If anyone told you life was easy, they lied so badly. As long as we live on this side of glory, life will be hard in this fallen world filled with evil and suffering. And if you are a Christian, it definitely doesn’t get any easier. How many times have we wished to just go back and fix things in life?
I’m sure we all have a whole movie playing in our heads now. So much could have been undone or redone in a better way. We would have thought, spoken, and reacted in a better way. Some of these mistakes can be overlooked and have not caused us serious damage, but some of them might just leave a scar in our hearts for a long time.
A heart that is not healed can cost us our peace and joy.
We all yearn for that second chance. If ever life gave us a second chance, we would grab it. But surely enough, that’s not the case. And now, what if I told you that you could put down that whole baggage of burdens and walk off freely? Sometimes, we don’t even want to hear the gospel because it’s too easy and too good to be true, so it almost sounds unbelievable. But that’s exactly what it is.
God is good and true at all times. He never changes, which means He will continue to be good and truthful. The Bible says that if you have sinned, then you must repent and confess your sins to God, and He is faithful to forgive you.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
How is God being faithful in forgiving my sins? Shouldn’t I receive the due penalty for what I did? Well, the penalty is paid, and it was paid in full. But it was not me. Someone else took it all on Himself. Jesus died on the cross for my sins and paid the price to set me free.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
And the moment I believe this, I am free. Now, I am covered not in the robe of my sins but in His robe of righteousness. I am saved on account of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus.
Any one of you who believes in Jesus can say the same because He died not only for me but for everyone who believes in Him. There is no exclusion. Everyone is offered this forgiveness. It’s about who receives it with faith. The Bible says that in Christ, we are all the same. There is no discrimination based on place, language, colour, or anything else.
There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28
Today, God, through His word, offers you that second chance in life. Turn back from the path of despair and look to Him for eternal hope.
His arms are open wide towards you if your heart istowards Him.
Repent today and embrace His love. God is ready to give you a second chance, and He will also give you the grace and strength to make things right in your life like you could never imagine.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, You are simply beyond us. Your ways we cannot fathom. How blessed are we who have experienced this second chance time and again, as we fail and falter through this journey of life and come back to you, Father, asking for help! Thank You for never rejecting us or turning us down. Thank You for being close to the brokenhearted. Help us to return and make use of this chance that has been made available to us through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. May we live our lives free from any guilt or sorrows of the past, just as You would want us to. Help us to trust in You and receive Your peace.
In our previous devotional we shared about the importance of pausing in prayer before making any decision. Today, we are going to look into how we even got the right to step into God’s presence anytime and pray, praise & worship Him. Is this something that people had access to at all times and can be taken for granted or was it any different?
Do we even have to be thankful that we can pray? Or are we thinking that we are doing God a favour?
In the old testament times, the priestly duties were vested only on a special group of people called the priests. They were the mediators between God and man.Only the priests had access into the tabernable and to carry out different services that happened inside the temple of God. There were many duties that the priests carried out like offering sacrifices and atonements, ceremonial cleansings and also praying to God, praising and worshipping Him on behalf of the people.
The ordinary people were not allowed into the inner places of the tabernacle. They stayed in the outer courts and depended on the priests to speak to God and hear from God. They themselves could not have any direct encounter with God’s presence. Even so among the priests, only the High priest had access into the most holy place of the tabernacle which symbolised the presence of God. He could only go there once in a year and that with a lot of preparation.
However, things changed when The Great High Priest, Jesus Christ came into the picture. Through His death on the cross, the veil that separated ordinary man from the most holy place was torn. By His perfect sacrifice, the barrier between God’s presence and man was removed. Now, to all who believe in Him and in His finished work on the cross, He has opened a way through which we can have direct access into the presence of God. He is Emmanuel God with us. The presence of God is not in a man made tabernacle anymore but within us through the Holy Spirit.
So, we can now boldly open our hearts and lips in prayer, praise & worship anytime, anywhere. Isn’t it wonderful how every one who believes in Jesus has been made a priest of God and can have the privileges of prayer, praise & worship?
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Hebrews 4:16
Let’s pray
Dear Lord, today we choose to thank You for the priestly privileges of prayer, praise and worship that You have so graciously and freely given that many before us didn’t have. May we make use of it knowing that we have access into Your presence at anytime, anywhere and that we don’t have to depend on someone else to come before You. Help us to offer sacrifices of praise to You unendingly and with a heart full of gratitude. Thank You Jesus for making this possible by Your supreme sacrifice. Thank You Holy Spirit for now we are the temple of God because You live in us. In Jesus name we pray. Amen
Prayer is not only speaking to God but listening to Him as well. And listening is more important than speaking to Him. Consider: If you were speaking with an important person whom you know is much elder and wiser than you on the phone, you would listen much more than you speak, isn’t it. So, must it be in true prayer – you must listen to God much more than you speak to Him.
If you are very keen on doing something, you can easily deceive yourself that it is the will of God, by praying about it briefly just to ease your conscience, and then saying to yourself that you feel “at peace in your heart” about doing it – and go ahead and do it! That way you can miss the will of God completely.
The more important the decision you have to make, the more you must wait on God before you act.
There is as much difference between your way of thinking and God’s thoughts as there is between earth and heaven (Isa.55:8, 9). God’s way of doing things is far higher than yours. That is why God wants that we must submit to Him – to get His best.
You may not have much time to spend in prayer. But you must have the attitude of waiting on the Lord in making your decisions. And so, discipline yourself to spend a few minutes with God every day. God wants to communicate with you every day. This is the message that comes across from the first page of the Bible, where it says: “ On the first day, God spoke…. On the second day, God spoke…….On the third, ……..fourth, ……..fifth and sixth days, God spoke ”. Something happened each day when God spoke, and the final result was “ Very Good”. So, it can be with your life too, if you listen to God every day. Jesus said, “ Man shall live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matt.4:4).
God always wants to answer our prayers. But we must earnestly wait on Him for an answer. Sometimes His answer may be ”No.” Sometimes it may be “Wait”. Like the red, yellow, and green traffic lights.
Prayer :
Loving Heavenly Father,
Help me to wait for you before making any important decisions in my life. Help me to not get carried away by my own fleshly desires and worldly pressures. Help me to always depend on your wisdom, pray and seek counsel from you. Guide me through your Holy Spirit who is within me to face the challenges outside and surrounding me. Thank you Lord, for you are a loving God and Father who always listens to your children and gives them your best. May your best happen in my life always.
Sometimes in life, we look back at how silly we were in our thoughts or actions and wish we had been a little more sensible, patient and wiser.
As I was leaving a store with my mom and sister, I saw something disturbing that made me pause. It was a dog caught in between the railings of a window and I instantly felt sympathetic for the poor thing. It had no way out- or atleast that’s what I thought!
I’m sorry but I didn’t have the courage to go and help the dog out of his plight. However, I was too curious to simply walk off either. So, I mustered the courage and walked closer to have a clearer view. I stood there astonished and looked on at the dog and it’s surroundings. I was so wrong, so terribly wrong.
The dog was not in a bad place at all. He was in his master’s living room! He was playing around the railings and once he had a good look at the road outside and all the humans he went back to his own business. He was just getting some fresh air and enjoying his freedom.
I was instantly learning a lesson inside my head. Just a little bit of difference in my view changed the whole story from one of joy to that of despair. If I hadn’t taken that little extra effort to come a bit closer and look at it, I would have gone home thinking that the dog was in a sad and miserable state. But things were rather going very well for him. He most probably had a loving master and all that he needed inside that house. He was loved and cared for. He was not even locked in a cage but had acces to the master’s house and space to run around and play.
Sometimes, even in life we just need to take a little more effort to look at things from the right perspective and we will be surprised at how silly we were or how wrong we were to rush to a conclusion and make a wrong judgment of the situation. We might feel like we have come close enough and we have seen it all, but just those few more steps and our view will completely change.
Many think alike about born again Christians too. That they are the most boring people on the planet. They have no fun and too many restrictions. But only if you would make an effort to come a little more closer to God and experience for yourself how blessed we are to have this great God by our side through all our highs and yes, most definitely through our lowest times too. There is no difference, everyone has problems, but there is a big difference in this – we have a loving Father by our side and He is Almighty! We have all we need in Him.
Galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
Romans 8:32 He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?
There is a parable that Jesus tells His disciples. It’s about a father and his two sons. ( Luke 15:11-32) The younger one demanded to have his share of the inheritance. So the father gave it to him and soon he left his home to squander all his wealth on “wild living”. He probably thought that it was the most amazing time of his life. But it did not take long for him to realise that money doesn’t stay forever nor does the pleasures of this world. They vanish away like vapour even before we know it. They are temporary. He soon found himself empty and broken. Finally he comes back to his father prepared to plead and ask him to take him back not even as a son but as a servant . But his father’s love for him loked beyond his mistakes and saw his broken and repentant heart and embraced him with arms wide open.
This Christmas, don’t just be satisfied with the sight of the tree and the lights. But come closer to that baby in the crib. He is more than just that helpless looking baby. He is the Saviour of the world, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is God incarnate. And if you believe in Him today then you will be forgiven on account of His sacrifice. You will be saved from your sins and restored to a beautiful and eternal relationship with God. Let’s get a better view of Him this season. Let’s get the right perspective.
A very merry Christmas and a happy new year to you all!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come
2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB
Happy New Year beloved reader. I wish good health and prosperity to you and family!!
Wow its already 2023 and another year has passed. And in the midst of so much chaos around the world. We are finding ways to live and move on with our lives. But for all of us a new year brings new hope and desire for something bigger and better than last year.
Some of us try to retrospect what we do right and wrong in the previous year. Areas we improved or need to improve. Successes and failures. And after all that we do try to come up with new year resolutions which sometimes or always gets resolves to an end by themselves. If you understand what I mean 🙂
So, in light of that, I want to put forth that this devotional is not going to be encouraging to start coming up with new year resolutions neither it’s going to be asking us to retrospect the last year. But I do want you to ask this question?
Would believing in Jesus still make a difference in 2023?
With so much uncertainty around every area of our lives, be it family, job, finances, relationships etc. Where does Jesus stand or makes sense? What can he do? Is it even logical to believe in Jesus today? We do trust our leaders of our respective countries to make a difference. Democratic or Republic or Kingdom. Yet some problems are bigger than the human race. Think about all the natural disasters, pandemic, moral wrong doings, terrorism, deaths, forgery and wars we had or are going through. Yet some of them are getting hard to be resolved by all of our strengths combined. Don’t you think we all are working to resolve these issues for so many years now? Inventions, regulations, unions, governments, rules, militaries, weapons and still the issues are not getting resolved.
Therefore, that brings us to the question What is the real problem? The bible says the below,
If you can just ponder for some time on the origin of all the issues, we face today. It comes from the evil of our hearts. We talk so much about failures of governments, humanity, morals, military and leaders. But we fail to realize that the issues we face today are not born out of these institutions we humans created for service of mankind. But mankind itself created the issues.
Let’s see an example, why do people steal? Is it because they want to, or the lack of something. It’s hard to distinguish, isn’t it? Because it’s not always the lack. It may be other moral motives, like lust, power, greed, selfishness, laziness etc. or it could be just sheer want for something to live. But the origin of all this is the thought that originated from an idea that came to the mind of someone. And when they gave into the idea, the body performed it. We could apply this to almost every issue we face.
We human race have evolved over the years and have resolved many issues. But let’s admit we cannot change a human heart. We don’t have a cure. Thats where Jesus comes in.
Now you may ask, how can a person or spiritual entity bring a change in a human heart? How can that be possible? I love the below bible verse which says
.... Humans look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks into the heart. - 1 Samuel 16:7 GWT
How can God look into our heart? It’s pretty simple. He is the one who created us. Just like we can look deep within something we created. We know ins and out of our own inventions. God can see through what he invented. We are his priceless creations, whom he loves no, matter who we are. “For God shows no partiality” – Romans 2:11.
You know what, I can give a thousand reasons to believe Jesus. But it just takes just 1 step to know for yourself. It’s like you can hear a thousand reasons from others on how good a dish is but you can’t tell for yourself if its good until you taste it yourself. Can you take that 1 step? Like we try and see so many things in our lives before taking a decision. Can you try Jesus? Give him just 1 chance look into your heart. He can cure as he himself said … I am the LORD, who heals you. – Exodus 15:26. He is the best doctor we have for all of our issues. And he is the best bet for humanity. The only obstacle to us having to know Jesus is first to admit we need a cure and second how to know him. Thankfully for us there is open an invitation for everyone. Jesus said,
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. - Revelation 3:20
This new year, you may want to try out many things. But try out Jesus too. You will never regret. I am a testimony. Life has never been the same after I accepted Jesus. Many can testify with me. We may miss many things in our lives. Let’s try our best to not miss and chance to experience Jesus.
Once you make a decision just say this prayer
Dear Lord, I admit that I am a sinner. I have done many things that don’t please you. I have lived my life for myself only. I am sorry, and I repent. I ask you to forgive me. I believe that you died on the cross for me, to save me. Come into my life and change me.
If you have said the above prayer. Congratulations. The next step for you is to know God and his word. Grab a bible and read any Gospels to start with. You will get to know about Jesus more. If you need a bible. You can contact us and we will send it to you for free. Try to join a local church and enjoy a fellowship of co-believers just like you. If you wish, reach out to us for help, we will be happy to help and guide you to the next steps.
If you are a believer of Christ, please do share this devotional to someone who may need it, prayerfully. And if you feel there have some areas in your life which needs Jesus to help you rectify. It’s not wrong to just ask Jesus to come into your life again. It’s never too late.
That spread of color in the sky which leaves a smile on the face of all, small and big alike – the Rainbow. What does it stand for and how did it come to be?
Rainbows are formed when light from the sun is scattered by water droplets (e.g. raindrops or fog) through a process called refraction. Refraction occurs when the light from the sun changes direction when passing through a medium denser than air, such as a raindrop. This is the scientific definition of a rainbow. However, we are going to look at the bigger picture. We are going to take a look at who created all this and caused it to come together and for what specific purpose. Science did not come before man and man did not come before the one who created him, God. So, it is necessary to go to the root of the output and not just explain the output itself. Finally, we will try to analyze if at all there is any scope for mankind to take pride in this.
As humans started to multiply on earth so did sin. This kept increasing till God could no longer stand the sinful ways of man. And so, God decided to sweep out the whole race of mankind from the face of the earth. But one man found favor before God – Noah. Noah and his family were saved, and the rest of mankind and every living being wiped out.
Genesis 6:6-8 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
God saw that every inclination of the heart of man was evil. So then why did God finally change His mind? Did the human heart change from its evil ways and finally turn to God in repentance?
No! We see that God did not make His covenant after the heart of man was changed, we see that the human heart remained the same. It was not a change in man that caused God to step into a covenant with them, rather the unchanging character of God’s compassion that made Him step into a covenant by which He said that never again will He destroy the whole earth and all living creatures even though the heart of man is evil. God in His faithfulness promised not to destroy but provide all that earth required for life.
Genesis 8:21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done. “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”
And so, the rainbow is a sign of God’s promise with us and every other living creature on earth. (Genesis 9:13-16) Do you see anything in this story in which we can take credit or pride of? By no means, in fact it shows us the deceitfulness of our hearts and how God still chose to forgive us knowing the condition of our hearts. Next time you see a rainbow, take minute to thank God for His love and compassion. That was the sole purpose of the rainbow – to remind us of God’s faithfulness over all of mankind and every living creature who deserved to be destroyed because of their pride, sin and rebellion. But did God just leave us in this state of hopelessness? No. Here is the hope of all the world – Jesus!
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Thanks be to God who sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, who cleanses us of our sins by His sinless blood that was shed for all. Today, if we believe in Him and His finished work on the cross, we will be made righteous by grace through faith in Jesus. Don’t let your mind paint pictures by what the world has taught over what God’s intended truth is which is found in the scriptures. Let the rainbow make your heart turn to God in gratitude and have nothing that man can take pride in. Take pride in the goodness and faithfulness of this great God. There is nothing in mortal man to take pride.
Jeremiah 9:24 But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth— for I delight in these things,” declares the LORD.
I was encouraged by my friend to write about health and healing, especially during these times of the pandemic. We have been seeing our dear and near ones falling sick and going through seasons of despair and discouragement. It’s time we remind ourselves that there is hope amidst any chaos if we trust in God. No matter how hopeless the situation might be, there is always enough hope to be saved for those who trust in the Almighty God (El-Shaddai).
Romans 10:11As Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put toshame.”
Romans 15:13“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
There can be many questions that may have build up in your mind over this season. Maybe you were a victim of the pandemic and overcame it. Maybe you’ve seen others go through it or lost someone to it. It has affected all of us in someway, whether big or small. Being a responsible citizen and adhering to the present protocols is our duty, but being a panic-stricken citizen and giving up on all hope is not for a believer. There is always more to the story than what we see with our eyes if we believe in a God who works in ways beyond what we can see.
Let’s start with the most obvious question of all—can God heal? And the answer is YES! We can get scriptures to prove that God has and does heal people who put their faith in Him or for the sake of the faith of the one who prays over the sick (Matthew 8:1, Matthew 12:13, Matthew 14:14, Matthew 14:36, Luke 5:25).
Today, we too can pray in the name of Jesus and receive this healing over our lives if we pray in faith that God is able to heal us. Jesus died for the salvation of all mankind. For the one who believes in Jesus as his Lord and Savior, His blood cleanses him of all sins and through His stripes we receive healing. For me it is easier to believe this since I am a beneficiary of His healing in my life. Not once but many times including a recent episode of the pandemic, I have seen how God miraculously healed me in my body. Christian life is not just studying about God but experiencing the reality of God in our lives. Just like theory without practical knowledge is incompetent, so is studying about God, without experiencing God’s truth and reality in life.
Isaiah 53:5 “But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by His wounds we are healed.”
The point I want to emphasize here is that God’s healing is not just limited to the physical body. God heals both the body of sickness and the soul of sin. God’s healing is wholesome and complete. He is Jehovah Rapha—The Lord who heals.
How can one be well, when he suffers morally? —Leo Tolstoy
So, our next question might be, then why is not everyone who believes in God healed? I know that it is true and there are no two ways about it that God can heal. This is not a question up for debate. He heals the sick who have faith in Him or because of the faith of the one who prays over the sick. But why is it that some were healed one way and another person had to go through something and then be healed or why one who seems to have faith in God is not yet healed is not for us to break our heads over. What I can do is affirm that God is in control. Hold on to God and He will change trials into testimonies for His glory. Even if we go through a sickness God will give us the strength to overcome it and become stronger not only in our body but also in our faith in Him.
Mark 8:36-37 “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
However, God is not just interested in healing the body but even more in healing our inner man—our heart, mind and soul. If it takes a bodily sickness to heal the heart of the deadly disease of pride, boastfulness, jealousy, hatred, stubbornness, well then that is God’s way of healing that person from the inside. Or maybe God wanted to show them that they can’t control their lives which is just a matter of a breath. I can never list down the reasons why someone went through something, but I can always assure that God is in control of the one who trusts in Him, even during the sickness God is still in control and He is not blind to your circumstances.
Psalm 119:67 “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word.”
Psalm 119:71“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”
“I seek a not a long life, but a full one, like You Lord Jesus.” Like Jim Elliot who said these words, may we also desire a full life that fulfills God’s plans and purposes for us rather than a long but empty one.
God is almighty and He does all things for His own purposes which will not make sense to us simply because we don’t and can’t think like God who knows the end before the beginning. But the scriptures say that the Holy Spirit helps us to understand the plans of God (1 Corinthians 2:12-16). Nobody can limit God’s ways but we know that a father disciplines the son he loves. If a father doesn’t give a second look at what his son does with his life, that’s not called love.
Hebrews 12:5-7 “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son.” Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as His children. For what children are not disciplined by their father?
I am not healthy and well because I am by any means better off than a person who is down with the flu. All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s standards. But I am well because of my faith in God and His forgiveness that is mine now because I believe that Jesus died for all my sins and weaknesses. So in Him and through Him alone, I am saved.
Romans 3:23-24“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Don’t lose heart if you are going through a season of sickness in your body or mind. Don’t let your mind tell you that God has forsaken you. We see many examples of people in the Bible and in today’s world, who trusted God sincerely and yet did not receive a bodily healing.
The existence of illness or suffering in a believer’s life does not necessarily constitute a sinful life or a life that lacks faith. Apostle Paul pleaded with the Lord on three separate occasions for the Lord to remove the “thorn in his flesh,” yet God’s grace was enough for the apostle and His power was made perfect in Paul’s weaknesses. Elisha the prophet raised the son of the Shunamite women yet he died of a sickness (2 Kings 4:18-37, 2 Kings 13:14, 2 Corinthians 12:7-9) and so on.
We cannot ever answer why and what God has in mind for each person. But the truth remains the same, that if we surrender our lives to Jesus, then even if our bodies go through sickness, we still have a future hope that is eternal. With God on our side, we can only get stronger with everything that comes our way. But without God, anything has the potential to break you down. If we trust in Him, even in our weakness His strength is displayed in us for His own glory.
2 Corinthians 12:8-10“Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
When God helps us to understand that the greatest blessing we can have is God Himself, then the joy of God becomes our strength (Nehemiah 8:10 “Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength”). We rejoice because He has already given us everything we need in Jesus. Christian life is joyful because we have Jesus. We are not self-dependent people but God-dependent. And that is our never ending source of strength. He will not leave us nor forsake us. If your body is healed you might live up to 70-80 years, given all goes well. But when you receive Jesus in your life, you live with Him eternally beyond this life. (John 11:25-26)
That’s why we can also say, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
A proper definition of the subconscious mind would help at the outset. According to Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the subconscious mind is “the part of your mind that notices and remembers information when you are not actively trying to do so, and influences your behaviour even though you do not realize it.” Who is God? According to the Bible, a simple explanation would be: God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe—the Supreme Being. The above definitions help us make a proper distinction between our mind and God: Our subconscious mind is part of us and it is us. While God is altogether another Being with His own mind existing outside of us. Books are great if we pick the right ones. Anyone can write anything and self-attest them. We need to find out on what these truth claims are founded or based on. Stating that the human subconscious mind is God doesn’t make much sense when we understand who God really is. As the Creator of all things, He is beyond all created things and cannot be contained within His creation. The book’s statements about prayer must be tested before they’re accepted. There are several claims about prayer, mind, subconscious mind & God that are problematic and even contradictory.
Consider this claim: “we trust and pray to our subconscious mind which is very powerful”
Response: The author seems to generalize the concept of prayer as if everybody prays to their own subconscious mind. In prayer, people often tend to reach out to a “higher power” for help and clarity. As Christians, we pray to the eternal God knowing and believing that with Him, all things are possible. We don’t pray to ourselves (subconscious mind).
Claim: “we make them God because we humans can’t trust in ourselves”
Does this not contradict the previous claim? Why do humans pray to their own subconscious mind when they can’t trust themselves? Since humans can’t trust themselves and are fallible (from the author’s own statements), our only safest and trustworthy option is the infallible Word of God— the Bible! We would encourage you to take God’s Word over man’s word. Many worldviews have their own theory about prayer. According to Bible, prayer takes many forms. But prayer at its simplest is “talking with God.” Prayer can go beyond this but it is never less than this. In the Bible, Jesus promises to answer the prayers of those who put their faith in Him because He is loving and almighty!
Here are few other ideas from Joseph Murphy’s book, “The Power of Your Subconscious Mind,” which are not logically correct:
1) You Receive Answers To Prayer Because Of Mental Acceptance About What You Pray ‣ We don’t receive answers to prayer by accepting what we pray for. We receive answers by putting our faith in God who alone is capable of helping us with our needs. For example, I mentally accept that my body has a sickness but I am in no position to heal it. My brain cannot heal it. Or what if our brain also has a sickness? Then who will provide the answer? So my faith must be based on Someone beyond my physical limitation—God, my Creator!
2) Your Subconscious Mind Has The Answer To All Your Problems ‣ No, it does not. If that were the case, we should be having our problems solved in our sleep. But in reality, we end up with many issues in life when we work with our conscious mind, our behaviours get deposited into our subconscious mind which in turn converts those behaviours into habits. In this way, our subconscious mind gets influenced and corrupted. Now, do we want to put our trust in something corrupt?
3) Faith Is The Only Universal Healing Principle Operating Through Everybody ‣ Murphy says in the book “faith is created by accessing and harnessing the power of our subconscious minds. Illness, physical ailments, and even traumatic experiences can be healed by repeatedly submitting thoughts of healing to our subconscious minds. “It is very important to understand the foundation of our faith—what is our faith based on? On God who is infallible or on our fallible self? Murphy points us inward. But we are not the source of our healing. Even with the best of medical science, humans are still desperately struggling with various sicknesses from Cancer to Covid. ‣ But in the Bible, God declares in Exodus 15:26 “…I am the Lord who heals you.” In fact, one of the other names of Biblical God is ‘Jehovah Rapha’ (the God who heals). We are called to put our faith in God for your healing. When we understand the evidence and facts that show us the validity of the Bible, it can help us trust what the Bible says about prayer better. Everyone can have different opinions about it, everyone can have their own convictions and self-made truths. However, this doesn’t affect the quality of the truth. And of course, truth is not affected by our surroundings, traditions, cultures, or social trends. It is constant. Truth is exclusive, and it cannot be altered with time. Prayer is a conversation with our Creator God and not a mind game. It’s a dialogue and not just us constantly talking to our minds without any response from the other end. God witnesses Himself to us through miracles and wonders in life so that our faith in Him is strengthened. He is not a figment of our mind but rather the One who created it along with everything else we see and beyond.
Claim: “The laws and rules we follow can be of social conditioning too??” Response: This is a very broad statement. Yes, there are laws and rules that we have created for ourselves in society (social conditioning). Ex. Legal laws (Indian Penal Code), Labour laws (work ethics), Traffic rules etc. Can you imagine a society without these in place? As history has proven, a lawless society will break down into chaos. So God allows these rules to be instituted to help regulate human behaviour. These laws help people understand what is right and wrong. But these laws can vary across societies. However, there are also moral laws given by God in the Bible which is universally binding and unchanging just like His nature (Ex. the 10 commandments in Exodus 20). The problem with mankind is disobedience to God’s Laws. God is the ultimate Law Giver and His Laws reflect His perfect character. We are by nature lawbreakers as history repeatedly proves. In the Garden of Eden, God gave only one commandment to Adam and Eve and they broke it (first sin). Then God had to give 10 more commandments because sins have already begun to multiply. In total, the Old Testament contains 613 commandments (Mosaic Law). God considers breaking one commandment as amounting to breaking all of it (James 2:10)! So, is there any hope for us? Thanks be to God! He has provided His Son Jesus Christ who lived a perfect life on our behalf and taken up our own punishment upon Him on the cross. If we put our faith in Him, God has promised to forgive us of all our lawlessness (sins).
In conclusion, prayer must always involve at least two persons—there is the one who prays (us) and there is the other who receives the prayer (God). Just as conversations with people help build our relationship with them. Prayer helps us to connect with God intimately. This is the chief purpose of prayer—to grow in our relationship with God.
Laws and rules have good purposes and are meant to maintain order in society. Human laws are imperfect. But God’s laws are perfect. They provide light to our path and life to our soul. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus summed up the entire Old Testament Laws in these two statements: 1-Love your God with all your heart, soul and mind. 2-Love your neighbour as yourself. Humans have the habit of breaking laws. And we always tend to find a way to escape punishment for breaking civil laws in society. But we cannot escape from God for breaking His commandments in the Bible. God has fixed a day in the future (2 Corinthians 5:10) to justly deal with all lawbreakers. But for now, God is extending a lifeline, offering mercy to all lawbreakers who believe in His Son Jesus Christ.
Thank you for writing to us with your questions. We hope this clarifies some things for you. You are always welcome to reach out to us in your continued pursuit of truth.
As consumers we all expect variety. We don’t completely depend on a single store for all commodities because it may not have the best of all categories. For example, we have a favorite store for clothes, shoes, another for groceries and so on.
But is it really wise to find different sources for our spiritual needs as well? Today we have a variety of choices there too. Some are attractive at least from the outset and some are unfortunately bizarre. Some sources stand on the foundation of certain principles, cultures, locations or heritages while others on public figures of so called spiritual gurus.
But fortunately for me, there is this ONE person I can turn to – the One true God! There is no need for a second option because there is no better choice. He is The best I could and will sought after. And we will try to find out just why.
God by definition is The Supreme being, Creator and Ruler of the Universe.
Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God (Elohim – the Triune God) created the heavens and the earth.
So, if our needs are within the heavens and the Earth (emotional, physical, material, spiritual) then we can know for sure who to go to – its Creator – God!
God cannot be specific only to a particular area or domain. If we believe that there is a God then He is an infinite being who created all other finite beings that are under His sovereign control. He is not a part of this creation but beyond it. If I say god is everything around me and everything in the universe is god then isn’t that contradicting the very meaning of God? How can there be more than one infinite being? So, if God is this one Supreme being then:
Why would I turn to many gods? When I can have a relationship with the One true God Himself, I don’t need to go to one god for provision, another for protection, yet another for healing and so on. God should be able to suffice all my needs.
Why would I turn to saints to intercede for me?
To start with who is a saint? According to the Bible every believer is a saint or in other words every person who is sanctified by Jesus’ finished work on the cross and set apart for God is a saint.(Romans 1:7,1Corinthains 1:2) In some denominations we see particular disciples and others given undue attention and they become objects of prayer and devotion. This is not biblical since giving a person such attention that he/she be made a mediator between the Father and us is an act of idolatry because Jesus is our only mediator as clearly given in the scriptures. In fact, the reason Jesus died was so that we may have direct access to the throne of God the Father. When I turn to any other human being, I disregard the sacrifice that Christ took on for me. There is only One mediator between God the Father and all of mankind – Jesus Christ. When I bow down to any other I am consciously or subconsciously an idolater because prayer is directed only to God.
Or is my Father in heaven like a strict earthly father beyond approach that someone should recommend for me?
We also find this kind of intercessory prayers made through Mary, the mother of Jesus. They say it is just like how we would ask our mother for something instead of asking the father directly. This is yet another heresy that is prevalent. Our God is perfect and cannot be compared to the flawed characteristics of an earthly father. I need no introduction or recommendation to the One who created me and knew me even before I was born(Psalm 139:15-16). His love for me exceeds any other. Mary was blessed to have been able to give birth to Jesus but she is by no means a deity. She had other sons and daughters after Jesus was born just like a normal woman. ( Mathew 13:55-56) She calls God her savior just like He is our savior.(Luke 1:47)
When we have Jesus sitting at the right hand of the Father and interceding for each one of us, we don’t need anyone else to do this task. (Romans 8:34)
We should respect people who have lived out a life of faith and learn good lessons from their lives (both failures and successes). But none is perfect that we may pray to them or worship them. Christ alone can save us and not any human being. Our example to follow is and will always remain Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 1:5 – 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people.
Acts 4:12 – Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Right! So, I just pray to this God and I get everything I want?
No, it’s not like God keeps giving you everything you want. But rather when you have a true relationship with this Almighty God, you lack nothing. You find your purpose in life and everything you need is taken care of within this wholesome relationship.
In the old testament we see many names given to God in worship and adoration by different people at different instances. These names, unlike today, had great significance and described a particular attribute of God as revealed to these people.
We too can pray claiming these attributes of God over our life situations.
Although God is more than any name could ever contain, these names help us understand and experience certain aspects of God’s character in our lives.
Below are few of the names of God and instances where it has been used in the Bible:
El Shaddai– Lord God Almighty
God specializes in impossibilities. When He says “Yes” there is nothing that can change it. Faith in God’s faithfulness is what you need to see the fulfilment of God’s promises.
Genesis 17:1 – When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.
El Roi– The God who sees me
Ever felt like you were invisible to the world around you? He is the God who sees you no matter where you try to hide yourself. Call on Him because His eyes are watching over you and
Genesis 16:16 – She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen[a] the One who sees me.”
Jehovah Raah – The Lord My Shepherd
When you follow the good shepherd, you will lack nothing. Even if you wander away, He will come in search of you. The good shepherd lays His life down for the sheep. Jesus is our good shepherd and in Him we have everything we need – protection, provision and guidance.
Psalm 23:1 -The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
Jehovah Rapha – The Lord That Heals
God who can heal both our body from sickness and our soul from sin. I have experienced His healing in my body in a second. The same God who healed me can heal you too if you have faith in Him.
Exodus 15:26 – 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”
Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
Our righteousness comes from God and not by any of our own deeds. The blood of Jesus cleanses us of all our sins and makes us righteous before the Father. So, don’t condemn yourself but repent before God and exchange your shame for His righteousness.
Jeremiah 23:6 – In His days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteous Savior.
Qanna – jealous, zealous, or envy
The fundamental meaning relates to a marriage relationship. God is depicted as Israel’s husband. He is a jealous God, wanting all our praise for Himself and no one else. When we distribute the worship that only God deserves among other man-made gods and saints we are committing idolatry.
Exodus 20:5 – 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,
Jehovah Jireh – The Lord Will Provide
When we have exhausted our resources and strength, He provides for those who call on Him. He makes sure they have enough in times of need. In His perfect time, He will provide beautifully. We need to trust and wait on Him to see the miracle.
Genesis 22:14 – 4 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
Jehovah Shalom – Prince of Peace
He is the God who calms the storm with a word. He can give you peace amidst the chaos. In His presence we find peace that is beyond our understanding. Our peace rests on the fact that God is in control.
Judges 6:24 – 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Jehovah Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts
The Lord of angel armies who goes before and behind us is our Protector from the evil one. Even when we are alone, He is with us. Where no man can reach out to us, God is still with us. No wall is too thick for God to come through if you call on Him earnestly.
Isaiah 47:4 – 4 As for our redeemer, the Lord of hosts is his name, the Holy One of Israel.
And so, One God is enough for me. I don’t have to run between different gods for my different needs. And this privilege is freely available to you if you believe in Jesus and accept Him as your personal Lord and savior. He is enough!
Always a topic that make heads turn in the Christian circle. So, what is all the talk about Christians not being allowed to get a tattoo? And what does the Bible say about it?
Leviticus 19:28 – “‘Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.
This was one among the many rules that God gave the Israelites so that they would be set apart for God from among other pagan religions and cultures of that time.
Though all of these are not applicable to us today, there are some outright Nos that we need to follow as children of God. We should not get a tattoo of any kind of pagan gods/symbols, anything related to sorcery, witchcraft, Black Magic and so on because that would be an idol. These are clearly against what God wants His children to do.
Also, in Revelation we see something called the mark or number of the beast(666). This is said to differentiate the followers of Christ and the followers of antichrist in the days to come. If you do not believe in Jesus and follow the antichrist then you will have this mark on you(which is not an impossible idea anymore with the development of technology in our times) and only if you have this mark will you be allowed to buy or sell anything.
So it looks like the mark of the antichrist is outwardly and visible whereas, the mark of God is the Holy Spirit inside of us and is invisible.
Revelation 13:16-18 – It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.
So, what about Christian tattoos?
What about a “John 3:16”, a cross, “Jesus loves you” or something along the same lines which is purely giving out a gospel message?
The Bible says that your body is the temple of the living God. Inflicting pain on it should be a serious thought.
Always better to get Him tattooed on your heart than on your skin. Internal transformation over external expressions.
What is tattooed on your heart will speak louder than what is on your skin. God can use your life as a bigger testimony than a tattoo.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Am I obeying the golden rule that Jesus told me?
Golden rule:
Mathew 22:36-39 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
You can get a tattoo and exercise the freedom you have in Christ but is it beneficial?
1 Corinthians 10:23 – “I have the right to do anything,” you say–but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”–but not everything is constructive.
If I know I can get a tattoo that spreads the gospel message and can be a window for starting a conversation with others about what God did in my life but still my culture is not open towards the idea, I should still rethink about exercising my freedom by getting a tattoo done.
Why?
Because God died not only for me but for each of them and they are all valued before His eyes.
So, to be able to share the gospel to them I need to be approachable first.
Does this mean that culture is greater than God’s commandments? Never. But, when it is not against God’s commandments I should, for the sake of others try to keep up with it. This shows my love for them just the way God wants me to win them.
What about those who already have a tattoo? There is absolutely no problem if you already have a tattoo, and it is not a sin that will keep you away from God. You can always run to your Father. A tattoo dosent make you any less or any more of a child of God. May God help you to glorify Him with everything that you have.
I encourage you to know that our identity comes from God alone. We don’t need a tattoo to remind us who we were, who we are or who we want to be. We will always be a daughter/son of the Most High God. Nothing, nothing at all can take that away if we believe in what Jesus did for us on the cross. He died for the forgiveness of all our sins and reconciled us back to the Father.
Romans 8:15 – “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.'”
Live by the explicitly clear commands that Jesus has laid down for us in the Bible. Once that is taken care of all these fringe issues (like tattooing, drinking, partying, movies) will also fall in place when we are guided by the wisdom and discernment of the Holy Spirit. Don’t try to fix the fringe issues first and forget all about the core!
What is the core?
Jesus died for me and by His death He took away all my sins and I am forgiven. I have been made a child of God who is loved and cared for and I will live for His glory by reflecting His love to others around me. So, tattoo or no tattoo on my skin does not matter but I need to tattoo God in my heart because God sees my heart.
1Samuel 16:7 – The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
I hope this topic doesn’t excite us anymore and that we will be mature in Christ to look at things that really matter beyondink and skin.
Affirm Truth 