“If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the LORD..” -Jeremiah 29:13-14.
Seeking is an effort. It is a voluntary and deliberate push. It involves your time, mind, heart, and focus. God is inviting us to seek Him, to find Him. As if He seems to be hiding in a place not easily accessible. A dimension new to us. A dimension special, powerful, glorious and is of God and His kingdom. Something that you’ll be in awe of. Your seeking should pause heavens and unveil this dimension of God where God dwells.
When you’ve got it, You know that you’ve got it. It’s valuable, inexhaustable, precious, and the treasure of life. When you find God, you’ll always be joyful of finding Him. You’ll carry it all along wherever you go. It’s in you. It’s with you. You talk about it, live it, love it. The obsession is evident. You can’t walk out of it. You don’t have to be conscious about it. It is so intense that it carries you away from the world and keeps you in here. The glitterings of the world now look dim. The deliciousness and delightfulness of the world tastes pale and bitter. The finding is so wonderful that you’d sell everything you have to own it. The secrets of such things is given only to men.
Remember, when you truly find Him. You can’t contain the joy. You’ll carry that Joy with you everywhere!!
“I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” Gen 41:41
It didn’t matter.
Pit, Prison, or Palace, Joseph excelled. As if the stairs of success seemed to grab hold of him regardless of where he was. “God was with Joseph” is one word that best described him even by the heathen. Joseph was irresistibly successful even in the prison. The forsaking of his brothers didn’t change him. Pit couldn’t hold him down there. Prison couldn’t turn him hard. None of the situations changed him. God with Joseph manifested – in pit, at potiphar’s house, in prison, and in palace. Place, location, geography, vasthu or constellations (Horoscope) did not matter. All that mattered was God with Joseph. That, took him from pit to palace. To being forsaken to be the most sought person in the world. The Lord with him re-aligned everything and brought exaltation and lifting.
No matter where you are today, if God is with you, His Holy Spirit is in you, you will shine, walk in success, and manifest excellence. Even when you walk through the valley of darkness with Jesus, your path will turn into a valley of light. You might be in a wrong place today, stuck in a situation, caged in a wilderness, experiencing a set back in life and wondering where and how did you end up there. Know this one thing: if God is with you, you will float amidst the most hard pressed situation and will emerge out victorious. At times God takes you to the challenging places to keep you there as a blessing. Your very presence will shift everything and will turn it into a place of hope, a paradise of heaven. YOU ARE that Change that God will bring in a place, people, and nations.
You are where God wants you to be. Press forward, keep your lamp high and let your radiance shine. No matter where you are, If God is with you, You will float-up and rise high.
I wonder, as I sit at the window of a hustle bustle bus tossing me up and down. The roller coaster bus ride, the noise of the vehicle honking aloud, the dust of the road swirled by the passing vehicles, so much a chaos in and around. I tried to wade through them but invain. None of them seemed to give any heed.
I closed my eyes and calmed me down for while. I tried being still inside. I opened my eyes and far from the window, I glanced and gazed: A lovely and beautiful green grass hurling and dancing along with the wind. The sight of this was so mesmerising. Nothing seemed beautiful to me. Nothing really mattered. The plight of it captured me. Besides, I was still in the chaos, still on the rough roads, roller coaster ride, the dust and noise around. Nothing changed and yet nothing bothered me now. I was still inside. Calm and peaceful; captivated by the wonderful beauty far beyond. I was here and yet I was there.
How often we are lost in the business of life’s role and responsibilities. They keep us joggling restlessly. We’re taught to deal with it, handle it and ride over it. We spend our lives driving these disturbances away and lose sight of important things in life.
Apostle Paul writes in Hebrew 12:2: ”we do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding it’s shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne”
He meant: I fix my gaze upon Christ Jesus. I detach myself from everything around me, I let go of my past; I’m insensitive to my surroundings, I’ve stopped trying to work out things with my strength. I have put them all behind me. And my gaze is set upon Jesus!
Jesus himself endured the cross, disregarded shame, bore all the insults, took all the betrayals because of the Joy that was set before him. He set His eyes on the Father. Infact, so much more that He never took his eyes off from father. His gaze was set on the Father!
Jesus said: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19.
And because Jesus set his eyes on the father, He could walk Holy, righteous, blameless and past all the hurdles, challenges, insults and accomplish the absolute will of God in obedience. Notice He didn’t do anything of His own. He saw His Father doing and did exactly that. You gotta be firm and fixed not to miss a move!
The key to walk in the ways of God is fixing your gaze on God. The key to walk with Jesus is fixing your eyes on Jesus. You’ll walk into holiness, righteousness and a wonderful life that God has for you. Your struggle only comes when you’re eyes are not on God.
Amidst the busy chaos and chorus of life, I train my mind and heart to calm down, step aside, pause everything around and look unto Jesus. For beholding him is the most wonderful thing. Oh how often I would want to stop by and gaze at him. The more I gaze, the more I know him; the more I know Him, the more I understand Him, I know His nature, Character, heart, and His mind. I fall in love with him again and again.
Where’s your gaze today? Lost in the world? It’s time to pause everything and fix your gaze firmly upon Jesus. Stay right there. He is absolutely wonderful to behold! There is peace, Joy, love, calmness, and life in this gaze!
Psalm 16:8 says, “I have set the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken“
“…What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”— the things God has prepared for those who love him— these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 NIV
The God in our lives is pictured and perceived by what we have seen, felt and experienced. While there is yet more to know, there’s so much more than that, to know with what we can’t see, can’t feel or touch. Realms that we haven’t entered or have not even known. Things that can be understood only by the spirit; for which we have too little time and too far from it.
So, we have defined God only with what we know, and that is why there is so little of God in and around us. The God of our understanding is merely a disfigured entity. Something this generation has absolutely messed up with!
If only we know God in all His fullness, we would give away anything, and give up everything we are holding onto – all our earthly pursuits, dreams and desires, and hold on to Him. When we find Him, He’s the loveliest of everything we have ever known. Our souls will cling to Him, and our hearts firmly bonded to Him and there’s no turning back.
“….that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” Ephesians 1:17
There is a great need of understanding and knowing God today than any other time of the centuries gone by. There’s so much of fear, so much of uncertainty, so much of anxiety, worries, and stress because we haven’t understood God. We have no faith because we have not known Him. We have no trust because we know not His ways. There’s crying and weeping out of hopelessness because we have not truly known our God.
Apostle Paul went around everything and finally understood one simple thing: it all goes around this – knowing God. Knowing His son Jesus! And that’s all he was determined to do. It’s not the ministry, works, deeds, achievements, goals and so on. All these are nothing compared to the knowledge of the God who loves us!
The God of Israel is great and mighty, strong and powerful; He is merciful, and compassionate. He can’t withhold His love from us . He can’t be silent to the sufferings of His children. He is our helper. He is our refuge and our Joy. He is simply too wonderful beyond any description available!
“The people who know their God shall be strong and do mighty exploits” – Daniel 11:32
Oh how we have fallen behind in our knowledge about Him. Oh how we have misinterpreted in our understanding of Him. A dillusioned, vague, diluted image of God!
There’s a strong and high call to reinstate the image, understanding and knowledge of God. We have been doing everything around to get better except dealing with the root cause. We have been trying to see life with the disfigured goggles. No matter how much we clean, it will not work. It is not with life that is a problem but rather it is the goggles with which we see and perceive. ‘That’, has to be changed entirely; only then we will see life in all it’s beauty.
Oh the crisis, how it is everywhere. The need of sitting in the presence of God and unlearning things that have pre-occupied and built in our minds from years and decades about God.
It is high time we seek God and learn His ways, His patterns, His mind, His heart and every dimension of His being. To capture God just as He is. To see Him in every angle, every way; in every side. To know Him as He really is. Like the purest waters – absolutely clean, transparent and glittering. And to paint Him in our hearts too wonderfully as our Holy Spirit unveils Him.
This knowledge of God perceived, recieved and observed right from heaven will change your life forever! This is all you need; this is your call. This is God’s purpose for you. This is true life; THIS is EVERYTHING!
“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” – John 17:3
“And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.” – 1 Samuel 23:14
It wasn’t one day, a week or a month. For years David had been on a constant run. From the raising of the sun until the setting down, and at night both, David had to be on guard at all times – 24*7.
Imagine the fear and restlessness. The entire kingdom belonged to Saul. He had been vigorously searching and seeking after David’s life. Search warrant issued in every city, streets and houses. Luring eyes everywhere. A tempting reward hung over his head. Enemies and friends both in the same sheep’s clothing.
This is a man who loved God, and whom God loved so much. A man so close to God, and yet so far from goodness. No freedom, no support, no space to be himself, no own house, no locatable dwelling place; can’t attend the worships, can’t enter the temple of God openly, can’t make out for any occasions, functions, and feasts; no trustworthy people and worst of all, rumours that spread all across the land.
Can you pause for a moment, place yourself in David’s shoes? You might begin to wonder – a man so ordained, anointed and honoured by God has been running for his life for years? Can this be the king? Truly??
If he’s anointed, where is the anointing? Where is God in the life of this clueless man? Anointed and yet scared to death, running for his life? What was God doing?
Why didn’t God give David a clean slate victory? Why couldn’t it be an easy take over? Has not God chosen David?
Besides, David at this point was blameless and spotless!
But, look at David. He never complained God. Never took things in his hand or tried to finish it by himself. Though God delivered Saul into his hands, he didn’t dare strike him. He allowed God to deal his life. He allowed God to work out his process. He allowed God to be the Lord over everything of his life, and simply trusted Him.
While running he learnt by trusting God every day, and at every season. He learnt to depend on God than any-other time before. In his helplessness he learnt humility and dependability until it became his habit to sought God’s strength by default.
In all those years of running, David learnt the art of pausing and waiting on God, enquiring him, reaching out to him, and developing a life of total dependency on God. God was with David, silently teaching and training him and protecting him through all these!
You see, just because you’re a child of God, it doesn’t mean your life will be always be an easy, flourishing, happy, calm and all nice. There’s a process of training and bending, before actually becoming a God’s General.There’s a phase of turbulence in the life of HIS chosen allowed to bring out certain traits, character and stability required for your calling.
I’m talking to God’s elect, God’s generals, and Ambassadors of Heaven.
If God has chosen you and has called you. Get ready to experience roller coaster life. Don’t take short cuts and wonder why all these are happening with you.
Whatever you are going through, at all times, learn to run to God, until the season has pushed you there with God, and HE has become your dwelling place. In all those years of homelessness and restlessness David pitched his dwelling with God and found rest here! It took David nearly fourteen long years before he got to the throne.
Don’t worry about your future, time and consequences. God’s got you. Just sustain the season, learn all the best you can to fix your gaze upon Jesus until it turns a habit for life and the only picture you can see at all seasons is Jesus before you; and suddenly one day your lifting will come like the wings of eagles – swift and strong – ready to carry you off to the places of your destiny.
The throne will require a king who would sit and rule under every possible pressures of the kingdom, and so, a king who has learnt the art of depending on God while keeping his character and integrity in all seasons of high and low would alone fit the throne. And David became the most notable and wonderful king Isreal ever could have in its history.
And David was called the man after God’s own heart.
“This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24
‘This is the day’ is one strong and enforcing statement. Like a command, a straight forward push; an excited win declaration.
The Psalmist starts with all kind of statement, a mixture of praise, thanksgiving, helplessness, hopelessness and then reaches down to “This is the day….”
There are many reasons to cry and crib about – the helpless state, ever hunting enemy, thick sorrow, and hopelessness. But it seems the Psalmist is struck by a strong and firm determination, a sudden infinite assurance, when he says “this is the day”. As if God has now spoken aloud that there is this day, He Himself has ordained, prepared and purposed it. A day to rejoice and be glad.
A day you will wake up with all your errands and prayers but that day God has predestined and called it your day. Everything in this day is called to work for you. The events lined up to surprise you, bless you; someone would visit you and speak that word of deliverance that even you haven’t noticed at all. Money withheld for years would just come rushing over you.
An enemy who has been hurting you and bothering suddenly vanishes. That anxiety is simply removed from your mind like the change of a carpet or a garment. You wake up as usual but the battle you’ve been fighting for months has been won. Someone has fought and laid the victory crown before your doorsteps.
Everything is miraculously favouring you. You haven’t moved an inch, but every inch around you is moving. God has spoken to everything around you to usher you, put smile over you, be joyful, fill you, and love you. It’s a day of joy dancing around you.
This day you are crossing-over a five years bridge in just one single day. The Lord has chosen it to be your day and every particle in air will work for you. In your favor, your enemies will surrender and give way to you!
God has designed days for you, that your help comes from around you. The paralytic man couldn’t move, but had friends who put him in the right place of healing. you may be helpless but your situations will carry healing and restoration. When your God is on-site, there’s just celebration!
If in one day everything collapsed for Job, everything can also come together in a day, just like that. God’s power is stronger. A small portion of God’s goodness is greater than all the best of worst thing put together.
Today is that day: A day of celebration, Joy and peace. Day to reap for what you haven’t sown. Day to recieve what is not yours. Day to shout for what you didn’t struggle, and yet is yours. You didn’t run the race and yet the crown is yours. You didn’t even strike your sword but a thousand has fallen to your left and right. Everything of God is giving you everything!
Stand ye today and see God do His best wonders just for you. Would you believe if I say to you, this is your day? Rejoice and celebrate now. Everything is going to reposition for you. Today, they will work while you rest and celebrate! Eat and drink, your season is here!
He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.” – Gen 18:3-5.
It was a sunny day; the sun was at pitch hot. After a day’s busy chorus of attending too many things of his own, Abraham was resting at the entrance under a tree. At a very unusual timings, He saw three men standing before him. Abraham quickly got up and rushed to greet and, serve them.
He was super quick to respond and show kindness. In doing so, he actually welcomed God in his tent, gave that honour, and served Him! For they were from the kingdom of God.
There are a numerous times just as here, God knocked our doors, or passed-by us; came as stranger, or stood next to us. But we missed to recognise him. We didn’t attend to him. We were so busy with our own stuffs. We had our own share of troubles and storms, and were busy with it. some of us are too busy celebrating, and we didn’t even bother to help or have a heart towards our neighbours. And we pray and seek help from God. Irony, and painful truth!
What justice are we serving when we expect God to help us when we’re not willing to help our neighbours? We don’t wanna take that extra mile, step out and reach them; Love them, do good to them.
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” – Hebrew 13:2
Abraham simply wanted to serve them, bless them and send them back on their journey. He wouldn’t really ask something in return. How many of us truly do good without expecting anything in return?
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” -Hebrew 13:16
The Children of the Most High will carry HIS heart of doing good to anyone and everyone. Even so, unto your enemies. Yes, it takes our effort, time, energy, money and everything. But that’s what God is looking in us. He wants to see His nature in us. Do we carry His nature in us? His goodness and mercy will not cease to follow us for the rest of our lives. How about yours?
God won’t credit some blessings on you because you’ve done some good deed. Nope! Whether you do it or no, it is in His nature to do good to us. And He will do good despite it. That’s what He is. His goodness walks before Him.
While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. – Gen 18:9.
While you are busy serving strangers, God is thinking about you, your family and your life.
If His eyes are on the sparrow, are you not more than that? You are more than His own life, and it costed God His son Jesus for you!
He will spot that area of your life that need His touch, that need His healing. He will begin to involve in every area of your life. That storm that you’re in for years, He will walk into it to calm. He will walk to that area you’ve been struggling for years for victory. He will attend to your needs while you attend to the needs of others!
Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son. – Gen 18: 10.
There is an exchange that happens when we are busy serving His people. God is drawn to stay with you until He releases His Word and activate that breakthrough in your life. His Blessings will flow unto you and follow you!
Goodness attracts Goodness. Show goodness to people around you, it will in-turn attract the goodness of God in a greater measure over you. Strive to do good in all manner and at all time and to everyone.
Don’t wait for someone to knock your door. Be alert and sensitive to serve, and do good.
For Christ came to serve and not to be served. And therefore, God the father now has Christ Jesus seated with Him at His right hand forever!
Do you want God to have His dwelling with you? Be ready to serve, and do good. He will be attracted to pass-by you. When God comes, He will fill every incompleteness of your life, and His goodness will forever rest over you!
He works when I sleep, we work together when I wake up.
He plans when I sleep, we execute together when I wake up.
He sorts out my every mess when I sleep, we create new together when I wake up.
He fights when I sleep, we win together when I wake up.
He sings over me when I sleep, we sing together over each other when I wake up.
He orders silently when I sleep, we open the suprise together when I wake up.
He loves watching me when I sleep, we adore each other together when I wake up.
He is eternal, I’m but for a time. When I’m asleep, dusted and gone, He keeps watch over my bones until I wake up again and live with Him “together” forever!
Every Great men of God was driven to their nothingness and compelled to pursue God. The perseverance in which they sought God attracted Him to visit them. It is our state of wilderness that often creates an unparalleled urge to leave everything and seek God. Sometimes comfort turns out to be your greatest barrier.
King Asa had a great zeal for God. He was blessed with many years of peaceful reign. But eventually, Asa lost the habit of depending on God during those years. When the calamity hit him, he woke up to resolve it to himself. He left God from where he picked up the peaceful reign. God silently watched his steps. Instead of looking up, king Asa bent down and took the help of King Aram. God had given Asa a great victory when he had faced a huge army before. The Lord fought his battle and give an astonishing victory. but now a smaller problem has turned Asa upside down. Asa depended on external source for help. God was upset. Asa failed to seek the face of God and enquire of Him. Eventually King Asa grew cold, independent, and walked away from the Lord his God. Even in his sickness, he did not return to the Lord till his last breath.
“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word” – Psalm 119:67
Little do we realise that our storms are the very things that actually push us closer to God. They keep us intact to God. I thank God for all my storms, challenges and problems. It kept me depending on God. It still is. It pushed me in a way closer to Him. My pains paved way to voice out to God. If it isn’t for them, I might have lost track of God.
If you haven’t thanked God for all your troubles, you should be doing it now! Well, it is still the one which is making you hold on to God! An easy life may lead you astray, your blessing may take you away from Him. A comfort life could blind you to the realities of life, and make you less dependent on God, and someday you will walk so independent, you’d not even realise that you’ve lost God on your journey!
Everything that helps us draw closer to God is a blessing in a way. And it is not the comfort and easy going life but the storms of our lives, the pain and agony, troubles and challenges.
The book of Psalm is full of cry, wailing, pain, running away and then thanksgiving, praises, and adoration as an answer. If there’s no pain, there’s no cry. If there’s no cry, there’s no need of help, no help – no praises. You see, if the psalmist had an easy, nice on-going life, he would probably never write the book of Psalm.
Ask King David, He’d probably tell you how his life is a roller coaster, and yet no one has experienced grace and love of God like him. All his victories won were in the rigorous battle and troubles of his life but a day of rest and comfort opened the door of sin with Bathsheba.
Ask Jacob, the one who wrestled with God for blessings; his life had been full of pain, twist and turns, and yet, it is here he found God. Seventy years of captivity did not bring God into picture. It is the fiery furnace that brought forth the son of God in the nation of Babylon and shifted the call for worship towards the God of Israel.
Beware of trouble free, calm or easy life. It is a trap, and the nature of man is to forget God, and learn to live life without Him. The danger is, you walk out of life into darkness and vanish not finding your way back.
The life of King Asa serve us all an important lesson. Don’t seek for a trouble free life. That’s not what you need. Seek for a life with Jesus, through the storms and raging seas, He shall keep you and you’ll be amazed as to how you still have peace and rest amidst them, even with all the noise around you! God bless!
Raising Beyond 