Jesus, your Advocate!

Jesus, your Advocate!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I John 2:1
My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

The Spirit of God doesn't want us to sin because sin has consequences and if you keep sinning, you will eventually destroy yourself for the wages of sin is death.

If a believer sins, he loses his confidence before God. Satan condemns and accuses a believer when he sins and he doesn't feel like praying any more, he doesn't want to read the word any more and doesn't want to go to church anymore. He feels God is angry at him and doesn't love him anymore. God's love is not based on your works. God loves you because God is Love and because He honours the blood of Jesus. If you sin, remember you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. An advocate is a lawyer who pleads for another's cause or case. Jesus is the payment for our sins. His blood has wiped out our sins. He doesn't plead your case based on your works, He pleads with the Father based on His blood and His finished works. There is no wrath for a believer, there is no condemnation, no guilt and no punishment for a believer because Jesus is our Advocate. Be established in this reality! Never slow down!

Knowing  Jesus as your Advocate will restore your confidence before God, will develop righteousness consciousness and will restore your fellowship with God. Anytime you sin, run to Jesus your Advocate by confessing your sins, confessing the advocacy of Jesus, confessing the blood of Jesus and receive your forgiveness. Satan would love to accuse, condemn and insult you. But you remind the devil that you have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. This doesn't give you freedom to sin more but rather reveals the immense grace, love and mercy of Jesus so that you sin no more. Let nothing stop you. If you fall, get up and keep running - Jesus, your Advocate!

"Anytime I sin, I have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the payment for my sins. His blood has wiped out my sins. If I make a mistake, I will not shrink back but rather I will run to Jesus for He is my Advocate. Thank you Lord for your immense love, grace and mercy. I sin no more."

God is light.

God is light.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I John 1:5
This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.

Knowing God will help you trust Him easily. Not just knowing about Him from others, but knowing Him personally through the word of God and through the Holy Spirit. The more you know Him, the more you can trust Him and walk with Him accordingly. Light and darkness cannot walk together. Light walks with light. Darkness walks with darkness.

God is light and there is no darkness in Him, no darkness at all. Thank God for the word of God which reveals the character of our Father God. No one has been more misunderstood than God. Satan loves to create misunderstandings on God's character and by doing so He wants to distract your trust and mix light and darkness. So it's important to get established on God's character through the word of God so that we won't be deceived by the lies of the devil. God doesn't have light, He is light and in Him is no darkness at all. God is pure there are no impurities in Him at all. God is holy, there is no sin, no wickedness in Him at all. God is truth, there is no deceit in Him at all. God is righteous, there is no unrighteousness in Him at all.

Darkness, wickedness, impurity, unrighteousness, unholy and unclean things and sin cannot be found in God. God doesn't have such things in Him. The more you know your Father, the greater your confidence in God will be and the stronger your fellowship with Him will be. In Him is no darkness at all. Darkness comes from the devil because He is full of darkness. But God is light and everything that comes out of Him is light. His word is light. His Spirit is light. Darkness wants to hide but light walks boldly in the open - light has nothing to hide, light exposes darkness. We are children of light and as we stay connected to Him, we shine ever brightly. The more we know Him, the more we know ourselves, the deeper our fellowship will be and the greater our dominion will be. Hallelujah!

"My Father is light. He has no darkness, no wickedness, no impurities and no sin. He is light, everything He does is light. Everything He says is light. There is no deceit in Him. I am child of light and I stay connected to the Father of lights and I shine ever brightly."

Live fearlessly!

Live fearlessly!
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I John 4:18
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.

For some the thought of living fearlessly is just a dream, never a reality. Some even say, let's manage fear. You don't have to manage fear, you can kick fear out of your life and live a fearless life.

The key to living a fearless life is LOVE - Know that God loves you. When you know and believe that God loves you - you will be able to live a fearless life. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might even possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His love for us - while we were still sinners, weak and ungodly, Christ died for us.  He gave His best at our worst. Hallelujah! He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for you, how will He not also along with Him give you everything else?

God is Love and God loves you. He loves you as much as He loves Jesus. He will never give up on you. Believer, there is nothing you can do to make Him love you more and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you less. There is nothing you can do to stop Him from loving you. God loves you! The more established you become in the revelation of His love for you, the more fearless your life will be! You will love God and love others fearlessly! Live fearlessly!

"I know and believe God loves me. I am loved by God. I have no fear. If God is for me, who can be against me? If God loves me, who can touch me? There is no fear, no loss and no failure in love. I receive God's love and I always win for God is on my side."

See the invisible.

See the invisible.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

II Corinthians 4:18
while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The Apostle Paul faced tremendous persecution for living and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He says in II Corinthians 4:8‭-‬9, “We  are  hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we  are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—”

Inspite of all the challenges he faced, He didn't faint or become hopeless but kept moving and finally finished his course with joy. How? - today's verse gives us the key : Look at invisible things, not at the visible, for the visible things are temporary but the invisible are eternal. Where are you looking at? The Apostle Paul would have quit if he kept his eyes on what happened in the visible. He knew life is more than physical, life is spiritual. He says in II Corinthians 4:16‭-‬17, “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory”. Many people quit, become hopeless and exhausted because their eyes are on the outward man and on the light affliction, which is for a moment. See the invisible!

The Apostle Paul refused to look at the visible temporary things, He chose to look at the invisible eternal things - at the inward man, He chose to look at the exceeding and eternal weight of glory prepared by the light affliction. What an attitude! Glory to God. See the invisible! Do the impossible! The Greater One lives in you! Keep your eyes on the word. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Keep your eyes on your calling. Go on with Jesus!

“I live life with my eyes on the invisible eternal things. I will not faint and I will not quit. My eyes are on Jesus and on His word and therefore my inward man is being renewed day by day and I am going from glory to glory. Hallelujah!”

By faith into grace

By faith into grace.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

Romans 5:2 NKJV
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

The focus of the Old covenant is man's ability. The focus of the New covenant is God's ability - which is also called GRACE. Through Jesus, we enter the new covenant of God's grace.

A person can be in the new covenant but live according to the old covenant. Jesus said if you put new wine in old wine skins, the wine skins will burst and the wine will be poured out - both will be destroyed. Man's ability always leads to bondage. God's ability always leads to freedom. You are not in the old but in the new covenant. You are in Christ and you have a covenant with God in the blood of Jesus. In the New Covenant, God lives in you and we live by God's ability. No matter where you are and what you are doing - Remember! - His grace, His ability is sufficient. You can be an excellent person, an excellent husband, excellent wife, excellent employee, excellent businessman, excellent student, excellent minister, excellent in whatever position you are in - not by your ability but by God's ability. Jesus, full of grace and truth has made God's ability available to us through His blood and through His death, burial and resurrection.

How do you access God's ability?  - By faith. You access this ability by faith. Faith is the only access to grace. As you start believing and speaking God's word, grace will be released. Believe and Speak the new covenant word realities consistently. See! - God living in you, see yourself walking and living in God's ability. You are unstoppable. There is nothing that you can't overcome, all things are possible. Everything is possible for the one who believes - when you believe, God's ability is released and all things are possible for God.

"I live under Grace - God's ability and not under Law - my ability. I overcome, I conquer, I win because Christ is in me and I live through Him. Hallelujah. No matter where I am and what I am doing, I walk and live in excellence because His grace is sufficient. I believe it and I receive it now. In Jesus name, Amen."

God of all comfort.

God of all comfort.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

II Corinthians 1:3‭-‬4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

When you make a mistake, experience a setback, face a challenge or are under pressure, not many people stay around. Our loving heavenly Father, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort doesn't run away, He comforts us in all our troubles.

To comfort means to stay by one's side, to strengthen, to encourage, to instruct and to teach. Isn't it amazing to know that our Father sticks to our side in tough times and doesn't condemn, accuse and insult us? - but rather comforts us, strengthens us, encourages us and instructs us so we don't give up and with His help overcome triumphantly. People may leave you but your Father will never leave you nor forsake you. He will stay with you right where you are and comfort you till you come back on top. Hallelujah!

You are not alone in this journey of life. Unload all your worries, anxieties and concerns on Jesus and receive His comfort. Don't feel sorry for yourself, don't engage in a pity party - Receive the Father's comfort and begin comforting and strengthening people around you. Become an agent of comfort!

"My Father comforts me in all my troubles and challenges, therefore I will never remain disappointed or discouraged. I am an agent of comfort. Wherever I go, I comfort and strengthen other people. I do not judge, accuse or condemn people, I comfort them with the comfort of God."

In remembrance of me!

In remembrance of me.
- Pastor Ashish Mathews

I Corinthians 11:24‭-‬25
and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”  In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”

Whenever we partake of the Lord's supper or the communion, we are to do it in remembrance of Jesus. Whether you take it alone in your house or with others in church, remember the heavy price Jesus paid for you.

Remember that you are in a new covenant with God - it's a better covenant with better promises. Remember that your sins are not covered as in the old covenant but are completely wiped out by the blood of Jesus. Remember that you not a servant or a friend of God, you have become a child of the Most High God and God has become your Abba Father because of the sacrifice of Jesus. Remember that not only are your sins wiped out but you have been recreated in Christ - you are a new creation, the old has passed away and behold all things have become new. Remember God doesn't dwell in the Holy of Holies of the earthly tabernacle any more but He dwells in you - for you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Thank God for Jesus - for who He is and for what He has done - we have unlimited fellowship and unlimited righteousness. Jesus said, 'whenever you take communion, do it in remembrance of me.'

Remember the love of Jesus for you - the price He paid, the extent He went to save you, to redeem you and to recreate you. It's Love! Only Love! Always Love! Jesus loves you. The Lord's supper is a reminder of how much Jesus loves you. Remember, you are His beloved. Nothing could stop Jesus to get you back - even if it costs Him His own life. This is Love!

"Every time I take communion, I remember the Lord Jesus, I remember How much He loves me, the price He paid for me and that I am in the new covenant. I proclaim that I am His beloved and nothing can separate me from His love. The Lord's supper is a reminder of how much the Lord loves me. Hallelujah"