‘The true meaning of words is only learned in the school of affliction’

(Mrs. Herman, 18^th Century)

‘O righteous God who searches the minds and the hearts; bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure!’ (Ps 7:9)

Psalm 7 is one of the imprecatory Psalms of David. The word ‘imprecatory’ means to ask God to judge, to curse your enemies. David is slandered and persecuted unjustly. He is a warrior, not a coward. The easiest option for him is to fight back and kill his opponent. But we see here that David choses to pray. He is asking God to intervene, to defend and to protect him.

Question: what do you do when evil attacks you, slanders your good name and provokes you, for no good reason?

Apparently, the enemy slanders David in the way he uses his power and his wealth. He calls David oppressor and tyrant, with no care for others. The attack is on David’s character as a man of God and a ruler of men. By the way, this attack comes to all children of God who are in positions of authority.

David then asks God to judge the motives of all his actions and judgments. He knows that he has to be ‘cleared’ out first before he can ask God to judge another. David comes willingly before the throne of God for the judgment of his heart. He is innocent of any wrong doing but only God knows the truth.

‘Judge me O Lord according to my righteousness; according to my integrity, O Most High’

The word ‘integrity’ means honesty, the absence of hypocrisy. In Hebrew it means perfection, completeness, simplicity and prosperity. David wants God to X-ray his heart about the ways he came to power and the means he used to become rich. He is not conscious of any selfish ambition or wickedness in his dealings with men, friends or enemies.  He is confident that all his blessings are gifts from God and he did not corrupt them thru worldly means. David also knows that the blessings of God are free from ‘sorrows’ (PV 10:22). He sees that the enemy’s attack and slander upon his name is totally evil. Therefore, he rejects the attack thru this imprecatory prayer.

In other words, David tells God:

“Lord, my enemies have surrounded me like hungry lions. They attack me with wicked tongues. They want to add sorrow upon the blessings You gave to me. They want me to feel guilty about the prosperity You granted me. They want me to abandon the position, the promotion You gave to me.

I need Your help, Lord…

I am not aware of any wickedness in my heart concerning my relationship with You or my dealings with men. You called me, I did not call myself! You made me king and ruler over men! I did not impose myself upon this throne where I sit now! You made me rich and prosperous. I did not dream about millions, fashions, chariots or crowns…

My enemy claims that I stole this wealth; that I cheated others to assume this office; that I killed my opponent to become who I am today. Lord, only You alone can help me! I put my trust in You!  Arise to defend me from malicious tongues who hate Your grace upon my life. Arise, O Lord! Do not keep quiet! Judge my case, for You are the Judge of all the earth! I trust You, Lord! Give me a testimony of honor, proven holy character and righteous vindication!

Punish my enemy! Like Pharaoh in Egypt, let the sea cover my persecutors! Like Haman of old, who built the gallows for Mordecai, let my enemy fall in the pit he has prepared for me! Let the trouble and the violence my enemy has brought to my soul, go back to his head. Let the sorrow he gave to me be his portion! Fight for me O Lord, for Your name in my life is at stake! Vengeance is Yours, O Lord!

You are Jehovah Elyon! I bring to You this little prayer! Use it to fight my strong enemies! I vow to praise Your name forever: for the turning of the tables, for the miraculous victory and the mighty triumph!

I will sing Your praises, unashamed and free! I will continue to be generous to many who are in need, planting seeds of righteousness wherever I go! Thanksgiving in my heart will remain my daily sacrifice!

Amen!”

Job was a righteous man who feared God. He had the reputation of ‘the greatest man’ of his generation. God allowed the devil to attack Job. He lost all his reputation, his wealth, his children and his health. His marriage and his friends were almost gone. Job wanted to die but God restrained him. He had to pass thru this peculiar furnace of unmerited grief so that the secret of his heart might be revealed to him. His complaints reveal hidden pride, secret fears and doubts that are common to all believers.

*No encounter!

Job believed in Almighty God who created the universe. But he was unable to believe that the same God is personally interested in him as a friend.

‘Even if I summoned Him and He responded I do not believe He would give me a hearing…’

*No Intercessor!

Job believed in Almighty God. But he was unable to believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of Man, High Priest and Intercessor.

‘God is not a man like me…If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both; someone to remove God’s wrath from me so that His terror would frighten me no more…’

*No joy! No heaven!

Job believed in God who lives in heaven. But he lacked the assurance of salvation. He did not believe that in God’s presence there is fullness of joy, which is independent of the circumstances. He did not believe that God’s chastisement is His choice method to purify the soul. He assumed that God’s wrath means punishment without mercy. He doubted his salvation assuming that after all this suffering, he will end in hell.

‘Are not my few days almost over? Turn away from me so I can have a moment’s joy before I go to the place of no return… to the land of deepest night, of deep shadow and disorder, where even the light is darkness’ (Job 1:1-3; 9:16, 32-35; 10:20-22)

‘Dear Job,

This is my letter to you…

I was once just like you, confident of my righteousness and having my own invented hope. I did not believe that the Almighty God ‘has time’ for me. I did not believe that He can stop from His busy schedule and notice me, a worm; a shadow on the earth He has created. I too did not see the value of my soul. I thought that prayer is a waste of time. I thought the believers are deceived to entrust their hopes to fake imaginations. That is why for many years I did not pray at all. I trusted myself and not another. I had no need of God. I chose to make myself happy thru hard work and a good name. I did not believe in God or devils, in heaven or in hell. I thought that the spirits’ realm is a fantasy, the product of men’s imagination.

I never truly considered the possibility that above all the stars that blink at night, God might exist. I never sat down to think that God might be interested in my personally, as a Friend. All these thoughts seem too good to be true and I did not want to inflate my hopes with dreams that are not real. So doubt was my religion; unbelief my doctrine and hard work my agenda. My family, my country people, they too did not believe in God. So why will I be different than my entire world?

My letter to you could have ended with that simple question. It could have been sealed with the bitterness and the frustration of life. But the truth is so much different than all my fears and doubts…

This is the truth that I have personally found: God has come down to me and He has saved my soul. He has totally defeated my fears, my unbelief and my rebellion. I am now in Christ ‘a new creation’. He that made the stars, made me anew. Jesus Christ, the Son of Man and the Son of God died for me on a cross. He saved my soul and healed my body. He filled me with His personal peace and eternal joy. He gave me a new song to sing. He made an eternal romantic poet out of the scientific me. He freed me from men’s expectations and judgments. Jesus became the Intercessor I never dreamed about. He is now my God, my High Priest and best of all, He is my friend forever.

I encourage you to be patient in all your trials, for at last, your faith will become better than gold. God knows you personally, not only your pastor or your governor, but He knows you! He knows exactly when you woke up this morning. He knows your anxious thoughts and your fear of failure. He knows about your job, your boss, your salaries and bonuses. He knows about your loans and your desire to pay them off. He knows your weight and all about your headaches. He knows about your loneliness and fear of poverty. He knows all things because He is God!

Honor God by totally trusting Him in everything! ‘The end of the matter is better than the beginning’ for God will make it so (Ecc 7:8). You may not understand now the value of these trials but later, looking back, you shall see the change in your character and you shall worship God. Do not jump to conclusions based on appearances, for these can deceive and hurt you. Do not judge anything half way down the road. Wait patiently until you reach the destination, for everything has a purpose, that God may be glorified.

Dear Job, let your sadness become joy! Unknown beauty shall suddenly bloom from this heap of ashes! Use your hands to clap and your mouth to sing! Praise God, for there is still hope for you! I know it for I was there!

Glory to the Lamb who was slain!

Amen!’

‘This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel says:

‘In repentance and rest is your salvation; in quietness and trust is your strength!’

But you would have none of it. You said: ‘No, we will flee on horses’…

Therefore pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one…till you are left…like a banner on a hill’

Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you. He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for Him’ (Is 30:15-18)

This is the royal road of salvation. Many holy pilgrims testify to it. From time to time, I am troubled in my soul but I do not know why. I pray and ask God to come to me. I wait for God quietly and patiently. I know that God does not tempt me. I am confident He knows that I wait. I know that He will not give me more than I can bear. I know that He is Almighty and He is kind. It is not His fault that I find myself so troubled. I know that it is sin living in me. My problem is that I do not know what sin plagues me. I do not want to assume anything. I want God to come, to expose the very sin that troubles me. I am willing to repent. I want to repent. Just to know the truth, that is all I need…

This waiting is hard. Waiting for God to come is never easy. There is a false hope called ‘fleeing on horses’. I become impatient with God and just go away, abandoning my position of waiting. The horses look attractive; they look strong. The horses that call me are money and fame. They invite me to a life of activity, of ‘ministry’ far away from this ‘demanding’ God. My hope is that I become a master rider. I can teach others to ride them too. I can enroll in horse races and become a champion of the world. On top of a horse I look taller and more impressive with my achievements. I will surely look more ‘cooperate’, more ‘posh’ than others who can only afford lowly donkeys or walk on foot…

A sinner always imagines himself a champion, far away from the restrains of his Father’s House. But this ambitious life of sin has no rest and no peace. There is no oasis in the desert of the world. There is no cup and no well to drink water when thirsty… just a continual lust for more medals and more trophies. A sinner is a lonely champion. He kills all to climb the mountain of fame. Along the path, he makes only enemies.  He has no friends. He fights to win. He has forgotten the power of love and life. Salvation and rest are strange dreams killed to feed the horses. At last, forsaken and guilty, he plants the flag of sin on top of the Everest of his own childhood ambition…

Success without God will surely damage your soul.

Money without God will surely dry your heart.

Marriage without God will surely destroy your vision.

Come back to God!

Have you forgotten the taste of mercy? Do you still remember how it feels to be loved? Wait for God, even if you think that it is ‘too late’! You need God’s mercy much more than money, fame or miracles.

This is God’s promise:

‘Even now, I rise to show you compassion!’

‘Amen, Lord!

Show me compassion, according to Your promise!’

Jesus Christ is 100% Man and 100% God. He revealed to us the greatest human love and the greatest divine love. Many claim that are believers but they are following a denomination, an idea or a dream. They have religious zeal but they lack the seal of love. It is only a born again child of God that is privileged to manifest true love.

The greatest and the highest love a man can ever manifest is ‘to lay down his life for his friends’. This is what Jesus said. From time to time, in the history of mankind, there were few heroes who did just that. Paying the price for this servant love, they became leaders of men. The rest admired them, followed them and even worshipped them. They became a source of inspiration thru the power of love.

In the Bible, the best example of such a love is shown by David’s ‘three mighty men’. They were his true friends. They heard him say that he wanted to drink a cup of water from the well of Bethlehem. He was home-sick. He was tired of running thru the wilderness. For a moment he became weak; a child lost in this strange, wicked world. Tired and thirsty, that cup from the spring of Bethlehem was a longing, a refreshing to his body and to his soul. But that sweet water of revival was not cheap. The well was behind the enemy’s lines. But the three friends loved David. His whispered wish was their command. They quickly decided to go over there by night, when ‘ordinary’ men are sleeping. They risked their lives but at last they brought to him the water of life. Shaking, with the cup in his hands, David could not drink the water because of the price involved. He poured it on the ground as a sacrifice unto the Lord. That is the greatest love a man has, to lay down his life, to die for his friends.

But Jesus went higher than that. He manifested the love of the Father, ‘the agape love’. He did what no man could ever do. He did what no man could ever imagine. He did not just die for His friends. He died for His enemies!!! He died for us, the enemies of God!!! He loved us, the sinners. He died for us ‘while we were still powerless’ and wicked. He died for us long before we knew we needed salvation.

This is the Gospel we preach: ‘Christ died for the ungodly’!

The words below are holy. Please read and mediate on them.

‘Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man. Though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrate His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us’

O, How I love Jesus…

That is why I will never stop serving God!

That is why I will never cease to praise His name!

(Jn 15:13; 2Sam 23:13-17; Rom 5:6-8)

‘Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever!’

The people of God provoked Him with their sins again and again. He saved them from their enemies, made a path thru the Red Sea for them to walk on a dry ground; gave them food and healed their diseases. But they took God for granted and refused to be grateful.

This is a list of some of their sins (Psalm 106)

*They ‘were bent on rebellion’

*They did not ponder on the purpose of the miracles

*They forgot God’s many acts of kindness

*They soon forgot God’s mighty deeds to save them

*They coveted other things to make them happy

*They coveted the position of leadership of Moses and Aaron and rebelled against them

*They made idols and worship them in place of God

*They forgot God Himself, their Savior who brought them out from the house of bondage

*They despised the Promised Land

*They doubted God’s promises and replaced them with their covetous desires

*They secretly grumbled in their tents against God and His chosen leaders

*They did not obey God’s Word and His commands

*They sacrificed their children to ‘lifeless gods’, shedding innocent blood

*They ‘mingled with the nations’ becoming friends with the world

*They intermarried with the unbelievers and worshipped their idols

*They prostituted with the pagan idols

This list is so sad. This list is not complete. The result is that God became angry. He answered their request for strange pleasures and illegal happiness but He also punished them in the midst of them/ They became sick in their bodies and minds. They lost their special position of leadership among the nations. They were scattered and lost their identity as God’s priests and kings.

The solution is to come back to God with all our heart. We have to confess all our sins, especially the sin of rebellion and pride. We are to separate ourselves from the nations, reject friendship with them and chose once more to be alone with God.

Then God will hear our prayers, revive our souls, heal our bodies and restore us to the primary purpose of our lives: to know and serve God alone forever!

‘Remember me O Lord when You show favor to Your people…’ (Ps 106:4)

In Jesus name,

Amen!

It is not enough to have the knowledge; it is not enough to say that you believe; you need to prove your faith with works following!

Like an orange tree produces oranges by itself, so faith and life produce the fruit of the Spirit that none can deny!

Souls are hungry for the reality found in Christ alone! Not religion and fake smiles, but true love that never fails!

Do you feel the hunger around you? Then supply the hope of the Gospel to them and lives will change, nations will change…to the glory of God!

“Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them!” (Jn 13:17)

‘A city on a hill cannot be hidden…Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven!’ (Mt 5:16)

We went today at the Mount of the Beatitudes. Pastor Leigh read some scriptures. It was real, like Jesus was there…

The Lord commands us to ‘shine our lights’ in this world. In this way, the unbelievers will see something they have never seen before. They will be attracted and come closer to behold something new, something that has the light of heaven and the eternal life at its source.

Our salvation was never meant to be private. Our ministry is not to be used for personal gains only. The Gospel is not a book you read and mediate only in your quiet time. Christianity is a public ‘enterprise’.  It is designed to shine, to attract, to expose, to confront and to bless.

Do you know that you have to be ‘a famous actor’ for Jesus? Do you think about this? Are you making up your mind that you are on a stage, with the lights on, with the microphone of angels at your mouth? To be shy in a moment like this, ‘to forget your lines’ because you claim to have anxiety… that is criminal. Souls perish while you still waste time in your dressing room powdering your shiny cheeks…

Come as you are…your profile may not be perfect for ‘the role’ but use whatever you have… right now! Invest in holy moments and you will be surprised at what God will do with your ‘presentation’…

Reject the fear of men!

Reject the vanity of your beauty!

Reject your perfectionism!

Just have faith!

Step forward…the curtains lifted…with all that is in you, say:

‘I love you!’

Let the world ask you:

‘Why do you do this?’

Tell them:

‘Because I love you’

Then one day they shall ask you ‘the million’ question:

‘Why do you love me?’

That is the moment you have been waiting for! Now you can pass thru the open door of faith and tell them the truth:

‘Because I belong to Jesus and He sent me to you. Give your life to Christ!’

Shine! Shine! Shine!

“She opens her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness” (PV 31:26)
God created the tongue especially as an organ for speech. It is a little organ, compared with others. But it has great spiritual power, for good or for evil, according to the speech. The tongue is a slave to the words proceeding from the heart. That is why no man can control its tongue. The change for good starts in the heart. Then the speech and the life shall improve.
Practically, a wise woman is known by her few words seasoned with grace. This is not an easy accomplishment. You have to pray for peace and order to rule in your heart. Totally reject any form of confusion! The heart is like a house, clean or dirty. As a wife and mother you should know where each item is, where to find the things you need. You are even supposed to find things that are ‘lost’ by your husband and children. Your family will say about you: ‘Ask mummy, she knows where that thing is…’ Just like with your house, your heart must be in order. Each thought, each imagination, each emotion should be under the control of the Holy Spirit. When you speak, you should easily remember the best words to apply in each circumstance. You will not improvise with words of common sense. You do not need many words, going in circles, repeating ideas endlessly. Your speech is orderly, clean and easy to understand by the hearer. Reduce the quantity of your words and improve on their spiritual quality. Any word that proceeds from natural common sense is of low value. Any word spoken under the anointing of the Holy Spirit is power and is life. Your words should be ‘edited’ by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. No conversation should leave you tired, frustrated, ashamed, guilty or with a feeling of regret. Each word should be a gift of life to your listeners.
When speaking, you should never lose your temper, start sweating, pour insults, gesticulate unnecessarily or create division and anger among your hearers. You should aim to live a life that has no regrets; no mistakes in your speech or your deeds. This ideal is possible only thru the power and the leading of the Holy Spirit!

Speak like Jesus more and more often!

(In the picture, Pastor Trish Eresanara)