| |
The Bible says in Deut 31: 8,6,3
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
The LORD thy God, he will go over before thee, and he will destroy these nations from before thee, and thou shalt possess them: and Joshua, he shall go over before thee, as the LORD hath said.
Here in the above verses we read what a good God we have.
Let us consider a pond during the rainy season. When the pond is filled with water, there will be lot of fishes and frogs. This is the time that crows also come to eat the dead fish from the pond. There would be greenery around with flowers and also a lot of birds would be moving around this place. There would be people taking bath in this pond and also buffaloes being brought here to be cleaned up. But during summer time the water would dry up. There would be no fishes, no frogs, no people to take bath, the leaves would be falling from the trees and the pond would have dried up. When there is no water the pond dries up and stands alone all by itself.
This is what happened in the life of the prodigal son. As the story says the Father had two sons and the second son, took His share from the Father and went His way. Now till he had money with him he also had friends. He enjoyed life with the money that he had. But after his money was over his friends deserted him and he was all alone. Finally he was ready to take care of the pigs. But we see that this son remembered his Father and the Father also had not forgotten him. When the son returned the Father did not make him a servant but received him as his son.
In the same way in our lives we may have strength, wealth, joy and we may have all the people with us. But when we loose our wealth, our position then there will be no one with us. But the Bible says in Deut 31:8
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
When the son came back the Father received him not as a servant but as his son. Here the Lord says that whatever may be our sorrow, difficulty or trouble, He will never leave or forsake us, so He tells us not to be dismayed. As the son was feeding the swine's, he had a faith upon his Father. He thought within himself that he would ask the Father to keep him as his servant and not as his son. He knew that the Father would definitely keep Him and that was his faith. That is what the Lord says in our life, ' Not to fear and to be strong.' Whatever may be our state today, may be we are defeated, whatever may be our sickness. We must never be dismayed as the Lord will never forsake us and leave us alone. When we are weak and we go to the Lord with our whole mind, strength and faith, then the Lord will definitely fulfill His words in our life. Not to be dismayed means to always keep our faith on the Lord.
GOD WILL NEVER LEAVE NOR FORSAKE YOU
The Bible says in Heb 13:5,6
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Apostle Paul advised the people not to desire for wealth and riches but to be content with things they had and to keep faith on the Lord's promise that He would never leave them nor forsake them. So then can we lack anything in our lives ? We will not lack anything in our lives. We have His Word which says that He will not leave us nor forsake us. When the Lord is emphatically telling us this promise then what shall we lack for in our lives. Wealth and riches should not be a reason for bringing hindrances, sorrow, difficulties or sickness in our lives as the Lord will not leave nor forsake us. This God is living today. He knows and understands our difficulties our sorrows and our faith. He is our God who will see everything. This is the reason Apostle Paul advised the people as mentioned above, as the Lord would not leave them nor forsake them. Definitely the Lord will not keep us hungry and will not forsake us. Wealth and riches should not be reason for us to fall into sorrow and difficulties. We should be in faith and should not be dismayed. When the time came for the prodigal son to eat with the pigs, he did not loose hope. He remembered that his Father was alive and thought that if he went to him he would definitely do something for him. How ever difficult situation we may be in, we must have the faith and hope that our God is alive. He will not fail nor forsake us. So then we can boldly say as the Bible says in Heb 13:6
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
We can say that the Lord is my helper, my comforter, my provider and my guide. We must cast all our burdens upon Him. When we trust the Lord in this manner, then what can the world and the people do against us? When the Lord will not forsake us then what will our lives lack for. We should have faith on our God. More than wealth and riches when the Lord is with us we will have the victory at all times. But when the Lord is not in our lives then we become a loser. Let it be our businesses or our families, if the Lord is not in the home then that home will break. There will be no peace in that home. We may or may not have food, but we must keep our faith on the Lord.
GOD WHO PROSPERS YOU
We see the life of Joseph in Gen 39:2-5
And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.
And it came to pass from the time that he had made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.
We all know about the life of Joseph how he suffered and went through sorrows. Every body left him, but because the Lord was with him he received a blessing from the Lord and became a prosperous man. Remember this that when the Lord is with you then you will have a prosperous life, and your life will never become dry. We will be blessed and there will be fruit in our life. There will be joy. Now Joseph became a prosperous man and he got a place in his masters house. As the Lord was with him, all his hearts desire was fulfilled. What every he wanted the Lord would do and the master saw this. The master saw the blessings, joy and peace and how he was taking care of the people.
As the Bible says in Gen 39:3
And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.
This is what should be first seen in our lives. Especially those who say that they are filled with the Holy Spirit. We should first examine our own lives. We have to see how we are having success in our lives. We may be a child in the Lord or may be in the Lord for many years. We have to check the truth in our life and see if we are a fruitful grandmother, mother or father.
We see that the master gave Joseph authority, and made him the overseer of his house. When the Lord is with us we will not become the tail. We will not go lower, we should understand this. Our God is mighty and wonderful. If He is there in our lives or in our homes then we will go higher. He will raise us so that the people will have to lift their heads and look at us. He will not put us to shame. Yesterday, today and forever He is the same God. He is great in mercy, in blessing and in His work. He has not changed but it is we who have changed. As the Lord was with Joseph during difficult and sorrowful times the work of His hands were blessed. Then he became the overseer in that house. First he got a place in the house and then the master saw the blessings because of him and then he made Joseph the overseer. Now as the days passed by in the eyes of the master he looked great.
Now because of Joseph the house of the Egyptian was blessed. Inside and outside everywhere there were blessings. Because the pond had water in it, the surrounding place was beautiful to look at. As Joseph was there in that home, and because the Lord was with him, there were blessings on all sides. Whatever the difficulties when the Lord says that He is with us we have to keep the faith, and the Lord will continue to bless us. Joseph went through much problems but ran towards the Lord. Did the Lord forsake him? Even in the jail the Lord was with him. The Bible says in Gen 39:21
But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.
Even in the jail the Lord gave him grace. When the Lord is there with us then we can receive such grace and mercy in our lives. There may be wealth and people may come and go but when the Lord is there in our lives then our lives will be fruitful. He will not bring us down, but will make us a vessel of blessing. We will not be sorrowful when He is with us.
BE COURAGEOUS - GOD IS WITH YOU
The Bible says in Is 63:9
In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.
The Lord delivered and carried his people. When our little children go with us they walk for some time, then they make a fuss to walk and we carry them. So during our difficult times, He sends His angels and carries us through.
There is a story told about a man who was walking by. During his happy days he always looked by and he saw one more pair of footsteps by his side. At that time he was happy and exclaimed ‘ The Lord is coming with me, the Lord is coming with me. I can see’. And he went along happily in life. Now when he faced problems and difficulties in his life at that time he did not see the pair of footsteps. Now he was broken hearted and thought that during his happy days when he was rejoicing and living in peace, at that time the Lord was walking with him. But during his sorrowful days when he walked with nothing in his hands to eat, with no sweets in his pocket, and was unable to walk, at that time he did not see the Lords footsteps. That is the time he heard the sweet voice telling him ‘ Till that time I walked with you, but now I am carrying you in my bosom.’
We may not know, but we have to keep faith on the Lord because the Lord is speaking to us through the Word. He tells us that He will never leave nor forsake us. Whatever the sorrow or the difficulty the Lord will never leave nor forsake us. So under all circumstances we must remember that the Lord is with us. Apostle Paul advised the people not to sorrow for wealth, because the Living Lord had told them ‘I will not leave thee nor forsake thee’. Under all trying circumstances we must stand in the name of our Living Lord Jesus and then we can see His mighty work in our lives. Else we will not be able to see any work from the Lord. The God that was with Joseph was also with Jehosaphat. The Bible says in 2 Chron 17:3-5
And the LORD was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim;
But sought to the Lord God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings of Israel.
Therefore the LORD stablished the kingdom in his hand; and all Judah brought to Jehoshaphat presents; and he had riches and honour in abundance.
As the Lord was with him, he received great wealth and honour. He walked the righteous path of his father David. He did not walk in the way of foolishness and idol worship. Not according to the laws but according to what the Lord was teaching him. He had prepared his heart to live according to what the spirit filled people told him to do and because of this the Lord did not put him down but exalted him. The Lord established the kingdom under him. Let us remember that when the Lord is with us we will take every step according to his will. The first step is that we will prepare to do everything according to His will. Jehoshaphat did not do like the Israelites who did not have the truth in their lives. Many talk much about the law, but the Spirit does will not work in them, the Word does not work in their lives. So Jehoshaphat was far from all this and did as the Lord told him to do. He prepared to live a life according to the will of God and God established the kingdom in his hands. The people would have prepared to live their lives in obedience to his words. The Lord would have given him wisdom to take care of the affairs of the kingdom.
So as the Lord was with Jehoshaphat he went higher and received the Lords blessing of wealth and honour. This is what will happen in a good believers life. Where the Lord is, in that house there will be blessings, peace and that will be a house of joy. That house will become a witness for the Lord on all sides. As the presences of water in the pond makes the surrounding beautiful, in the same way we become a vessel of blessing on all sides. Hallelujah !
So we should keep the Lord with us at all times. It is not for a day, a month or a year but forever and forever we have to try to keep our God with us in our family and in our homes.
Let us read 2 Chron 15:1,2
And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:
And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.
So we have to understand that the life in Christ is not an easy path. In all difficulties, sorrows we should remember that our God will not leave our hands and say 'I will definitely reach to the other side. I will definitely have the victory in my life.' With this courage we have to live our lives. Else we become people who do not heed the Word of God, who do not obey the Word of God. We become like people who keep the law in letter and not in spirit.
The Lord goes far away from such people. But His Word says that if we seek Him we will find Him. Where and how will we search for Him ? We have to live our lives according to the Word of God, and then you will find your God. The Word of God is living and we will get a revelation when the Spirit of God is with us. When the true Spirit is with us then we can know the meaning of that Word in our lives. So the Lord said that He would go and send the Spirit. No man could teach but the Spirit of the Lord. To understand the Word one needs the Spirit of God. That is the reason the Lord chose people to teach the Word. Let us not be caught up in the law. We have to open our ears to what the Lord is speaking through the Word. As the book of revelations says if you have an ear hear what the Spirit says. Otherwise we will call to the Lord and He will say ‘ I do not know you’. In the last day the Lord will say ‘ I don not know you’. We may say ‘ I am filled with the Holy Spirit , I have given prophecy, when I pray the Holy Spirit comes’. But the Lord would say ‘ I do not know you’. So we should live our lives according to what the Lord says. Then we will not go down but higher in our lives.
We have seen the life of Joseph and Jehoshaphat. As the Lord was with them and as they went in truth they went higher. They became the chief people. Joseph became the supervisor, he received grace in the jail. What ever may be the bondage or evil if you trust in the Lord He can make your home free. The Lord who worked in the life of the jailer will he not work in our lives ? That means we have forgotten our Lord who holds our hands and says ‘ I will never leave you’. So we have to believe our mighty God and then we can see many fruits in our life, else we are nothing.
A story
In a particular house a child died and the parents were in deep sorrow. At that time a Sanyasi came there. They got angry asking him why he had come, giving him money every day was of no use as their son had died that day. At that time the Sanyasi told them ‘ Show me a house that does not have a door, then surely there will be no death in your house.' Now is there any house without a door. For every house there is a door way for entrance. Which house is there in which there is no sorrow or difficulty. Every house has sorrow, difficulty and evil.
That is why Jesus said ‘ Be of good cheer , I have overcome the world.’. This Word has to work in our life . When will this Word work? It will be during our times of difficulty. During our times of difficulty the Lord will test us, not during the times of joy. It is at the time when sorrow comes in your life that the Lord can see the truth in your life. Whoever it may be, it is at times of difficulty, at the time when we fall and when we have nothing with us, when we are empty and we lift our hands to the Lord then the Lord can put His glory in our lives. The Word has to work in our lives. It is important that the living Word should work in our lives. Then we can see joy, peace and rest in our lives else a bad time can also come in our life.
During creation the Lord separated night and day, light and darkness, good and evil, man and women. The Lord separated everything. He can do everything in our life. We have to believe in this living God. We have to keep our mind on His Word, the Lord has come to give us new life. Whatever the Lord spoke is living today also. We have to live our lives according to His Word. The Lord was with them and they all had joy, peace and rest. If the Lord is with us in our homes then we will never go lower in our lives, our home will become a home of blessing and happiness. Our life will become one of blessing. The Bible says in Is 54:10
For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee.
His grace will never change and we have to remember this. Whatever the sorrow or difficulty the Lord says that His peace will always be with us in our homes. No body can steal this peace from our lives. If the Lord is with us His peace will always be with us as His grace is new everyday. The Bible says in Lam 3:22,23
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.
They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.
It is important that we remember this. David who tasted the grace of God said about this grace in Ps 63:3.
Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
A true incident
When I was a student I remember the story told by our teacher about her life. In her earlier days the teacher was a worldly girl. Her friends mother had given her a Bible. Once as she read the Bible along with her friends and prayed in the hostel room the anointing of the Holy Spirit came upon her in a mighty way. After she came home she narrated her experience with joy to her parents. She told them how she was unable to explain the joy she received after being filled with the Holy Spirit. Now she felt something new in her life.
Now during her holidays she went home and started to pray with her family. As she was praying the Holy Spirit came like a mighty wind and they all were filled with joy. Then she reminded them, how some of their own land was occupied by goondas to make liquor, and she said let us pray that we get this land into our hands, and then we can do something in that land. They all sat and prayed in the night and the next day they found the place empty. Some police people came there and the goondas left everything and ran away.
The teacher built a school in that place. There were classes up to the eight standard. This is the testimony of the school that without praying for the children she would never allow the children to go to their classrooms. Even when the students came late she would instruct the teachers to gather them separately and only after prayer they would be allowed to go to their classes. Here we see that after the Holy Spirit came in a persons life the person did not go down. That home was a witness, then the parents believed, and they requested prayer for that place. And as they prayed for that place that place was blessed. Now she is old and knows how mighty the Spirit of the Lord is who has given that place in her hands. Now she waits to hand it over to someone who is the right person. She valued the Spirit of God. Because the Holy Spirit came in her life that home became a blessed home. She became a vessel of blessing in that village. For thousands to study in that village there was a school. The teacher used to witness about the Lord to all the students. I also am a sinner who studied in that school. Here we see how blessed we can become when the Spirit of the Lord comes in our life.
If the Lords Spirit is with us then we will never go down and will grow in our life. We have to check the spirit within us. The Lord is mighty and today also He is working in a mighty way. Nobody can limit His grace and nobody can limit His blessings and His work. He is a mighty God. We have to check where we were last year and where we are today. How is the Lord working in our life, how is He answering our prayers. We have to check ourselves. Else we may loose everything and will have to eat what was given to the pigs. When we have wisdom, honor, power then every body will be with us. When we loose this then nobody will be with us. That day like the prodigal son we will also remember the Father. He repented and came back. Today we are all like that person. Like that thief hanging on the cross, we are all sinners. Today also, about His kingdom, about His works, about His grace and about His works we have to know what is good and what is bad. If we examine ourselves then the Lord is not far but is within us.
|
|
|
