Spiritual Landmines

Introduction: Landmines prevents the advancement of enemy’s force. It will either kill or lame all those step in it.  Therefore, soldiers are to use the detector wisely before they walk on. There are, spiritual landmines too, used by Satan to, lame our walk with God and to destroy God’s will in our life. But, we are given His Word to diffuse devil’s landmine kept on our path. Let’s find spiritual landmines set by the enemy in the light of the Scripture.  

I. Pride: It causes damage to our spiritual life. It is the sign of one’s destruction (Proverbs 16:18), above all God hates the proud and stand against them (Psalm 6:17; 1 Peter 5:5). The powerful instrument to diffuse the landmine “pride” is humility (James 4:10). Let’s also know that “to be boastful of our humility is another form of pride.

II. Hypocrisy: It is another potential landmine to destroy our walk before God. The hypocrite has no hope when his soul departs (Job 27:8). They can do untold damage with their mouth (Proverbs 11:9). But, the triumphing of hypocrite is short ant their joy is for moment (Job 20: 4-5).

III. Unbelief: It is devil’s another sneaking landmine. Often believers are hit by it badly and departed from the living God (Hebrews 3:12). Faith in the living God is the only weapon to destroy this landmine because: "without faith it is impossible to please him (Hebrews 11:6). Except Joshua and Caleb others could not entered into the Promised Land because of unbelief (Hebrews 3:19). Let’s believe what we have heard (Hebrews 2:1).

IV. Indifference: We are often indifferent to worldliness in our churches and families without knowing its consequences (John 2:15-17). To avoid worldliness first, we are to come out of it. Second, let’s set our affection on things above, not on things on the earth.'" (Col. 3:2.). Third, we are to obey to what God says in Romans 12:2. We tend to be indifferent to the needs of the needy in our midst. Worldliness sometimes deafens our ears to God’s call for repentance.  

V. Unforgiveness: The landmine “Unforgiveness” is potential enough to separate the families, divide the church and to harm the harmony between us and God.  We often chose not to forgive others (Matthew 18:21) thus invite self-infliction upon us (Matthew 18:35). Therefore let us forgive others as Christ has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32).  

Conclusion: Friends, today we are made aware of spiritual landmines which are potential to destroy us eternally. Let’s guard ourselves from them by the power of God the Holy Spirit.

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

God’s Purpose Behind our Trials (Psalms 119:71)

Pain and sufferings often prevent us from trusting God and in His sovereignty. The unanswered prayers, loss of our near ones and dear ones, terrible tragedies in life creates doubts about His existence. But, God’s faithful in the Bible and in the History of Christianity had found pleasure and divine purpose behind their pain.   Affliction enabled Psalmist to learn more of God’s Law. Or in other words it is his affliction that prevented Psalmist from going astray (Psalms 119:71). Apostle Paul learned God’s grace is greater than his weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Prophet Jeremiah’s outward affliction and inward turmoil that led him toward despair caused him to praise “God’s Faithfulness (Lamentations 3: 19-24). Polycarp the bishop of Smyrna (155 A.D.) converted his martyrdom at stake as pulpit to proclaim 86 years of God’s goodness in his life. The believers in the primitive Church wanted to be more than conquerors in all their sufferings rather than being separated from Christ’s love (Romans 8:36-38).

Here is an another inspiring story from the life of Christian faithful believer and prominent hymn writer Annie Johnson Flint who wrote her famous hymn "He Giveth More Grace" and many inspiring poems dealing with faith and triumph in time of life’s trials and sufferings. Anne had lost both parents before she was six years old. The sisters were brought up by the childless Christian couple, the Flints, who adopted them. After high school, she spent one year in teacher training and had a position offered to her. Later in her second year of teaching, she begun to suffer arthritis. She was forced to give up her job due to the severity of arthritis. The death of both of her adoptive parents within a few months of each other left Annie and her sister alone again. The twice-orphaned children had come to a real “Red Sea place” in their lives. However, God had purpose behind her sufferings. God used broken-hearted Flint to comfort thousands of broken hearted for His glory.

Therefore, dear friends let’s consider suffering in our Christian life as beneficial. Gold needs fire to be purified, iron needs heat to be straightened, and clay needs to be trampled to become a usable and honorable vessel. As we read about Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and even our Lord, we realize that God has a purpose in trials. God fulfills His purposes as we trust Him. Certainly, Satan cannot overcome the Christian who knows his Bible and understands the purposes of God. 

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

Count Your Blessings (Job 1:21; Ephesians 1:3)

In the book of Job chapter 1 we see Job’s wife pointed out only the bad things as the reasons to curse God but Job pointed out the Good things “The LORD gave” unto him and unto his family to praise God. Job’s words were not only the words of faith but also the words of faithful. It is one of Satan’s tactics to show you God as cruel by magnifying the calamities you are going through. But we as children of God should thank Him and count the good “The LORD gave” us. The incomparable good “The LORD gave” us is Christ who laid down His life for us. Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:3 says that “We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

The hymn “Count your Blessings” was written by Johnson Oatman, Jr., a famous and one of the important and prolific gospel song writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Though he wrote over 5,000 hymn texts, the hymn “Count your Blessings” is considered his finest hymn. “Count your Blessings” is a song of thankfulness to God for all the blessings that He bestowed upon us. One writer said about Count Your Blessings, “It is like a beam of sunlight that has brightened up the dark places of the earth.” During the revival in Wales it was one of the hymns sung at every service.

Jeremy Taylor was a 17th-century English cleric who was severely persecuted for his faith. But though his house was plundered, his family left destitute, and his property confiscated, he continued to count the blessings he could not lose. He wrote: "They have not taken away my merry countenance, my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still left me with the providence of God, and all His promises … my hopes of Heaven, and my charity to them, too, and still I sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate. God the ultimate source of my joy and salvation has chosen me to sit upon this little handful of thorns to count all the blessings that “He gave”.

Dear friends, let’s learn to count our blessings when life is clouded with troubles and loaded with burdens because “God is over all” and everything is under His control. When we see others with their land and gold let’s still “count our blessings and trust in the promise that Christ has promised us with His wealth untold. We have God’s promise to meet all our needs “According to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

Spiritual Mathematics: To Grow in the Lord

Introduction: The basic operations of mathematics are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Similarly, these fundamental operations can be applied to spiritual mathematics found in the Bible.  Without knowing addition, subtraction, multiplication and division one cannot go further in mathematics. Similarly, without these qualities one cannot grow and have intimacy with God. Let’s look into the Word of God to know spiritual qualities that are to be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided in our spiritual life from the Word of God.

Addition: The Word of God sternly warns us not to add anything to the Revealed Word of God (Revelation 22:18).May none of us be guilty of adding to the Bible. But, we are told in 2 Peter 1:7 of seven things that we must add to our faith. If we do not add these, we will fall; if we add them, we shall never fall. May the dear Lord help us to be good in addition.

Subtraction: Again we are warned not to subtract even a single iota from the revealed Word of God (Revelation 22:19). But, we should subtract all malice, guile, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking from our lives (Ephesians 4:31). May the Lord enable us to subtract all the malicious characters that make our soul unhealthy.

Multiplication: Jude verse: 2 says that believers are to multiply in “Peace and love” “Peace” talks about our right relationship with God and “love”  deals with our right relationship with mankind. Peace and love is the sign of our inward growth. If we grow inwardly His Word will multiply outwardly as it multiplied in the primitive Church mentioned in (Acts 6:7). But the sad reality is that, often we are not good in multiplication.

Division: Divisions in the name of caste, class and divisions in any form and in any name among the believers is abominable to God (1 Corinthians 1:10). But, the Word of God encourages us to divide His Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Dividing God’s Word is nothing but handling it in a way that brings glory to God in our day to day life. God’s judgment and His shame of disapproval will come upon those who mishandle it.  

Conclusion: Friends, let’s search our hearts, Let the divine light shed upon our hearts to find the things that help us to excel in our spiritual mathematics.

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj 

Things that Believers Are To Do Always

Introduction: The grace of God enables us to do the things that God wants us to do in our day to day walk with Jesus here on this earth. We can do all that God wants us to do because Christ is the source of our strength (Philippians 4:13). Second, we have Jesus our High Priest praying for us in heaven incessantly (Hebrews 7:25). Third, He is Faithful and knows our ability to go through (I Corinthians 10:13). Finally, we can do all things because God is able to make all grace abound toward His children that they may abound to every good work (II Corinthians 9:8). Having this faith and hope in Christ Jesus let’s spend few to minutes to learn “Things that Believers are to do always”.

1. Confident Always (II Corinthians 5:6). We shouldn’t give no room for doubt at any time. Faith increases by hearing the Word of God.
2. Triumph Always (II Corinthians 2:14): Outside of Christ there is no triumph, but in Christ we can enjoy all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). 
3. Pray Always (Luke 18:1; 21:36): We are admonished by Jesus and by His apostles to pray always Ephesians 6:18; 5:20. Christians should pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17), always. We should never forget to pray for the fellow Christians (I Corinthians 12:26).
4. Ready to Answer Always: we are to be ready always to answer to every men who asks us a reason of the hope that is in us, with meekness and fear (I Peter 3:15; Corinthians 15:58).
5. Steadfast Always: We are the partakers of the afflictions of the Gospels therefore we are to be steadfast in the Lord always (II Timothy 2:2; II Timothy 1:8; II Timothy 4:5; Philippians 2:15 16).
6. Testify Christ Always: Christians are to be ready always to testify for Christ as stated in II Corinthians 4:5-6.

Conclusion: Dear friends, God is faithful to reward for all that we do for His glory. The Word of God says, for not one sacrifice, one deed done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ will be in vain. Therefore, “Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9).

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

Faith that Believers should have

Introduction: Faith is not the Good work that we can do, but rather it is a, great and precious gift from God Himself. He gives faith in the heart of a person who is rightly related to Him through Jesus Christ. We are called believers because we received the gift of faith from above. However, the situations we face, trials we go through prevents us from having absolute faith in Him. Therefore it is good for us to check time to time to know what type of faith we have in Him. Let’s spend few minutes to know what type of faith that we have in Him right now

1. No faith: The disciples had faith in Jesus when everything was normal. But in Mark 4:35-41, we read about their encounter with storm. When situation went out of control they had no faith in Jesus and asked Jesus “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (v. 38). The question revealed their lack of trust in God. Accordingly, Christ responded, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (v. 40). Like them, when we question whether or not God cares about us at all, we demonstrate our lack of faith.
2. Little faith: We see this weak trust in God demonstrated in Matthew 16:5-10. The Pharisees and Sadducees had asked Jesus for signs. Similarly, the disciples too refused to have full faith in Jesus even after seeing Jesus feed 5,000 people and then 4,000 more (vv. 9-10). Because, they were still concerned about their physical provision. Often, we too have little faith when we are focused only on signs and earthly worries instead of learning the greater spiritual principles God wants to teach us.
3. Failing faith. Jesus prophesied that Peter would experience a faith failure (Luke 22:31-32). In other words, there are forces challenging our faith, and sometimes we will fail to trust God. But even when we do, we are welcome to return to the Lord and seek His forgiveness. Our heavenly Father will even allow us to teach others about His unfailing faithfulness.
4. Great faith: When Jesus met the centurion, it became the perfect opportunity to teach the disciples about great faith (Matt. 8:5-8). The centurion didn’t need signs or evidence of Christ’s power. This is the reason why Jesus said, “I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel” (v. 10). Like him, when we take Christ at His word and trust Him so completely that we don’t require proof that He will fulfill His promises to us, we exhibit great faith.

Conclusion: Friends, what type of faith that we have in Jesus? Do we have great faith in Him? Let’s examine the obstacles that prevent us from having great faith in Him. If we have strong faith, He can entrust us with assignments that will have a greater impact for His kingdom.

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj 

I Will Sing of My Redeemer 1 Peter 1:18-19

When A. J. Gordon was pastor of a church in Boston, he met a young boy in front of the sanctuary carrying a rusty cage in which several birds fluttered nervously. He decided to buy the birds as his heart was moved with compassion for the birds in the cage. He gave him 2$ and the boy went away whistling, happy with his shiny coins. Gordon walked around to the back of the church property, opened the door of the small wire coop, and let the struggling creatures soar into the blue. The next Sunday he took the empty cage into the pulpit and used it to illustrate his sermon about Christ’s coming to seek and to save the lost—paying for them with His own precious blood. “That boy told me the birds were not songsters,” said Gordon, “but when I released them and they winged their way heavenward, it seemed to me they were singing, ‘Redeemed, redeemed, redeemed!” Similarly, we have thousands of reasons to praise God, and the chief among them is we are redeemed not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Jesus paid the price for our release from sin and its consequences (Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:6). 

There is joy, peace and hope in “singing of our Redeemer” even in the midst of our trials.  Philip Paul Bliss the writer of the hymn “I Will Sing of My Redeemer” dedicated his entire life to sing praises to his Redeemer. Bliss and his wife Lucy traveled extensively, spreading the Gospel through singing. In December 28, 1876 evangelist D.L. Moody invited them to serve the Lord through their singing in his evangelistic meeting held at Chicago. In that meeting Bliss told that “He will not meet them again as He’s Going to his Hometown Tomorrow. His words and song proved to be prophetic. On the 29th of December, 1876, Bliss and his wife boarded a train back to Pennsylvania. As their train was crossing over a river in Ashtabula, Ohio, the bridge suddenly gave way and all the carriages fell into the freezing waters below. He escaped through the window, but enter into glory in trying to save his wife. After his death the hymn “I Will Sing of My Redeemer,” was found in a piece of baggage among Bliss’ belongings.

Friends, because we have a Redeemer, we are forgiven. We have a Redeemer, to intercede for us in our weakness and in the time of our trouble.  Since we have Redeemer we have comfort in life, that though we fall we shall not be utterly cast down. Since our Redeemer lives, this shall be our faith that we shall see Him when we reach our eternal Hometown. Therefore let’s not forget to “Sing of our Redeemer” at all time. 

Yours in His service

G. Paulraj 

"My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" Jeremiah 17:7

The Word of God encourages us to put our hope and faith completely upon Jesus’ righteousness for our eternal life. However, God is not unconcerned about the issues we face in our day to day life here on this earth. He recognizes that there are times when the doubts, cares, and darkness of this world will seem to weaken our fellowship with God and veil His face from us. Even in these times, God has not left us. Our anchor of faith can still hold in the darkness, knowing through faith that even though not seen (Hebrews 11:1), He still sustains us. Therefore we as His children can “rest on His unchanging grace.

Edward Mote's parents were hostile to religion, but while still a boy Edward became a Christian through the influence of a cabinetmaker to whom he was apprenticed.  Regardless of the claims of his business on his time, Mote always found time to worship God.  He was especially interested in Christian music, and one day felt inspired on the way to work to write down a verse that came to his mind.  Before the day was finished, he had completed four verses.  His new hymn began with the words, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness." After this, Mote visited a friend whose wife was ill.  It was a Sunday, and the friend mentioned that he and his wife liked to observe Sunday by singing a hymn, reading a scripture, and having prayer together.  Mote had a copy of his hymn in his pocket, so they sang it.  The friend's wife was so taken with the hymn that she requested a copy for herself.  Encouraged by her interest, Mote had copies printed––and soon found himself the author of a beloved hymn. At age 55, Mote responded to a call to the ministry.  He served out the rest of his life––more than two decades–– as the pastor of a Baptist Church in Horsham, Sussex, England.

If you put your hope in other people, they will let you down. If you trust your stocks or bonds or bank accounts, you will find that they can disappear overnight. In any case, they are not ultimately satisfying. Health will fail. Houses can burn. Jobs can be lost. But the one who has his or her hope from God and trusts God as he has revealed himself in Jesus Christ can stand firm in anything. Once a submarine was rammed by another ship and quickly sank. The entire crew was trapped in water grave. One of the divers in the rescue team his helmeted ear to the side of the vessel and listened. He heard a tapping noise. Someone, he learned, was tapping out a question in the dots and dashes of the Morse Code. The question came slowly: “Is … there … any … hope?” That is the question man asks today. Yes, it’s found in Jesus Christ!

Yours in His service

G. Paul Raj

Standing on the Promises of God (2 Corinthians 1:20)

God’s promises recorded in His Written Word from Genesis 3:15 to Revelation 22:20 are “Yes and Amen”. Psalms 119:140 says “Your promises have been THOROUGHLY TESTED, and your servant loves them”. Therefore the saints in the Old Testament used to cite God’s promises that they had received from Him (Genesis 28:15, 20-22; Nehemiah 1:4-11). God’s promises bring balm to our wounds, help to our infirmities, rest to our weariness, encouragement to our prayers. Therefore let us learn to trust and to stand on the unfailing promises of God. 

Here is a wonderful testimony from Carter (1849-1928) the composer of the hymn “Standing on the Promises of God.” His meditation on 2 Corinthians 1:20 which says “For all the promise of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” inspired him to make wrote this Gospel hymn. Carter was a star athlete of a military academy and later became successful teacher and coach where he studied. He served God several years as an ordained Methodist minister, spend last of his professional years as a doctor of medicine. Poor health and hopeless condition due to cardiac issues made Carter to turn to God for help and healing. He knelt and made a promise whether God heals or not he would consecrate rest of his life totally to God’s service. Over the course of the next several months his strength returned, and his heart was completely healed! Carter lived another healthy 49 years. The hymn Carter had written several years before his miraculous healing became more than words and music to him. Standing on the Promises became an integral part of his life.

Dear friends we must learn to stand on God's exceeding great and precious promises. Our faith in His promises will keep us from the world and its corruption and lusts. Our faith in His unfailing promises will help us to go forward in spite of all obstacles that we face in our day to day life.  Therefore let us not allow the sufferings, sin and sickness to keep us from holding fast to the precious promises of God.