Worldly friendship!

Worldly friendship!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I John 2:15
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. This is serious in the eyes of God and therefore we must be very serious about it. 

'World' doesn't refer to people rather it refers to the ungodly and wicked worldly system, with it's laws, principles, values and beliefs that are totally contrary to God's word - God opposing ways, thoughts, words and actions. A believer cannot befriend this worldly system, we love people but we operate by the principles and laws of heaven. We are born again, born from above and therefore we live by the heavenly system. The world has a way of doing things and heaven has a way of doing things. Both are in opposition to each other. Both are contrary to each other. Both are in fight with each other. The world and it's system is passing away but one who operates by the word of God, which is the constitution of the kingdom of God, abides forever. Every principle of this worldly system is lust based, selfishness based and pride based. I John 2:16,17 says, For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. There is nothing good in the worldly system. It's self destructive and it's foolish because it has no honour for God.

Friend, refuse to be God's enemy by living and operating by the standards and principles of the world. Satan is the god, the prince of this worldly system and every thing He introduces, says and ordains is a complete lie because He is a liar and a father of all lies. Choose the word life!

"The word of God is my standard for life. I live by the principles and laws of the word of God. I refuse to accept anything that's against the word of the living God irrespective of who says it or how many say it. The word of God is my life. The word of God is my standard. The word of God is final for me. Glory!"

Thank You, Lord Jesus!

Thank You, Lord Jesus!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 5:20
giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

One of the keys of living a Spirit filled life is giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice the words 'always' and 'for all things'. Thank the Father always and thank the Father for all things in the name of Jesus.

The Holy Spirit through this verse wants us to maintain a lifestyle of thanksgiving. The Holy Spirit living in you and you living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit are two different things. A lifestyle of thanksgiving enables you to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Grumbling, complaining, arguing, competing and fussing hinders you from walking in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit cannot manifest himself through a complaining and grumbling person, but its easy for the Spirit of God to manifest himself through a grateful person. Gratitude attracts the attention of heaven. A grateful attitude positions you to receive more from the Father. A grateful attitude causes multiplication of your  resources. Be ever grateful to the Father and always thank Him for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Friend, gratitude is a response to what the Father has done for you in Jesus Christ and is doing for you now through the Holy Spirit. Gratitude is a decision, you decide to thank Him whether you feel like thanking Him or not, whether things are going good for you or not. Choose to thank Him because all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose. You can never be disadvantaged in Christ. Thank You, Lord Jesus!

“I am a grateful person filled with gratitude for who Jesus is and for what He has done for me. I never complain, murmur, grumble or accuse. I choose to give thanks now and always! Thank you Lord Jesus!”

Days of heaven on earth!

Days of heaven on earth!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

1 Peter 5.7
Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.

Stop worrying! Give all your worries and cares to Jesus, simply because He loves you and cares about you. If you keep it, He can't help you but if you give it to Him, He can do something about it.

Stress is a killer and it will destroy your life, your relationships, your health, your finances and your future. You can't afford to be stressed. No wonder Jesus said so many times, 'Don't worry.' Stress and worry is common in the world, but we don't belong to the world, though we are in it, we are not of it. Give all your concerns, all your worries and all your anxieties to Jesus. A child of God must never worry because worrying is the lifestyle of the unbelievers, who are without God. Worry is fear based and fear dependent. Worry and anxiety comes out of fear. When you are afraid, you worry. Without fear, there is no anxiety. II Timothy 1:7 says, 'For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' Satan is the spirit of fear, resist Him in the name of Jesus and refuse to accept Him and His forces. Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 says, 'Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.' Worry blocks the peace of God. If you give all your worries to Jesus, then the peace of God will protect your heart and mind in Christ Jesus. His peace, His all surpassing peace will be your guard. Hallelujah!

Friend, know that God loves you and is for you. If God is for you, who can be against you? I John 4:18 says, 'There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.' Grow in the revelation of God's love for you. As you grow in the love of God, you will live a worry free and fear free life, enjoying days of heaven on earth. Instead of being anxious and worried, begin to spend time in the word, pray and offer thanks to your Caretaker because with Jesus on your side, all is well! Jesus is Lord!

"Satan, I resist you in the name of Jesus. Fear, I resist you in the name of Jesus. I refuse to worry. Jesus is my caretaker, He loves me and He cares for me. I am carefree forever!"

Your real enemy!

Your real enemy!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 6:12
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Whom are you wrestling? Who's your real enemy? Whom are you fighting? It's important to know who the real enemy is. This verse says, we do not fight against flesh and blood, meaning humans but our real enemy is Satan and His forces.

People are not your enemies. No human is our enemy. Some may speak against you, some may work against you, but if you know who the real enemy is, you can deal wisely and in peace, walking in love towards other people, towards flesh and blood. Ephesians 2. 2 says, 'in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience.' Satan works in unbelievers and influences them to act and speak against God and His people. 2 Corinthians 4.4 says, 'whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.' Satan has blinded the minds of unbelievers, this is the reason they are so offensive towards the gospel. Satan and His forces are your enemy, not people. When Jesus was on the cross, He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Love people, forgive people, bless people, help people. Pray for people. Satan is your enemy!

Friend, Jesus has completely defeated Satan and His forces by His death, burial and resurrection. Satan and His forces have no authority over those who are in Christ. We don't have to defeat Satan because He is already defeated. You are victorious in Christ! The fight is to maintain the victory which you have obtained in Christ. The fight is to deliver unbelievers from the clutches of Satan. The fight is to take over territory from the kingdom of darkness because all of it belongs to us. The name of Jesus is our victory key. Let's use the name of Jesus by faith and take authority over demonic forces! Love people! Rebuke and resist Satan, your real enemy. Live victoriously!

Access regained!

Access regained!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 2:18
And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.

God the Father longs to have fellowship with you. Fellowship is the reason for creation, for redemption, for the first and the second coming of Jesus Christ. God created you for fellowship. He wants to walk with you, work with you, talk to you and help you in every thing you do.

Fellowship is God's greatest joy. God and Adam had wonderful times of fellowship. When Adam disobeyed God, his access to God was destroyed. Adam lost his nature, lost his position and therefore lost his access to God. Humanity cannot walk with God, cannot talk with God and cannot live with God. But God's heart was not satisfied and He made the biggest sacrifice to give humanity this access back. In the fullness of time, God sent Jesus to pay for the sins of humanity by shedding his blood on the cross and by his death, burial and resurrection give eternal life - the life and nature of God to everyone who believes. Believer, because of what Jesus has done, your sins are forgiven and you have the life and nature of God in you. In Christ, God accepts and approves you. You have the mighty Holy Spirit dwelling in you. This simply means that your access to the Father has been regained. You have 24×7 access to your Father. Infact, He lives in you through the Holy Spirit. God lives in you! God speaks to you! God wants to have a personal relationship with you! Think about these statements. The world doesn't understand and comprehend these things but we, as believes are so blessed to experience and enjoy this marvellous access to our heavenly Father. Thank you Lord Jesus! Take advantage of this access and begin to have fellowship with the Father and you will dominate in every sphere of your life because fellowship results in dominion.

Friend, we have something that the prophets, kings and priests of old longed for and were desperate for but didn't get it. We have access to our heavenly Father all the time and any time. Jesus opened the door for you and the Holy Spirit in you gives you this access and makes it real. You don't need any special appointments or approvals for your access. Christ is your approval and your acceptance, come boldly and enjoy your fellowship with your heavenly Father. Dominate!

For God's glory!

For God's glory!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

The moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you became a child of God. Jesus has given you the same glory that the Father gave him. You have put on Christ and Christ is in you and you are in Christ!

This verse commands us to honour God in everything we do, to do everything for God's glory. That means do nothing that brings disgrace to God. Stay away from activities that dishonour God. Before you do anything, ask "Does it bring glory to my Father God?" Do my words bring God glory? Do my actions bring God glory? Does my behavior bring God glory? Anyone who sees and hears a believer, sees and hears Christ, just like anyone who heard and saw Jesus heard and saw the Father. It's a huge responsibility and an awesome privilege. You do all things for the glory of your Father God because you are His beloved child. Matthew 5:16 says, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. When you do all things for God's glory, you are demonstrating the love, the grace, the mercy, the wisdom and the power of Jesus to this world. Don't live for your glory, live for God's glory. You carry God's name and so whatever you do and say, will either bring honour or cause disgrace to His name. Be wise and live for His glory!

Friend, always seek to bring Him glory. Withdraw from people who have no reverence for the things of God because they have no future. Connect yourself with people who deeply honour God and reverence spiritual things. Esteem the Lord highly. Give Him great honour. Respect the Lord wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. You are God's glory in Christ. Therefore talk wisely, behave wisely and live wisely. You are going up!

The voice of the Holy Spirit!

The voice of the Holy Spirit!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Romans 8:16
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.

The Holy Spirit has a voice. The Holy Spirit is speaking to every believer on this planet because Jesus said, my sheep hear my voice. Our God speaks to us. Glory!

The most important thing for a sheep is the Shepherd's voice. In His voice, is your provision, prosperity and protection. His voice is your life. His voice is your victory. This verse gives us a key that will help us easily recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit speaks to your spirit. Many people are trying to hear the Holy Spirit in their minds and with their five senses. This is the reason they struggle so much when it comes to hearing God's voice. Listen, He speaks to your spirit. Develop your spirit, build a strong spirit. The stronger your spirit, the easier it is to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit because He speaks to your spirit. Physical training has some value, but spiritual training has value for all things. The word of God is spirit food. Feed on the word of God and let your spirit be developed. Be consistent - see the word, hear the word, meditate on the word, speak the word and do the word. Speak much in tongues because he who speaks in tongues edifies himself or builds himself up. Submerge yourself in the word, give yourself to speaking in tongues and if you are consistent, your spirit will develop and hearing, recognizing and following the voice of the Holy Spirit will be the easiest thing for you. In His voice is sweatless victories! His voice guarantees success!

Friend, His voice is in His word. His voice is always in line with His word. He will never say anything against His word. The Bible and the Holy Spirit always agree. If you hear anything that's against the word, it's not the Holy Spirit. There are many voices in this world and the word of God will help you discern these voices.  Develop your spirit! Feed on the word! Speak much in other tongues! The Holy Spirit will take you to the very summit of influence and prosperity and your life will be a blessing for many. Allow the Helper to help you! Listen! Obey! This is your time!  Go on with Jesus!