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Prayer for 2023
O Lord Jesus Christ, I come before you asking for your forgiveness for all the sins I’ve committed, and I fully forgive all those who have sinned against me. I repent of all my wrongdoings and choose to do what is right in eye’s of the Lord.
As we come into the year 2023, we pray that we are renewed in the faith. We pray that we crucify the flesh and all its evil desires. We pray that we honor God even more in 2023.
We pray for the peace of Jerusalem. We pray that my nation is in mutual goodwill towards Israel in all ways. We repent and reject all kinds of wickedness against Israel as it’s the apple of God’s eye.
We pray that we come out of all deceptions and traps of the enemy by listening to the word of God. We pray for God’s wisdom to be our light against the darkness and vile shadow’s of this world.
We pray for each of our nation’s, that they depart from what is evil and sinful and instead accept what is right in your eyes. We pray against those who use the laws of the land to mock the laws of the Living God, that their plans against the people of God come to nought.
We pray for each one who call upon the name of the Jesus as they pray to God our Father, that they are continuously led by the Holy Spirit. We pray that all of us be one body in Spirit and in truth without any compromise against the Word of God.
We pray for the health of body, mind, soul and spirit for each one of us and our friends and family. We pray for Divine protection against all sickness and disease. We pray that we do not get tricked nor outwitted by the Enemy as we claim our worthiness by the blood of the Lamb of God.
We pray for those who will come to know the Gospel, that they are strengthened in their faith and are welcome in the Christian communities wherever they are are. We pray that we are able to exhort our new brothers and sisters in Christ to be aglow in the Holy Spirit each and every moment.
We pray that we are able to preach the Word of God even more boldly in this fallen world. We pray that as we preach the Gospel, people are receiving their deliverance from sickness. We pray that evil spirits are banished as we call upon the name of Jesus in the situations where people are harassed by them.
We pray that as we walk through the whole of the year 2023, we always walk with you O Lord our God and that no fear is able to accompany us. We choose to glorify you this year so that your name O Living God is praised amongst the people of the Earth.
We ask all of this in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Are you growing in your love for Jesus?
Are you growing in your love for Jesus?
It may sound as a simple question and yet this is a significant question to each who believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself said “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love” (John 15:9-10)
One of the key ways you can realize if you are love Jesus and are growing in your love for Jesus is how to love others, especially those of who also believe in Jesus Christ.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:8)
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:2-3)
Another way to realize that you are still loving Jesus is how to treat those are not in Christ.
But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. (Luke 6:27-31)
Now its possible to have an external display of loving Jesus and even keep doing actual good work towards people especially the poor and need yet have no faith in Jesus Christ at all. I’ve encountered people who are super polite and won’t hesitate to give their offerings to the Lord, but if asked if the believe if Jesus Christ is real they are unable to give a coherent answer! Such lack of faith in the existence of Jesus Christ also automatically leads to lack of love for Jesus. Beware of this for the sake of your own soul, lest you depart from the faith!
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Corinthians 13:5)
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6)
Christ be with you!
Rain your blessings
Rain your blessings on us O Lord,
Protect me from the darkness and sword.
Be my strength and my shield,
From infirmity let me be healed.
Rain your mercy on me O Jesus Christ,
For us you’ve yourself sacrificed.
Be my hope and my redeemer,
And save me from the deceiver.
Rain your mercy on me O Spirit of God,
Give me favour both at home and abroad.
Be my comforter and my guide,
And cause me in the Gospel to abide.
Debunking the sin consciousness trick used by false preachers
We live in times where apostasy is ever on the rise. There have always been heretics who have misled others into wrong doing by promoting falsehood against the Lord God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any man, woman or child who professes faith in the Lord Jesus Christ must be on guard against the attacks on his or her faith, be it from the world or within the church. This nothing new under the sun and has happened since many years. It’s just that the terms and topics of heresies change, but they have one thing in common, they deny the Lord by denying the truth of his Holy Word.
- 3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. 4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3-4)
- But there were also lying Prophets among the people, as there shall be lying teachers also among you, those who bring destructive heresies and deny the Lord who bought them, while bringing upon themselves speedy destruction. (2 Peter 2:1)
What is sin consciousness?
There are preachers who say ‘Why do we bother telling people to “stop sinning!” or “be holy!”? When obviously nobody can stop sin or even be holy? Can you?’ They then go on give out verses which prove that Christ died for our sins and he fulfilled the law for us and also how people can end up sinning again and again. Obviously, we are forgiven by the death and resurrection of Jesus. It true that people do sin repeatedly. However what they conveniently skip is the fact we cannot continue to live in sin and must repent of it, every time.
By sin consciousness they go on to say that you are focusing more on your sin instead of being ‘Christ conscious’. What they actually mean is that you are too focused on your sinful nature and repenting from your sins instead of focusing on Jesus Christ. Their main contention is that Christ died for all of your sins be past, present or future so you don’t need to bother about sinning. Basically, even if you sin you won’t miss out on heaven. This is far from the truth in fact.
It is a false doctrine to tell Christians that after their first repentance, they never need to repent again for new sins. The blood of Jesus does not automatically wash away FUTURE sins, sins need to be repented of after they are committed. If you disagree, just ask Ananias and Sephira about their pre-forgiven sin. This is why repentance in mentioned in the Lord’s Prayer.
Christ consciousness or obedience to God?
Also the bit which they mention about being ‘Christ conscious’ is hardly a Biblical term. And is in fact used in other religions (refer to this link). That itself should be red flag unto a true believer in Christ.
And any thing about being conscious about Christ must be in keeping with the Word of God or else its just falsehood against the Gospel.
When a Christian wants to meditate on Christ it is not just worshiping the Lord but also obeying him. The following verses confirm that we are to obey Christ Jesus who is the Word God.
- For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
- [Jesus said,] you are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you. (John 15:14)
- Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
Teaching disobedience by not repenting is a heretical denial of the commands of Jesus Christ
When Jesus himself commands all people to repent of their sin, then those you who call themselves as believers in Christ too much preach repentance and nothing less. Here are some verses to reflect on:
- From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (Matthew 4:17)
- Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (Revelation 2:5)
- 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
No who teaches false doctrine must be accepted by those who believe in Christ
It goes beyond question that those who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ must obey him and believe in Him and adhere to the teachings of the Gospel. Anything away from this is false doctrine which a believer must reject and flee away from.
- 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9)
- 46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? 47 Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” (Luke 6:46-49)
- If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. (1 Corinthians 16:22)
Choose repentance anytime and every time instead of getting tricked by the sin consciousness trick
I’ve mentioned this earlier in one of my previous posts but let me say it again; Why does the Lord throughout the Bible keep warning of severe judgement if some were to receive the mark of the Beast? There are verses that say that those who receive it, will never be forgiven (please refer to Revelation 14:9-11). If the Lord knows that some people are going to sin why does he not use the ‘auto forgiven for the future’ stance? Because simply, such a thing does not exist and is wholly inconsistent with the Gospel. You need to repent if you sin. Period.
Cherish the Resurrection
Cherish Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection,
With thanksgiving, praise and affection.
Be glad that death he overcame,
So our life won’t be the same.
Jesus by his resurrection did defeat,
The devil at every throne and seat.
God’s great love is stronger than death,
That Christ for us gave up his spirit and breath.
Jesus Christ on the cross paid the price,
For all our sins, immorality and vice.
And before he died he said, “It is finished”,
He did as prophesied of him, undiminished.
Cherish Jesus Christ’s glorious resurrection,
And daily on it have your reflection.
Know that your life in Christ Jesus is new,
Let your praises to him to be not few.
And at the time of the Day of Judgement’s inspection,
Only those faithful will be reckoned with perfection.
Because in the Gospel and resurrection they’ve believed,
And unto the end they remain undeceived.
Be prayerful and desire the first resurrection,
To be in the Lamb’s Book of Life’s selection.
In which Christ will wipe your tears sad,
So that you remain in his presence ever glad.
I Believe in God (Zoegirl Lyric Video)
I was feeling very tired these days and then I heard this praise of the Lord God. So I got lost in the Lord and found myself again. No longer feeling tired. Praise God for that.
Psalm 67 (A call to all people to praise God)
Let read Psalm 67 which is a call to all people to praise God. Here we go:
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 2 that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 God has blessed us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!
When reading the above Psalm you must have seen the word ‘Selah’ and then wondered what does that mean. It’s not an English word so it’s hardly used when talking in general. It’s a Hebrew word which in the context of the Psalm means to pause and praise. There are things in life which we must not skim over and let it go. These are things to be valued and cherished. Though there are many ways to do appreciate things, one of the ways is to pause for a moment and think of it.
In the same way when you think of the things of God like his grace, blessings and saving power you just don’t do a blink and a miss on it. You take time to relish the Lord’s goodness towards us. So that is why you must pause and praise God for his revelation of love for us.
People love their blessings from God and want to be blessed even more. Who wouldn’t want their families to be prosperous in all aspects of life? However, that’s not where it ends. One of the reasons God blesses us is that the people of the earth are made aware of his saving power. Let’s therefore, not ask to be blessed only to keep it within our loved ones but also so that God’s gracious nature is manifested through us to a world of people who live in despair.
The Lord is the God of justice. Many a times people try to take revenge, sometimes they succeed and sometimes they don’t. Yet true justice eludes them. There are the oppressed poor who have no one to speak for them. Very few care about their existence. It’s true that, we live in a fallen world and evil things do happen. The Lord God, time and again raises up men and women who strive for justice and peace for the poor and oppressed, even though not all of them know Jesus as their savior. These agents of justice have their season on earth and then pass away into eternity. The work of justice still goes on even as more people are called by God to help others. Besides, the Lord God himself executes judgement against the powers of darkness and those who love it, so that there is justice done. May the people of the world realize this truth and turn their hearts towards the Lord.
Our Lord God is not limited to judgement alone. He is the God of true and lasting blessing. He blesses his people on earth. He rewards their good deeds in this life and in the next. Even our ability to good works ultimately comes from the Lord. No doubt a person must be willing for it, and surely he or she shall be rewarded, yet we must realize that it’s mostly God’s grace in the midst of it all.
By our own works and merits we do not deserve his grace. It’s only by faith in his Son our Lord Jesus Christ, can we approach his throne of grace in times of need (see Hebrews 4:16). God’s loves those who love Christ. But he has a heart for sinners too. He also cares for the lost sheep who are still in the darkness. No wonder though they are not seated in heavenly places like us who believe in Jesus, he still let’s it rain on them too (see Matthew 5:43-45).
The harvest of the earth though has human effort and wisdom applied but it is the Lord God who protects it from dangers when we are least aware. He is the one who prevents the workers of the Evil One from doing their vile deeds against you. It is the Lord who blesses the farmer with good health, so that there is an abundant harvest. No wonder in this light of the revelation of his grace and love towards us, we must praise and thank God for his mercy and for his blessings towards us. Give thanks to Christ Jesus for the salvation that you have received from him.
A few scriptures to reflect on:
- I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. (Ecclesiastes 3:17)
- Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:17)
- For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (Romans 13:4)
- Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor. (Proverbs 31:8-10)
- Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him. (Isaiah 30:18)
- Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures.(James 1:17-18)
- And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Cor 9:8)
- Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
Disciples of hope 