Blessings of Seeking

Meditation from Zephaniah Chapter 2

Pride, Fearless before God & False sense of security will make one desolate and fruitless (2:15).

We need to
Seek the LORD
Seek Righteousness
Seek Humility (2:3).

If we follow the world we will walk in wickedness, if we follow the word we will walk in Righteousness.
Humility is not a gift but it is learnt.

The prophet shows three blessings of Seeking the LORD, Righteousness and Humility.

1. Mindful - God will be mindful of us. People may forget us, but God Himself will be mindful. (2:7)

2. Restore - The LORD will restore every lost spiritual blessing when we repent. He restores us just not to our previous state, but to God's standard. (2:7)

3. Inheritance - The LORD will enable us to receive the inheritances, the heavenly inheritance in Christ. (2:9)

What a great joy when we seek the LORD, Righteousness and Humility; we will enjoy the M.R.I and will become a blessing to others.

Have a blessed day!

Let God Be Your Witness

Meditation from Zephaniah Chapter 3

The prophet reminds us that the LORD is righteous and does no wrong. We need to trust God for everything & at all circumstances, for He does nothing wrong. (3:5)

We need to,
Wait upon the LORD & let God be our Witness. (3:8) Either we fight our battles or allow God to fight. All that we need to do is to wait upon Him.

And the prophet shares the consequence of such.

1. Rejoice - The LORD will rejoice over us with gladness. (3:17)

2. Renew - He will renew us in His love. (3:17)

3. Remove - He will remove disaster from us. (3:18)

4. Renown - He will change our shame into praise and make us renown. (3:19)

5. Restore - He will restore the lost spiritually. (3:20)

We need to come to a place in our life for God to do these, which the prophet says in verse 2 & 11,12.

1. Listen to people
2. Accept correction
3. Trust in the LORD
4. Draw near to God
5. Remove pride & be humble

May the LORD bring you to the right place in your life as you wait upon Him and allow God to be your witness, so that you may enjoy His Righteousness.

Have a blessed day!

Reasons for Fruitlessness

Meditation from Zephaniah Chapter 1

The name Zephaniah means 'hidden by Yahweh'. The prophet enjoyed God's protection amidst captivity because of heeding to the LORD. This is the last warning from God before the captivity.

The prophet shows the prepared sacrifice of the LORD hoping that people will turn back to the LORD. (1:7).

When we look at the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross how can we not come back to God!

He also states the consequence of not turning back to the LORD - unfruitful life. (1:13)

1. Inconsistency : Our spiritual life and walk with God should not be seasonal; being spiritual one day and becoming worldly the other day. We should not be irregular in our Devotion life. Consistency helps build character. (1:6)

2. Complacency : This is a very dangerous trait. To think that nothing will happen, even if I don't repent.
We need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and immediately repent when He sensitizes our conscience. (1:12)

3. Untruthful : When we don't speak the truth; when we deceive someone who has no clue of our intentions, we are untruthful. (1:9)

Jesus exhorts us that our yes should be yes and no should be no. Paul writes that we should speak the truth to one another.

May the LORD help you to come out of this I.C.U at the earliest so that you may be fruitful.

Have a blessed day!

Revival Signs

Revival Signs

Meditation from Habakkuk Chapter 3

In the first two chapters we read about the questions of Habakkuk and the LORD's answers. Knowing the consequences of sinful life of God's people & the coming judgment, Habakkuk prays for revival.

1. Attitude of Revival :
When we pray for revival, we need to remember that revival starts from us. (3:2)
Personal Revival - I need to be personally revived and so every individual, family, church and so on.
Pleading Mercy - Habakkuk knows that we only deserve wrath and that's why he pleads for God's mercy.
Present Time - He thirsts for revival in his time. It is not a distant possibility, but an immediate reality.

2. Aptitude of Revival :
Revival is not through our strength or power, but through God's work. Habakkuk not only stands in awe of God's work (3:2), He prays for God's work of salvation to save the anointed. (3:13)
The ability of revival is the price that the Anointed One (Messiah / Christ) paid that the saved & anointed may be revived.
Through the cross, Christ has saved us from the power of satan, but his presence is still there and we need to work out our salvation so that we may not lose the anointing.

3. Altitude of Revival :
Revival eventually makes us tread upon the heights. (3:19). The heights, this altitude is NOT that which the world defined as success.
This is the altitude where the revived draws his complete joy & strength from the LORD and it's not circumstantial. (3:18)
No loss, no fruitlessness, no seeming failure can rob the joy. (3:17) He draws his strength also not from anywhere else but from the LORD.

Commit to such a revived life, that you may bring revival to others, to nations.

Today's Intercession:

# Before the elections we see internal conflicts in various States which are perpetrated to divide people, so as to win their votes. Pray for this situation to change in the nation.

# Pray for peace among the people in all the States of India.

# Pray for political leaders to not use violence, conflicts and divisions to polarise and win.

# Pray for the announced Bandh in the country on 8th & 9th to not hamper day to day activities and especially people who are sick and in immediate need.

Have a blessed day!

ABC of Listening to the LORD

ABC of Listening to God

Meditation from Habakkuk Chapter 2

1. Attitude to Listen:
Habakkuk shows his thirst & earnestness in listening to God and to receive His correction. (2:1)
We need to have the desire to be in God's presence, to pray and to read & meditate His word.

2. Barriers to Listen:
Pride and Greed are barriers to listen to God. (2:4,5)
Humility is the willingness to learn & change; without which we cannot listen to God. When there is greed, we will not prioritize our time with God and will consider it as unnecessary.
It is essential to remove pride and greed to listen & heed to God's voice.

3. Course of Action:
Two things need to follow when we listen to God. (2:2,3)

a) Write - We need to develop the habit of writing all that the LORD speaks & tells & inspires us; either through our personal meditation or thru listening to a preaching or thru some other means.
Through such habit we will become accustomed to listening to God and His vision will become clearer.

b) Wait - Writing is followed by waiting. But unless we write we will not wait, as we cannot remember everything.
We need to wait upon the LORD for His word and vision to fulfil in the appointed time.

The prophet says that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD. What is your life & heart & mind filled with? Is it filled with God's word? (2:14)

The whole earth is exhorted to keep silence before the LORD. (2:20). Silence before God is an act of listening to God.
Is your prayer & time with God, a monologue or dialogue? Do you wait in His presence, with His word to listen & heed Him?

Have a blessed day!