God's Deep Secrets

God’s Deep Secrets

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE
"That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, 'No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.' But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit.
For His Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets" (1 Corinthians 2:9–10, NLT)

TODAY'S WORD
Who in your life do you share your deepest secrets with? Most people only share their inner thoughts with those who are closest to them; people they trust or people they've gone through experiences with. Do you know who God shares His secrets with? The people who are closest to Him.

God wants to share His deepest secrets with you.  He wants you to know what He thinks about you. He wants you to know about the plans He has for you.  He wants to show you things you've never seen, heard about or even imagined. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, not only are you His child, but you are also His friend. You are His closest companion. He wants to walk with you, talk with you and share with you.

This passage goes on to say, "Who can know a man's thoughts except his own spirit?" As believers, God's Spirit lives inside of us, revealing to us His very own heart. What a wonderful, amazing thought — we can know God's
thoughts because we are one with Him. Open your heart and allow Him to share His deep secrets with you today!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, I am so humbled that You call me friend. I am honored to be connected with You and invite You to share Your heart with me. I surrender all that I am to You. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Backsliding from Backsliding!

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Reading: Hebrews 6:1-12

"It is not My heavenly Father's will that anyone should perish" (Mt 18:14)

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Backsliding has become too common in the Church. Backsliding is never sudden; it is always in stages. There are two types of backsliding—one from which recovery is possible and the other for which under normal circumstances there is no remedy.

The first type can be explained by three conditions. First of all, there may be the loss of first love for God (Rev 2:4,5), and fervour in spiritual matters. Another condition is the loss of personal holiness and loss of victory over sin. Recovery from these two conditions is possible. James 5:19,20, "If anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins." Yet another state of backsliding is loss of sound faith and being led into strange doctrines. Apostle Paul calls this a spiritual "cancer" (2 Tim 2:17). By the mercy of God, this is also curable through the diligent ministry of a Bible teacher. When he would teach patiently, "God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will" (2 Tim 2:24-26).

There is another type of backsliding which is generally irreversible. It is the open denial and rejection of the Person of Christ. The seriousness of this type of backsliding is given in Hebrews 6:4-6. "It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to open shame." The author of Hebrews quotes Esau as an example. "Esau sold his birthright for one morsel of food. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Heb 12:16,17). Selling the birthright, in the sight of God, is nothing but rejecting the Messiah. This is the "sin leading to death" (1 Jn 5:16,17). Unless the person who backslide repents, there is no remedy. The fellow-believers should meet with such candidates and talk to them and remove the blocks lovingly and bring them back to the love of Christ.

"Lord, Thou hast here Thine ninetynine, Are they not enough for Thee?"

But the Shepherd made answer: "I go to the desert to find My sheep!"

                                                 (Elizabeth C. Clephane, 1830-1869)

Sin of Sins

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Reading: Genesis 3:1-24

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Heb 11:6a)

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The Garden of Eden was a place of hills, plains, and lovely lakes. The blue heavens and the green earth were in perfect harmony. On the graceful shrubs stood colourful flowers, dressed in purple and pink, to greet the first man and woman at every turn of their eye. The lion and the lamb played peacefully around them. The two full-grown babies enjoyed the company of the angelic beings who were their frequent visitors. Above all, they welcomed the coming of their Creator who walked in the garden, in the cool of the day. They lived in perpetual dependence on God and enjoyed perfect bliss. But they could continue in that happy estate only on a condition. The condition that their Creator laid down was this: "Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (Gen 2:18). The tree of knowledge had been made a test of their faith and obedience. It was then that the unwanted intruder came on the scene and asked Eve, "Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen 3:1). He questioned the very Word of God. Alas! Eve began to distrust God's love and doubt His wisdom. She disbelieved the words of God for whom it was impossible to lie (Heb 6:8) and believed the lie of the liar (Jn 8:44). And the outcome? They became outcasts from the garden of Eden. The first sin of our first parents is failure to believe God's Word. Yes, unbelief is the sin of sins.

Unbelief is the only sin that leads to death (1 Jn 5:16). For any other sin committed by any of us, we can pray for that person, and God will forgive him. But if he keeps refusing to believe on Christ Jesus as his Saviour, however much we may pray for him, he will not be forgiven. "There is no judgment awaiting those who trust Him. But those who do not trust Him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God" (Jn 3:18). This truth must be shouted in the ears of those who say there is no God, and all religions are the same, and membership in the Church is good enough for salvation!

The only condition God lays for us to be forgiven and accepted into His family is that we must believe on His Son. Anything else is secondary. Without faith, it is impossible to please God! "Dear God, in these days when thousands go astray from faith, help me not to believe the lies of the devil but trust in the finished work of Christ only, and walk in faith obeying the simple truths of Your holy Word!"

Unbelief shuts the door of Heaven and opens the gates of hell!

Dr. Billy Graham

India's elderly suffer abuse silently: HelpAge report

India's elderly suffer abuse silently: HelpAge report

Published on Deccan Chronicle (http://www.deccanchronicle.com)

Dear all, please pray for Elderly people and help them too.

May God bless you all.

India has over 90 million elderly persons above the age of 60 years and many of them, silently suffer abuse in the hands of either their daughters-in-law or sons, according to a survey report by HelpAge India. The study, made public yesterday on the eve of the sixth World Elder Abuse awareness Day, has found that about 41 per cent felt that there has been an increase in the rate of crime against the elderly in the past three years. "More than half of India's senior citizens surveyed feel that they are soft targets for crime," the report said. HelpAge India is a leading humanitarian, development and campaign organisation working with and for older people in India for more than 30 years. The World Elder Awareness Day evolved from its nascent stage in 1997 initiated by a small group in Australia, to becoming an issue that saw United Nations endorsing and making it a global concern. At present, the UN recognises elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. The grim fact, according to the report, is that 98 per cent of the elderly in India surveyed did not file any official complaint. "This showed that they are silently suffering abuse," it said. The report found 63 per cent of daughters-in-law as the major abusers of the elderly, followed by the sons (44 per cent). The HelpAge report said that Delhi NCR region reported the highest (100 per cent) number of the incidences in the hands of daughters-in-laws. The percentage of elderly reporting ownership status of house living is among the lowest in Kolkata (15 per cent). It said that nearly 52 per cent of the elderly surveyed were illiterate and 66 per cent were financially dependent on others with half of the elderly depending on daughters-in-law for assistance in daily activities. "A very high 85 per cent of the elders were dependent on others for medical expenditure," it said. The survey report further revealed that nearly 60 per cent of the elderly consider verbal abuse as elder abuse while 48 per cent felt physical abuse constitutes elder abuse. "As a result of the current aging scenario, there is a growing need for care of the older persons in terms of social, economic, health and shelter. Security of older persons in India is also emerging as an issue. "With more old people living longer, the households are getting smaller and congested, causing stress in families and marginalization, isolation and insecurity among older persons," it added.

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Source URL: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/lifestyle/others/indias-elderly-suffer-abuse-silently-helpage-report-525

New Levels

New Levels

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT)

TODAY’S WORD
God’s desire is that we continually progress, that we reach higher heights and go to new levels. Oftentimes, as soon as we make the decision to step out in faith and obey God, the enemy brings in fear to try to stop us.  He’ll bring thoughts like, “What if you fail? What are other people going to think? You don’t have what it takes.” He’ll do his best to use fear to try to convince us to shrink back and stay where we are.

The Bible says that fear is a spirit. It plays on our emotions and holds us back. But the good news is that we have power over fear! The Bible says that perfect love casts out all fear. When we receive God’s perfect love, we will have confidence about the future because we know His plans are for our good. I’ve heard it said that fear is an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real. Understand that fear is a lie. Today, choose to believe God’s Word and receive His love so that you can overcome fear and move forward into the good life He has prepared for you!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father in heaven, thank You for taking me to new levels. I know You have equipped me with a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Fill me with Your confidence and assurance to embrace everything You have for me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Sword for Sword!

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Reading: Psalm 75

"All who draw the sword will die by the sword" (Mt 26:52)

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Jesus was always a teacher. Even at the hour of horror and agony, He made it a point to teach timeless truths to His disciples. O how much the Lord was concerned about the future life and ministry of His disciples! Peter might have been wondering what the use of the sword was if it had not been used! After all it was Jesus Himself who had urged the disciples to buy swords even if they had to sell their clothes to mobilize money for it! (Lk 22:36).

Vengeance is God's (Rom 12:19; Dt 32:35a; Heb 10:30). Vengeance is right, but we humans are incapable of handling it (Lev 19:18). Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome who were experiencing injustice in their social life, "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, `Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord" (Rom 12:19). This is an oft-repeated truth in the Scriptures (Dt 32:35; Heb 10:30). Sooner we learn this, fewer will be the casualties and less the losses in the Kingdom of God. It was perfectly natural and logical for a disciple to hit the enemy who lays hand on his master. That's what Peter did. But Jesus wouldn't allow even that. When God's word does not permit us to use a sword even against an enemy, how can we ever use it against another child of God or His servant?

David did not earn the title of "Man-after-God's-own-heart" easily. God was not playing favoritism with him. When David secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe at the prompting of his men, "David's heart troubled him." He said to his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord" (1 Sam 24:1-7).

A secret information one has about his brother is a sword. "Put it in its case!" (Mt 26:52a). Dr. Herbert Lockyer (1886-1984), one of the most voluminous Christian writers from England, in his book, The Sins of Saints, writes, "Those who are jealous of the abilities of others often settle for assassination of character." Dr.W.L.Watkinson asserts, "The lives of the most gifted and delightful of mankind have been blasted by envy. It seems to vitiate the whole creation."

Next time you are tempted to lift a sword against a brother, pause a while, look yonder! You will see "a ram caught by its horns in a bush!" (Gen 22:13). Remind yourself of Paul's challenge: "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died and is pleading for us" (Rom 8:33,34).

Thanks to StanleyOnBible.com

Come, let's obey God!

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Reading: Hebrews 3:7-19

"Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today" (Heb 3:13)

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Help and support from fellow believers, friends and family folks make obedience to God easy. We are exhorted in Hebrews 3:13-15, "Encourage one another daily, while it is called `Today'... while it is said: Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." This passage means that we never outgrow the need for the fellowship of saints as long as we are on earth. When we enter eternity, there will be no "today" because there will be no yesterday or tomorrow! A walk of obedience with God is ultimately the individual's choice and responsibility, but he cannot do it all by himself. Not isolation but integration is the safest road to walk in consistent obedience.

We must not fail to note when exactly God gave Eve to Adam. It was immediately after He commanded Adam about the tree of knowledge (Gen 2:15-18). God said, "It's not good for man to be alone!" Not that he would fall into adultery if he were alone. In fact there was no woman at all at that time! The companionship of Eve was mainly to help Adam to obey God and resist Satan. What an awesome responsibility God has placed on spouses to mutually encourage and exhort one another in their walk of obedience to God! When together they seek to obey God in all matters, relationship between them also becomes smoother. This was the secret of oneness between the old couple Elizabeth and Zacharias (Lk 1:6,59-63).

Sarah helped Abraham obey God. The Bible nowhere says that Abraham left home with Isaac to sacrifice him without telling Sarah! It's a meaningless interpretation of the narrative. While commenting on the faith of Abraham, the writer of Hebrews says, "By faith Sarah ALSO...." (Heb 11:8-11).

Children need the help of parents to obey God. King Solomon stresses it in the very beginning of his book of Proverbs. "My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother" (Prov 1:8; 4:1-4). The influence of mummy and granny on Timothy is well known (2 Tim 1:5).

"Leave me alone," is the demand of youth both at home and outside. This puts the devil in an advantageous position to play havoc in their lives. Let them listen to the words of the wisest king ever lived: "Two are better than one... Because, if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up... Better is a poor and wise youth than an old foolish king who will be admonished no more" (Eccl 4:9,10,13).