Taught by God.

John 5.20
For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.

The statement made by Jesus here reveals that everything Jesus did was shown or in other words was taught to Him by His Father.

You see, no man or man made institutions could have taught him to do what He did because everything He did was against the protocol and structure of their traditions and rituals. He healed a paralytic man on the Sabbath which is not in line with the traditional practices of the Pharisees. He was taught by God concerning what to say and what to do. Jesus said the Father loves him and this is the reason why He shows and teaches him everything He himself does. Everything Jesus said and everything He did was taught by His Father. No wonder the people asked, Where did this man get this learning, authority and wisdom from?. Jesus said my teaching and doctrine is not my own, its from the one who sent me. Jesus said to us, if you believe in me the works that I do you will do also and greater works than these you will do because I go to my Father.

Jesus gave us the key to get things done. Friend, seek the Father on what to say and what to do. Seek not whats popular or what the current trend is or where the majority are moving. Get it from the Father. He has given us His precious Holy Spirit, His eternal word and His precious servants through whom He teaches every thing we will ever need to know. I encourage you to open your heart and receive the teachings of the Father God and step out bodly to make a difference in and for your generation. Jesus is Lord.

I am with you.

I am with you.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Judges 6:15‭-‬16
So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and therfore the Lord delivered them into the hands of Midian. The Midianities made their lives very miserable, they were greatly impoverished and they cried out to the Lord. God responsed because of His great mercy and sent them a deliverer.

When the Lord came to Gideon and revealed that he has been chosen to deliver Israelites from the hands of the Midianities, he couldn't believe it because in his estimation he was insignificant, weak and good for nothing types. I am sure people around him and his family members would have said the same thing about Gideon. But bless God, God doesn't see as man sees. He doesn't judge as man judges. The Lord said it doesn't matter whether you have a strong or a weak family background, all you need is Me. The Lord told Gideon that He will be with him and he will defeat the Midianities as one man.

It doesn't matter how weak or insignificant you or your family background or status is, all you need is the presence of the Lord. His presence makes all the difference. You could have all the PhD of the world and could have great skills, talents, contacts and a strong family status but without His presence, all of it is useless. Moses said to the Lord, if your presence doesn't go with us, we will not go forward. The bible says Joseph was a successful man because the Lord was with him. Be conscious of the presence of the Holy Spirit in you and with his help live a life pleasing to the Lord and He will take you places you have never dreamed of. The best is yet to come. Hallelujah.

“The Lord is with me always. Therefore I fulfill the work that He has given me in excellence, holiness and joy.”

I die daily!

John 5.30
I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.

The Apostle Paul could relate to what Jesus said in this verse when he said in I Corinthians that He dies daily. This is to say that He dies to his own will and seeks and fulfills the will of the one who sent Him.

Every believer is called to fulfil Gods will for their lives. Therefore a believers number one objective in life is to be in the centre of God's will. Jesus was so consumed with fulfilling Gods will, He said I can do nothing of myself or my will. This talks about absolute surrender to Gods will. Absolute surrender to Gods will is a response to the Father's love for you. Therefore, absolute surrender is your love response to all that the Father has done for you in the person and the works of Jesus Christ. I delight to do your will, O Lord is what the Psalmist said. If the thought of surrender irritates you then probably you need a fresh revelation of how much the Father loves you. Paul said His love compels us. John said we love because he first loved us.

I believe as we grow in our understanding of Gods love, we will lovingly and absolutely surrender ourselves to the God who is Love. Its not something I have to do as a duty but its something I want to do because I love Him and want to please him in everything I do. The revelation of His love will help you crucify your flesh, deny yourself and die daily in a way that is cheerful and well pleasing to the Father. Paul said If I live, I live for Jesus and if I die, I die for Jesus so whether I live or I die, I belong to the Lord. Jesus is Lord.

The Father of glory.

Ephesians 1.17
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

Knowing our Heavenly Father God is one of the most important pursuits of our life. The more you know Him, the easier it is to trust Him. When you don't know Him, its difficult to trust Him.

In the above verse, we see that our Father is the Father of glory. The word Father means source and sustainer. He is the source of all glory. He is the Father of excellence, magnificence, splendour, preeminence, dignity and grace. All of these originate from Him. He is the possessor of true, genuine and pure glory. Everything about the Father is glorious and excellent. Jesus was the glory of God in action. The life of Jesus was glorious. Jesus knew the Father of glory intimately and therefore his life was full of glory. He manifested the glory of the Father in his own life and also everywhere He went. John says Jesus turned water into wine and manifested his glory. The Father had given him glory and Jesus said, the glory that the Father gave him, He has given to us. Thats staggering. Hallelujah. We have the glory of the Almighty God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Infact the new covenant says, we are the very glory of God. Glorious truth.

Friend, seek to please the Father of glory. From him comes all glory. Once we understand this, we will seek the glory that only comes from the Father. We will talk for His glory. We will live for His glory. Once you make pleasing Him in everything and seeking his glory your objective then you will see the manifestation of Gods glory. He not only gives you glory but also keeps you in glory for He is the Source and Sustainer of glory. Glory to God.

Reveal Jesus!

John 1.31
I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

John the Baptist said He was sent by God Almighty to baptise with water. He knew his calling was to baptise with water. The purpose of the calling was to reveal Jesus.

No matter what calling or assignment God has given you, the objective and the purpose is to reveal Jesus. If God has called you as a sportsperson, then you are to reveal Jesus through your sports. If God has called you as a plumber then you are to reveal Jesus through your profession. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the purpose of our life and our respective callings. John says No one has seen the Father, the Son came to reveal the Father to the world. Every word Jesus spoke and every single thing He did, He revealed the Father. That was his objective and purpose of life. Today, our objective is to reveal Jesus in our thoughts, words and actions.

The world doesn't know Jesus. They will know Him through us. God has given us an awesome privilege of revealing His Son through our respective callings. When you do what you are called to do, his grace and his anointing will make it easier for you to reveal Jesus. The revelation of Jesus Christ is the purpose and objective of every God given calling. Praise the Lord.

Child of the Most High God.

John 1.12
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Jesus died on the cross for our sins, He was buried and He rose again on the third day alive forevermore. The moment you believe this and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, you are born again.

This verse tells us, the moment you received Jesus, He gave you the authority to be the child of God. In Christ, you are a child of the Most High God. God Almighty is your Pappa God. This is not some theory or something thats going to happen after a billion years. This is not a promise. Its a fact. Its a reality. God is your Father and you are His beloved child. This reality must become a reality to each one of us. We are children of the Most High God. Unless this becomes a reality to you, you won't be able to enjoy the benefits of this reality. Because you are a child of God, you have special privileges. You have family rights. You have His name and His inheritance. You have angels assigned to you. You are always on Gods mind. This is one of the reasons He says cast all your cares on me for I care for you. When you see yourself as God sees you, you will start enjoying your life.

As a child, the biggest thing you can do for God is trust him. Many believers know this fact but its not yet a reality for them. They have a Father but they live like orphans, trying to fix everything and getting stressed, worried and afraid which makes their lives miserable. Friend, God is your Father. He is a billion times better than all the best earthly fathers of the world put together. Trust Him. Don't live like an orphan. Your Father can handle anything. He loves you and Hes always there for you. The best is yet to come.

Take it to Jesus.

John 2.3
And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”

Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding in Cana of Galilee. They ran out of wine during the marriage ceremony. It was really a big problem and a disgrace to the family.

When Mary became aware of the ordeal, she immediately took it to Jesus. I like what she did. As soon as she faced a problem, she took it to Jesus. I remember in the old testament, when Jehosaphat faced a massive army coming against him, he fell on his face and started praying and seeking God. When Peter and John were persecuted for preaching the gospel, they went to their group and lifted up their voices in prayer. Whatever you are facing today, take it to Jesus in prayer. He said whatever you ask the Father in his name, He will do it for you.

Friend, life has many challenges but Jesus is always available and He can fix anything and everything. Let him be the first person you go to when you face a challenge and not the last one. Psalms 34.5 says those who look to Him are radiant and they will never be covered with shame. Jesus said He is the vine and we are the branches and without Him we can do nothing. So next time you face a challenge, take it to Jesus in prayer and He will show you how to overcome and live a victorious life. Do whatever He tells you and everything will be alright. Jesus is Lord.