Sly sneaky attack | Sis. Bala Solomon | Bro. Suresh

Sly sneaky attack!

Joshua 9:4”….on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended.”

You may be aware of a frontal attack but not so when it is sly, sneaky, surreptitious and snake-like attack!  Are you listening to me?  There are men who would upfront approach you for a date and tell you on the face ‘this is not for long term, though; however, there are those slimy, creepy, smiling gentlemen who would make umpteen promises for marriage and then ditch you royally.  There are still some who would spin sob stories about the atrocities and wickedness of his wife, buy you coffee, drive you home; yet, he eventually looks for a relationship outside marriage!  These gentlemen are snakes! Are you listening? Beware!   Don’t be naïve, just because he carries a big fat Bible, don’t give your heart to him, think!  Friend, don’t be carried away just because she said that she teaches in Sunday school, think!  Most important, do not be impulsive, pray, pause and ponder!  Do you hear me? ! Circulate this message far and wide! This is the season of deception, let us warn people of the creepy snakes!

The clandestine approach of the Gibeonites to the great commander Joshua is a very important  subject for all of us to think and learn.  Joshua was no ordinary man, he was the second-in-command who rubbed shoulders with the iconic leader Moses.  Joshua was witness to awesome miracles like the dividing of Red sea and also he routed the army of many great kings like Og and Sihon along with Moses.  Did Satan know of the power of Joshua and his God? Oh, yes! Look what the Gibeonites said: “ we know about the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of Him, and all that he did in Egypt..” (Joshua 9:9) Did you hear that? The devil’s strategy of attack is always sly and he would attack you when you are vulnerable and least expect! Caution!

Well, satan discovered a ‘softer side’ of Joshua and he planned to take advantage of that.  While all the other kings  who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country came to attack Joshua as one, the Gibeonites used old sacks, old wineskins, old and patched sandals, dry and moldy bread instead of weapons.  Are you listening to me?  Beyond their deceptive appearance, the Gibeonites simply lied.  They said, “We have come from a far country” when of course they had not. They coaxed Joshua to make a covenant of peace with them, while Israel was forbidden to make peace with any of the tribes of Canaan (Exodus 23:23-24).Alas! Joshua fell to the trick!  When the Leaders err, it is not a personal loss, the whole gamut of followers suffer! Are you listening? When the fathers err the family suffers, when the pastors err the whole congregation and their family suffer, when  Youth leaders err many young people suffer.  Here comes a caveat to be careful, wise, with mental acumen and discernment.

Devotion for Today - December 18, 2014 | Sis. Asha

Nebuchadnezzar: Power and Pride Humbled

Read Daniel 4

I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. Daniel 4:34

The Moody Bible Commentary describes Babylon as “the most glorious city of the ancient world . . . Nebuchadnezzar was a great builder and expanded the city . . . He also beautified it with magnificent buildings, temples, and palaces . . . On the northwest corner of the king’s primary palace sat one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the famed Hanging Gardens of Babylon. . . Perhaps it was on the roof of the Hanging Gardens with a view of his glorious city that Nebuchadnezzar became filled with pride.”

God had warned Nebuchadnezzar in a dream that his pride would be humbled. He even specifically warned him that he would have the “mind of an animal” (v. 16). Through God’s judgment, the prideful king, pictured as an enormous tree, would be chopped down and learn the hard way about God’s greatness (vv. 17, 25). Daniel interpreted the dream and advised Nebuchadnezzar to “renounce your sins” and seek God’s mercy (v. 27). The king may have responded in the short term, but a year later he arrogantly asserted his own glory and brought judgment upon himself (vv. 29–32). For seven years, he suffered mental illness, apparently “boanthropy,” before he learned his lesson and was restored to the throne. 

Today’s reading is a letter from Nebuchadnezzar narrating these events, and he intended it to be read throughout his empire. It’s essentially a public confession, no doubt influenced by Daniel. Praise for God opens and closes the letter, emphasizing His impressive attributes of eternality, sovereignty, and omnipotence (vv. 2–3, 34–35). The Old Testament repeatedly emphasizes God’s sovereignty over all nations, as we’ve seen throughout our study this month. As Nebuchadnezzar’s case shows, not even the ruler of an empire can oppose the King of kings (vv. 37–38)!

Moses Manifested the Spirit of Christ | Zac Poonen | Sis. Asha

God tested Moses when he made the tabernacle to see whether he would make it exactly according to the pattern that he had received on the mount. The glory of the Lord coming on that tabernacle was the visible indication of God's satisfaction with Moses' work.  How is it with us in what we do and build for the Lord? Is it exactly according to the pattern found in the Scriptures? Or have we modified it with some of the wisdom of this world? If so, then that must certainly be one reason why the glory of the Lord is not found in our lives.

God tested Moses later in another area. Twice God tested him to see whether he would seek his own honour at the expense of the Israelites. In both cases, Moses passed the test with flying colours.

The first occasion was when the children of Israel had rebelled against God through making the golden calf. God then told Moses, "Now let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them, and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation." (Exod. 32:10)

The second occasion was when the Israelites refused to enter Canaan. God then told Moses, "I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they." (Num. 14:12)

On both occasions, God told Moses that He would destroy the Israelites and make Moses and his descendants into a great nation. Moses had the opportunity then to become the inheritor of the promises made to Abraham and to the twelve tribes of Israel.  Lesser men might have failed in that test, but not Moses. On both occasions, he pleaded with God to spare the Israelites. On one occasion, he even went so far as to be willing to die and to spend eternity in hell if only Israel could be saved.   "Moses returned to the Lord, and said, `Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin - and if not, please blot me out from Thy book which Thou has written!'" (Exod. 32:31,32). Truly, Moses had the spirit of Christ Himself - Who was willing to be forsaken by the Father on the cross in order that we might be saved. God was so delighted with Moses' unselfishness that thereafter He began to speak with Moses very intimately. "The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend…" (Exod. 33:11).

God even gave Moses the unspeakable privilege of seeing His glory. When Moses prayed saying, "I pray Thee, show me Thy glory!", the Lord said, "Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen" (Exod. 33:18-23).

The most important qualification for a servant of God is that he does not seek his own.  Seeking our own gain or honour is so deeply rooted in all of us that God has a difficult task to free us from it. He arranges our circumstances so that we can see our self-seeking spirit, so that we might judge ourselves and cleanse ourselves from it. He speaks to us through His Word and is constantly speaking to us through His Spirit (if we have ears to hear) urging us to cleanse ourselves from this self-seeking spirit.

And yet, in spite of all this, very few make the grade and qualify for God's certificate of approval. Moses was one such. Paul and Timothy were two others.  There are not many, but there are a few.

The great lack of a spirit of intercession for others, such as even Moses had under the old covenant, is mainly due to this one fact that almost everyone, at the bottom of his heart, seeks his own in some way or the other. We gain no honour when we pray for others secretly. That's why few believers ever do it. Here is where we are tested by God - for He cannot commit Himself to those who seek their own.

Everybody is doing it | Sis. Bala Solmon | Bro. Suresh

Everybody is doing it!

Exodus 23:2”Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd”

Wrong does not become right just because everybody is doing it! Are you listening? Friend, I often hear this slogan:  “I am doing it because everybody is doing it.”  This message comes with a caveat, not to tread the dangerous path that others dare to tread!  I met a call-center employee, who said: “there are many who take loans from the company and leave the organization without repaying the loan; though a court case is filed against them; yet the procedure takes a long time.  Some pay back in installments but many do not repay the loan.” When I questioned her about their callous behavior, she retorted back at me saying, ‘so what?’ How many feel guilty and thoroughly bad, when I write about pirated soft wares and illegal music sharing? Very, very few! Illegal copying of soft wares continues to flourish.  Who would want to shell out thousands of rupees to buy soft wares, when they can just get it free in a jiffy? ! Tell me?  Someone tells me, “when politicians are minting millions of rupees, why do you harp on us for this petty theft?”  Nevertheless, it is a theft, even if everybody is doing it! Are you listening?  We have forgotten to even spell the word INTEGRITY!

There are celebrities, movies stars and many others, who dodge the tax officials and refrain from paying the honest amount.  They say: everybody is doing it!  When it comes to bribe, can businessmen say, “ I am absolutely honest in my dealings? They excuse themselves saying, ”everybody is doing it!”  Today if a married man is seen with a woman who is not his wife in some odd place, there are no raised eyebrows; because everybody is doing it.  If someone is riding his bike in a one-way route, nobody rebukes him for it, because everybody is doing it. Friend, hear me out today, dare not to go where everybody is going!  Young people!  I write this with tears! Discipline your life!

Living in sin will blind you to true reality, and cause you to start believing a lie.  Fear of lifestyle change has blinded people into believing a false reality? They feel, “since everybody is doing it, I am not wrong or wicked.”

Jesus categorically tells us: I am the way!  Isaiah 55: 8: “Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. The ways of the world are not our ways.  We need to live differently and we need to be unique.  When the devil took Jesus to an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and he whispered to Jesus, “worship me, I will give you all this.” Guess what Jesus did? He said ” Away with you, Satan!” Do we have the grit and power like Jesus to look at the devil when he comes to tempt and allure us with the choicest and best goodies and say, ‘away with you, Satan?’

Devotion for Today - December 17, 2014 | Sis. Asha

Devotion for Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2014

Naaman: Simple Obedience

Read 2 Kings 5:1–19

If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? 2 Kings 5:13

Big goals and ambitious dreams can be exhilarating and inspiring. It’s easy to get passionate about “changing the world” or “reaching this generation for Christ.” But what about faithfulness in small things and everyday responsibilities? Can we get excited about those?

The story of Naaman teaches us that simple obedience is important to God. Naaman was the military commander of the Syrian army. Though acknowledged as a valiant warrior, he won his victories because God had empowered him (v. 1). Tragically, he had leprosy (Hansen’s disease) or another skin disease. At that time, there was no cure.

Naaman took two important steps of faith in today’s reading. First, he listened to a Jewish slave girl, believed her, and did as she advised. This young girl, who had been captured in a border skirmish, generously and boldly told her mistress, Naaman’s wife, about the power of God to heal through His prophet (vv. 2–3). Though Naaman’s attempt to go through normal diplomatic channels led to a rather comic misunderstanding, he acted in good faith and God honoured that (v. 8).

Second, Naaman listened to his servants, accepted their correction, and went to dip himself in the Jordan River (vv. 13–14). Perhaps flustered by what had transpired with the king of Israel, Naaman felt offended and angered by Elisha’s unexpected instructions (vv. 9–12). But when his servants argued, in essence, “What have you got to lose?” he set aside his pride, did as Elisha said, and was healed. Naaman then gave glory to God and indicated that he would worship the Lord from now on. Taking soil from Israel on which to build an altar signified that he intended to worship Israel’s God, despite the fact that as part of his official duties he might be obligated to attend other religious ceremonies back home (vv. 15–19).

Has God called you to a “small thing” that you’re resisting? Perhaps it’s being a faithful employee at work, or being a tender parent, or being a faithful prayer warrior. Whatever God has given you to do, resolve to do it in obedience to God. Who knows what miracles God may work through your obedience in the small things?

UV 1272/10,000 ABLE TO HELP | Prateep V Philip | Bro. Suresh

For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Hebrews 2 v 18

                Jesus was made in every way like all of us who are of flesh and blood.  He therefore understands and empathises with our troubles and temptations, our weaknesses and failings, our feelings and fears.  He is now a merciful and faithful high priest before God Almighty on our behalf, to plead for our help and to intercede for our souls.  He is not only atoner for our sins in His death but He is now our chief interceder.   Since He himself suffered temptations of flesh and blood, He is able to help all of us who are being tempted or troubled.  HE IS ABLE TO HELP US IN ALL OUR UNIQUE OR DIFFICULT OR PECULIAR CIRCUMSTANCES.    He is our enabler.  He is our  Ebenezer or Helper.  We can expect, claim and receive divine help in every aspect of our lives.

                Though Jesus took on our lowly bodies, He is now raised on high, higher than heaven. He is holy, blameless, harmless, separated from sinners  and undefiled.  He will ensure that nobody will be able to pluck us from the Father’s hand.   He will give us laser-sharp focus and crystal-clear clarity in all the complicated situations or complex issues of our lives.  He will help us fend ourselves from tempations to be obsessed with the seen and material world,  the temptation to test and doubt God, the temptation to be lured away from God by the attractions and rewards that the world has to offer.   He will remind us of the appropriate Word to strengthen us from within.   If we fall, He will help us rise and walk again.

              IF He does not deliver us from a temptation or trouble, He will give us grace to help overcome or grace to bear the suffering.   He is able to present us faultless before the glory of God with exceeding  joy of victory.     He will provide a way of escape in our troubles.  He sends the Holy Spirit to give us word of wisdom or counsel on what we need to do and to comfort us.  He sends His angels who could be messengers in flesh and blood as well as spiritual beings to our assistance.    The key words to remember always  in this uni-verse   is : He is able to help us. His hand  is not too short. He is not wanting in strength or power or resources or the willingness and desire to help us.     He is always ready to help us.  He is only one prayer away.  He is at arm’s length.  He helps us overcome temptations from within and troubles from without.

Christmas & New Wishes - 2014 | Bro. Baron

As this year draws to a close and a New year to dawn in couple of days, I would like to wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year 2015!!!  God bless. 

Tune In | Gloria Copeland | Bro. Suresh

"He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." (1 Corinthians 14:2)

Have you ever looked around at your own life or the life of the Church and wondered why it's taking the Lord so long to get things in order?

If so, let me tell you something I learned a few years ago. He's not the One who's slow. We are! It's not God's fault that the Church still has spots and wrinkles. It's not His fault that we're not living in total victory. He's always ready. He's the great "I AM." We're the ones who fall short.

Compare it to turning on a radio. If you don't have it tuned to exactly the right frequency, you won't be able to hear the station. It's not the

station's fault. It's sending out signals perfectly. The problem is, you haven't tuned in to it. That's what's happening with you and me. We haven't fine tuned our spirits enough to pick up the voice of the Spirit. Oh, we pick up a few things now and then, but mostly we just fade in and out. We don't stay on God's wavelength all the time.

How do you adjust your spiritual tuner?

By praying in the Spirit. Praying in other tongues is the fastest, most effective method I know of to tune in to God--because instead of praying your own thoughts and plans, you're praying His! The Bible says that when you pray in tongues, you're speaking mysteries to God. In the Spirit, you're calling forth parts of God's plan you don't even understand with your natural mind. By the unction of the Holy Spirit, you're praying the perfect will of God.

You see, God knows how to deliver His people. He knows how to turn us into the glorious Church without spot or wrinkle. He has a plan that

will do it. And if we'll tap into that plan and start releasing it into the earth by praying in the Spirit, praying according to His will and not our own, this age will draw to a close quickly. If we'll all get our minds and hearts in tune with what God's doing, there will be an explosion of the power of God that will turn this world around!

Start adjusting your spiritual tuner today. Spend an hour praying in other tongues. Set your spirit on God's wavelength and just see how

quickly the spots and wrinkles begin to disappear from you.

Gloria Copeland

SCRIPTURE READING:  1 Corinthians 14:1-19

LEARNING NOT TO DESPISE PEOPLE | Zac Poonen | Sis. Shumadhi

“Jesus spoke this parable to some people who viewed others with contempt” (Lk.18:9).

There are various reasons why people view others with contempt. They may have been taught by their parents from childhood to look down on others who are inferior in social status, or wealth, or education, etc. Or, if you are very intelligent and top your class in school, you can begin to view others in your class with contempt. If, in addition, you are unfortunate enough to have foolish parents who make you imagine that you are a genius, then matters could be even worse.

Let me plead with all parents: If your children are intelligent, please don’t ruin them by boasting about them. I made it a rule in my house that my sons were never to tell anyone about their rank in class or the prizes they got anywhere. I knew that if they became proud, they would lose the grace of God immediately. Then they would fall into sin, and never be able to fellowship with ordinary brothers. I fear that many parents have ruined their children thus.

It is a common habit among children to make fun of someone who cannot speak English (or whatever their mother-tongue is) with a good accent. Beware of encouraging that in your home. Did any of us come out of our mother’s wombs speaking with a good accent? We should thank God for any ability that we have. But we should never be proud of it. Do you know what accent they speak with in heaven? The accents of humility and love. Let us learn those accents clearly.

Perhaps you are a woman who keeps your house spotlessly clean, with everything in its proper place. Then you see someone else’s home untidy and slipshod – and you despise her. You are then a Pharisee; while the person whose house is untidy may be a godly person.

Some brothers have very poor music sense, and if they start singing a chorus in an open time of praise in the church, they will invariably sing totally off tune. Don’t despise them, because God doesn’t listen to the music; he listens to the words. And that brother singing the wrong tune may be more sincere than you, who can sing the right tune. Personally, I have thanked God for such brothers, because they humble all the clever musicians in the church.  It is Pharisee musicians who destroy the church, not the non-musical brothers. God loves non-musical brothers just as much as anyone else - but He rejects Pharisees. Many a surprise awaits such Pharisees when the Lord returns.

I am not saying that you shouldn’t come first in your class, or that you shouldn’t keep your house tidy, or that you shouldn’t sing in tune-Not at all. By all means let us do all these. But let us be humble about them – and not despise anyone else who cannot do what we can.

There are many areas like this where we can despise others quite easily. It says in Job 36:5 that “God is almighty, but He doesn’t despise anyone”.  The more we become like God, the more we will value people and never despise anyone – for anything.

So let us cleanse ourselves and learn to look at people as God looks at them. “What do you have that you did not receive from God? How can you boast then about anything or despise anyone else?” (1 Cor.4:7).

A Powerhouse of Protection | Kenneth Copeland | Bro. Suresh

"No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 54:17)

No weapon formed against you shall prosper. Isn't that great news! Isn't it good to know that no sickness, no circumstance, no problem that rises against you can successfully bring you down? Some years ago, one of our friends was facing a lawsuit. He and I prayed together according to this scripture and agreed it was the final word in the situation, not the allegations against him. We stood in faith, believing that lawsuit had to fail.

Sure enough, when my friend went to court, they just couldn't beat him. He didn't win that case because of his keen and witty lawyers. He won because he was innocent and because he had believed that powerful promise of God. Follow his example. When the devil attacks you in some area of your life, don't sit around crying and begging God to save you. Open up your Bible to Isaiah 54:17 instead. Remind yourself of what God has promised you. Use that promise to strengthen you against sin and every other evil work the devil would like to use to keep you bound.

Then establish yourself on it through prayer. Say, "Lord, I refuse to be afraid of this weapon the devil has brought against me because I know that according to Your Word, it cannot prosper. I trust You to protect me, and I thank You for it now. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Don't let the powerhouse of God's protection go to waste. Put it to work in your life. It is your rightful heritage as a servant of the Lord.

Kenneth Copeland

SCRIPTURE READING:  Isaiah 54:10-17

Devotion for Today - December 10, 2014 | Sis. Asha

Ruth: The Power of a Right Choice

Read Ruth 1:1–18

Your people will be my people and your God my God. Ruth 1:16 What it means to be a devoted disciple of Christ is summarized clearly in the lyrics of the beloved song “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”: “I have decided to follow Jesus . . . / No turning back, no turning back. / The world behind me,the cross before me . . . / No turning back, no turning back. / Tho’ none go with me, still I will follow . . . / No turning back, no turning back.” In today’s passage, Ruth epitomized this spirit of wholehearted commitment. She chose Naomi, her people, and her God, and there would be no turning back. Ruth was a Moabite, that is, a descendant of Lot. She had married into a Jewish family that had come to Moab during a famine. While it wasn’t forbidden for an Israelite to marry a Moabite, it was problematic (see Deut. 23:3). Then all the men of the family died, and the mother, Naomi, and her two young daughters-in-law tragically became widows. Under the circumstances, Naomi told them they were not obligated to return with her to Bethlehem but should stay in Moab and marry again. Why did Ruth refuse this offer (vv. 16–17)? No doubt she sympathized with Naomi, who was bitter about her suffering (v. 13). Perhaps she was a woman of kindness, loyalty, and courage. But there was more than that to her choice: Ruth had seen something in Naomi’s family that led her to choose God and His people above her own people, culture, and gods. Remember that this was during the godless days of the Judges, when “everyone did as they saw fit” (Judg. 21:25). Even during such times, it’s encouraging to know there were Israelites who still followed the Lord. It is no accident that Ruth, her eventual second husband Boaz, and his ancestor Rahab (see yesterday) became part of the genealogy of Christ (see Matt. 1:5).

In the narratives of Rahab and Ruth, the magnitude of God’s grace is clearly on display. They became part of the spiritual heritage of David and of Jesus. What about your own spiritual heritage? Did some on your family tree show you the way of pilgrimage? Or did God save you despite an unbelieving family? This issue is worth some reflection and prayer today.

Moving Forward or Slipping Back? | Kenneth Copeland | Suresh, PCR

"Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip."(Hebrews 2:1)

It's happened to all of us. We get a little of the Word of God under our spiritual belts. We have a few victories. Our lives are going great for

the first time in years. Then suddenly we slip and it all falls apart. We find ourselves having to start all over again. Hebrews was written to a people like that. They made such great spiritual progress that they got to the place where they should have been teachers. Then they slipped back so much, they needed baby food again. (See Hebrews 5:12.)

What caused them to fall so far? They let other things get in the way of their faith. They let the promises of God slip, so they slipped. That's happened to a multitude of believers in the last several years. "Well, Brother Copeland," they said, "we're tired of that faith stuff." Or, "We just don't have time to spend that much time in the Word." They turned their attention away from the promises of God. It's not that they didn't believe them anymore. It's just that they directed their attention to other things. They let their Word level drop and since low Word level equals low faith level, they soon began suffering defeat in areas where they once had victory.

Don't let that happen to you. When things are going well, don't just ride the tide of God's blessing. Dig deeper into what God has for you.

Give more earnest heed to the promises of God. Concentrate on moving ahead, on becoming so strong in the Spirit you can not only get your own needs met, you can meet others' needs as well!

Remember: Low Word Level = Low Faith Level = Slip.

Don't get so busy enjoying today's victory that tomorrow ends up in defeat. Look into the things you've learned. Give the Word more of your

attention--not less. Keep moving from faith to faith. Instead of trying to trip you up, Satan and his bunch will be crying, "Oh no, that faith

man is coming after us again!"

Kenneth Copeland

SCRIPTURE READING:  Hebrews 5:11-14, Hebrews 6:1-12