Month: July 2019

God Will Keep His Promises !!

Wickedness has permeated Judah
and Isaiah’s call for repentance is
so urgent that even his commission
was delayed. The task before Isaiah
is unenviable, for God had said the
pple will be spiritually deaf & near
-sighted. But having encountered
God, Isaiah begins to declare harsh
words from on high with confidence

Lord, we trust You Keep Promises:
(God said): Ask me for a sign,
Ahaz, to prove that I will crush
your enemies As I Have Promised…
But the king refused… Therefore
the Lord Himself will Give you
A Sign. The virgin will conceive
and give birth to a son, and will
call him Immanuel (Isa 7:11-14).

Lord, thanks for Keeping Promises.
Thank You that You also provides
signs to help us understand that You
keep promises. Your faithfulness
fills me with inner peace. But I may
not sense your presence despite
the promise You’re always with me.
Encourage me and sustain me
in a very real way. And I thank
You for the promise that one day
I will dwell with You forever. Amen.

Lord, forgive me for seeking
outward signs rather than being
drawn into closer communion
with You. Your Word says: Though
heaven and earth may pass away,
You are the same yesterday,
today & forever; and I am yours.
Nothing can change that fact.
May You take pleasure in me and
be glorified as I trust in You. Amen.

Lord, forgive us for seeking signs
as indications of Your direction
and as a basis for our faith in You.
We realize that You God intends
to nurture in us a faith and a trust
that don’t require external support.
Help us develop the kind of faith
that rests solely on Your character,
especially that of your Faithfulness.
But Lord in your tender mercies,
please do not test us beyond
what we are able to bear. Amen.

God Shows and then Calls You !!

Wickedness has permeated
every fiber of Judah – a condition
which God finds intolerable.
Isaiah’s national call for repentance
is so urgent that even his personal
Call & Commission to the prophetic
office must wait until chapter 6.
The task set before Isaiah is an
unenviable one, for God said the
people will be spiritually deaf and
nearsighted. Having encountered
God, Isaiah begins to declare harsh
words from on high with confidence
in the courts and palaces of Judah.

Lord, You are Holy & In Control:
I saw the Lord Sitting on a Throne,
high and lifted up… Above it stood
seraphim… And one cried & said:
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts
The whole earth is full of His glory!
Woe to me, I cried: For I am a man
of unclean lips, and my eyes have
seen the King, the Lord Almighty.
Then one seraphim flew to me,
having in his hand a live coal from
the altar. And he touched my mouth
& said: Your iniquity is Taken Away
and your sin purged (Isa 6:1-6).
I heard the Lord asking: Whom
should I send as a messenger to
this people? Who will go for us? (v8)

Lord, I praise You that You are
Sitting on the Throne. By faith
I proclaim that You reign over all.
You are In Control and everyone
and everything is subject to You.
When my faith is weak and I am
tempted to despair, because
of challenges, remind me that
You are still in charge. Give me
a fresh vision of Your kingship
over the whole world and over
my world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Lord, whenever I sense Your holy
presence, I am greatly aware of
my Own Unworthiness. That really
makes me even More Grateful
for how much You had sacrificed
for me. Touch and purify me and
help me to separate myself from
all that is unholy. And I can come
before Your holy throne with
confidence to find Your mercy
and grace in time of need. Amen.

Lord, You are glorious, majestic,
Holy and beautiful. I adore You
and worship You for Your willingness
to share Your presence with me.
Grant me to live with a strong sense
of Your presence. Grant me the
atmosphere in which Your words
are abundant and clear. Open my
heart and my ears to hear of You.
And I avail myself to what U want me
to do & what You have for me. Amen

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=K8eh23SulM8h

God Makes Us White As Snow !!

A crisis exists in the nation of Judah.
Wickedness has permeated every
fiber of the social, political and
spiritual life of the country – a
condition that God finds intolerable.
Divine indictment falls from the
lips of His prophet Isaiah. Unless
Repentance sweeps the nation,
God will reduce His people to ruin.
Famine and pestilence will replace
feasting and pleasure to show that
the Holy One still rules in Zion.

Lord, You Desire to Make Us Clean:
Wash yourselves, make yourselves
clean… Cease to do evil, learn to do
good; Seek justice… Come now, and
let us Reason together, says the Lord
Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be White As Snow; though
they are red like crimson, they shall
be as wool. If you are willing and
obedient, you shall eat the good
of the land (Isa 1:16-19). Amen.

Lord, You are the author of Reason.
Your logos, Your logic, is the wisdom
behind all creation. Impart that
wisdom to me. Enlighten my mind
with Your truth. Cut through all
false reasoning of the world and
draw me into the realities of Your
Kingdom. Let me think clearly and
consistently with Your Spirit. Amen.

Lord, what an amazing promise
that You are willing to cleanse
any and every kind of sin. No act is
too awful, too big, too outrageous.
Even that sin, that unspeakable
thought, motive & act is forgiveable.
What an incredible Saviour You are!
Thank You for dealing fully and
finally with my sin. Thank You for
forgiveness in Christ’s name, Amen.

Lord, I hear the Savior say,
Thy strength indeed is small!
Child of weakness, watch & pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.
Jesus Paid It All,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain –
He washed it White As Snow.
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone. Amen.

God Desires Obedient Heart !!

Only two years into his reign,
Saul is faced with a critical test.
Confronted by a Philistine onslaught,
Saul enters the priest’s office at Gigal
& offers sacrifices which only a Levite
is permitted to offer, thus blatantly
disregarding God’s law. Samuel’s
announcement that God will take the
kingdom from him only spurs Saul on
to greater efforts at doing God’s work
but not in God’s way. By ignoring
Samuel’s specific command from
God to annihilate the Amalekites,
Saul seals the fate of his kingship.

Dear Lord, Thank You for lessons
in scripture from the story of Saul.
Thank You for being our Savior and
the reminder to be obedient to You.
Forgive us for the times when we
are disobedient to Your word and
when You speak but we don’t listen.
Forgive us for the times when doing
Your work that we choose to go
our way rather than follow Yours.
Help us to Aspire for Your Heart.
Help us to Wait for Your Timing.
Help us to Go for Your Way. Amen.

Lord, we’ll Wait Patiently for You:
Saul waited seven days according
to the times set by Samuel. But
Samuel did not come to Gilgal;
and the people were scattered
from him. So Saul… offered the
burnt offering… As soon as he had
(presented) the burnt offering that
Samuel came… And Samuel said
to Saul: You have done foolishly.
You have not kept the command
of the Lord your God. Now your
kingdom will not continue. The
Lord has sought for Himself a
man after His own heart (13:8-14)
Lord, we’ll not make up our own
solution when You require us
to wait and you didn’t answer by
the expected time. We’ll not allow
impatience to drive us to disobey
God’s instruction. Help us walk
daily to prepare us to cope well
when the pressure is on. Amen.

Lord, we aspire Having Heart for You:
Now the men of Israel were worn out
that day because Saul had made
them take an oath saying: Let a curse
fall on anyone who eats before
I have full revenge on my enemies…
But hungry as they were, they chased
and killed the Philistines all day…
growing more and more faint. That
evening they butchered the sheep,
cattle and calves but ate them
without draining the blood…Saul said:
Do not sin against the Lord by eating
meat with the blood still in it… And
Saul built an altar to the Lord, the first
one he had ever built (1S14:24-35).
Lord, pray that I will have a heart for
You and Your ways. For I don’t want
to be a person who shows love
for You with only words. Help me
to show it with actions, obedience
to Your laws and the way I live. And
Thank You for still loving me even
when I don’t do things right. Amen.

Lord, we aspire for Obedience to U:
(Samuel said): Go and completely
destroy the sinners, the Amalekites…
Why did you rush for the plunder?…
But I did obey the Lord, Saul insisted.
I carried out the mission he gave me.
I brought back King Agag, but I
destroyed everyone else. Then my
troops brought in the best of the
sheep & cattle… to sacrifice to
the Lord… But Samuel replied: What
is more pleasing to the Lord: Your
burnt offerings and sacrifices or your
obedience to His voice? Obedience is
far better than sacrifice (1S15:18-23)
Lord, work in me a heart of obedience
so that I can live a life that pleases U.
It’s easy to rationalise obedience
or attempt to chart my own course.
But You are Holy and You value
obedience above anything I can ever
give You. May my daily sacrifice to
You be a humble and Obedient heart
that U delight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

God Desires to Be Our King !!

From all outward appearance, Saul’s
selection as the first king of Israel
is an outstanding choice. His kingly
demeanour and imposing presence
make him a promising candidate
from a human perspective. But while
man looks on outward appearance
the Lord looks on the heart. Saul is
anointed by Samuel, installed as king
at Mizpah, proven in battle against
the Ammonites and confirmed as
king at Gilgal. But the fact remains
(as pointed out by Samuel in his
final address to the nation) that God
not Saul should be King over Israel.

Dear Lord, Thank You for lessons
in scripture from the story of Saul.
Thank You for being our Savior and
Master; and we need to be obedient
to You. But sometimes we want to go
our own way rather than follow Yours.
Work in us a heart of obedience so
that we’ll live a life that Pleases You.
Help us to Follow Your Leading.
Help us to Be Willing Vessals. And
Help us to also Pray For Others.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

Lord, we will Follow Your Leading:
So (Saul and his servant) entered
the town and as they passed through
the gates, Samuel was coming out
toward them to go up to the place
of worship. Now the Lord had told
Samuel the previous day: About this
time tomorrow I will send you a man
from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him
to be the leader of my people Israel.
He will rescue them from the
Philistines, for I have looked down
on my people in mercy and I have
heard their cry (1 Sam 9:15-16).
Lord, from the story of Saul we see
that You can use common events
to lead us where You want us to be.
Help us to see all situations as
potential divine appointments
designed to shape our lives or
to accomplish Your purposes.
Grant us the grace to be willing
to build up a certain quality in us
or to serve in a new area. Amen.

Lord, we will Be Willing Vessals:
As Saul turned and started to leave,
God changed his heart, and all
Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day
When Saul and his servant arrived
at Gibeah, they saw the prophets
coming toward them. Then the
Spirit of God came upon Saul,
and he too began to prophesy.
When his friends heard about it,
they exclaimed: What? Is Saul
a prophet? How did the son of Kish
become a prophet? (I Sam 10:9-11).
Lord, thank You for Your goodness
and basing Your Kingdom on grace.
I earn nothing, and yet Jesus
Qualifies me to receive everything.
I need to hear You regardless of
my condition and You know that.
Thank You for leading all Your sheep,
including me by the sound of
Your voice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Lord, we will also Pray For Others:
As for me, far be it from me that I
should sin against the Lord by failing
to pray for you. And I will teach
you the way that is good and right.
But be sure to fear the Lord and
serve Him faithfully with all your
heart; consider what great things
He has done for you (1Sam 12:23-24)
Lord, I pray for each member of
my family and for all my friends
to be blessed with good health,
peace, provision and a greater
knowledge of You and Your Word.
Help me not to be selfish or lazy
in praying; but instead show me
whom to pray for. And help me
not to sin against You by failing
to pray for other people according
to Your Will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

God on A Time for Everything

Making sense out of life is not
always easy. This is the problem
facing the preacher as he thinks
his way through what he has seen
and experienced in life. Every thing
he has undertaken from acquiring
wisdom to amassing wealth has
ended in emptiness. In a sudden
burst of emotion the preacher
realises that God does indeed
appoint the Times & purposes of life.

Lord, we will Wait for Your Timing:
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under
heaven (Eccl 3:1)… A time to be
quiet and a time to speak (v7).
He has made everything beautiful
in its time. He has also set eternity
in the hearts of men; yet they
cannot fathom what God has done
from beginning to end (Eccl 3:11).

Lord, we recognise that You are
sovereign & do things at Your time
to accomplish Your perfect plan,
including moulding our character.
Pray for grace not to extend the gruelling waiting time. Make me
be honest to recognise inner flaws.
And in Your mercy, remove defects that keep me trapped in self will.
Grant me a character makeover so
that I can represent You well. Amen.

Lord, as human beings, we have a
keen sense of having the right time
in sharing advice or exciting news.
But when it comes to talking to God,
we tend to expect You to answer our
prayers right away or reveal Your Will
soon after we ask. Waiting is the
hardest part and we don’t always
know how to interpret the rhythm of
our conversations. Give me patience
to wait & watch for Your words. Amen

Lord, I realise Your Timing is not
the same as mine. I want all the
answers to my prayers right now.
But You want me to be patient
and wait on You. So I lay down
my concerns before You Lord and
leave the outcome in Your hands.
Help me to rest in the knowledge
that Your timing in really perfect,
just as everything You do is perfect.
In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.

God Gives Hope for the Future !!

The final 11 chapters of Proverbs
contains sound counsel for those
in positions of authority. And Prov
22-24 contain wise counsel for
anyone in position of responsibility
including parents and pastors.
Leaders need to know God’s
precepts if they are to direct
their charges into God-honouring
paths of conduct and character.

Lord, U promise Wonderful Future:
Do not let your heart envy sinners
but always be zealous for the fear
of the Lord. There is surely a future
hope for you, and your hope will
not be cut off (Prov 23:17-18).
Be wise and guide your heart in
the way… Buy the truth & do not
sell it; get wisdom, discipline and
understanding (v19 & 23). Amen.

Lord, grant me your light and
revelation that I need. Help me
to see not just my present trouble
but the future You have planned
for me. Flood my heart with
Your light. Your Word assures me
that those who hope in the Lord
will have a wonderful future.
In your mercy let it come to fruition.
And grant me the faith to cling
to your promise even when the
weather of life turns nasty. Amen.

Lord,thank You that U have planned
a future and a hope for my life.
Because of your power and your
faithfulness, I know that nothing
in my life is outside your control.
May my hope be firmly grounded
in your unchanging character.
Help me to fully and willingly
submit to your will for my future.
And draw me to seek U earnestly
and to pray wholeheartedly. Amen

Lord, I pray that You grant me
wisdom so that I will have a life
of peace, blessing and happiness.
Give me also wisdom that brings
guidance, protection & confidence.
I pray to have the wisdom that
saves me from evil and enables
me to make right decisions.
Along with that, help me to live
with understanding and discipline
which bring glory to You. Amen.

God Directs Your Plans

Backgrounder on Proverbs 14-17:
Nowhere is wisdom more essential
than in community relationships.
 A heart attitude controlled by
the fear of the Lord is the key to
proper response towards others.
To promote peace with others,
commit to godliness in motives
and thots, tongue & temper as
 well as plans, paths and pursuits.

Lord, You will Direct our Plans:
Commit to the Lord whatever
 you do, and He will establish
 your plans (Prov 16:3).
He who heeds the word wisely
 will find good, and whoever trusts 
in the Lord, happy is he (v20).
Kind words are like honey, sweet to
the soul & healthy for the body (24)
We may throw the dice but the Lord
determines how they fall (v33).

Lord, You want us to submit our
plans to You for Your approval
before we act. In this way, we show
our love for You & submission to U.
Forgive us that sometimes we make
 plans without consulting You God
 for we simply want our own way. 
I am glad You are so interested in
 my life that I can come and talk to
you whenever I want. Thank U for
helping me set good plans. Amen.

Lord, forgive me for my negativity,
perfectionism and critical words to
others, especially the ones I love.
Grant me kind words of life to
bless those around me. Since
my words are born in my heart,
sweeten my soul with your Spirit.
Soften and expand my heart
to hold Your love for others.
Enable my words to be sweet
 to those around me. Amen.

Lord, we thank you God that You
are always carefully managing
the details of our life. For the Lord
directs the steps of the godly.
 Your purpose always prevails,
even though we’re prone to forget
 that & may make our own plans.
How often we look upon God as
 our last resource. We go to Him
because we have nowhere else
to go. But in your mercy, cause
 us to learn that the storms of life
has driven us, not upon the rock,
but to the desired haven. Amen.

A Timely Word from the Lord !!

Nowhere is wisdom more essential
than in community relationships.
A heart attitude controlled by
the fear of the Lord is the key to
proper response towards others.
To promote peace, justice and
prosperity with others, commit to
godliness, in thots & motives as well
as tongue & temper (Prov 14-17).

Lord, You give Timely Word:
The Lord detest the sacrifice of
the wicked, but the prayer of the
upright Pleases Him (Prov 15:8).
Plans fail for lack of counsel, but
with advisors they Succeed (v22)
A man finds joy in giving
an apt reply – and how good
is a Timely Word ! (v23). Amen.

Father, I am grateful that You see
me as righteous just because
of my relationship with Jesus.
But I know You also want me to
choose to live righteously as well.
Grant that my thoughts, words
and actions will always be pleasing
in Your sight so that my prayers
will be pleasing to Your ears.
And enable me every day to do
what’s right in your sight. Amen.

Lord, give me discernment to
know what advice is godly advice;
then help me make good decision.
I want to be known as a godly
person who knows right from
wrong and can give others solid
godly guidance. And as I mature
and grow older, help me to be
a godly advisor who can offer
wise counsel to others. Amen.

Lord, You are the master of
Timely Words. Impress upon me
the folly of seeing timely words
as mere coincidences. For You are
the Master of my circumstances,
and Your timing is impeccable.
You know my needs of wisdom,
guidance or encouragement.
And You coordinate the things
I hear and see. Help me Lord
recognise Yr voice in them. Amen.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=evbA09mwpos

Trust In the Lord !!

The author of Proverbs clearly
states the purpose of the book:
To know wisdom and instructions
(Prov 1:2-5). God wants His people
to be wise and skilful in making
moral and ethical choices. And
the first nine chapters of Proverbs
take the form of a fatherly address
to a young son – a divine primer
for learning the fear of the Lord.

Lord, You Direct as we Trust You:
Trust in the Lord with all your
heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways
acknowledge Him, and He shall
Direct Your Paths (Prov 3:5-6).
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord & depart from evil.
It will be health to your flesh,
and Strength to your bones (v7-8)
Honour the Lord with your wealth,
then your Barns Will Be Filled
to overflowing (v9-10). Amen.

Lord, help me to Trust You and
Your ways and not depend on
my own limited understanding
of things. Help me to acknowledge
You in every area of my life.
If I have shut You out of any part
of my life, I ask that You would
reveal this to me so that I can
invite You to reign there. And
Thank You for Your promise of
making my path straight. Amen.

Lord, thank You for the word of
warning that whenever I’m feeling
afraid or discouraged, these
may be symptoms that there
are places in my life where I am
depending on my own strength.
Right now I purpose to trust You
more and choose to lean on You.
And I choose to lean my weakness
on Your Strength each day. Amen.

Lord, You pledge to meet the
needs of your children. Keep us
from being stingy with our time,
talents or treasure. And deepen
our conviction that we can give
ourselves freely; and that You
will Be Faithful To Provide all
that we need out of Your glorious
riches in Christ Jesus. Amen.