Hi Everyone!

I'm back to share one important lesson that God taught me yesterday night.

How wonderful and glorious is the truth to us, that when we believed in Christ Jesus, we were forgiven, washed clean, white as snow in the eyes of God.

Few years pass by... We bump into less-than-perfect Christians, who manage to hurt us terribly... And we begin to weep inside and their sins seem like the darkest of all!

Then one day the truth hits us... Is any sin bigger/smaller than the other in the eyes of the Holy, Holy, Holy God for whom every sin is equally abhorrent? No! Then why am I gloating in my forgiven sins and not noticing that the very sins of others which have hurt us, are also forgiven them by God!

Its easy to be judgemental. Its difficult to be impartial like God. He is no respecter of persons. Yet we can learn to think like Him for we've got the mind of Christ!

Believe it, ask for it and He'll give it to you! A life of freedom from bitterness.. A life of freedom.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." John 8:36

This is in continuation to my last post. If you've read through you'd know that I posted about my disobedience towards the prophecy that came to me around three years ago. But that day I felt God had opened the doors for me. Yes, despite my disobedience! Because God honors repentance.

God opened the door, and Satan tried his best to discourage me with words, with circumstances and much more. But I managed to see that God took me through to the first step that was required and by God's grace it is done!! All glory to God!!

Now remains the second step, after which I will only wait and prepare for God's time. I know it might be far, but I am aware of a move of the Holy Spirit, which also partly convinces me that it may be very soon!

Whatever it is, I am totally and fully committing myself into the Lord's hands. His will be done. Amen.

What I'm trying to say through all this is, God sized dreams come with a price. A cross. A price to be paid, and a cross to be carried. Sometimes we fail, but God's still waiting. Because He doesn't give up on us so easily. If He would, we'd all be in hell rotting away. So don't give up, and don't give in to Satan!

Press on, reaching forward towards the goal that He took hold of you for! You can do it!

Just the other day I was praying in the morning with my Bible open in my lap.. And reminiscing the prophetic instruction that I had failed to obey immediately (and I had paid for it heavily since now the door was just not opening for years together)

And for a second I felt so despondent, that I had missed out on the chance God had given me! It felt like I had shut all doors and one would never open. And immediately my eyes fell on my next day's Bible reading - Psalm 86

I'm telling you, this was none other than God speaking to me!

Psalm 86 : 1-7

A prayer of David.

1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;

answer me, for I need your help.

2 Protect me, for I am devoted to you.

Save me, for I serve you and trust you.

You are my God.

3 Be merciful to me, O Lord,

for I am calling on you constantly.

4 Give me happiness, O Lord,

for I give myself to you.

5 O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive,

so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

6 Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord;

hear my urgent cry.

7 I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble,

and you will answer me.

I might have forgotten that God is ready to forgive, abounding in mercy and slow to anger.... But God never fails to remind us. In my desperate hours, when I am silent before the Lord, I realise His Holy Spirit is ever whispering words of comfort. He knows we'll miss the mark, not just once, but many times. Still He's chosen us. Its an amazing privilege. Since the time I've been saved, I've always stuck to this word "privilege", and indeed it is! Just to sit there every morning, at the feet of Jesus, in close intimacy with the Holy Spirit is a privilege. And over and above the fact that He allows us to enter into His presence,

Ps 86 : 15-17

15 But you, O Lord,

are a God of compassion and mercy,

slow to get angry

and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.

16 Look down and have mercy on me.

Give your strength to your servant;

save me, the son of your servant.

17 Send me a sign of your favor.

Then those who hate me will be put to shame,

for you, O Lord, help and comfort me.

Drawing skills again

Plus photography..lol..negative pic effect!

My drawing skills shown off during a meeting

Ha ha:) cool isn't it?

Reviewing these days what I believe in the core of me…that truth which indeed delivered me: I am dark yet lovely (Song. 1:5). And how this truth is finding its way into who I am as a parent. I am not sure what it is for most, but for me, parenting is a revealer of my ‘darkness’ more than any other function, role, or relationship I play a part in. It exposes quickly every faultline and false foundation in me. And in these days, I am confronted with a great amount of weakness, a stinging amount of impatience, of pride, of selfishness, and the like.

In these exposures of my ‘darkness,’ I am hit full force with the tide of my weighty weakness as I feel its unavoidable impact upon my children. There is no way of evading it. I will fall short. I will miss the mark. And I will do it every day. With that comes the sobering reality that every honest parent since Adam knows, the little hearts and minds of my children will be marked by my shortcomings and errors. It is one thing to be connected with your sin and shortcomings, yet quite another to watch as those faults impact little frames and wound little hearts.

And as I ponder these things once more, I almost hear the Holy Spirit whispering, “Surprised again? Surprised by your weakness? Surprised by the sin within?” That which He has seen so vividly all along, now blares before my eyes, and I am the only one thrown off by it. He rushes in with the remembrance that the Gospel and the Good News never begins with my success or my godliness, but with His fullness in the wake of my poverty. I come poor. I come in need. I come empty. I come as a child. And there, in that place and that posture, He receives me. He embraces me. He delights in me. And He fills my emptiness with Himself. Here He calls me lovely and crowns me with His enjoyment.

This is the gospel I am to live before my children. And it is as I drink of the depths of my poorness, while cleaving to Christ continually, that I will offer my children my best as a parent. I can do nothing apart from Him. Any kind word or good attitude that is not born of the Spirit is wind and a vapor at best.

Better that I give my children a vision of desperate dependence and complete poverty of my own with intermittent whispers of the strength of God, than giving them some impressive outward spirituality rife with the sickness of my own strivings. The sooner I come to the end of me, the greater my entrance, and thus also my children’s’, into the strength and abundance of God. Yes, living in the deep of my spiritual poverty and clinging to the Vine of Christ—not just in theory but in actuality, and not just occasionally but incessantly–I am at my best as a mom.

These children are not mine to bring forth, they are the Lord’s. I am not their savior, He is. My perfection will not deliver them but only the One who is perfect. And the truth of the matter is, they will benefit the most from seeing me rushing to the Cross when I am wrong, clinging to my Redeemer and leaning into Him for every bit of my strength. This is living the gospel before them, and in turn pushing them into the path that will become for them their own shining testimony of, “I am dark but lovely to God (Song. 1:5).”

Written by Dana Candler (© 2010) – More about Dana and her books Here

Christmas and You.

Its my first Christmas after my wedding, and for the first time I have immediate family members who’re very excited about Christmas.. And its contagious! Its been 4 years since I’ve known the Lord but for the first time I’m reading Magazines about Christmas, and articles and special Christmas devotionals. They all point to the one single fact of history that changed mankind once and for all – the birth of Jesus the Christ. And its becoming more evident how we can get carried away with the festivities and gifts and food, and take Jesus for granted on His earthly birthday!

I’d say it’s the most quoted Bible verse – John 3:16 – for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish but have eternal life – this verse is also the least understood. In fact, while travelling back from my house to my hometown, sitting in the bus, I realized that I’ve forgotten the first passion, the first love. I once read in a book by Joyce Meyer, that in a women’s prayer meeting, a new believer said that she’d found the most wonderful verse in the Bible! And when everyone was all ears, she read out, “For … God … so … loved… the… world… that… He.. gave His One and Only Son….”, John 3:16.. And she was savoring each word as the most delectable dish! Yes indeed, sometimes we forget the first love, the first awe with which we knew God through Christ Jesus.

My prayer this Christmas is that you all would come back to that first love, the first passion for God, and be filled with His glory as you enter the new year of 2010. God is mighty in power, and He wants to fill you with that power as well, for the glory of His name. Everyday He wants to equip you to handle the pressures of life, and be victorious in every trial. He wants you to be victorious so you can testify of His name. 2010 is the year of fruitfulness, year of breakthrough. Not only breakthroughs in your life, but breakthroughs in the sharing of the Gospel, breakthroughs in the spiritual realm….! Look forward to this year with anticipation. Those who come with hungry and thirsty hearts shall be filled; the full shall become empty. Trust Him, He has great things in store.

Hi There!

Its a joy to write again today, and to also announce that I am officially Mrs. Rini Abraham now! Praise God!

I thought I should share a small testimony with you all. In the face of the seemingly insurmountable economic needs that we ( Aby and I ) felt mounting up, we were made to really trust God to provide for ALL. And as if God were saying it, I kept getting mails about 'planting a seed'. So I spoke to Aby and we decided to plant a seed, by doubling our offering every Sunday, and believing that God will provide for our needs.

I can say over and over again, that God is faithful! He provided not only enough, but with the wedding now done, we still have a bank balance! (Giggle) And we also got more cash, plus all the commodities that we needed for our home! And more's on its way (from what my friends tell me)

All glory to God! This might seem small, but its a HUGE thing God did for us, and we both just praise Him!

Thank You Lord!
-Rini

I'd say this is a powerful prayer to make on someone's behalf!

Colossians 1:9 - 23

9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven;

Mathew 25:40 "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

I read recently in a devotional from "Our daily bread", of people leaving their careers to take care of ageing parents, ailing siblings, family members, and the like. And the writer reflected upon these situations saying, it seemed these people didn't leave their work, instead they assumed a new work for their lives.

And then again, today, this verse stares me in the face! As much as you did to one of the least of these God's brethren, you did unto God Himself! What have you done today?

Today morning I was reading through the the book of 'Acts of the Apostles' in the Bible. And as I was reading, one verse just touched my heart so powerfully, that I couldn't resist sharing it here.

These words that proceeded from the mouth of God lay the foundation stones for salvation to the Gentiles; to you and I.

In Acts 11, Peter is rehearsing the events that just took place to the rest of the disciples, and as he relates how God showed him a vision of a sheet with all kinds of animals. As the voice from heaven asked him to arise, kill and eat, he answered back - "Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth".

But the Voice answered him again from heaven, saying "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common."

God said this to Peter for you and I. What God has cleansed, no one can call common. What God has cleansed, no one can call unclean. And most importantly, what God has cleansed, we ourselves cannot call unclean.

Brothers and sisters, God has extended salvation to us, Gentiles - People who were not called as a chosen people, are now a chosen generation. All this, just because of the redemptive act of Jesus on the cross. And God has cleansed us. God has extended His mercies to us. He's adopted us as His own children, given us the right to be called the 'children of God'. We are a royal priesthood, a holy nation unto our God. He is our Daddy and we are His children.

And when the accuser of the brethren comes, reminding you of your past sins, just tell him to his face - "What God has cleansed, that call not thou common or unclean!"
God bless you!

The passage of 1 Kings 17 is amazing.. and there's a ray of hope tucked in there, for all of us. Let's explore it...

Elijah says to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." I want you to notice the confidence Elijah had in the Lord His God. He knew exactly whom he served, and he knew Who His God is. He also knew, that the LORD is trustworthy, and "heaven and earth may pass away, but the Word of the LORD shall remain".

When we serve God, we must know Who we're serving. He's not just anybody, He is God!! He's is true, just, awesome. Think about it.

As we see, after procaliming the Word of God, Elijah is directed by the LORD to a ravine, where He has "ordered the ravens to feed him" [1 Kin 17:4] and where he can also drink from the brook. I am sure, as the rain didn't come, Elijah must have noticed the brook drying up. THe Word says, "Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land"[verse 7] When I look back, I can see some situations, where God has made me go through it as well.  Times, when I could see, that my resources (the Very resources provided by God) were drying up... However, God actually always makes me wait, till the brook is completely dry, before He shows me where to go from there. And He did the same for Elijah. Elijah had to wait there till the brook dried up, and then God told him where to go next.

When GOd finally did tell him where to go, lo and behold! The directions were towards a widow!! Why a widow of all people? Were widows very well-to-do financially? Of course not..!

However. Elijah went there in full confidence, that she would have enough, because God had spoken. And God cannot lie.[Heb 6:18]On reaching there, as probably expected, the widow had nothing at home to offer him. She had only a "handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug" [verse 12] Surely, a widow, who served God, must have been disheartened, that she couldn't serve a man of God, when he asked her to. We all are inadequate at some point or the other, and mostly at the time when God calls us. We feel there is nothing to offer. We feel we can't do it. But I remember a saying from one of the preachers Ifirst heard "If you're equipped for it, then its not God's calling for you". And its true. So that we may never boast in our abilities, but in the Lord Jesus Christ.

And when we feel inadequate, then the Lord says, as Elijah said to the widow...."Don't be afraid"[verse 13] And then comes the promise, "'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land"[verse 14]

And when we do what God asks us to, surely, God keeps His part.. as we can see "For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah"[verse 16]

So,I want to tell you, if you feel you don't have what it takes.. Just trust in the LORD. If He's called you, He will also provide all that you need to fulfill the calling.

May the LORD bless you!

Once upon a time, there lived a young boy in a village. (I love beginning stories with 'Once upon a time...')

The little boy had never been to the city and he had no idea about the lovely things you could buy there. Deep inside his heart was the desire to buy a big cycle and ride it all around his village. But he did not know where to get it.

Once a huge city fair came to his village. There were different kinds of acts, hoola-hoops, the trapeze, elephants that did tricks, lions that walked and roared according to the command of their trainers...! He was so excited!

So, he saved up on the money he got for lunch and took the money to the fair to see if he could get a cycle there... the kind that the fair riders rode upon!

As he walked into the hustle-bustle, the fun, the frolic... He saw these big tents into which people walked in, and came out laughing! He too walked into a few, and enjoyed the acts that he saw in there. It was all fun till he reached the biggest tent he'd ever seen! He saw all dignitaries and well known people walking into it, and felt shy to walk in. He wondered what was inside it, but alas! He'd finished all his money to go into the little tents, and so could not dream of walking in and discovering what was inside! He was also mesmerized by the beauty on the faces of those who came out of the tent.. And was sad!

As he was walking around, he heard a whisper.. "Walk in! Your ticket's been paid for!" But he assumed that was being spoken to someone else. A little way on, he heard it again! "Walk in! Your ticket's been paid for!" And again he ignored it. After sometime, he heard another whisper.. "Don't waste time! The fair's leaving today evening, and it will never come back! Just walk in...! Don't worry about the consequences!" But he felt pressurized into walking into the tent, and stubbornly refused, and walked out, never to return to the fair again

When the fair was gone, the little boy saw his friend from the village riding along on the same bike which was his dream!! And he went over to his friend and asked, "Where did you get this??!!" And the little boy answered, "Oh that huge tent in the fair!! That was amazing! Somebody had paid for all the people in this village to be able to enter for free! And whoever went in, found whatever was their heart's deepest desire! So I got this bike! Isn't it a beauty??"

Isn't this what happens to those who refuse to accept the greatest gift, the death of Christ on the cross and His salvation for us. They choose to refuse to accept that it is for them too! Not just for the Christians! We all can be forgiven and loved by God if we opened the door of our hearts to let Him in...

Jesus says, in Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

"Precious Lord, Reveal Your heart to me..."

If God were to reveal His heart to me, I believe my whole life would go topsy-turvy. I would probably be completely transformed, maybe even ruined. But I believe, the complete ruin can be the way to a molding that has eternal rewards. No wonder, Isaiah says, "Woe is me, for I am undone !"

And no wonder God says, "No one shall see the face of God and live"

But I still want to know His heart, I want to see His face and know His ways. I want to be completely ruined so that I can be completely like Jesus.

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The last chapter in the book of Habakkuk has these beautiful lines, that say --

Though the fig tree may not blossom,
Nor fruit be on the vines;
Though the labor of the olive may fail,
And the fields yield no food;
Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls—
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will joy in the God of my salvation.
The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills.

One day as I was reading these lines, a thought crossed my mind. We must REALLY trust the Lord, to be able to say what the prophet had just said. And I have no doubt that he really meant what he's written here.

"Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vine. Though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food.Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,
And there be no herd in the stalls" The prophet literally means, that even though there be no food to eat, and ALL our labor goes in VAIN... We will still bless the Lord!

It has a resemblance to the sentiment of Job presented earlier in the Bible, when Job said, "The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord." [Job1:21]

To be able to bless the name of God, and to laugh in the face of adversity, requires pure and simple - T-R-U-S-T.
How difficult would it be, to wake up one morning,and realize, that all our labor has been destroyed the previous night, while we were sleeping, and then say, "Praise the Lord"!!! Oh, but its that kind of reckless faith, that God wants! He expects it.

I've just been going through a rather rough patch, and I've been talking to God. Spent sometime simply crying, saying, "Lord why? Why does it have to be so difficult?" But then I'm reminded of one saying, "If God NEVER again does ANYTHING for you, in your WHOLE life.. You still have reason enough to praise Him. Because He's saved you from an eternity of misery."

The last three lines make sense in the face of troubles and trials. Let us read them again -
"The LORD God is my strength;
He will make my feet like deer’s feet,
And He will make me walk on my high hills."

God doesn't promise to remove the problems...! He simply promises to be our strength when we're in trouble. The LORD God is my ''strength''.

God doesn't promise to make the roads flat and easy to walk on. He simply promises to give us the kind of feet we require to scale those steep roads. He's making our feet like hind's feet, and setting them on our high places. He doesn't want to make scardey-cats out of us, He's making warriors out of us. He doesn't always remove our problems, though He can! He is well able to deliver us, but even if He doesn't....its ok. We will still not bow down before our troubles, but will magnify the name of our God. [Daniel 3:17-18]

I know the road is rocky at times, just wanted to remind you.. Stick on. God is able to deliver, and He will. In His time, He will hasten it, He's promised that.

The heinous amount of violence that has disrupted life in Orissa has shocked me to the core. It is amazing to see that the media sources which have all the time in the world to post stories on Saif and Kareena, could ignore this massive massacre for such a long time. Reports say that thousands of Christian homes have been burnt down, around 30 churches have been destroyed and many many killed, or should I say 'brutally murdered'.

"Is this not terrorism?" said an e-mail I received recently. True, this is exactly that - Terrorism.

Brothers and sisters, it shocked me to the core to see the pictures that I have received through e-mail of the burnt bodies and homes. Many children have lost the comfort of their small homes, and are eating on roads, in order to survive. Women and children have been killed.

I just want to say, in the time when our blood boils to see the situation in Orissa, let us put on Christ. In the midst of this situation, let us put on our dear Lord, and pray for those who are suffering. But let us not forget to pray for those who've committed grave sin in the eyes of our Lord.

Paul says in Romans 8, that these present sufferings are not worthy of being compared to the glory that will be revealed in us. So no matter how much these dear brothers and sisters have suffered here on earth, there are great mansions and much glory awaits them in heaven. But what about those who are instrumental in killing so many? Let us not ignore their great spiritual poverty, and let us continue to pray for them too. They certainly need deliverance more than those who already know Jesus.

God bless.

A few days ago, while I was praying, I had this conversation with God, which was so simple and yet so profound... that I couldn't help but post it here. Hope its an encouragement to you all.

Here goes --

I : What am I created for?
God : To worship the Father.

I : What should I do here on earth?
God : Worship God and love people.

I : Is it as simple as that?
God : Yes

I : Then why is it so difficult for me to love people?
God : Because you don't let go of the sins that are forgiven. Your sins are as far from you as the east is from the west. Don't let your past affect your future.

I : And I should just trust You....
God : Yes

I : You really love me, don't You?
God : Yes, with all My heart.

I : Thank You Lord. You're my Best Friend :)

God is looking for people who will seek Him with their all. Is there anyone who wants God, so much that they'd rather die than be without Him? Such are the people God is looking for.

Are you sold out for Christ? Do you realise how much you're worth? You're as costly as the blood of Christ!
Blood if life... And God bought you with the blood of the Life-Giver, Christ Jesus Himself. You are princes and princesses, children of the Living God, the King! Know who you are...!

Who are you? Who is Christ to you? Who are you in Him? Stop treating yourself as dirt. You were not bought with the corruptible riches of this world, but with the precious blood of Christ.

Even a vessel used for storing water can be an instrument of God's miraculous power; you might turn out to be the vessel whose water is turned into wine. You just need to be available.

Not 'able'; just 'available'.

Wait....! Hold it...! That's the only way to renew your strength. To not faint, to continue to run.. you must wait.