Do not rebel against authorities.

Proverbs 24. 21 - 22
Fear the Lord and the king, my son, and do not join with rebellious officials,  for those two will send sudden destruction on them, and who knows what calamities they can bring?

God does not tolerate rebellion. This verse says don't associate with people who rebel against God or the king, meaning authorities. The king would include authorities at your home, work place, country, church or the police for that matter.

What is rebellion? Rebellion simply means opposition against authorities, it means refusing to obey or submit to authorities, it means defiance or resistance. The word says rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft. God and the authorities that He has placed over you, have power over you and they can use their power in a way that you could be very expensive to you. So the word of God, which is the wisdom of God commands us not to rebel and not to associate with those who do because its very expensive.

Rebellion is a result of pride and selfishness. Notice, we don't submit to authorities because they are good or bad, but simply because the word says so. Any time you rebel, you have literally stopped yourself from moving forward in that organisation. Rebellion guarantees stagnation or even demotion. God is never unjust or partial, He is justice in action. Trust Him and do not take the law in your hands. Trust God and He will make a way where there seems to be no way. Be submissive, have a good attitude, be faithful and note, your God is not sleeping. Let patience have her perfect work so that you may be complete and perfect, lacking nothing. Remember, wisdom is the most important thing.

Your gift will make room for you.

Genesis 41:40‭-‬41
You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.”

Pharaoh made these statements to Joseph, the one who came to Egypt as a slave. This is staggering to me. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Can anyone stop God? Can any situation discourage or depress God? Nothing, absolutely nothing.

Joseph had a gift of interpreting dreams. He used his gift to help people not to manipulate people. The word says God has given each one of us gifts for the profiting of people. So the gift you possess is for serving people not to become famous. God's purpose in giving you the gift is to enable you to serve people and thereby glorify God. You remember, when Joseph was in prison, he was assigned with the responsibility of taking care of the chief baker and the cup bearer, who were in prison for offending Pharaoh. Both, the chief baker and the cup bearer had a dream and Joseph interpreted their dreams and it happened exactly as he had interpreted. You see, when the cup bearer was restored, he totally forgot about Joseph. What people remember about is not how good you look or how much you know? They remember the problems you solved. So when Pharaoh had a dream, the cup bearer remembered the dream interpreter. People always remember the problems you solved. So use your gift and serve people, solve problems. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph and brought him out of prison and made him stand before Him. Joseph interpreted the dream accurately and his gift made room for him and He was  made the second most powerful person in Egypt. Hallelujah.

All of the wise men and magicians could not interpret Pharaohs dream yet it was so easy and smooth for Joseph. You know why, it was his gift given by God. Friend, what gift has God given you? Birds fly, fishes swim, whats your gift? Discover it and use it to serve people around you. Be lavish and extremely generous with your gift and serve people with the sole purpose of blessing them and glorifying God. Your God given gift will make room for you and bring you before great men and you will glorify God. Honour God with your life and gifts and He will make sure your fruit abides for eternity. Shalom.

Look to Jesus!

Psalms 34.5
Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

David says anyone who trusts in the Lord will never be ashamed. The question is, to whom are you looking? Who or what is your strength? Where is your confidence? Every human on earth depends on someone or something. It can be God, money, people, governments or strength, hard-work or just luck or may be yourself.

David in this Psalm says anyone who looks at Jesus becomes radiant and they will never be covered with shame. Martha was looking at the resurrection day to see Lazarus again. Jesus told her dont look at the resurrection day, look at me for I am the resurrection and the life. He told Abraham, I am your shield and your exceeding great reward. He told us all throughout the gospel of John that He is the way, the truth and the life, He is the bread of life, He is the good Shepherd, He is the light of the world and He is the Son of God. Everything you need today and everything you will ever need is in Jesus. He is all in all. If he doesn't have it, I don't need it and its none of my business to have it or get it. He's my all in all.

Friend,  if you are sick today, He is your healing. If you are depressed, He is your joy. If you are in debt, He is your freedom. If you are struggling financially, He is your wealth. If you are tempted today, He has defeated all temptations and He is your righteousness and sanctification. If you are stressed, He is your peace. If you are confused, He is your wisdom. He's everything you need. Hebrews says look to Jesus, consider Him and you will be on your way to the greatest and glorious days that you ever seen. "Jesus is my Hero. Jesus is my Standard. I look to Him and I am radiant and glowing, I will never be covered with shame." Remember,  Jesus is Lord and the best is yet to come.

Can these bones live?

Can these bones live?
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ezekial 37. 3-4
And He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” So I answered, “O Lord God , You know.” Again He said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord !

The Lord took Ezekial in the spirit to a valley of dry bones and asked him, ‘Can these bones live?’ You know, naturally speaking it's impossible for the bones to live. They are dry meaning that they have been in that state for months or probably for years.

God commanded Ezekial to prophesy to the bones. He didn't tell him to figure out or analyse how the bones are going to live. I believe that's what most believers do, they try to figure out everything. God will figure out how the bones will live or how the situations will change. That's his part. Our part is to prophesy to the bones, to the mountains, to the situations. When you do your part, God will do his part. Isn't it better to obey God and do what He says instead of getting worried, stressed and frustrated?. Thank God that Ezekial didn't try to figure it out instead He prophesied to the bones just as the Lord commanded and when He did His part, God did his part. The dry bones turned into an exceeding great army standing on their feet alive.

Nothing is impossible for God. Let me say it again, Nothing is impossible for God. You have a part and God has a part. What He told you to do, do it and what He said He would do, expect Him to do it. He is faithful. Prophesy to the bones, to your future, to your family, to the debt, to your children, to the challenges that you are facing. Don't lean on your understanding, just do what He says. Develop a habit of prophesying. Practice it. Become skillful in it. As you faithfully do your part, God will turn the valley of dry bones into an exceeding great army. Speak. Prophesy. Celebrate. For the battle is the Lord's and the victory is yours. Hallelujah.

“I prophesy God's word to the dry bones, to the mountains and to the challenges that I am facing. I speak the word of God by faith and God moves the mountain. I refuse to give up on speaking the word. I always speak the word and I am unstoppable in Christ.”

You are a seed

You are a seed!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 12.24
Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.

There's so much God given potential in you. You have the potential of blessing the nations for the glory of God. A seed is extremely powerful. Not because of how it looks but because of what it carries, because of what's inside. Man looks at the outside and laughs but God looks on the inside and says Wow.

You are a seed and you have the potential to bless all nations on earth. This is how God sees you. Every believer is a world overcomer. In order for us to impact the nations, we must fall to the ground and die, only if we die we can produce a flood of impact. To fall to the ground and die simply means discover your God given calling and give yourself and everything you have for the fulfilment of the vision. Therefore I can say, the biggest hindrance to greatness or a great impact is selfishness. Notice, Jesus said if a seed doesn't die, it remains alone. May we never remain alone but by giving ourselves to His cause impact the nations for the glory of God. Jesus said if a person saves his life he will lose it but if he gives his life for Me and the Gospel, he will find it. When you make a decision to invest your entire life for the fulfilment of Gods vision for you, you will find satisfaction, contentment and happiness.

You are not insignifacnt or useless, you have great potential. A potential that can turn this world upside down. Friend, God has made you so powerful, only if you knew it. God has a specific plan for you and it's beyond your wildest imagination. It's huge. As you make a quality decision to give yourself to do what you were created to do, you will impact, influence and change the world. Get around the right people. Serve your church and your Man of God. Love God, Love others and Love life. Jesus is Lord.

"I have great potential in me because I am the  seed of Abraham. I give myself to the work of God. I stay in the right environment of the word, prayer and godly people. I serve my church and my man of God. My fruit is impacting the world for Jesus. Hallelujah."

Can you hear him?

Can you hear Him?
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

John 10.27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

The day you accepted Christ, you became his sheep and He became your shepherd, meaning He's completely responsible for you. He said His sheep hears his voice and they follow him.

I know of scores of believers struggling to hear Gods voice. As a result they are confused and frustrated. Let me tell you, it's not difficult to hear Gods voice. Many have concluded that it is, but in reality, according to the word it's not. Jesus, our shepherd is speaking to us all the time. He speaks to us through His word and through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. His Spirit speaks to our spirit. We live in an age where we are surrounded and bombarded by so many voices. Our Shepherd is always speaking, always directing, always leading, always counselling. But we don't hear because we don't position ourselves to hear him. We need to position ourselves to hear his voice. We need to develop and build our spirit man through consistently feeding on the word of God and by praying in other tongues. This is the meaning of positioning ourselves to hear Gods voice. His primary way of communication is speaking to our spirits. The more you develop your spirit, the easier it will be for you to hear and recognise the voice of your Shepherd. Every struggle is a result of not seeking or ignoring the voice of the Shepherd - it's very expensive.

Building your spirit is work. It takes commitment and sacrifice on your part to do so. It's doesn't just happen. You got to make it happen. I believe we will do what ever it takes to build our spirit man when we realise how important it is to walk on God's voice in this dark and wicked world. He wants to leads us into a life of abundance and overflow - in all areas and at all times. He's speaking all the time. Can you hear him? Yes.

“I make my spirit strong by feeding on the word and by praying much in other tongues. I hear the voice of my Shepherd. I recognize His voice, I say His voice and I follow His voice. His voice is my life and I never miss His voice. I live a triumphant life and I lack no good thing. Jesus is my Shepherd.”

Refuse to quit in prayer.

Genesis 32.26
And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

Jacob's  attitude while wrestling with a man and refusing to let him go until He blesses Him gives us a very good picture of how important persistence is in prayer.

Prayer is a wonderful and awesome privilege given by God. But oftentimes, many of us quit too soon. Notice Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. I will not let you go unless I receive the answers to my prayers. Jesus said ask and you shall receive, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. And then He said, he who is persistent in asking, receives and he who is persistent in seeking will find and he who is persistent in knocking for him the door will be opened. Jesus emphasised the importance of persistence in prayer. He spoke about a widow who needed justice and she kept approaching a evil judge who neither feared God nor cared for people but because of her persistence she recieved what she wanted. How much more our loving heavenly Father!. He also spoke of a man, who when he had guests in his house at midnight went to his friends house and by his persistent requests received what He wanted, even when the friend was not interested in giving the supplies at first.

Friend, persistence simply means I will not quit or give up until I receive my answer. Jesus shed his blood on the cross for me and declared all of His promises as Yes and Amen for me. I refuse to take a 'No' for an answer. Its mine and I will take it. Its a bulldog attitude of refusing to let go of the bone. Don't allow Satan or anyone or anything else to steal your answer or to convince you to give up. Be persistent and you will have what you asked for. Prayer works!