Sovereign LORD!

The all-seeing, all-knowing, all powerful God.
       Your power is absolute!
            Your understanding is beyond my comprehension!
Thank you for you are my ABBA-father.

He frees the prisoners and opens the eyes of the blind!
      He is rebuilding Jerusalem and bringing the refugees back!
Thank you for you are my King and Savior.

Sinking Deep by Hillsongs

Evangelism - is the wick trimmed properly?

This is a commentary to myself...

I have been fasting and praying since October 20th for a month, that came about from a very personal conversation with a friend who confided in me some specific life challenges. As I fast and pray for her and her family, the process has helped me re-evaluate where I stood with respect to my personal faith and walk with Christ.  Sometimes I wonder what all this is about, especially when doubt creeps in, a feeling of loneliness sets in, when I don't have someone in whom I can confide.  But such instances have also been a place of strength, which forces me to look back in life, where I came from, how I got to where I am. These instances have also been the times when I have heard the gentle whispers of my God, a reminder of his promises that he has faithfully carried out, that gives me the courage and strength to keep on, and have in me the expectation of God's glory that I will see.

As I have been fasting and praying, I have been reading random sections of the Bible, and the theme I see is evangelism: build God's temple one person at a time. It's not in grand structures that God resides, but individuals.  It is not just through ordained ministers or priests or preacher's who have critical acclaim that God works.  God works through everyday walk of life people, like ourselves, whom no one knows, if we are willing to allow him to work in us and through us.

Evangelism is the duty of every christian. Each person, regardless of their faith, is the temple of God. God only wishes that the temple is prepared for his glory to descend and transform the individual life. We read this in the book of Ezekiel 33. Here is a God who wants to have a relationship with each one of us, a God who is passionate about you and me.

My desire has been for God to give me opportunities to speak to people about how Christ has transformed my life, and what he has done in my life. During this fast, meditation and prayer, I have also come to realize that I have to defend my faith not just on experiences, but on facts about Christ and the reason for my faith in him. That was the reason for my previous post. Getting back to evangelism, as I read through the random sections of the bible, Psalm 132, where the psalmist talks of priests who are the agents of salvation caught my attention.  And Psalms 134  reads, "Oh, praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, you who serve as the night watchmen in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift your hands in holiness toward the sanctuary, and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem." The key was "lift up your hands in holiness."

Do the agents of salvation, the night watchmen in the house of the LORD, lift up their hands towards the LORD's sanctuary in holiness, as prayers for others are lifted to the LORD? Being right with God while conducting his business is a very serious matter.  We read in Numbers 3:2-4, "2 The names of Aaron’s sons were Nadab (the oldest), Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 3 These sons of Aaron were anointed and ordained (Exodus 29) to minister as priests. 4 But Nadab and Abihu died in the Lord’s presence in the wilderness of Sinai when they burned before the LORD the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded." In Leviticus 10:10, God gives instructions for priestly conduct, "10 You must distinguish between what is sacred and what is common, between what is ceremonially unclean and what is clean. 11 And you must teach the Israelites all the decrees that the Lord has given them through Moses.” There is a command from God to make a conscious decision to distinguish between right and wrong and do that which is right. Only then do our prayers have results. Only then can we as Elijah, Elisha, Samuel, as we walk in obedience to God's commands, speak in God's name, claim in God's name, and pray in God's name.  And miracles will happen.  And hearts will be transformed. For the Bible says that God will do what his servants ask for, even if he has not foretold it to them, to prove to the world that they are indeed his servants.

During these random readings, I came across Exodus 30, and Aaron's task to tend to the trimming of the wicks on the lamp stand, morning and evening; and as he trimmed the wicks, God's command was to burn fragrant incense on the incense altar, with specific instruction to not burn just any incense. This was a command to be carried out generation to generation. The lamp stand and the incense altar stood in the proximity of the ark of the covenant, where God met his priests giving instruction for his people.

The trimming of the lamp peeked my curiosity. I came across this in Wikipedia: in the more modern times, the lamp trimmer was a specialist on board ships that involved maintaining oil lamps. The crewman needed to constantly care for the lamps. Trimming the wicks helped draw oil up from the storage reservoir, so that the flame would be clean and bright.  The lamp trimmer had to be skilled to trim a wick in such a way that it would burn evenly without hot spots, so that it would not need attention again for sometime.   A poorly trimmed wick creates a flame which is dim and smokey. A properly trimmed wick when lit should burn cleanly all the way up to the highest flame it can make. The flame should be at least the width of the wick and even, not ragged.

Evangelism requires us to be the light of God, that others can see. In order for God to act on our efforts to evangelize, we need to make sure that we tend to the wicks, connected to the lamp stands that we are, individually, personally, on a regular basis, morning and evening, continuously, to ensure that the flame is properly casting the light with an intensity that's at its full potential, while our lives are a sweet smelling offering in God's presence. Then, we can proclaim like Elijah, Elisha and Samuel, and God will do mighty works building his temples.

As I pray for my friend, who is not a believer, but who accepted a challenge on October 20th to pray to Jesus Christ for her deliverance, I put my hope in him. As Solomon prayed following the building of the LORD's temple, "And when foreigners hear of you and come from distant lands to worship your great name -- for they will hear of you and of your mighty miracles and your power -- and when they pray towards this Temple, then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you.  Then all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do. They too will know that this Temple I have built honors your name." and God answered, "I have heard your prayer and your petition. I have set this Temple apart to be holy—this place you have built where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart." (1 Kings 8:41-43; 9:3)   I pray for God's love, mercy and grace upon our combined prayers. To God be the all the glory!

11-30-2017 Update:  I finished my month long fasting on 11-20-2017. Not one of my prayer requests was answered. Actually, it seems they are worse off than when I started. Since November 21st I have been asking God, WHY? Today, I have the answer from the book of Matthew, and it's true. God taught me something about myself - I had the right purpose, but my heart was not right. Sometimes we think we are doing God's work, helping others, but God uses those experience to teach us more about ourselves. Today, I ask for forgiveness and recommit myself to God's mercy and love - God wants your obedience more than your sacrifices!

WorshipMob - Break Every Chain

Why I believe in the Bible

It's been more than a year since I posted. It has not been because God has not been active in my life over this time. Every day I experience his hand holding me up, his spirit encouraging and guiding me on, and his prophecies coming true. But, I don't know why I have not posted. Recent conversations with couple of friends with whom I had a chance to share what Christ has done in my life leads me to write this post.

I believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. I have always supported my faith in the Bible and the God of the Bible through my experiences.  I believe the Bible to be God inspired. This was fine for my personal faith enrichment, but how was I going to explain and support this to reason with someone of a different persuasion or just did not believe in the existence of a God. That's where books written by professor John Dickson (The Christ Files: How Historians Know What they know about Jesus; and Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters) and Lee Strobel's The Case For Christ, where references to historical facts and attestation by non-christian historians, present and from antiquity, documenting the birth and person of Jesus Christ is crucial. The Bible is a collection of articles by many different authors written over a period of time all pointing to the same theme - a passionate and compassionate God who loves his creation, (wo)man! The Bible has been the most studied, discussed and dissected collection of articles by both folks who believe and do not believe it to be God inspired.  Yet they are unanimous in their conclusion to the truth about the person and life of Jesus Christ; that cannot be denied.

Prof. John Dickson, a professor of archeology, who became a believer in Christ, persuaded by the evidence presented through his own research that started out to test the veracity of the Bible and its historical context, wrote, "I remain a devoted theist rather than a common sense deist because I'm convinced that the great mind standing behind the rational order of the universe has entered into human affairs in a concrete way in the life of Jesus."

Voddie Bocham, a Christian minister, who did not start out as a Christian, posed this question to an audience: Why I chose to believe in the Bible and answered it in a most succinct manner... "It is a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eye witnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed their writings were divine rather than human in origin." 

Apostle Peter, the first disciple of Christ, an eye witness to the life and works of Jesus Christ, writes in 2 Peter 1:16-21,

16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.

In conclusion, the historical evidence for the bible, the life and person of Jesus Christ and my personal experience of the promises in the Bible lead me to believe in the Bible and the God of the Bible. In the Bible you will find the answers to all life's questions. I continue to find that to be true.  If you sincerely want to find this God, you will find him I am certain. For the Bible says that the God of the Bible is passionate to have a relationship with you.

PS: I want to thank my two friends, Magda and Binu, for the conversations that rekindled the fire in me to get back on my knees and be in the Word in prayer. And as Peter said in 1 Peter 3:15 if someone asks about our hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. Let's build God's temples, one person at a time.

Below is the video of Voddie Baucham's message.

The Just (Righteous) shall live by Faith!

Today staying home with my 13 year old, we read the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, a chapter he picked as it was part of his routine bible reading. For the first time the caption of this blog sank into me as we read this chapter. The verses were,

"And a righteous person will live by faith.  But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away." - Hewbrews 10:37-38

The chapter was about Christ's sacrifice for all humanity, and how it takes away our sins and gives us the privilege of being the sons and daughters of God. The chapter also encourages Christians to persevere in their daily walks to live a life that honors this savior and God. The scriptures, in light of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday that was celebrated this past weekend by Christians all over, just seemed to hit the point.

Who are the "Righteous"? The book of Deuteronomy, chapter 6, verse 25, gives a definition of the "Righteous." It states, "For we are righteous when we obey all the commands of the LORD our God has give us."

Really! Is that at all possible? To obey all the commands of the LORD, at all times! Walk in perfect obedience to God! Recently, another scripture read during our family prayer was an eye opener. In 1 Kings 9:4, we read that God said the following to Solomon, "As for you, if you will follow me with integrity and godliness [righteousness per KJV] as David your father did always obeying my commands and keeping my laws and regulations then I will establish the throne of your dynasty over Israel forever. For I made this promise to your father, David: 'You will never fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.' "

God used David as an example of a person with "integrity" and "godliness." The same David who has had so many short comings in his life before his God! I found that to be incredible!  Yet it filled me with so much hope!  This God is so full of compassion, mercy, kindness, goodness, and love. The way God looks at us is so very different than those around us.  We will not get such treatment from the humanity around us.  We are imperfect creatures, always reacting to the situations we find us in; sometimes the worst in us comes out. Yet there is hope in the sacrifice of Christ!

Chapter 10 of Hebrews encourages us to persevere in the face of adversity. Have faith in the promises of God when circumstances are not favorable.  When prayers seem unanswered, continue to have faith in an all sufficient, omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God to see our predicament in life; to know what's best for us and act in time to continue to mold us for an eternal life with him.

If God called David a man of integrity and godliness, you and I who have been redeemed through the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary's Cross, how much more will this God consider! Let not setbacks in our life separate us from this God, but with renewed hope hold on to the promises of God and continue in faith. God bless you and keep you and me!

Give me Faith - Elevation Worship

Great beginning... Ignominious ending! A lesson from the life of King Saul

There are days when the little that I know about myself, makes me question if I will finish this race and be able to say as Paul said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7.  Then, I tell myself to trust the Lord for the Bible says, "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it." - 1 Thessalonians 5:24.

Few days ago during our nightly family prayer, the scripture we read and discussed was from the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 31. In there we read of the death of King Saul. A very ignominious end to a king who was chosen by Jehovah and anointed by his prophet Samuel to rule over the Israelites. The very first king for the people of Israel! We read, under attack from their enemies, the Philistines, Saul was pinned down and wounded severely.  Also, his three sons were killed in the intense fighting between the Philistines and Israelites. Wounded severely, with no way to escape, Saul committed suicide by falling on his own sword rather than fall into the hands of his enemies alive.  The Philistines cut off his head and mounted his body along with the beheaded bodies of his sons as war trophies outside their city gates.

When we go back to the earlier portions of the book of 1 Samuel, we see the making of the first king of Israel (chapters 8 onward).  Appointed and anointed by God, we read of a naive, scared young man turning into a great fearless warrior and leader for the Israelites. One of his greatest victories was against a huge army of Philistines that Saul fought with mere 600 soldiers (the same enemy that gave him his final defeat!). The Lord gave him victory! We read, "Now when Saul had secured his grasp on Israel's throne, he fought against his enemies in every direction - against Moab, Ammon, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines.  And wherever he turned he was victorious.  He did great deeds and conquered the Amalekites, saving Israel from all those who had plundered them." - 1 Samuel 14:47-48.

Saul became the king at age 30 and ruled the nation of Israel for forty-two years. - 1 Samuel 13:1.  As he grew in power and stature, we see the character traits of Saul developing; and they were not pleasing to God. He was selfish, arrogant, lustful, prideful, impatient, petulant, and disobedient to God.  How could the chosen one of God have such character flaws ???

God had predicted that the Israelites would ask for an earthly king just like all the other nations around them at time. He had prepared for his people to succeed by establishing guidelines for them to follow when it happened. In Moses' book of Deuteronomy, chapter 17, verses 14-20, we read God telling Moses, "You will soon arrive in the land the LORD your God is giving you, and you will conquer it and settle there. Then you may begin to think, 'We ought to have a king like the other nations around us.'  If this happens, be sure that you select as king the man the LORD your God chooses.  You must appoint a fellow Israelite, not a foreigner.  The king must not build up a large stable of horses for himself, and he must never send his people to Egypt to buy horses there, for the LORD has told you, 'You must never return to Egypt.' The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will lead him away from the LORD. And he must not accumulate vast amounts of wealth in silver and gold for himself.  When he sits on the throne as king, he must copy these laws on a scroll for himself in the presence of the Levitical priests.  He must always keep this copy of the law with him and read it daily as long as he lives.  That way he will learn to fear the LORD his God by obeying all the terms of this law. This  regular reading will prevent him from becoming proud and acting as if he is above his fellow citizens.  It will also prevent him from turning away from these commands in the smallest way.  This will ensure that he and his descendants will reign for many generations in Israel."

What we realize as we read the book of 1 Samuel is that as Saul's fame, stature, and power grew, he failed to acknowledge the LORD for who He is! Meanwhile, his successor, King David, though with some of Saul's same character flaws, was keen on acknowledging God for being God! Where Saul was blatantly disobedient to God and defiant when confronted by Prophet Samuel, David acknowledged his sins and made reparations to God and man. We see the inner working of David's mind and heart as he wrote in Psalms 19:12-13, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults.  Keep me from deliberate sins! Don''t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin."  In Psalms 139:23-24 we read David's prayer, "Search me O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life."

It is not so much that we will always be obedient to God's laws and and never fail, rather what matters to God is our free will choices and intentions of our heart.

Lauren Daigle - Trust in You

My God, My God, why have you forsaken me...?

"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" we read in the book of Matthew 27 and Mark 15, Christ cried out in anguish as he hung on Calvary's cross, which means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

I wondered, why was the plea of the Son of God in the final moments of his life not, "My Father, my Father, why have you forsaken me?" Instead, it was "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.?"

Here was the plea of every man in his desperation. Here was the cry of desperation from every man, woman, and child at the lowest point in their lives. Here was my cry when I'd been down and out.

Who was this man hanging on the cross crying out - My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?

If only we could see him through the eyes of Prophet and Apostle John as he wrote the book of the Revelations - the fearsome and awesome God in whose presence one day we will stand!

If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Daniel - a God most adored by hundreds of millions of angels!

If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Isaiah - a holy God in whose glorious presence the mighty Seraphims covered their faces and feet with their wings as they flew and worshiped him in a loud chorus, "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty. The whole earth is filled with his glory!"

If only we could see through the eyes of Prophet Ezekiel - a God who reigns in indescribable majesty and glory!

If one would look with a little care through the lens of the old testament prophets, he was also the ever merciful God, who even today pursues his love - you and I - at any cost even as we have prostituted ourselves to every lustful desire of our evil heart.

Jesus did call out to his father - at the garden of Gethsemane before the trial and suffering began, he cried out "Abba, Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine." (Mark 14:36) But his Father, God the creator of you and me, rejected his son's plea on behalf of his creation (we) by not taking the cup of suffering away from his son.  Rather he let him face the suffering that was our cup to drink, for our sins. His sacrifice was the price paid for you and I to be called the sons and daughters of the most high God.

On Calvary's cross Jesus was not the God who by his God nature somehow lessened his pain and suffering, but endured it all as a man who had lost complete and total control of his situation and had none to turn to for a little solace.

Here was the holy, glorious, awesome, and mighty creator of whom Apostle Paul summarized in the book of Hebrews, chapter 2, "Because God's children are human beings - made of flesh and blood - Jesus also became flesh and blood by being born in human form. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the Devil, who had the power of death." Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and life. The one who believes in me will live, though he dies." (John 11:25)

David's prayer of praise

In the book of 1st Chronicles we find the prayer of David, a man whom power, prestige, fame, wealth, countless success on the battlefield and his peoples' adoration for their king did not corrupt when it came to his relationship with his God. In chapter 29 we read that he was a leader who lead by example. Today when our leaders mostly practice "Do as I say, don't do as I do," it is refreshing to see David led by example. Don't get me wrong, David was a man with many shortcomings, but when it came to his relationship with God, he knew exactly who he was and who his God was. David never forgot that he was the forgotten shepherd boy, whom God brought out of obscurity and ignominy, and made him one of the greatest kings of Israel who united the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Here is his prayer of praise from 1 Chronicles 29:10-20,

10 Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly:

“O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. 12 Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength.

13 “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! 14 But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! 15 We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.

16 “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! 17 I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.

18 “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. 19 Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands, laws, and decrees, and to do everything necessary to build this Temple, for which I have made these preparations.”

20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.

 May God's Word be a lamp unto our feet.

Elevation Worship - I will look up