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Bible Blog

Childlike Faith

I was talking to my little 9-year-old cousin the other day. After observing how passionate I was about aircraft, she said to me, I know you’ll buy that big aircraft one day. Then, we will all go to some nice place and enjoy ourselves. I scoffed and said, Sure!

I am the type of person who loves seeing other people happy. That’s what makes me happy. So usually, when little kids say something, I try my best to make it happen. So deep inside I was thinking, how am I ever going to afford that 100 million dollar plane. And even if I could, why would I want to spend it on an aircraft of that size. I started thinking through the finer details of how you need an ATPL license to fly something that big, the amount of fuel it requires, the cost involved in maintaining it and so on. All these thoughts were perfectly aligned to prove how impossible it is for her scenario to play out in the real world.

I think this is why Jesus welcomed the little children and I suppose He wanted us to have faith just like them. For my little cousin, this was very much feasible. She didn’t think about the costs, practicality, viability, or the possibility. She just said it with a good heart and intention. I think this is what we should do when God promises us things. We have a father who is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He has made everything that you see around you just by speaking it out. His breath brings stars to life!!! How awesome is that? And how big is our God? As grown ups, I think we sometimes forget how powerful and awesome our God really is. Maybe it’s about time we take Him at His word. Do you really think your big problems are hard for Him to solve? Is there anything too hard for our God? No, nothing!

So, stop worrying about how things are going to play out or what happens next or where things will go for you in your life. The God who holds this universe together in one piece is also holding your life together. He is a loving God because His word tells us that He has our names engraved on the palm of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). Just pause and think about that for a second. What an amazing God we serve? So I say, leave the finer details to Him, blindly trust Him and know what He said, He will do.

He knows the best and as someone once told me, “God’s got this!”.

Image Credit: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D7FOieASQp4/maxresdefault.jpg

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“For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.”

‭‭2 ‬ Corinthians 2:15‬ ‭NIV‬

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Bible Blog Inspirational

Remain in the vine

Ever felt like you’re always being watched? If your answer was “No”…that’s no good. Because, you SHOULD feel like you’re being watched all the time. You see God is always watching over us along with the heavenly hosts. That might be comforting to know but what I am about to say might not be. You see, the evil one is always watching over you too. He never takes a break for He knows his time is short on this earth. He doesn’t like to leave God’s people alone.

In the area of Information Technology, there is a profession out there informaly known as “White Hat Hackers”. A formal name for it may be Cyber Security Professionals. They’re quite similar to any other hackers out there except their intentions are different, which seperates them out from the rest. They do it for the good of the company or business they are working for. They try to find loop holes within a computer system or a software before the hackers do. That’s their full-time job. 

Think of the Evil one as the hackers of this world – Persistently trying to break-in, intrude, steal, cause loss, and damage. It says in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…” (NIV). He is always on the look-out for your weaknessses. He knows them very well and will do whatever it takes to use it against you and destroy your life. The bigger the threat you are to him, the more carefully he seems to watch you.

Now think of Holy Spirit – a White Hat Hacker. He is always wanting to look out for you by pointing out your weaknesses, intrusion points, and parts where your enemies can infiltrate you. He is always working in your favor. He wants to help you stay safe and secure. The more we listen to his advice (still small voice), the better off we are. He never enforces his opinion on us. He only presents it to us that we might make a choice. 

Therefore, we ought to remain in the vine. It says in John 15:4, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (NIV). The moment you start to ignore His advices, its time to watch your own back. You’re asking for trouble. 

We need to learn to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice and simply obey.

Image Credit: Pixshark

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Blog Inspirational

Secret to overcoming temptations

All of us face temptations time to time, at varying degree, and in different areas. I’ve faced a reasonable amount of battles in my own life – some of which I won gloriously and others, which I lost miserably.

With the little experience I do have, I would like to share three things that I found most helpful in scoring a home run. They are helpful in overcoming the temptations that come your way.

1) Flee from it – this works in all areas. Whether you’re tempted to smoke that last cigarette or found an incentive to lie – Just flee from it. Sometimes, you might have to perform this act physically and mentally. When you get evil thoughts…don’t nurture it…flee from those thoughts right away! Rebuke those thoughts immediately and start thinking about things that are worth thinking about. Whatever is good, whatever is lovely…

2) Run to your daddy – Your spiritual one that is. Satan doesn’t like you going to your daddy for help. He knows very well that you’re well protected under the “shadow of the almighty”. From the scriptures, we all know what Jesus did when He was at His weakest point – He got away from the crowd and prayed to His father. This is what we ought to do. Keep praying…never give up…we will be victorious just like Jesus. We have a father who cares for us and loves us more than we can ever imagine.

3) Meditate on His word and know when to use it – The psalmist writes of a blessed man. It says, “He meditates on His word day and night”. It’s easy to get caught up with work and family but that’s when we are the most forgetful – not just of meditating on God’s word but also on who holds the power. God gave us power. We are His sons and daughters. We must learn to use what is rightfully ours. Jesus rebuked the devil when he was tempted. We ought to do the same.

I hope these three secrets will help you live a victorious life. May God bless you and keep you.

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Spirituality is not something that comes through one encounter with God. It is the result of choosing the way of self-denial and of doing God’s will CONSISTENTLY day after day, week after week, and year after year.

Zac Poonen