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!

"Holy" Spirit.

"Holy" Spirit.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who  is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

Your body is the temple of God. The Holy Spirit dwells in you. He is the Holy Spirit. Notice the word 'Holy'. This tells us about one of the main aspect of the character and nature of the Holy Spirit.

He is not the Unholy Spirit. He will never say anything or do anything that's impure and dirty. He is not an unholy, unclean, impure and evil Spirit, He is the Holy Spirit. Because He is the Holy Spirit, whatever He says and everything He does is holy and pure. Glory to God. The word holy also means 'consecrated', which means separate - separate from the world, separate from sin and dedicated to God. He is not the common spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. There is no commonality between Him and the world. Holiness and purity are His characteristics. At the new birth, when the Holy Spirit joined himself to your spirit, you became holy. The presence of the Holy Spirit makes you as holy and as pure as Jesus Himself. Hallelujah!

Friend, the Holy Spirit empowers you to live a holy life because you are a holy person. When you live in holiness, you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, through you and for you and He causes everything you do to prosper just like He blessed everything that Joseph did and increased Him greatly. When you live a worldly life, which is an unholy life, you grieve the Holy Spirit and hinder His work. Without the Holy Spirit, life is dry and stagnant, because its not by might nor by power but only by the Holy Spirit of God. Live holy!

Forgive for Christ's sake!

Forgive for Christ's sake!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Ephesians 4:32
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Christ in you, the hope of glory! The most important person for you is the Holy Spirit and He dwells in you. The most important thing for you is the anointing of God and it abides in you. The Holy Spirit and His anointing in you is what makes you different from the rest of the world.

Believer, what you have in you is priceless and precious. You carry God's power in you. For the Spirit of God and His power to work in you, through you and for you - walking in love is a must. Unforgiveness hinders the work of the Holy Spirit. Not walking in love blocks the anointing, the power of God. Without love, faith won't work and without faith, there is no power connection. Treasure the anointing in you. Protect the anointing in you. Cherish the anointing in you. Irrespective of what people said or did against you, forgive for the sake of the anointing in you.

Friend, the anointing is priceless. You can't afford to stay in unforgiveness. Choose to forgive. Choose to walk in love. Let the Holy Spirit and His anointing become more important to you than what people think or say against you. The time is short, Jesus is coming back, always forgive, always walk in love and let the anointing flow through you and change the world. This is your time.

*"The anointing in me is precious. I live above offence. I refuse to be offended. I forgive. The anointing is flowing freely through me taking me higher in life and setting people free. Hallelujah."*