Be holy, for I am holy

Be holy, for I am holy.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 1:15‭-‬16
but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We are commanded in this scripture to be holy in all our conduct and behaviour. The word holy simply means to be seperate - separate from sin and seperate from the world. There is no common ground between us and sin, between us and the ways of this world.

The church loses its power the moment she becomes common and familiar with the world. We are called out from this world. We are in this world but we are not of it, we don't belong to this world. You don't live holy to become holy. You live holy because you are holy and sanctified in Christ.

The one who called you is holy. The one who lives in you is holy. Without holiness, you cannot see the Lord, you cannot walk with the Lord and you cannot work for the Lord. The Holy Spirit living in you is proof that you are holy and sanctified. He gives you the ability to live a holy life so He can use you and work through you. 'Be holy, for I am holy', says the Lord.

The end is near.

The end is near.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 4:7
But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.

The time is short, Jesus is coming back. We are living in the last of the last days and the Bible says, the love of many will grow cold - the love for Jesus and for the things of God will grow cold.

Stay in the fire of God's word. Stay in the fire of God's presence by being serious and watchful in your prayers. Stay in the fire of fellowship by faithfully attending church services. Prayer simply means having fellowship with Jesus. Do not let anything steal your prayer time or distract you from moving up in your prayer life. Seek to go deeper in your prayer life.

Always keep your prayer time with Jesus. Be around people who are spiritual so that they will keep your fire burning. Word based prayer is the foundation of success in every area of life. Be serious about your prayer life. Do not let it slip out of your hands.  Be watchful about your prayer life. The end is near!

Desire to grow!

Desire to grow!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 2:2
as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby.

Once you are born in the family of God, you need to grow in the things of God. Babies cannot and will not do anything for the kingdom of God. Desire to grow!

Just like a new born baby craves for the mother's milk, we are to crave the pure milk of God's word so we can grow in the things of God. The word of God is spirit food. The word feeds you. The word builds you. The word sustains you. As believers, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The word is your growth. There is so much more in the word. The word is so rich.

Refuse to be a baby. Refuse to be stagnant. Grow by feeding consistently on God's word. Hear the word. Study the word. Meditate on the word. Speak the word. Do the word. Keep ever growing and ever progressing in the kingdom of God. Be a blessing for many. This is your time.

Living hope!

Living hope!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

All of us were without God and without hope in our lives but the day we received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we were born again into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We have new life and new hope in Jesus Christ. The world has no hope, no hope for the present and no hope for the future. We are in this hopeless world but we don't belong to this hopeless world because we are citizens of heaven. Jesus is our living hope. Christ in us, the hope of glory. The word hope in this verse refers to joyful and confident expectation of good. We live in this lively expectation of good because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Hallelujah. You are not seeking the goodness of God, you are in the goodness of God. Believe it, expect it, speak it and celebrate it. Glory!

Every day we experience more and more of His goodness. Expect it with thanksgiving. No sadness, no gloominess, no depression.  Live in this lively hope. One day, Jesus will return to take us back to Him and we will be with Him forever and ever. Amen. What a life we have in Christ! Enjoy your life!

“I am born again into a lively, joyful and confident expectation of good. I experience the goodness of the Lord every moment of my life. No sadness, no gloominess and no depression in my life. Jesus is alive. Hallelujah”

Divine rescue!

Divine rescue!
- Ashish Mathews

Psalm 91:14
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord , “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.”

Loving the Lord and acknowledging the name of Jesus guarantees divine rescue and supernatural protection.

To love the Lord simply means to obey whatever He tells you in His word and through His Spirit. Joseph, David and Daniel acknowledged the name of the Lord. Give honour and great respect to Jesus in the way you live, talk and walk all the days of your life. Acknowledge His involvement in your life and be bold about it. Never be ashamed! Give Him credit, glory and honour everywhere you go and in everything you do. Boast about the Lord! 

Many people don't do it because they don't want to offend other people and perhaps they don't want to be in trouble. But look at this verse, If you love Him and acknowledge Him, He will rescue and protect you. We are not here to please people, we are here to please Jesus. Go on with Jesus! Shine!

"I give honour to whom honour is due. Every good and perfect gift in my life is because of my Lord Jesus Christ. I love Him and acknowledge Him in everything I do. I give Him all glory, all honour and all praise. Thank you Lord Jesus!"

Faith in the blood of Jesus!

Faith in the blood of Jesus.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Peter 1:18‭-‬19
knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Jesus gave up His life, shed His blood to redeem you from the clutches of Satan, sin, curse and spiritual death. The blood of animals covered the sins of the people but the blood of Jesus wipes out our sins. Hallelujah to the Lamb.

The blood of Jesus is the price, the payment of your redemption. Your redemption is eternal and it's perfect. Have faith in the blood of Jesus. You are justified by His blood. His blood is our victory. Speak of the victory in the blood of the Lamb. Celebrate the blood of Jesus!

"The blood of Jesus. There is power in the blood of Jesus, there is victory in the blood of Jesus. Through His blood, I am redemeed and justified. Thank you Father for the blood of Jesus."

Manifestation!

Manifestation!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Hebrews 6:12
that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Every promise in the Bible is yours in Christ. II Corinthians 1:20 says, For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us. God has done His part of giving you all the promises but receiving and inheriting the promises is your part.

How do you see the manifestation of the promises? Faith and Patience. Faith - believe and speak the promises. Patience - be consistent, refuse to give up. This is exactly how every person in the Bible received the manifestation of God's promises. Faith and patience is the way to the manifestation! Don't slow down, speed up!

Believe the word, speak the word and refuse to give up. As you make a quality decision to do so, you will see the manifestation of every promise God has made to you and your life will be a blessing unto many. Work on the word! Go on with Jesus!

The power of words!

The power of words!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

You will have what you say. What you say is what you get. One translation says, 'Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.' Words are precious and valuable!

Words are serious business and shouldn't be taken lightly. Your words are the steering of your life. Speaking the word of God is speaking life because Jesus said, my words are spirit and they are life. Choose life by consistently speaking the word. When you speak contrary to the word of God, you are speaking death.

Refuse to speak what you think, feel or see. Refuse to speak what others tell you. Refuse to speak death. Speak the word of God. Keep speaking, don't stop talking. Let the word control your speech and you will see life abundance in every area of your life.

The most expensive real estate!

The most expensive real estate!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 4:23
and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

Your mind is the most expensive real estate. Guard it, be careful what you see, hear and talk consistently. Proverbs 23.7 says, As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

Once you are born again, the most important thing in your life is to renew your mind. Change the way you think by washing your mind with the word of God. Exchange your thoughts with God's thoughts. Renewing your mind is not a one time event, it's a daily process. An unrenewed mind causes a believer to think, speak and behave like the world. Live a heavenly life!

Your life can be transformed completely by renewing your mind consistently. As you behold the word of God consistently, you will discover that you are the glory of God and the Holy Spirit will help manifest on the outside what's on the inside. Change the way you think, transform your life!

*"I meditate on God's word and I renew my mind consistently. I allow the word to change my thinking and develop a word mindset in me. My soul is prosperous and therefore I am prosperous in every area of life."*

The Greater One!

The Greater One!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in you makes you a world overcomer. His presence guarantees that you are of God, that you belong to God and you are God's very own child, his treasured possession.

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. There is no one and nothing greater than the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Meditate on the greatness of the one who lives in you. You can face any challenge, stand up against any opposition and deal triumphantly against all the mountains of your life because the Greater One lives in you.

You can break that addiction! You can control your anger and your emotions! You can overcome that pain, forget the past and finish your course! You can overcome all temptations! You can live life exactly the way Jesus lived! You can do all things, the Greater One lives in you. Rely on Him. Go on with Jesus!

Are you ashamed?

Are you ashamed?
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Matthew 10:32‭-‬33
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven."

You will find many believers ashamed to take the name of Jesus in public, scared and afraid to confess him before the world. Are you one of those? Will you stand up for what you believe inspite of tremendous opposition and persecution?

John 12:42‭-‬43 says, 'Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.' Do you love the praises of men more than the praise of God? Are you after the approval of men or the approval of God? Are you ashamed of the one who shed His blood for you, died for you and rose again on the third day for you? One who is ashamed of Jesus on earth, Jesus will be ashamed of him in heaven. One who confesses Jesus and stands up for Him on earth, Jesus will confess and stand up for him in heaven.

Never be ashamed of Jesus! Even if costs you everything you have, never be ashamed of Jesus. Live for Jesus, die for Jesus. He was not ashamed of me, so I will never be ashamed of Him. Nothing else matters! Go on with Jesus!

You resist the devil.

You resist the devil.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

James 4:7
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Stand up against the devil. Oppose Him. Do not accept or receive anything from the devil. This verse doesn't say, submit to the devil, it says submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Many people are waiting for God to resist the devil. God is not going to resist the devil. Jesus has done everything that needs to be done as far the devil is concerned. He has defeated all demonic forces and all hell. Jesus said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. As the head of the church, He has given us His authority by giving us His name, the name of Jesus. God won't resist the devil, you have to resist him. If you don't resist the devil, he will never flee.

Say 'No' to the devil and to everything that comes from his household. Sin, sickness, fear, worry, pride, selfishness and everything else. Refuse to accept anything that is of the devil. Oppose. Resist. Stand up against it. In the name of Jesus, resist him. You have authority in the name of Jesus. Speak and command the devil to leave and he will flee.

"Satan, I resist you in the name of Jesus. I refuse to accept you or anything that comes from you. You are under my feet. Jesus defeated you and you have no authority over me or anything that concerns me. Get out in Jesus name."

When you make a mistake.

When you make a mistake.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

What do you do when you make a mistake? When you miss the mark? When you say or do things that are not in line with the word of God? Look to Jesus, the Lamb of God!

Your perfections didn't make you righteous and therefore your imperfections cannot take away your righteousness. It's Jesus and His finished work that has made you as righteous as Him. Glory to God. When you sin, you confidence is attacked, your heart condemns you and your fellowship with the Father is disturbed. Restore your confidence and your fellowship with the Father by simply confessing your sin according to the above verse and receive your forgiveness, which is guaranteed by the blood of Jesus. Your confession of sins doesn't forgive you, it's the blood of Jesus that has forgiven all your sins. When you confess your sins, when you confess the blood of Jesus, you receive your forgiveness. It's all by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do not allow the devil to keep you in guilt and condemnation, for there is therefore, now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Confess your sins, receive your forgiveness and keep going higher and higher for Jesus. It has nothing to do with your feelings. It's by faith. He said it, we do it and it's done. Stay on the Love Line. Glory Hallelujah!

“When I make a mistake, I confess my sins. I confess that the blood of Jesus is more powerful than my mistakes. I confess that I have an Advocate, Jesus Christ the Righteous One. I receive my forgiveness and the power to live above and over sin. I stay on the Love Line. Hallelujah.”

Be ready to fly!

Be ready to fly!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Isaiah 58:14
Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord ; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

What a powerful promise God had made! You are in Christ and therefore every promise of God is Yes and Amen for you. This is God's promise for you! Hallelujah!

This promise has two parts - Your part and God's part. Your part is to delight in the Lord and God's part is to make you ride the high places of the earth and feed you with the best of the land. This refers to supernatural influence, dominion and provision. If you do your part, God will do His part. To delight in the Lord means to enjoy His presence and His word, to have great pleasure in doing what He says. Your delight in the Lord is proved by the honour and reverence you give His word. The greater the delight, the higher the respect, the quicker the obedience.

Take this promise and make it yours. Jesus loves you and has paid a huge price - His precious blood - to redeem and recreate you. He's worth delighting in because of His great love for you. Choose to delight in the Lord, give the word of God first and final place in your life. Be ready to fly!  This is your time!

No submission, no promotion!

No submission, no promotion!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

II Kings 3:11
But Jehoshaphat said, “ Is  there no prophet of the Lord here, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?” So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.”

Notice the introduction of Elisha, one of the greatest prophets that ever lived - one who poured water on the hands of Elijah. Elisha submitted to the authority of Elijah. Without submission, there is no promotion.

Every authority in your life is ordained by God. Submission is a voluntary attitude of giving yourself to your authority or putting yourself under your authority to honour them, to serve them, to obey them, to bless them and to pray for them for the glory of God and for the name of Jesus.

"I acknowledge that every authority in my life is ordained by God and I submit to them for the glory of God and for the name of Jesus. Thank you Lord for taking me to the very heights of opulence and prosperity. In Jesus Name, Amen."

SPEAK to your mountain!

SPEAK to your mountain!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews.

Mark 11:23
For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Jesus said speak to your mountain. A mountain is anything that is trying to stop you from going forward. It could be a demon, a sickness, debt, addiction or some other challenge that you are facing. Don't speak about the mountain, SPEAK TO IT. Don't fast or pray for the mountain. SPEAK TO IT. David spoke to Goliath. Ezekial spoke to the dead bones. Jesus spoke to the fig tree. SPEAK TO THE MOUNTIAN.

"Mountain, I command you in the name of Jesus, Be removed and be thrown into the sea. I am victorious in Christ. Jesus is my Lord and the best is yet to come."

Citizens of Heaven!

Citizens of Heaven!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Philippians 3:20
But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

The day you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you became a citizen of heaven. You were translated from the dominion of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Your heavenly citizenship is a new testament reality.

To be born again means to be born from above. You are from above, from heaven because you are born of God. Jesus said in John 6.38, 'For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.' Though we are in the world, we don't belong to this world. We are from a different planet, the government that rules us is in heaven and our way of life is in heaven. Colossians 3.1,2 says, 'If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.' There is a huge difference between earthly people and heavenly people. Every country has a peculiar language, a distinct dressing, culture and an unique set of principles and values. Heaven has a language, a culture, a mindset and strong principles and values. You come from heaven and you are sent on the earth to fulfill your calling and to manifest the beauty and the culture of heaven.

Friend, be conscious that you are a heavenly person. Your protection is from heaven. Your provision is from heaven. The word of God, the Bible is the constitution of heaven. Let the word of God dwell in your richly. Don't let the earth and earthly things distract you, be focused on fulfilling your work, assigned to you by God. Don't depend on the earth for anything, look up! The government of heaven backs you, the angels of God surround you and the mighty Holy Spirit lives in you. Heavenly citizen, you are so powerful. Go on with Jesus!

God works in you!

God works in you!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Philippians 2:13
for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

God lives in you. Not only does He live in you, He's working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. You are not alone, the mighty Holy Spirit is in you.

We don't create the desires, it's He who creates the godly desires in us. The Holy Spirit gives you desire for godly things, things that please the Lord Jesus Christ. He creates godly desires, spiritual desires and holy desires within you. Without the work of the Holy Spirit, none of us would be interested in the things of God. Thank God for the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God is working in you right this moment. Acknowledge it and thank God for His work. Not only does the Holy Spirit give you the desires but He also gives you the power to fulfill those desires. He creates in you the desire to live holy and gives you the power to live holy. He creates a desire of forgiveness and empowers you to forgive. He creates in you desire for the word and gives you the energy to do the word. He makes spiritual things alive and exciting. His desires cannot be fulfilled by human strength and power, it's only by the power of the Holy Spirit. He makes available divine energy to fulfill the desires He creates. Isn't it wonderful to know, that you have the power and the energy of the Holy Spirit to fulfill the good pleasure of God?

Friend, be conscious of the Holy Spirit who lives in you. Give Him the opportunity to work in you by consistently beholding the word of God. As you fix your mind on God's word, the Holy Spirit will create in you desires and give you the power and the ability to fulfill those desires. God works in you! Acknowledge! Yield! Surrender! Change your world!

Forget and focus.

Forget & focus.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Philippians 3:13
Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I  do,  forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

The Apostle Paul went through many challenges, disappointments, trials and persecutions in his life and ministry. Yet, he was successful in finishing his race with joy. He was a laser focused man, a man of one thing and moved with great zeal towards fulfilling the call of God.

Unless we forget what's behind, we won't be able to reach forward to the things that are ahead, we won't be able to stretch towards the things that are in front. To forget in this verse means to neglect, giving no care to the things that are behind. Philippians 3:14 says, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. The things that are behind can stop you and hinder you from fulfilling your destiny, the high call of God in Christ Jesus. Know this, what's ahead of you is bigger and better than what's behind you. Do not allow the challenges, mistakes, trials, disappointments and failures of the past to keep you from going forward. The fulfillment of God's plan for your life is the most important work in your life. The Apostle Paul knew this and therefore reserved all of his energy in focusing on the things that are ahead.

Friend, holding on to the past will consume your energy and drain you. Let go! Receive your forgiveness in the name of Jesus. Forgive. Forget. Learn. Celebrate. Move on. The plan of God is bigger than your past. Your past cannot stop you from fulfilling your destiny. Choose to focus on the things that are in front. Do not make anyone or anything more important than the call of God. Be focused like the Apostle Paul and fulfill God's call for your life. Stretch! Press! Keep moving! Jesus is coming back!

"I forget what's behind and I move towards the high calling of God. My past will not stop me. The blood of Jesus has wiped out my past and I press towards my destiny. I forgive, I forget, I look to Jesus and I keep going higher and higher."

God of completion!

God of completion!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Philippians 1:6
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Our God is the God of completion. He will always complete what He starts. He doesn't stop halfway, He doesn't let opposition, discouragement, disappointments and challenges to distract Him from finishing what He started. Glory to God!

God's word is God's only responsibility. He will only finish what He starts because His word is His only obligation. The Lord needs our cooperation. The only reason some of His work remains incomplete is because of the lack of cooperation from His people. What He started in you, He will by all means complete, if you cooperate with Him by relying on Him and doing exactly what He says in His word and through His Spirit. Relying on yourself for completing God's work will only frustrate you and drain all your energy. God is well able to complete what He starts. He doesn't need anyone's help, all He needs is our cooperation. What has God spoken to you? What has God shown you? Does it look impossible to complete? God showed Joseph a throne and we know Joseph sat on the throne. What God promised to Abraham, He brought it to completion. What He started in Jesus, He finished it when Jesus sat on the throne at His right hand. He always completes what He starts. He is the God of completion.

Friend, don't give up just because you don't see the completion or understand the working towards the completion. Just trust God and know, What God starts, He always completes. Just like Jesus, Abraham, Joseph and the others, why don't you cooperate with God. Rely on His strength and let Him guide you into the completion of His work and your destiny. Be of good cheer, the Lord has not forgotten you. You will fulfill your destiny. Go on with Jesus, for He is the God of completion!

Imitate God.

Imitate God.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 5:1
Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Have you seen little children imitating their fathers? God Almighty is your Father and you are His beloved child. To imitate means to do the same thing as another. The Apostle Paul, by the Holy Spirit, tells us to imitate our Father God.

We imitate God by looking at Jesus because Jesus is the image of the invisible God. He is the exact representation of the Father and the brightness of His glory. There is no other way, Jesus is the only way to the Father. Imitating Jesus is imitating the Father. The next verse says, Ephesians 5.2, 'And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.' To imitate the Father is to walk in love. God is love and he who abides in love abides in God and God in him. By our love walk, we manifest the Father and His Son, Jesus to this world. John 13:34‭-‬35 says, 'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.' How will all know that we are the disciples of Jesus? When we love one another. Loving one another is our command from Jesus and we do it because we love Him. We love Him because He first loved us.

Friend, study the life of Jesus for He is the love of God in action. There is no greater example of love than Jesus Himself. Your imitation of Him is a response to His love towards you. Show this world who your heavenly Father is! Show this world who Jesus is! Know that God loves you unconditionally. Receive His love and let His love flow through you. Imitate God!