The triumphant life!

II Corinthians 2:14
Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

The life of a believer is a triumphant life. Can you declare it, 'My life is a triumphant life in Christ'. The word triumph means victory or celebration of victory. Your life is a life of victory. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Victory is not an achievement, its a condition. You are conditioned to win, to triumph and to be victorious. Its in your DNA because you are in Christ. The day you accepted Christ, you received eternal life, the nature of God into your spirit. You are born of God. John says whatever is born of God overcomes the world. By being born again, you are a world overcomer. Not going to be, you are! Every child in God's family is a world overcomer. Victory doesn't just happen once in a blue moon rather victory is our nature, victory is our lifestyle. Think victory. See victory. Speak victory. Live victory. Dream victory. Dress victory. Breathe victory. Predict victory. Celebrate victory. Be victory conscious all the time for Jesus is your Lord. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus has qualified you to receive the victorious and triumphant nature of God. Take some time and discover yourself in the scriptures. Some will be shocked, others will be glad. I am so glad. Glory to God.

As you consistently see yourself in the mirror of God's word, you will begin to realise who you actually are. As you grow in your identity in Christ and begin to walk in it, you will manifest your  victorious and triumphant nature. There is a lion in you. There's dominion in you. There's heaven in you. There's so much potential and ability in you. You can do all things through Christ which strengthens you. You are more than a conqueror. This is is your life, the triumphant life. Look to Jesus, look to the word and live your triumphant life for Jesus did it all, just for you. Jesus loves you. This is your time of victory.

Leave the temporary, go for the eternal!

Proverbs 21:6
A fortune made by a lying tongue is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare.

Lies have terrible consequences. Jesus said about the devil, He has no truth in him, when he lies, he speaks his native language for He is a liar and a father of lies. Satan is the father of lies, meaning all lies - all colours and all sizes, comes from the devil.

Look around the world today, lies have become the order of the day. Its sad to say that even believers who misunderstand the gospel of grace abuse the grace gospel by speaking lies only to cause disgrace to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. They say, its impossible to progress without lies, its impossible to get a promotion without cute lies, its impossible to live without white lies. Well, this verse says whatever we achieve by lies is a fleeting vapor and a deadly trap. Its temporary and will eventually trap you. Let’s settle this in our thinking, lies have terrible consequences and it does not come from God. Its from the devil and we have no business with Him or his lies. Refuse to lie. Dare to speak the truth even if it costs you everything you have. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life.

Friend, irrespective of what the world says or think, you have God’s ability,  you have his grace and you can achieve uncommon success by speaking the truth and living an honourable life. You don’t need lies, you don’t need the devil, you have God Almighty living in you, He is with you and for you. You cannot fail when you walk with Him. Whether you are a politician, student, artist or some businessman or a minister, His grace will enable you to speak the truth and achieve great success. Leave the temporary, go for the eternal. Remember, wisdom is the most important thing.

Give your cares to Jesus!

Give your cares to Jesus.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 5:7
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Lets look at this verse in the Amplified version, Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Jesus is your Lord and He has commanded you to give him all your cares, worries, anxieties and concerns. Be obedient and do exactly what he says. Refuse to carry it any longer. Turn it over to Him and refuse to take it back. Refuse to touch it again. Refuse to give words to it. Refuse to pay any attention to it. When you are tempted to worry, boldly declare, "I have given all my cares, anxieties, worries and concerns to Jesus and He is taking care right now, I refuse to worry and I refuse to take it back from His hands. I choose to celebrate because Jesus is my caretaker and therefore all things are working together for my good and the best is yet to come. Thank you Lord Jesus"  Once you give your cares to Jesus, refuse to take it back. Worry is expensive because it causes stress, health problems, chaos in relationships, unhealthy habits and eventually leads to wrong decisions. Notice, Jesus didn't command us to manage worry, He said give it to me, I can handle all of it. He is Love and everything He says is for our benefit because He cares for us and love us deeply. Believe that He loves you and cares for you!

Friend, we live in a planet where worrying has become as natural as breathing. They say its common and its sensible to do so. No wonder, there has been a tremendous increase in the stress level, health problems, unhealthy habits, broken relationships and so on in our world. But, you are from another planet called heaven. You are a citizen of heaven. We don't worry, we don't manage worry, we give it all to our King, Jesus and He takes care of it. We acknowledge and celebrate the fact that our Lord has all our cares and He is working on it and its all turning out for our good.

"Because Jesus is my caretaker, I refuse to carry any worry and cares, I give it all to Jesus. Thank you Lord you are dealing with it and its working for my good. I am carefree and I enjoy my life with the Lord Jesus."

Give thanks!

Psalms 136:1
Oh, give thanks to the Lord , for He  is good! For His mercy endures forever.

God is good and His mercy endures forever. No matter what mistakes you have made in life and no matter how many times you have missed the mark, always remember God is good and His mercy endures forever.

The psalmist says give thanks to the Lord. Give thanks. Give your heart to the Lord and let him know that you are grateful for who He is and for what He does. To give thanks to God is God's will for us in Christ Jesus. Cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Once you wake up, thank Him. Before you eat, thank Him. Before the church service starts, thank Him. Before you drive, thank Him. Before you sleep, thank Him. When you fellowship with other believers, take a moment and thank Him. Look for ways to consistently thank God for He is good and His mercy and endures forever. Thanksgiving is our lifestyle and dominates our language.

Friend, when you realise all that Jesus has done and is doing for you, you can't help but thank Him. Thanksgiving is a response to the goodness of God and to the ever enduring mercy of God. Thanksgiving positions you to receive and experience more of His goodness and His mercy. Refuse to complain, refuse to grumble, refuse to be mad, be glad and thank the Lord for all things work together the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpos. Thanks be to God, who always gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and always causes us to triumph in Christ. Give thanks and give it lavishly for He is worthy.

Switch on the light!

Psalms 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.

The word of God is light. The entrance of God's word gives light. God has given us His word to teach us, to reprove us, to correct us and to instruct us in righteousness so that we may be equipped for every good work.

Your ignorance is Satan's strength. The more ignorant you are of the light of God's word, the more power Satan has over you. But the day you get the word and believe it, light comes and when you act on it, darkness flees, confusion flees. Satan is the king of darkness and He works hard to keep you from the word of the living God so that you will remain in darkness all the days of your life. When light comes, darkness flees. You see, all around the world, think about people who have absolutely no idea why they are alive, where they have come from, where they are going, what they are supposed to do here and what is right and wrong, meaning who decides what's right and what's wrong? Absolutely no clue. Just living life and following the latest trend. We don't have to live like this in darkness and confusion because we have the light, we have God's word. Everything we need to know about our origin, our destination, our purpose, our work, our life and morality is in the word of the living God. You see, His word is lamp to our feets and light to our paths.

Friend, when light comes, direction comes, understanding comes, wisdom comes, right decisions can be made. God's objective in giving you His word is to help you be supernaturally successful and prosperous. His word will make you wise. His word will expose the deception of the enemy and his people. His word will help you avoid the traps laid by the enemy and help you go higher and higher. His word will take you from glory to glory into everlasting glory. Switch on the light and Stay in the light!

Chosen, called by birth!

Galatians 1:15
But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace,

Did you know that even before you were conceived in your mother's womb, you were chosen by God and called to do a specific work that He planned for you to do.

You are not an accident. You are not a mistake. You are chosen by God and called by Him. The Bible says you are God's masterpiece. There was no like you. There is no one like you and there will not be anyone like you. You are unique. You are God's best. Paul didn't know this and hence he wasted his life, doing things and getting involved in activities that he regretted later. The day he had an encounter with Jesus Christ, it changed his life and it was revealed to him that He was chosen by God while he was still in the womb and called for a specific and glorious work. Paul knew that he was valuable and highly precious to God and therefore he lived honorably and fulfilled his calling the rest of his life.

Friend, Gods choice and calling is not based on how good you are or how bad you are, you see the verse says He chose us while we were still in our mothers womb, before we did anything good or bad. Be conscious that Gods choice and calling is not based on you or your works but it's solely based on His goodness and grace. When we realise this like Paul realised it, we become serious about life and make the necessary changes so we can live in a way that honours God and fulfils his work ordained for us. This is your time. Jesus is Lord.

Ignore your senses!

II Corinthians 5:7
For we walk by faith, not by sight.

To walk by faith it is required of you to ignore your senses. The world calls the five senses as the 'gateway of knowledge'.

The world receives knowledge from the five senses and they live accordingly. As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we live and walk by a higher knowledge. You remember, Jesus asked his disciples, Who do people say that I am? They said some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, some Jeremiah and other prophets. Jesus said Who do you say I am? Peter said, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Peter, He didn't receive this knowledge from flesh and blood or senses but he received this knowledge from His Father in heaven. There is a higher knowledge and that is the word of the living God. The word of God is the highest knowledge. The word of God is the highest authority. The word of God is the highest truth. We ignore the knowledge of the senses and receive the knowledge of the word, we believe it, we meditate on it, we prophesy it, we confess it and we celebrate it. We live according to the word knowledge.
Friend, Jesus said this knowledge is like a rock and the gates of hell will not prevail against those who build on this knowledge. We ignore the knowledge we receive from our senses, our feelings and our sight, rather we choose the knowledge that comes from heaven, the knowledge that the Holy Spirit gives us that is the knowledge of the word. Choose heavenly knowledge. Choose the word of the living God. Choose God. We walk and live by faith and not by sight.

Keep your joy and be healthy!

Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

You are a spirit, you have a soul and you live in a body. The core of your being is your spirit. When the Bible talks about the heart, it's talking about the spirit which is also called the inner man and the hidden man. It talks about your spirit.

Proverbs tells us to guard our hearts with all diligence, for out of it comes the forces of life. The content and quality of our hearts will be the content and quality of our lives because out of our hearts comes the forces of life. Guard your heart! Be very careful about what you deposit in your heart because thats exactly what you will see in your life. This verse says a joyful heart is a good medicine. A joyful heart results in divine health and wholeness. The Bible says the joy of the Lord is your strength. When you make a decision to have a joyful heart, you have chosen to have a strong heart. Don't allow the devil to steal your joy. Remain in the joy of the Lord. Joy is the atmosphere of heaven. A person who carries the joy of the Lord carries heaven with him wherever he goes. He carries the strength of the Lord wherever he goes. A joyful heart affects your soul, your body, your family, your finances and every area of your life.

Friend, I encourage you to stop being mad about everybody and start laughing because Jesus is Lord and the best is yet to come. Laugh because all things work together for the good of those who love God. Laugh because Jesus has defeated Satan and he has no authority over you. Laugh because God will meet all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Choose joy. Cultivate a lifestyle of thanksgiving. Focus on the word and release the joy of the Lord for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Glory to God!

Satan's future !

Revelation 20:10
The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Satan has a terrible future awaiting him. He knows his time is short. Satan is going to be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone and he will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The Scriptures teaches us whatever you sow is what you reap. Every torment that Satan has sown and is sowing, he is going to receive the harvest in abundance. Satan knows his future and this is reason in these last days he's putting in everything he has to deceive more and more people so they can accompany him to the place of torment. Grace does not cancel the principle of sowing and reaping. Rather, grace gives you the ability to sow the right things so you can reap a great harvest. If you have sown the wrong things in the past by thinking, speaking or doing the wrong thing, listen, the day you accepted Christ, the word says you became a new creation, old things has passed away and behold, all things have become new. The blood of Jesus and the mercy of God has wiped out every wrong seed you had sown in the past and has made available his grace to you so you, through his ability can begin to sow the right things and enjoy the abundant and overflowing life he has for you.

Friend, don't be afraid of the devil, when he reminds you of your past, you remind him that you are a new creation in Christ, you have God's mercy, God's grace and that Jesus has suffered and paid for every wrong thing you had done. Remind the devil of his future and laugh. Ha Ha Ha. Your joy makes him mad. He cannot tolerate it. He has a terrible future but you have an awesome future. You are ever increasing and you will be a blessing to many, In Jesus name, Amen.

Jesus reveals himself!

John 14:21
He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

The obedient ones have great benefits. Jesus said that He will manifest himself to the ones who have his commandments and obeys them. His commands are not burdensome or grievous for his yoke is easy and his burden is light.

Think about Jesus manifesting himself to you. Is there anything more precious than that? Thats priceless especially if you love Jesus with all your being. When Jesus manifests himself, everything changes. When you do what He says, He will show up and things will begin to change. You do remember a marriage that happened at Cana in Galilee, how Jesus turned around  the humiliation of not having enough wine into a celebration of having the best wine. How did this happen? This wonderful miracle happened because someone dared to honour Jesus and His word, someone dared to do what He said. Obedience has great benefits. Anyone who dared to honour his word by obeying his command enjoyed his glory and experienced his power. Hallelujah.

Friend, take some time and meditate on this verse today. Let it sink in your hearts and your minds. He is not a dictator. He is love. Every command of His is a love command. Only love obeys. Jesus said if you love me, you will obey my commandments. Do you love him? Do you keep his commandments? Wouldn't you want Jesus to show up in your house, your marriage, your finances, your life and all around you? His presence makes all the difference. This is your time. Jesus is Lord and the best is yet to come. Glory!

Love lives in you!

Romans 5:5
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

The love of God has been poured out in our hearts the day we received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. Notice the words 'poured out'. God is love and all of God is in you. You are so blessed.

Love is a person and his name is Jesus. Jesus is in you through the Holy Spirit. Be conscious that His awesome and powerful love is in you right this moment. You don't have to pray for something you already have. You don't have to fast for something you already have. You have the love of God in you. Galatians says love is the fruit of your born again human spirit. Love is your nature because you are born of God and God is love. You are a love being, a love child of a love God. The moment you know this and believe it, you will begin to operate and walk in the love of God. Jesus has deposited God's love in you but walking in love is absolutely our choice. Since love is a fruit of your born again spirit, walking in love totally depends on how strong your spirit is. The stronger your spirit, the stronger the manifestation of God's love through you. A strong spirit is the key. Build your inner man, which is also called the hidden man and let the world see Gods love in you and through you. The word of God is food for your spirit.

Love God, Love people, Love life. Jesus is God's love in action. Friend, as you study the life of Jesus, you will begin to see how love spoke, how love reacts, how love behaves and how love wins. As you feed on Jesus, as you feed on his word and do what the word says consistently, the love fruit will grow and dominate your life. Love never fails.

Walk in His life!

II Corinthians 4:10
always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

If you have accepted Christ, the life of Jesus is in you. This divine life is in your spirit and it needs to manifest in our bodies and in every area of our lives because His life is our life.

Paul in this verse gives us one of the keys of walking in the manifestation of the life of God. By always carrying the death of the Lord in his body, the life of Jesus is manifested in his body. We know Jesus died on the cross for the sins of humanity and He rose again on third day. What does it mean to carry in our body the death of the Lord Jesus? How do you carry the death of the Lord in your body so that His life can be manifested in your body? When Jesus died on the cross, the Bible says the death he died, he died to sin once for all. When He died, we died with Him and when He rose again we rose with Him. Jesus died to sin, He died to self and died to the world. So carrying the death of Jesus simply means dying to self, dying to the world and dying to sin.

Friend, because you are in Christ, you are dead to sin, to self and to the world. All we have to do is be conscious of our death with Jesus and walk accordingly. In Christ, we are alive to God, alive to righteousness and alive to holiness. As you recognise and live out your death in Him, you will begin to see the manifestation of His life in your body and in every area of your life. Walk in his overcoming, surpassing and glorious life. You will never be the same. Jesus is Lord.

Jesus, the head of the Church.

Revelation 2:1
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands:

Jesus is the Head of the church which means He is responsible for the overall functioning of the church. The Apostle John, in the spirit saw Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand and walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands.

The seven golden lampstands represents all the churches in the world that Jesus has started and the seven stars which are in the right hand of Jesus, represents the people that Jesus has given authority to lead the churches which He has started. God has appointed Jesus as the Head of the church and Jesus is completely responsible for the well being of his body, which is the church. He runs the church and through the church He impacts the world and dominates it. He gives us life because He is the vine and so we, as His branches bear fruit in the world and impact it for Him. We work alongside Him, because we are members of His body. We are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. Paul said a soldier doesn't get involved in civilian affairs because he is fully focused in pleasing his commanding officer. Our only objective in life is to please our Commander in Chief, Jesus Christ, the head of the Church. The greatest thing you can do for Jesus is to keep his commandments. Jesus said if you love me, you will keep my commandments. Obedience with a willing heart thrills him.

Friend, the ones that Jesus has set as authorities in His church are in his right hand. He consistently leads and protects his appointed and anointed leaders and He walks and moves all around His church. One of the reasons He does it is because He wants to us to improve and become better and better, so He can present the church to Himself as a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish. Acknowledge. Cooperate. Join the boss in His mission. You will never be the same.

Victory forever!

I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Victory is a gift. Receive it. The resurrection of Jesus positions you on the path of victory. Your faith in the resurrection makes you walk in victory.

Victory forever! As a born again child of God, this is your heritage. Victory is your redemptive right. Be victory conscious. 'I am a believer and I refuse to fail. I cannot fail and I will not fail for Jesus is my Lord'. Jesus didn't die to make us losers, failures or weaklings. He rose again to make us more than conquerors, to overtake, to triumph, to excel and to dominate in every area of our lives. Think victory. Speak victory. Dream victory. Imagine victory. Live victory. Victory over the devil. Victory over the kingdom of darkness. Victory over the world. I John says he who believes Jesus is the Son of God is born of God and the one who is born of God overcomes the world and the victory that overcomes the world is our faith. Your faith in the resurrection makes you walk in victory. Your faith is the victory.

Friend, give God thanks for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Refuse to talk failure. Refuse to talk defeat. Every step of yours is a step of victory. Every day is a day of victory. Every word that comes out of your mouth is a word of victory. Victory forever. Hallelujah. Jesus is alive and Jesus is Lord !!!

Your company matters.

1 Corinthians 15:33
Don’t be fooled by those who say such things, for “bad company corrupts good character.”

The company you keep defines your character. You are defined by your associations. Proverbs says a wise man chooses his friends carefully.

The Corinthian church was associating with people who said there is no resurrection from the dead. Paul warned the church to stay away from such people because bad company, bad friends and bad associations corrupts good character. There is a lesson here for all of us, we must be very careful about who we associate with, what are their views, do they honour the word, do they honour the authorities, do they take the things of God seriously and do they live a honourable life in the way they think, speak and behave. Proverbs says he who walks with the wise shall be wise but the companion of fools will be destroyed. If you desire to go higher, associate with people who are going higher by the way they live. If you desire to go lower, associate with those who are going lower by the way they live. Let me say this again, Association matters. Be around champions of faith, love champions, prayer warriors and word giants, if you desire to go ahead in life. Refuse to associate with the disobedient, rebellious and divisive people for they have no future.

Friend, the fulfillment of your destiny depends a lot on the company you keep. Get around the right people, for association with the right God ordained people is the environment where the seeds of greatness will become trees of greatness and you will bless many nations. The wrong bunch of people will block every seed of greatness in you and you will never be able to reach your full potential. Choose your friends wisely !

Pray more in tongues!

Pray more in tongues.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Corinthians 14:18
I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

Tongues is a spiritual language given to every born again child of God when they receive the Holy Spirit. Every believer has the right and the ability to speak in tongues. When you speak in tongues, your spirit through the Holy Spirit speaks words that are released from your mouth which your mind doesn't understand. No man understands it, only God understands it.

When you pray in tongues, supernatural things begin to happen. Speaking in tongues causes you to be spiritually sensitive. When you speak in tongues, you speak to God and speak forth mysteries, hidden truths and secret things. Also when you speak in tongues you edify yourself, improve yourself and build yourself up. You just keep going higher and higher, there is no limit to the height you can attain by praying in the Spirit. Praise God for this indescribable gift. A strong spirit is the need of the hour. When your spirit is strong you can face any challenge with boldness and confidence, knowing that God is on your side and all things work together for your good. Praying in tongues helps you understand the word more clearly. It helps you discern the right way while making decisions because you become sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit in you. Speaking in tongues takes your ministry and your life into another level. John G Lake, one of the greatest healing evangelist that ever lived said, 'Tongues has been to me the making of my ministry'. 

It doesnt matter whether you are a preacher, a musician, a plumber or a businessman, you have the gift of tongues and the ability to speak in tongues. Speak as much as you can in tongues, speak more and more. As you do, you will begin to see improvement in yourself and then eventually in the all areas of your life. Kenneth Hagin, one of the pioneers of the word of faith movement said, 'Tongues is the gateway into the supernatural'. Keep building yourself up so you can build others up. Glory to God. Jesus is Lord.

"Everyday I speak in tongues more and more. Speaking in tongues edifies me, improves me and builds me up. I never neglect speaking to God in tongues. I speak out mysteries and divine secrets when I speak in tongues. I pray in tongues and I sing in tongues. I am refreshed, my spirit is becoming strong every day and everything I do prospers."

Flee sexual immorality!

I Corinthians 6:18
Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Sexual immorality simply means illegal sex and as per the word of God it includes sex before and outside of marriage, homosexuality, lesbianism, sex with close relatives, sex with animals or with divorced man or woman. In the eyes of God, sex is honourable and holy only in the confines of a marriage relationship.

The Spirit of God is telling us to flee from sexual immorality because of the terrible consequences that comes with it. Paul says no sexually immoral person will inherit the kingdom of God and by the Spirit, He warns us to stay away from people who say they are believers but are involved in sexually immoral practices.  In the book of Revelation, the Spirit says all fornicators will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. As believers of the Lord Jesus Christ, your body belongs to Jesus. He has purchased your body with his own blood. Corinthians says your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in you. You remember, when Potiphars wife came near Joseph, Joseph ran from her and protected himself. Flee. Run. Fly. One of the ways we can keep ourselves from sexual immorality is by guarding our thoughts. Jesus said sexual immorality comes out of the heart.  You can guard your heart by guarding your thoughts. Thoughts are governed by observation, association and teaching. Don't be in places that causes you to have dirty thoughts, choose your friends wisely and be careful about the conversations you have, be careful about the books, magazines, newspapers you read and the shows you watch. Make no provisions for the flesh and put no confidence in the flesh.

Everything starts with a thought. We must guard our thoughts, words and actions. If such wicked, immoral and dirty thoughts get in your head and stay, then very soon you will find yourself speaking and doing the same things. Friend, thank God for his grace. His grace is sufficient and His grace teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly lusts and helps us to live sober, righteous and godly lives. Be conscious that your body is not yours but it is the Lords and offer it to Him as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable in His sight. Rely on the mighty Holy Spirit in you and you will shine as an example and role model for the glory of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Glory!

The wisdom of this world. Beware!

I Corinthians 1:20
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

God has made the wisdom of this world foolish. Since it's foolish, we cannot build our lives on anything that comes out of this world because God has concluded that as totally foolish.

Satan is the god of this world system and everything thats in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. This does not come from the Father. Lust, pride and selfishness is at the root of everything that comes out of this world system and therefore God in his great love, has declared and concluded all of it as foolish and complete nonsense to help his children in making the right decisions. When you hear something, you must always find out where has it come from. From the world?  Or From the word? Because anything that comes out of the world, irrespective of who said it, the person might be very successful, popular and intellectually smart but if it's against the word of God, I declare and conclude it's an absolute nonsense. Satan has been trying very hard to use famous celebrities and other outstanding personalities to make statements that are in direct opposition to the word of God so that He can decieve people especially the believers. Let me say it again, no matter who says it, anything that is against the word of the Living God, is nonsense and foolish. God has made it foolish and therefore to me it's foolish and I will not follow something that is foolish and utter nonsense.

Friend, I encourage you fix your eyes on the word and make it your standard of living.The word of God is the wisdom of God and as you invest yourself into God's word, you will begin to deal wisely in all the arenas of your life. This is why Jesus came, to give you an abundant and overflowing life. Stay on the word. Refuse to be distracted and discouraged. This is your time. This is your season. The best is yet to come. Jesus is Lord.

Be an encourager!

Proverbs 12:25
Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Each day has enough troubles of it own. People around you are facing challenges just like you and are tempted to worry which causes their hearts to be heavy, burdensome and depressed. In this world filled with challenges, why don't you make a decision to encourage some one? The employment opportunities for encouragers are huge! Apply!

Sometimes we are so focused on the challenges of our lives, that we pay little or no attention to people around us. Every one needs encouragement because it gives people hope and cheers them up. Jesus commanded us not to worry and to cast all our cares and anxieties on him because he cares for us. Because we have such a great caretaker, we can give all of our worries to Him and focus on encouraging people. When no one in Jerusalem was willing to associate with Paul, it was Barnabbas who spoke kindly to Paul and brought him into fellowship with the other believers in Jerusalem. You never know what a single word or act of encouragement can do, the impact it can have on the person's life.

Friend, make a decision to take your eyes off of yourself and encourage someone today. Make a habit of giving hope to people and letting them know that God is with them and everything is going to be alright. Encourage them to keep trusting Jesus, keep speaking the word and keep praising the Lord at all times for their victory is at hand. Be a Barnabbas to someone today and everyday. This is Your time. All that God has promised you will come to pass and your laughing days are here. Hallelujah. Jesus is Lord.

Zeal for God.

Romans 10:2
For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.

Paul here is talking about the Israelites and their passion for God. Their zeal for God was so strong that they ignored what God actually wanted and did what they thought was the right thing to do. Zeal without knowledge is an absolute waste of your time, energy and resources. Zeal with knowledge gives you direction and enjoyment because you know you are doing the right thing.

Paul was so zealous for the things to God that he fiercely persecuted the church of the living God. Zeal is very important but without knowledge of Gods will and his purposes, it won't benefit much. The Israelites being ignorant of Gods righteousness by faith in Christ Jesus, sought to establish their own righteousness by the works of law and whenever you ignore Gods will, you stumble at the rock of offense and at the stumbling stone. A person who ignores Gods word and does what he thinks is right will not go very far even if he is very passionate and zealous about it. Paul was zealous about the persecution but you see Jesus showed up and stopped him in his tracks.

Friend, as believers, we must first discover the right way, when I say right way I mean the God way, which is the word way. Find out what is right in the eyes of God before you direct your passion, zeal and energy towards it. Its highly recommended that you be convinced that all your pursuits are in line with Gods word and his purpose for you can be sure that any work that ignores Gods purpose is only for a short time. Peace be to you!

Talk to sickness!

Luke 4:38‭-‬39
Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.

Jesus spoke to fever and it left the person. This is one of the keys of living in divine health all the days of your life.

Sicknesses can hear you. Settle this in your thinking. When you magnify the sickness and tell about it to others, you are feeding the sickness and making it even more strong. Let the sickness in your body, hear Gods word from your mouth. Refuse to say anything else. The word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit, when released from your mouth in faith will attack and eradicate every trace of sickness in your body and will supply life for his word is full of life. Refuse to magnify the sickness. Refuse to bow down to the sickness. Jesus said whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea' and doesn't doubt in his heart but believes what he says will come to pass then he shall have whatever he says. Refuse to talk about the moutain. Start talking TO the mountain. Talk to sickness. Speak the word of God. Speak in faith. Speak in the name of Jesus and speak boldly for Jesus has defeated every sickness there is and has redeemed you for divine health all the days of your life.

Friend, Jesus said if you believe in me the works that I do you will do and greater works than these you will do because I go to my Father. Since we are exactly like Jesus himself in this world, let's do what Jesus did and rebuke sicknesses and diseases in His name. Your words are extremely powerful. Speak life. Speak the word. You will never be the same. This is your time. Be healed in Jesus name, Amen.

You are justified!

Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

The word justified in this verse and context, means that God has declared you right and acceptable in his sight. Like he said to Jesus, God the Father says to you, You are my beloved child, in whom i am well pleased.

If we are justified, that means we were guilty at some point. Because of Adams disobedience, every one who came through Adam is declared guilty by God. Humans cannot control this because by birth every human is pronounced guilty and condemned and is trapped in the clutches of sin and spiritual death with no way of escape. Every human on earth is by nature the child of Gods wrath, destined for eternal damnation.Jesus, who was born of the Spirit, obeyed the Father by suffering for the sins of humanity and thereby paying the complete price for eternally redeeming mankind from the clutches of Satan, sin and death. By his resurrection, he defeated Satan, Sin and Death. Any human on earth who believes what Jesus has done, anyone who believes the obedience of Jesus will be justified and have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Friend, God is not angry or mad at you. Because you have accepted his son, you have escaped Gods wrath and eternal damnation. Glory to God !!! You have peace with God. God smiles at you. He is pleased with you and He approves and accepts you. It has nothing to do with your good works or bad works, it has only to do with Jesus and his obedience to the Father. Be conscious and aware that Jesus has justified you and that you have peace with God. This revelation will help you live a justified and a peaceful life and thereby a God honouring life. You will never be the same. This is your time. Jesus is Lord and the best is yet to come.

The entrance of sin.

Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Sin entered the world through one man, Adam. God created the earth and gave Adam authority and dominion over it. Adam declared independence from God and connected himself to Satan, who is sin. The day Adam disobeyed God, sin and death entered the planet.

All around the world we can see the consequences of Adams mistake, sin and death dominating the planet. This is the reason many ignorant people question the existence and the character of God. Well, in the fullness of time, God sent forth his son, Jesus to redeem mankind from clutches of sin and death. By his death, burial and resurrection, Jesus defeated sin and death and gave the ones who believe in Him, dominion over sin and death. This simply means you can triumph over sin and death because of what Jesus did for you. Sin and  death is still in the world but 'In Christ' is the only place where sin and death have no power. The body of Christ is the only body that cannot be touched by sin and death because Jesus, the head of the body of Christ has defeated sin and death.

Friend, the day you accepted Jesus, you were included in the body of Christ as an esteemed member in a specific place for a specific work. Because you are in Christ, sin and death has no power over you. As you walk in the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, you will walk free from the law of sin and death which is still in the world today. The law of the Spirit of life is the law of the word, it is the law of love, which simply means obedience. Jesus said if you love me, you will obey me. The obedience of Jesus brought you into the body of Christ, but its your obedience that keeps you free from the law of sin and death. Do the word, follow the Holy Spirit and let the world see your light. Live like Jesus! Glory! Jesus is Lord!

The choice is yours!

Deuteronomy 30:19
I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that  I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live.

One of the greatest privileges God has given humanity is the ability to choose. He has given us a free will to choose what we want. He didn't make us like robots or preprogrammed machines. Praise God.

Since we have the ability to choose, we are responsible for the decisions we make. God gives us options and then help us by saying choose life, choose blessing. He does that because he's our loving Father and wants the very best for each one of his precious children. Jesus gave us a new commandment, Love one another as I have loved you. You have a choice to obey or disobey the command. No one can make you do it. You have to make the choice and decide to do it. No one can make you read the word, you choose to do it. No one can make you sit at Jesus' feet but like Mary you have to make a decision to do it. God gives us his word so we can have good amount of information and thereby make the right decisions in life.

Friend, choose the word and make it the oxygen of your life. Breathe the word. Let the word be your clothing. As you carry your bags to your offices, carry the word of the living God in your heart and your mouth. As you see yourself in the mirror every day, see yourself in Gods word everyday. As you drink water and eat food everyday, drink and eat the word everyday. The word will help you make the right decisions, decisions that you won't regret later. The word will make you wise, insightful and you will command the respect of the world. The choice is yours!

Wealth beyond imagination.

Revelation 21:21
The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.

John is talking about the holy city, the Lamb's bride called the New Jerusalem which is our eternal home. You remember, Jesus said I go to prepare a place for you. It's extravagant!

As believers, the New Jerusalem spoken about in the last book of the Bible is our eternal home, where we will dwell with God and God will dwell with us forever and ever. The wall of the city is made of jasper, and the city is pure gold, as clear as glass. The foundation of the wall of the city are decorated with all manner of precious stones. The city has twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. The twelve gates are made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street is made of pure gold, as clear as glass. The city shines with the glory of God and sparkles like a precious stone. Can you imagine a city where the roads are transparent pure gold and each gate is made up of a single pearl? This is immeasurable wealth and we can enjoy it now for Jesus said God's will be done on earth just as it is done in heaven. By this he made it clear it is Gods will for you to live in and enjoy wealth immeasurable.

Friend, this is what Jesus has prepared for you. Its beyond human comprehension but its true for His word is true.  Don't fight prosperity and wealth as many religious nuts and hyper spiritual people do. God never wants his people struggling to get by and just living a surviving life like the beggar Lazarus. God wants to bless you beyond your thinking or dreaming capacity. Can you take it? Can you handle it? Are you willing to believe it?  His way of doing it is not by running after all these things. He said in Matthew 6.33, 'Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will added to you.' Believe God. Do what He says. Be obedient. This your time for wealth beyond measure!!

The apple of your eye.

Proverbs 7:2
Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye.

How do you guard the apple of your eye? Do you take it lightly? I am sure all of us guard it with great care and love.

God speaks to us in many ways. He speaks to us through His word, His Spirit and through his ordained ministers. If you have difficulty in hearing Him then you probably need to get into places where the word is being taught with a willing heart and open ears. Solomon says guard what you hear from God as you would guard the apple of your eyes. You can hear God and if you are not careful, Satan can steal the word out of your heart. For example, you heard the word on Sunday and by the time you came back home, you met with your friends and started talking so intensely about the corruption in our country, that you completely forgot about the word you heard hours ago and gave it away to Satan. Satan is after the word. Settle this in your thinking. No wonder Solomon said, guard it. If you guard the word in your heart and your mouth and allow no one or no situation to steal it, then you will begin to see changes like you have never seen before. Be conscious, that you are a word man, a word woman. Make it part of your daily confession so that it becomes a part of your mindset and vocabulary. I am word born, word controlled, word sustained, word led, word driven and word fed. I am a word being. Hallelujah to Jesus.

Friend, the word of God is your life. Once you hear Gods word, Satan uses different ways and strategies to steal the word from you. He can go to any extent to take it from your heart and mouth. It could be a misunderstanding between husband and wife, it could be gossipping, it could be the lastest news or some government blunder. Beware. Be careful. Believe the word. Speak the word. Guard the word and you will experience the power of Gods word. Jesus is Lord.

By God's strength!

By God's strength!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Psalms 18:29
For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall.

David, the writer of this psalm had confidence in God. He said with Gods help, I can crush an army and with Gods help, I can leap over enemy walls.

In the midst of facing severe challenges, how can someone say these things? Well, if we do what David did, then we can speak like he spoke and overcome like he overcame. David would have never said these things if he were focusing and meditating on the armies and the walls or even on his own ability. If he had made that mistake then like most people he would have magnified the armies and the walls of his life or would have magnified his inability to meet the challenges of life, which would have sucked the life out of him and would have made him completely hopeless. Most believers look at the challenges of life from the glasses of their own abilities, capabilities and capacities, which is the number one reason believers are depressed, frustrated and fearful. David focused on the Lord and meditated on his strength and ability and by doing so he found strength and courage to face the armies and the walls of his life and eventually overcame them.

Today you may be surrounded by a fierce army ready to devour you or may be you are up against a wall so huge that you see no way of overcoming it. Focus on Jesus. Focus on the word. Let the word strengthen and empower you like David so that by Gods power you can crush the enemies and leap over the walls of your life. If David can do it, so can you! Make a decision and let the world see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Jesus is Lord.

“Christ is my ability, Christ is my sufficiency. Christ lives in me and I live in Christ. The One who is in me is GREATER than all the troops and walls of this world. I trust the Greater One, I am unstoppable and I fulfill my destiny with excellence, joy and holiness. Hallelujah!”

Let the fruit grow.

Galatians 5:22‭-‬23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

The fruit of the Spirit does not refer to the Holy Spirit. Its talking about your born again human spirit. The day you accepted Christ, the fruit was deposited in your spirit. All of the nine fruits is in you right now.

Peter says you were born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible seed, by the word of the living God which lives and abides forever. You were born of the word of God and therefore you can only be sustained by the word. Consider a mango seed and take it in your hands and look at it. The seed has in it many mango fruits. In order to see the manifestation of the fruits, you got to plant the seed first. Water it consistently and one day you will see the mangoes. As you keep feeding on the word, meditating on the word, speaking the word and doing the word, you will begin to see yourself operating in the nine fruits of the spirit. Let the fruit grow and let your light shine.

Feeding on Gods word needs to be a daily routine. Plant the seed by speaking the word. Water it by consistently doing what the word says. Believe and see yourself possessing the fruit in you and walking in it. Speak and declare that you are walking in it and living a life like Jesus himself. You will never be the same. The best is yet to come and Jesus is Lord.