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“A faithful man will abound with blessings…” (Proverbs 28:20). God is pleased when we work with sincerity and integrity. In particular, God’s work should not be done with slackness. Always do your best, as it is for the Lord. Bible says, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people” (Ephesians 6:7). In Colossians 3:23&24, we are informed about our heart attitude towards our work “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” In the Bible, we read about Joseph who proved his faithfulness to his master when tempted by his master’s wife by not yielding to it.  He was faithful even when he was put in prison. No element of injustice shook him from his faithfulness.  At the end, he became the Prime Minister of Egypt.  Ruth, a Moabite widow, showed her love and faithfulness to her elderly mother-in-law who was also a widow.  She was faithful in her commitment to her family relationship.  Though there was no trace of any goodness by following her mother-in-law, she did it to honor God.  To the surprise of the nation, she became the wife of Boaz, a very rich man.  Her name took the honor of being mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Faithfulness in the works of your hands and towards every relationship that God has blessed you with, always pays in bounty. The Word of God declares, “A faithful man will abound with blessings” (Proverbs 28:20). No matter what the situation be, the God who sees you and has your every detail in His hands would bless you at the right time.  Find comfort in the words, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Is any fear, doubt, anxiety tormenting you as you look at your future? Be encouraged to know that when God holds your future you need not worry about anything. He closely watches over you. You can overcome every situation through His power embedded in you. In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” So, do not allow fear to have hold on you. God has great plans for you as per Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Smith Wigglesworth was a great preacher. In the later part of his ministry, through God, he raised many dead people and instant miracles happened. But, when we see the early stages of his life, he was a plumber. Initially, his wife used to preach and pray for the people. He would just sit at the back and he would give water to his wife. At the age of 45, one day his wife could not come and preach; so all the dignitaries on stage asked him to pray. As he was nervous, he refused to pray.  But they persisted and so he took the microphone with much nervousness and began to pray. He said, “Lord, heal them” and the people to whom he pointed, fell without his knowledge. All who were gathered were blessed through him. They all saw God’s glory! Humble beginnings cannot be despised! As John 1:13 says, “You are children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”  So, walk as Jesus walked on this earth.  Use your authority and declare God’s kingdom in your life, family and nations.  Remember that you carry the heavenly Father’s gene in which there is no flaw.  So every day when you wake up in the morning, instead of underestimating yourself, say, “I am special. I am created in God’s image.  I have a God-given purpose in this earth.  I have authority over every wiles of the devil.  I will enjoy God’s kingdom here on earth.” Yes, you are already labelled as a winner! Christ is your hope. He will prosper you.

“I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25) God Almighty loves us and He is waiting to help us at times of need when we call upon Him. He is compassionate and loves to forgive the iniquities and sins, to claim everyone as His own. The Bible says in Micah 7:18, 19 “Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.  You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”  What an encouraging word it is! Men may not forget the mistakes we commit but God’s nature is to forgive our sins and cast it away into the depths of the sea. He remembers no more of them.

There was a man in England who went on a holiday across the continent, taking his Rolls Royce car on a boat.   The motor of the car went into some fault while he was driving around Europe. He wired a message to the Rolls Royce people in England, “I am having some trouble with my car.  What do you recommend me to do?”  Immediately, the Rolls Royce people flew a mechanic over to the place where he was! The mechanic set right the car and flew back to England.  The man continued his holiday.  But, a killing thought ransacked his mind, “How much would I be billed for this?”  As soon as he got back to England, he sought them and asked, “How much should I pay for the repair done?”  He received a letter stating: “Dear Sir, there is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls Royce.” This is justification.  You are precious than this Rolls Royce car.  You have been made in God’s image! Beloved, God loves you too much to hold any record of sin against you.  Be glad and rejoice in the forgiveness you have received from God.  Do not be ensnared by the lies the devil who always trumpets, “You are a sinner.  You cannot live a righteous life.  You are unworthy.”  Take the following promise to your heart and delight in His goodness and mercy “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25).  Yes! When God forgives, he forgets. So, move on with your life trusting God in all.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8)Our loving Lord Jesus expects us to wait at His feet and meditate on His word to get His guidance. Yes, there is wisdom in God’s word and you will find His joy and peace, which abides with you forever.  Beloved, you have the “Great Instructor” who is constantly watching to show you His wonderful ways.  Lean on Him and enjoy His kindness and goodness. A family of husband, wife and children loved the Lord dearly and lived happily. There was no quarrel or problem between them. Suddenly the news came that their mother-in-law was coming to stay with them. By nature, she was critical of the daughter-in-law and always used to find fault with her. On hearing this, the neighbours said, “All these days you were happy; but now your mother-in-law is coming…. You’ll be facing problems from now.” But the wife looked up to the Lord with fasting and prayed earnestly, “Lord, fill my mother-in-law with Your love. Change her to love You and our family; shower Your blessings upon our family through her….” The mother-in-law arrived. She began to talk harshly towards the daughter-in-law. Not minding it, the daughter-in-law bore everything patiently. Days passed! When her mother-in-law suffered with physical ailments, the daughter-in-law took care of her lovingly. On seeing this, the mother-in-law was moved in her heart and she said, “Oh, how I’ve tortured her but still she is patient and lovingly cares for me….” So saying, she repented for her faults and began to love the daughter-in-law. After that peace, oneness of mind and unity overflowed in that family. God Almighty says, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?” (Jeremiah 32:27).  Yes, nothing is impossible for the Lord.  Whatever may be the problem in your family, depend on His wisdom and counsel. He is the best Counselor who resides within you to lead you in peaceful paths.  Cling on to the Lord firmly leaving human wisdom. God says, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:8).  Accordingly, He will teach you and lead you in the right path. He will grant you His divine peace.

He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; He hears their cry and saves them.” (Psalm 145:19)Are you expecting a miracle today? God is by your side to give you  hope and strengthen you to receive it.  Yes! We read in the scriptures, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth” (Psalm 145:18) and “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).  Whenever we call upon His name, He comes near us and says, “I will be a strong fortress for you.”  Here is a testimony from Mrs. Mersilla (Jharkand) to build your faith which is about a supernatural miracle that her husband Mr. Deepak Hembrom who is a Assistant Pastor, received from God.

“We got married in 2003.  We committed ourselves for the Lord’s ministry.  In September 2013, my husband met with an accident and succumbed to major injuries in the latter end of his spinal cord.   Even after a sequence of treatments, he was unable to walk or sit or bend or even to stand.  This broke our heart.  At this juncture, we participated in a Jesus Calls meeting conducted in Ranchi in 2014.  During prayer time, Sis. Evangeline Paul Dhinakaran applied blessed oil and prayed for his healing.  On the very same day, we were surprised to see him healed.  He did not have any pain!  We began to support Jesus Calls ministry.  Moreover, I am an ambassador of Jesus Calls ministry.  As we participate in various activities of this ministry, we have been blessed much.  All glory to God.” God is good!  It is very true that God hears every cry of our heart.  The God, who saw the brokenness of this couple, wiped their tears by granting healing.  Beloved, what is your need today? What is your cry today? Call out the name of Jesus, the name above all names.  The Bible says, “He fulfils the desires of those who fear him; He hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:19).  Nothing is impossible for Him.  The miracle-worker would pave way for you by breaking the iron gates. God who created the heaven and the earth is your loving Father!  He is waiting to crown you with His goodness.  Ask and receive His mercies and blessings.

So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) God calls us to give what we can to those in need.  So, always be ready to bless others with what you have. God is the source of all the abilities and talents, which are to be used for His glory alone. As God’s children, we need to give and it should be a habitual thing. Bible says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).The Lord expects us to build His kingdom on this earth by helping the needy and the downtrodden. The more you give, the more you receive (Luke 6:38). It is God who gives the increase. L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corp., who had given approximately 25% of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, “The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord.” J. D. Rockefeller said, “I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week.” The history has recorded many millionaires and billionaires who were “great givers.”  We read in Luke 12:48, “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.”    Always be ready to do good by all the means you can, in all the ways you can and to all the people for as long as you can.  God has already implanted in every child of His, a desire to give.  It is the fear, which holds you back. Shake it off by trusting in Him and respond to God’s call to bless others by your act of “giving.” Bible assures the promise to you, “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25). By giving, prosperity enters your family and you will not lack any good thing. If you think of all the goodness that you have received so far from God’s hands in an immeasurable manner, you will certainly want to keep giving!

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.   (1 Peter 5:6) The greatest example of humility from the Bible is Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Creator of the universe, who is above all of us, decided to humble Himself to the lowest and wash the feet of His disciples. The Bible tells us to do the same thing, to humble ourselves and to commit our entire lives to God. When we take the first step and do this, the Lord will lift us up to great measure. We have to be humble before others too (1 Peter 5:5). When you are humble before others, you reflect the humility of Christ. People will start to see Christ in you. There’s a story about a man named Ben who used to go and pray at the altar of his church every day. Ben humbled himself before God and said just a few words “Hello Jesus, I am Ben.” Every day the pastor would notice Ben coming alone to church. Few months passed by and Ben was nowhere to be seen in the church. The pastor heard that he was sick and visited him at the hospital. Ben was lying there in the hospital bed all alone. The pastor sat next to him and apologised for not coming to visit him earlier. But Ben smiled and told him “No Pastor, everyday a person in white comes to visit. He sits next to me and says “Hello Ben, this is Jesus” and He leaves. He has been visiting me since the day I came to the hospital. Yes, my dear friends that’s how our Lord values a person with a humble heart. James 4:6 talks about how God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Be humble and God will surely bless you. When you consider Jesus Christ as everything in your life, none of the worldly things will matter anymore. Even if you have all the riches and property in the world, even if you have all the degrees in the world, nothing will matter to you because you have humbled your life before Christ. Jesus has said, “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:12). Yes,God will surely show favour towards you because you are humble. Always remember to stay humble and kind.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.” (Exodus 13:21)Once a man and his family walked from one village to another as there were no transport facilities in those days. On the way, they had to pass through a thick jungle. In the middle of the jungle, they discovered that they had lost their way. They did not know what to do. They were aware that wild animals would sometimes come that way. But the only blessing they had was that they as a family, loved and believed in the Lord Jesus. So, they knelt down, looked to the Lord and prayed fervently. At that time, they saw a man passing through that way to their great surprise. Though they had waited for a long time, they could not see anyone in the vicinity. But as this had happened soon after their prayer, they were delighted and exclaimed, “The Lord has sent His angel to go before us.” So, they spoke to him and found the right way to get out of the jungle. Thus they had received the miracle, being led by the Lord and reached their destination safely.

If you too seek the Lord in your life, He will go before you to lead you.  He will never let you down. When you are sitting in the dark labyrinth of your life, remember what the Bible says, “For it is You who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness” (Psalm 18:28).  God will turn all darkness into light, the rough places into level ground. As God led the Israelites, He will guide you and guard you.  “And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night” (Exodus 13:21).  The presence of God will thwart every enemy from your life until you reach His assigned goal.  Do not be disappointed by the whirlwinds of life.  Say aloud with faith, “Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me” (Micah 7:8).