s the same rest that you experience when what you sweated and struggled for, and never found, is suddenly gifted to you.


Quietness or calmness comes as we are humbled by God’s generous gift of righteousness. This leads to a sure assurance or confidence and affects everything we do.


Our way of living, attitudes, relationships and the effectiveness of our Christian lives and service depend on how far we realize that we have been made righteous in God’s sight – as righteous as Jesus Christ himself.


Dear Lord, we pray for genuine love, restoration and forgiveness within our family. We pray that each family member will be committed to unity. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Righteousness


2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

A lot of people like gifts but are uncomfortable receiving them. There are different reasons for it- they feel suspicious of the person giving it or they feel obliged to repay or return the kindness of others.


God has a gift for us – it’s called righteousness. Jesus paid a heavy price to gift this righteousness to us.


2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For he made him who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.”


What is the meaning of righteousness? It is the ability to stand before God without guilt, condemnation and inferiority. In other words, it means being right in the sight of God.


Many centuries back Job asked this question, “How then can a man be righteous before God? (Job 25:4).


God’s answer is the Cross.


There is a complete exchange here: Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness so that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. We, who were all wrong and sinful, now become completely and fully right and acceptable in God’s eyes!


What is the quality of this righteousness? This is God’s own righteousness—a righteousness that has never known sin. It is as high above our own righteousness as heaven is above the earth.


It is a free gift that can be received solely by faith in His blood. You can never earn it and never do anything to repay it. You can only learn to enjoy this gift of God!


Dear Lord, we thank You for Your love. Thanks for Your righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Monday, March 18, 2019

Cleansing


Psalm 51:7 (ESV)
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

This is David’s prayer of repentance after he committed adultery and murder. He prayed not just for forgiveness but for cleansing from the very stains of his sins. Why hyssop?


Hyssop was an ordinary plant. On the night of the Passover, God commanded Israel to use a bunch of hyssops to apply the blood of a lamb on the doorpost of their homes. When the Lord would see the blood, He would pass over that home and not judge it.


Hyssop was also used to sprinkle blood on a leper who had been healed. After that, the man could be restored back to society.


David was asking to be cleansed by the blood. The blood brought God’s mercy. It cleansed and restored unclean people. Today we have, not the blood of animals, but even better – the blood of Jesus.


1 John 1:7 – “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin”.


In this verse, there are three verbs: walk, fellowship and cleanse. All three are in the continuous present tense. That means if we continue walking in the light, then we continue having fellowship and the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us. It is very important to see that this is conditional.


Many people claim the cleansing and protection of the blood but do not meet the conditions to receive them. The condition is to walk in the light as God is in the light. The blood of Jesus only cleanses when you are in the light!


Let’s come to the light. Let’s return to true fellowship. Let the blood cleanse us continually!



Dear Lord, we ask You to make us a clean vessel of honor, ready for your use and prepared for every good work. Please purify our thoughts, attitudes, and words. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sunday, March 17, 2019

Forgiveness of Sins


Matthew 26:28 (ESV)
For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

“I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness...”


These were the famous words of Mrs. Gladys Staines, the widow of an Australian missionary, Graham Staines as recorded on the front page of the country’s top newspapers. On January 22, 1999, Graham Staines and his two sons were burnt alive while they were sleeping in a van at Manoharpur, Odisha.


How could she forgive the people who mercilessly killed her family?


“God in Christ has forgiven me and expects His followers to do the same.” Was her reply.


Matthew 26:28 – “...for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”


The blood of Jesus was literally poured out on the Cross so that our sins might be forgiven. The Bible says that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrew 9:22). In the Old Testament Law, animals were sacrificed to cover sins. Jesus is the perfect Lamb of God, who does not cover our sins but takes them away. (John 1:29)


Micah 7:18-19 (GNB) – “There is no other God like you, O Lord, you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea!”.


One of the most beautiful things about God’s nature is the way He forgives. He does it so completely and in full. Every wrong thing that we have ever done, everything that could make us feel guilty, every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against us – God hurls it into the depths of the sea!


As people who have received his lavish forgiveness, God expects us to give the same away.
  


Dear Lord, thanks You for loving us. Show us today if we are carrying any offense or hurts towards others. Help us to forgive people as You have forgiven us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Saturday, March 16, 2019

The Exchange


1 Peter 3:18 (ESV)
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

There’s a true story of a tragic train accident that left many coaches of the derailed train in an icy lake. As rescuers tried their best to save the passengers, they came across a certain coach. A couple yelled for help from inside it and with great effort passed their little daughter to the rescuers. Sadly, they drowned but saved their daughter.


The rescuers realized the extent of the sacrifice when they saw that the child had cerebral palsy and was completely dependent on others to help her.


To the world, such a child may be a burden but to her parents she was precious and they died saving her.


1 Peter 3:18 – “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh”.


Here are the true meaning and purpose of the cross. On it a divinely ordained exchange took place. Christ died in our place! The Righteous One died for the unrighteous ones.


As sinners, we were lost, with no hope or future. Probably our very existence was a burden. But to Jesus, we were precious – precious enough to die in our place.


In this exchange, the evil due to us came upon Jesus, that, in return, the good due to Jesus might be offered to us.


None of us has ever done anything to deserve such an offer, and none of us can ever do anything to earn it. This is called grace.


Dear Lord, we pray that we would be Your disciple today. Help us to walk in Your footsteps and bringing glory to You through our whole life. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Friday, March 15, 2019

The Blood of Jesus


Ephesians 1:7 (ESV)
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

There’s a story about a man who was greatly grieved when he saw people being sold off at a slave market. He noticed a beautiful girl being auctioned off. He bid on her and won her. She looked at him with hateful eyes. As he walked off with his property, he turned to the young woman and said, “You are free”. The woman was completely taken aback and replied, “What do you mean free?” He said, “It means you are free.”


“You mean I can do whatever I want to do?” He nodded.


“You mean I can say whatever I want to say?” He nodded again.


“You mean I can go wherever I want to go?” He said, “Yes”.


“Then,” said the young woman with tears in her eyes, “I will go with you.”


This is exactly what Jesus has done for us! He redeemed us, not with silver or gold, but with his own blood.


Psalms 49:7, 8  – “No man can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him. For the redemption of his soul is costly...”


To redeem means to buy back or to pay a ransom price.


Through sin, every human is a slave of the devil. No man can redeem or free another from this slave market of sin because his own soul is sold into sin. There is no price that can buy a human back from the slave market of sin except the blood – the precious blood of the Lamb of God, without spot or blemish.


Ephesians1:7 - “In Him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace”.


The redemption has transferred us from the devil’s hand to the hand of the Lord!


From destruction to a glorious future!


Therefore, we lovingly and gratefully say like that young woman, “I will go with you.”


Dear Lord, we praise You because You are Adonai, our loving Master. Give us the grace to serve You with joy and gladness. Help us to serve You and build up others. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

The Cross


1 Corinthians 2:2 (ESV)
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.



When the Apostle Paul went to the great and intellectual city of Corinth, he said, “I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). 


Paul was a very learned and educated man. He was on par with the happenings around him and hence was very qualified to debate with the people of Corinth. Yet, he decided to put aside all worldly knowledge and tactics and know nothing except what’s really important – Jesus Christ and Him crucified! Why?


1 Corinthians 2:5 – “that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”


The Cross of Christ tells us a story – a love story. A powerful love story, so powerful that it has transformed millions of lives all over the world!  And still continues to do so.

To the people of Corinth, the preaching of the cross was foolishness. For us, the cross is the power of God and the wisdom of God. In fact, the answer to all the world’s problems can be found at the foot of the cross.


It is on the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus, that all our needs whether in our body, soul, mind, emotions, as well as all our material and financial needs, are met by God.


We, each of us, are burdened with our own special need, but to receive God’s solution we must all make our way to the same place – the cross of Jesus.

Dear Lord, we ask You for the grace to fast, pray, praise God and to spend time with You. Help us to work on our heart. Open our spiritual eyes so we will see what God wants us to see. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

What’s in a Quiet Time?


Psalm 100:1 (ESV)
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!

I’ve always felt guilty about my morning “quiet time” because the idea of silent prayer, reading, and journaling has never inspired me. So I once asked a Jewish friend what he thought Jesus’ “quiet time” might have looked like. He laughed at the idea of a “quiet time” because for centuries Jewish daily devotions have been anything but quiet! He told me that his daily devotion included public reading of Scripture, singing in worship, and praying loudly while walking and moving his whole body. It’s anything but quiet, he told me.

So when Jesus did His “devotions,” it’s likely it would have looked less like sitting on the end of His bed with head bowed and eyes closed—and more like a worship concert.

How will this idea change your “quiet time” today?

Dear Lord, help us to have a “Quiet time” that brings us closer to You. Help us to be creative as we study and ray to You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Getting Your Feet Wet

Luke 18:27 (ESV)
But he said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

The Jordan River just outside of Jericho is a site most Christians know as the place where John baptized Jesus and where God’s people entered the Promised Land. But for the Israelites of the Old Testament, the Jordan was a roadblock. Decades of irrigation have left the Jordan narrow today, but at the time of the Exodus, this was a wide, fast-flowing river that stopped the Israelites in their tracks. They were on the brink of a God-sized future, but were stuck at an obstacle.

Do you ever feel like this? Like the thing God has for you is just out of reach?

God told the Israelites that the only way past the Jordan River was for them to take a step of faith into the water. He told them that only when their feet were wet would He stop the flow of the river—and this is exactly what happened. But in order for the river to stop where they were, God had to block it upstream. This means He was working long before His followers had worked up the courage and faith to move forward.

Are you facing an obstacle today? Are you stuck on the wrong side of your own “personal Jordan”? I believe that God is already working today to get you through your roadblock so He can move you from being grounded to being grateful.

Dear Lord, we pray that we would not look at the obstacles in our life as an obstacle but that we would look at them knowing You are already working the situation out. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.