Faith & Love

Faith & Love
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

A fish cannot live without water. Faith cannot work without love. Without love, faith has no power. I Corinthians 13:13 says, And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Faith will not work in an unforgiving heart. Unforgiveness will nullify your faith. Faith needs love to work effectively. Walking in love - that is believing God loves you and loving others - creates an atmosphere where faith can freely and powerfully express itself. I Corinthians 13:2 says '..and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have no love, I am nothing.' Without love, faith has no expression. Without love, faith is dead. Without love, faith has no results. You can quote all the Scriptures you know, it won't work unless you walk in love because faith works by love. Jesus spoke about the importance of forgiveness and walking in love while teaching about faith and how it works. He said in Mark 11:25, 'And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.' No love, No faith. No faith, No grace. No grace, No power. Jesus gave us a new command in John 13:34, 'A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.' Love is a command and you can obey His command because Romans 5.5 says, the love of God is in you through the Holy Spirit. Walking in love makes your faith effective.

Friend, your love walk decides how much of your faith is actually working. Your faith result is directly proportional to your love walk. Love is the door of faith. 30% love results in 30% fruit. 60% love results in 60% fruit. 100% love results in 100% fruit. Open the door! Go for the hundred fold! If your faith is struggling today, check your love walk, choose to forgive and let go. Jesus loves you and His love is in you! Love Jesus, Love people and Love life.

Faith & Patience.

Faith & Patience.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

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

Faith receives the promise. Patience keeps the promise till it manifests. Both are important for the manifestation of the promises. Faith and patience walk hand in hand.  One is incomplete without the other.

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.' In Christ, every promise in the word of God is yours. It belongs to you just as much as it belongs to Jesus. Every promise has your name on it. Take it by faith, keep it by patience and you will see it happening in your life. Every time you take a promise, you will face pressure from the enemy, who wants you to give up and will give you thousand reasons as to why the promise is not for you and won't be fulfilled in your life. The enemy's objective is to steal the promise out of your heart and mouth. For most believers, faith is not the problem, it's patience. The ground has to receive the mango seed and the ground has to keep the mango seed, only then the mango tree will manifest. Faith in Gods promises always attracts pressure and persecution from Satan and his forces. This is the reason many don't see the manifestation of the promises. When pressure comes, they quickly throw away the promises. There is not a single person on this planet who has seen the manifestation of God's promises without enduring challenges, pressures and persecutions. Romans 8.28 says, all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Pressure and persecutions build our character so we will be equipped and complete, lacking nothing. You are born of God and therefore you have the faith of God to believe the promises and you have the patience of God to hold on to the promises against all odds. Be of good cheer! You can do it!

Friend, faith and patience are integral ingredients in the manifestation of Gods promises. Believe and receive the promise and refuse to give up the promise irrespective of what you see or hear. Don't allow the devil, people or any circumstance or situation to steal the promise of God from you heart and your mouth. Keep believing! Keep speaking! Always remember, you are standing on Gods word. Gods word is Gods integrity. Heaven and earth will pass away but His word will never pass away. The Bible says about Abraham in Hebrews 6:15, 'And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.' Go on with Jesus!

"I refuse to give up. I believe the word and I hold on to the word. God's word is God's integrity. I see the manifestation of every promise God has made to me. Thank you, Lord Jesus!"

Open the door!

Open the door!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

Jesus wants to help you! He's not far away from us. He's knocking on the door of your heart and is waiting for you to open the door and welcome Him into your life.

Jesus will never force His way into your life because He is gentle. He desires a close intimate relationship with you. He longs to have fellowship with us and is giving us a good opportunity to change our lives. Fellowship results in absolute dominion in every area of life. The benefits of fellowship are so much, that if we understand it, we would knock on His door. Jesus gives every human on earth the opportunity to turn their world around for the better. He knows we cannot enjoy our lives without Him and therefore He keeps knocking on our door through His Spirit, His word and His people. Opening the door simply means to believe and receive what He has to offer. His knocking is not because of our goodness but because of His goodness and love. It doesn't matter how many times you have failed, what mistakes you have made in life and what challenges you are facing, just open the door and let the Lord come in. His coming is not based on your good works but it's solely based on His unconditional love for you. This verse says Jesus will come for anyone who will open the door, irrespective of who the person is or what the person has done or not done.

Friend, there is nothing that Jesus cannot fix. Why don't you open the door of your life and invite Him in?. He will show you great and wonderful things, He will teach you the principles of life and help you fulfill His call with excellence. As you fellowship with Him, you will begin to live the higher life He has for you. Give Him charge of your life and every arena of your life for in Him all things are held together. When Jesus is in His place, the first place, then everything else will be in it's place. Open the door!

Humility gets Gods attention!

Humility gets God's attention!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Psalms 138:6
Though the Lord is supreme, he takes care of those who are humble, but he stays away from the proud.

The Lord is supreme, He is on high, above all of us. He holds the highest and the greatest place in the universe. He is the Most High God and there is no one higher than Him. Yet, He takes care and regards the humble.

Humility is a big thing in the eyes of God. Humble people get His attention, His care and His respect. Humility is not debasing yourself in the eyes of God and man. Humility does not mean to keep a sad face, throw away all your jewellery and to wear white clothes all the time. Thats not humility, thats a lack of word knowledge. Humility has more to do with your heart than with your outward appearance. The Pharisees and the religious people did so many religious things as far as their outward appearances are concerned but in the eyes of God, they were proud. God doesn't see as man sees. Man looks on the outside but God looks at the heart. Humility simply means to acknowledge that without Jesus you are nothing and you can do nothing. Its a total dependence on the Lord - submitting and conforming to His word and His Spirit. You are what He says you are, You say what He says, You do what He tells you to do and You have what He says You have. James 4.7 says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. God hates pride. Pride is a declaration of one's independence from God. A proud person does not submit to the word and ways of God - always rebelling and standing against God. He mocks the ways of God and follows his own ways and plans to his own destruction. This verse says God stays away from the proud. Proverbs 11.2 says, When pride comes, then comes shame. Proverbs 16.18 says, Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 29.23 says, A man's pride will bring him low.

Friend, choose to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and He will exalt and promote you in due time. Jesus said in Matthew 23:12, whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. The Most High God gives you His attention and your exaltation is on the way! Glory! Go on with Jesus!

Practice makes perfect.

Practice makes perfect!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Hebrews 5:13‭-‬14
For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Babies feed on milk and full grown people eat solid food. In the kingdom of God, there are baby believers and there are mature believers. Milk is not enough to display the excellence of the one who called us, it is only by strong meat, solid food.

Every believer starts with the milk of the word. It is sad to say that many are still feeding on the milk and therefore they are not ready for the strong meat of the word. The writer of Hebrews wanted to share some deeper truths with the people but because of their inability to receive it, He didn't share it. Refuse to be a baby anymore, grow up in the things of God. These verses gives us the key as to why some are still babies and others have become mature. Practice makes perfect! The ones who receive the word and exercise it are the ones who grow. James 1.22 says, 'Be doers of the word and not just hearers only, deceiving yourself.' The ones that are mature today are the ones who consistently hear the word, consistently receive it and consistently act on it. They exercise the word consistently. A man or a woman who does regular physical exercise tend to be physically mature and strong. Likewise the ones who regularly do their word exercise are the ones who grow in the kingdom of God. Word excercise : Hearing the word, Receiving the word, Reading and studying the word, Meditating on the word, Speaking the word and Doing the word. These exercises when done consistently affects your mind and your five physical senses in such a profound way that your mind and your five physical senses begin to see the difference between good and evil as God sees it. You begin to stand out and stand tall in every arena of your life. You become a role model and a blessing for many.

Friend, practice the word consistently. This is the key to maturity. The body of Christ around the world is filled with babies who are still on milk - afraid to face the devil, sin conscious, sick, broke, depressed, worried and tormented. Thank God it's changing and babies are becoming mature in God. Give great honour to God's word because God and His word is one. Give the word first place and make it the final authority in your life. Babies can't do much, they just cry a lot. Grow up and let the world be blessed through YOU. This is your time!

The deceitfulness of riches.

The deceitfulness of riches.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Mark 4:19
and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

To decieve means to make someone believe something that is not true. Jesus taught a lot about money so that we won't be deceived as far as money is concerned. Being rooted and grounded in the revelation of Gods word will keep you from being deceived in these last days.

What is the deceitfulness of riches? It simply means to believe that life is measured, valued and secured by riches. If a person has more riches and possessions, then He has a good life, His life is secure and that His life is valuable. It means to believe that money is God, money is security, money is life and that money makes us valuable. This deception causes people to run after money and go to any extent to have it. The deceitfulness of riches causes a person to love and serve money and to place his trust on riches. Proverbs 11:4 says, 'Riches do not profit in the day of wrath.' Proverbs 11:28 says, 'He who trusts in his riches will fall.. ' I Timothy 6:10 says, 'For the love of money is a root of all kinds  of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.' Financial prosperity is God's will for you. God not only desires that you be financially prosperous but He is also well able to make you financially prosperous. It's God responsibility to make you rich and wealthy. Proverbs 10. 22 says, 'The blessing of the Lord makes rich and He adds no sorrow to it.' Money is not our security, Jesus is our protection. It's not money that makes us valuable it's the presence and love of Jesus that makes us valuable. How blessed we are if know these things and are established in them!

Friend, its not your responsibility to make yourself rich, it's God's responsibility to make you wealthy. Our responsibility is to fellowship with Him, to obey Him and to be faithful wherever we are. Running after money and chasing after riches leads to self destruction. It's not worth it and it adds much sorrow. Let God make you rich and wealthy. Refuse to be deceived. Know the truth and the truth will set you free so you can set others free. You are not everybody. You are a child of the Most High God. Remember who you are!

The Lord's pleasure!

The Lord's pleasure!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Psalms 147:10‭-‬11
He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy.

The Lord's pleasure is not in strong armies or in mighty warriors. The Lord has no pleasure in what the world has pleasure in. He doesn't see things as men see them. His delight is with those who fear Him.

The ones who honour and respect Him are the ones who please Him. Some translations say The Lord enjoys, treasures, values, favours and gives attention to those who fear Him and hope in His mercy. To fear the Lord doesn't mean to be afraid or scared of Him. It simply means to have great honour and respect for the Lord which is evident in your thoughts, your words, your actions, the books you read, the conversations you have, the places you go, the way you manage your finances and the friends you keep. The Lord enjoys those who fear Him - those who give him first place in their lives and make Him the top most priority of their lives. When you have great reverence for God and His things, you have just positioned yourself for supernatural favour and success. For those of us who love the Lord Jesus, this verse is extremely powerful because it tells us what the Lord enjoys and delights in. The world is pleased with skills, talents, beauty, possessions, positions, achievements, assets and other things but the Lord has great pleasure in those who fear Him, those who do what He says. The God fearing are the ones who have His attention, favour and protection, they are His joy. Glory to God.

Friend, Goliath was a mighty warrior who had great strength and ability but God had no pleasure in Him. The Lord says in I Samuel 2.30, '..those who honour me, I will honour but those who despise me will be lightly esteemed.' Whereas a young boy named David who feared the Lord greatly was God's joy and delight. David had God's attention and the rest is history. Joseph was thrown in prison for refusing to sleep with Potiphars wife, every one turned away from Joseph but the Bible says the Lord was with Joseph in prison. Hallelujah! You may not have the world's attention but you have God's attention and that's all you need and He will raise you up to the very summit of prosperity and opulence. This is your time. Go on with Jesus!