Tears fell down his cheeks and on to his pillow. As he tried to get some sleep, he could not get his thoughts away from it. His thoughts went back to how it had started & how innocuous it had seemed at the outset. He realized his whole life was slowly ebbing away L . More than 10 years had passed by since the first mistake and he seemed to be sucked into this vicious circle with no end in sight. Oh how he desperately wanted to get rid of the habit!

The next day as he got up, he swore to himself, that he would not touch it today. As he started getting ready to work, he realized that today was the R & R (rewards and recognition) awards ceremony. He had been nominated for and awarded the MVP (Most valuable Award). He was excited at being recognized for his contribution and was looking forward to the praise and glory that would come his way as he would walk the aisle to get the award. He smiled to himself as he combed his hair. He selected his favorite blue shirt and black pant and made sure he was neatly dressed. He left home with the lunch box his mum gave him and walked towards his bus stop. He boarded the bus (5 minutes early) and slowly the desire to have a puff started building up. “Noooo” he told himself, I won’t do it, I will not give in again – he said. He bit his lip and tried to think about his work and his award, but no, the thought would not leave him. The battle in his soul was unbearable.

Raju had everything going for him. A loving son to his parents, an epitome of dedication at work and he had a kind heart to help anything / anyone who needed help. But deep down, he really felt he was a hypocrite. “Is all this just a farce? A mask for the people? Do I make all the right moves and noises in public to appear good?” – He would ask himself. He thought about how he had felt jealous when his friend got a promotion, his bitter anger at the escalation done by his onsite counter-part. And to top it all, his secret habit of smoking. What good does it do to appear right in front of everyone, but not be at peace with yourself? He knew his parents would be shocked to find out, but how long could he hide it? Is it possible to get rid of the habit?

If it was something external, he could change it, but how could he change something that had become a part of him? He smiled ironically as he thought of the award he was receiving that day, as it was for bringing in marked improvement in his team’s performance. If only life could be as simple as our project… To change his very inner nature would require something far greater than will-power to change…but was there a solution?

As he was thinking, Samuel came and sat next to him in the bus. Raju had always trusted Samuel and knew that he had something special about him (what it was he was not sure). He had wanted to share with him his problems earlier, but his pride stopped him on most occasions. Today, with a heavy heart, he felt he needed to let go and he thought of talking to Samuel. His blood pressure increased and sweat formed on his brow. How could he tell him? But he badly wanted to have this burden take off his chest.

Mustering all his courage, he told Samuel about his problem. He fought back tears as he told him about his struggles. Samuel listened quietly and understandingly to everything Raju had to say. Finally Samuel told Raju about his best friend. Samuel told him that he was a wonder-working person who could cure any of the heart’s diseases. He told him that all he would need to do is to meet his best friend and tell him his problems and just trust him to heal his heart. Samuel told him that he could talk to his best friend from anywhere at any time. Raju found it hard to believe and wondered how it would work? But he had tried everything possible to get rid of it – but nothing had worked, he thought he had nothing to lose.

When Raju spoke to Samuel’s best friend for the first time, he had thousand questions running through his mind, could this really be true? What would he say? He said “Dear God, I am sorry for failing you & messing up my life, I need your help to get me right and corrected. I need a change”. As he said this, he did not hear any reply back, but he felt a strange peace fill his heart as he talked to him. He felt light, like the time when he was a small kid with no worries. He knew something had changed on the inside & it was hard to explain.

A week went by and he did not have the urge to go for a smoke. Could this be really true he asked himself? A month went by & Raju frequently talked to  God, who was no longer just Samuel’s best friend, but his best friend as well. He thanked God for helping him get out of a place where he never thought he could get out. Who would think that God could be friends with a person who is a failure? When Raju smiled at someone, it was now really a smile with love and care. When he spoke his words were true and from his heart! Oh the delight of having a clear conscience!

This was definitely the tide of change that Raju had hoped for!

You’re the substitute for Jesus Christ in this world

You’re the substitute for Jesus Christ in this world. Astonished to hear this? See what Jesus said.

“The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing.”

John 14:12

The greatest truth that every believer should explore is that he/she is the substitute of Christ do all the good works

 (preach the gospel, Heal the people, bringing people out of all yokes such as sin, disease, poverty, curse, anxiety )

That He did. It’s simply like a senior employee retires from His job and hands over the same job to his junior. You can be astonished on hearing these words of Jesus. How come Jesus is telling this assuredly? Because He has given the same Holy Spirit that He had.

Even though Jesus was the son of God, He partake flesh and blood and revealed us how a man should be. Therefore He was anointed with Holy Spirit to do the work of the Lord. Jesus tells that the same anointing was also upon us.

Start believing this from today and you will surely see God using you mightily in the good works, since we’re not doing anything on our own, but by the power of Holy Spirit. Amen. Have the compassion that Jesus had for the lost sheep (Mathew 9:36). When you see non-believing co-workers among you, your spirit should cry out with the same compassion that Jesus had on seeing the people.

Don’t see them as a sinner. See their desperate stage under the bondage of satan. We’ve been saved and moving towards Heaven. But what about them? Start having compassion for the non-believers around you. Then I tell you Lord will surely use you to touch them and get them into His kingdom. Praise God. Glory be to God.

It’s that time of the year when we begin to start getting our investments right to save some tax so that our income will reach us!!. Yes, I’m talking about the investments for saving income tax. I was just updating the details on my company website, when I found out that couple of receipts of insurance was missing!!!

How could that be??…I had reminders in place and also bill pay set up through my banking website, but still, I was not able to locate the receipts. Having confirmed that I had not paid the amount due for the year, I rushed to the branch with my worst fears of penalties to be paid with interest and ensuring that the policy was in force, so that I can derive the benefits due.

I reached out to the clerk at the front desk and when I told her my policy no, she replied to my utter disbelief – ‘Your policy is paid in FULL’ – no further payments required and it will mature in 2016. What!!!!, I just couldn’t believe my ears and insisted on checking it again and to prove it, she pulled out a print out of the policy details, which said ‘PAID IN FULL’.

What a similarity to what the Lord Jesus had done for us on the cross many years back – He paid up for our sins in FULL, so that we need not run from pillar to post, to cross check, but just to believe and be saved!!!. But in spite of the payment being made in FULL, we still keep searching and not understanding on what He has done for us.

The message is clear that our Lord Jesus had paid in FULL at the cross when He said (John 19:30) ‘It is finished’. So, let’s not be worried and not certain of what the Lord Jesus has given us and let us rest in the assurance of the cross on which he paid in FULL!!! Amen

To begin with – Lets have a few facts related to some of God’s creations.

SNAILS have 14175 teeth laid along 135 rows on their tongue. A BUTTERFLY has 12,000 eyes. DOLPHINS sleep with 1 eye open. A BLUE WHALE can eat as much as 3 tonnes of food everyday, but at the same time can live without food for 6 months. The EARTH has over 12,00,000 species of animals, 3,00,000 species of plants & 1,00,000 other species. Before I got an email on the internet – I did not know a butterfly has 12000 eyes. WOW !How awesome are God’s creations.

God does not bluff us when the Bible says in Genesis 1:31 “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good”. He is very sure he is right. In fact he is right about all that he made, everything was good and remains good, except his best creation man. Man failed him then at the Garden of Eden & continues to fail him today.

In my opinion, every single man or woman who fails to realize his /her God given plan is failing God. He has send us Prophets, Saints , Apostles & his son Jesus, all to remind us of the fact that “We are God’s best creation” and today he is sending you this message through me.The message is that “We (man) are the only creation of God that has a pre-defined plan for his/her arrival on this earth” . God planned your parents, work, ministry & every single thing you are supposed to do on this earth. But, we choose to look at our own selves for planning rather than God. If only we could look to God for our plans, we would then work on God’s plan for us rather than our own plan for us.

I agree, I have difficulty in following what I am preaching right now. When it comes to preaching, I really look for God’s plan for my sermon/talk /message but, I am less inclined to look for God’s plan in the other things that I do in my life. I am seriously working on my self to be able to look for God’s plan in everything I plan. I pray, I shall soon be able to get there and so do each one of you reading this article.

I would like to encourage you today to remember the fact that “You are God’s best creation” & he God send his son to remind you of this fact. Never think that something is impossible for you. If it is within God’s will for you – Nothing is impossible for you. You only need to know if it is in God’s will for you.If you are going as per God’s plan, the world may say something is impossible but it’s definitely possible for you.

Let us all wake up to the fact that, We are an awesome creation of an awesome God.

God Bless You.

Taste and see that the Lord is Good    Ps34:8

Most familiar verse from the Bible even a child will recite it effortlessly. Does that make this verse as simple as it looks? The interesting question here, is King David telling us that the Lord is good as he was escaping from king Achish of whom he was afraid? Taste does not mean test.  Test and experience are two different actions based on our strength of Faith. I would like to share with you the positive side of Faith, which is experiencing it. Consider Ps 62:5 “For my expectation is from Him.”(KJV) What is your expectation for June? It could be anything according to your needs. But where are you looking at, to get it for you. You can look forward to people or whatever your rational mind suggests. But have you applied your faith and expected it to come from the Lord? That is how David could declare God is good even when he was fleeing for his life. Through the life threatening situation he experienced the goodness of God. Many times we give higher status to earthly resources through critical times, than we do to God. If you trust on the unchangeable God and receive your need, then you have experienced that the Lord is good. The situation may be totally negative but still you can experience the Goodness of God if you obey and practice His word.

Psalms 115:12 “The Lord has been mindful of us; he will bless us.” Every one of us in our life time has gone through or could be going through loneliness. I do not mean physical loneliness but mental or emotional loneliness. You may have everything like father mother or you may be living with your wife/husband or living with children. But in spite of all this relationship you may feel lonely and may not be able to share your inner feelings. This loneliness is not unique to us but prophet like Elijah was not spared. The word of the Lord came to him “what are you doing here Elijah?” Then he expresses his loneliness that the Israelites have rejected your covenant and put your prophets to death and I am the only one left and now they are after me (1 Kings 19:10). From his answer it is clear he was going through loneliness and the fear of death. Are you feeling left alone in the midst of your family, friends or at work place. If you can claim the promise and believe (cast all your anxiety on Him because he cares for you 1 Peter5:7)) with all your heart, and the Lord is mindful of you and he will come to bless you, that is where you experience the goodness of God.

Isaiah 30:18 “For the Lord is a God of Justice.”You are a person of integrity and honesty before God and men. But you miss increments your promotion, unexpected loss, or fail to get children admitted in good school. Our human nature says why me, not others. Do not be disheartened.  “Blessed are those who wait on the Lord. He will restore what you have lost in double measure. In the month of June you will enjoy the double portion of His goodness. God bless you.