I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our God, who created and formed us and who never ever forgets us. The blessed word that God has given for you, today is from the book of Zechariah 9:12, “Return to your fortress, you prisoners of hope. For even today, I declare, that I will restore double to you. ”
From the above context we see that, this was a time when the Jewish people were sent into exile in Babylon. But after seventy years of exile, King Cyrus made it possible for the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem. These were painful years for the Israelites, because their city had been destroyed and they were captives in a foreign land. But the scripture says, that God’s word came to Zechariah the prophet, saying that if the people of God would repent of their wrong deeds and return to the Lord, then God will restore to them a double portion of blessing. This is what we read in the above context. The people of Israel were like prisoners of hope waiting for something good to happen after having been in exile in Babylon for seventy years.
In this world, you may have many hardships, struggles and debts, and diseases. Nevertheless our Lord Jesus Christ who is in the midst of us, can send just one word, and change all things in your life for the good of your life and not to do evil. Today the Lord is looking at you and saying, “Return to your fortress, for even now I will restore double to you.” I will not restore double tomorrow, but today, says the Lord. Those of you who are reading this message may be reading with a hope of gaining some comfort since you have been burdened much with struggles.
So “double” signifies anything large, sufficient, plentiful, particularly the grace; and double comfort from God, instead of distress and trouble experienced in the past. The burdens of this life might have been however distressing or you may be in an uncomfortable and distressed circumstances, God says, “I declare double” double grace, an abundance of it; which “I will render unto thee”; to everyone of the prisoners of hope, who turn to the strong hold Christ, in whom they will find a fullness of all grace, and shall receive out of it grace for grace; double grace, a large measure of it; double to what was received under the former dispensation.
Are you going through distress, in your family, continuously? Are you hearing only bad news from all corners in your family? You may be experiencing burdens after burdens, in your family. Famine upon famine, debt over debts and Disease after disease. By the time you manage to come out of one problem, the other hits upon you. And by the time you solve that problem the next is on your way, or a new one arises. Like the rivers of Jordan, many problems are piling up and coming towards you. Therefore My Lord is telling you, “Return to your Fortress, like prisoners of hope. “That is why the Psalmist says, “The Lord is my Rock, and my Fortress, and my deliverer, in whom I take refuge. My shield and the Horn of my Salvation, and my Stronghold.”The Lord was a Fortress to King David. So King David says, “The Lord Jesus Christ is My Fortress.”
King David says, that Jesus Christ is his shield and protector. Especially when he was surrounded by his foes, from all sides, he boldly says, “Lord You are my strength, You are my Fortress, You are my Strong hold, You are my Lord, who shows favour to me during the days, of trouble. This proclamation, of David, encourages those who wait upon Him. Especially those who, like the prisoners, with great hope wait for deliverance. The Lord is telling you to return to the Lord, from all your wicked ways especially from worshipping other gods and goddesses. Then the Lord, will restore double to you. Things that have been going bad, in your family until this day, will turn out to be good from today onwards. Therefore God in simple terms tells you that you need to return to your stronghold. He says, ”Oh Prisoners of hope, today I declare, that I will restore to you double.” To those of you who are waiting for a blessing from the Lord, like prisoners, of hope, God is reassuring you that He will grant you double portion of blessing. Since you have hope, and you have decided to turn to Lord God who is your Fortress and Your Stronghold. All your sorrows will come to an end. God will change your sorrows into joy. God Bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Father we thank You for reminding us to return to our Fortress. Help us to make You Lord God as our strong hold. Teach us to turn to the true and Living God instead of worshipping other gods so that we can receive double portion of blessing from You. May we give up all wrong ways of life and return to the strong hold Jesus Christ.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our God, who created and formed us and who never ever forgets us. The blessed word that God has given for you, today is from the book of 2 Peter 2:9, “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.”
From the above context we find that often we get into trouble in our life. We have to go through many temptations and wonder how we will be able to come out of such temptations. But the Bible says that the Lord knows how to deliver those who are Godly out of temptations. Life is full of struggles and we can overcome these struggles only through the help and support of God.
In the above passage apostle Peter is identifying how satan has many ways to spoil the faith of God’s people, and how he sows lies and deceit in the heart of man, as the destructive weapons of mankind. Peter is warning us of how the false teachers during his time, even denied the Lord Who had bought them with His own, precious blood. Peter reminds us of God’s divine nature; His supernatural power; His enduring promises to His people and the incredible resource we have in His written Word, the Bible. Peter reminds us that God is faithful to fulfil His plans and purposes and that we will not be overcome by evil.
Peter cites a number of instances, about the Lord’s judgement of the wicked and the Lord’s deliverance of His people. He says, that God reaches out to us even when we fail or when we are go through difficult times. Peter reminds of us Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And Job who received double portion of blessing because of his absolute faith in God. He also referenced to Lot, who believed God’s word and yet failed to live the godly life, and therefore missed all the blessings of God. We see how the Lord rescued Lot, who lived in the midst of immoral people of Sodom. And this shows that God knows all those who belong to Him. He knows our heart and is able and willing to rescue all His people from destruction, even when we fail Him. He defends His children.
Our God is able to save you to the uttermost. Where man cannot prevail, there God can come and rescue you. We see that Daniel was thrown into the Lion’s den. Could anyone go into the den and save him? No one could go into the den, because there were many hungry lions and when one is dropped into the den of lions they would devour him, to death. But the Lord God of Israel sent His angels and shut the mouth of the Lions. They remained harmless because Daniel was blameless before God. The legendary Daniel, was known as an exemplary character, serves as the principal ‘hero’ in the book of Daniel. He was the wise and righteous prophet of God who was able to interpret dreams and thus convey the will of God to kings of his days. Namely king Darius and Nebuchadnezzar.
Are you in such a tight corner situation, not knowing what to do? Is the police chasing you for some reason or wrong which you have not committed, or is the creditor after you? Are you hiding yourself from these adversaries? Well, call upon the Lord God of Israel. He says, “Call to Me, I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”Never lose heart in life’s difficult circumstances, nor despair when you see the wicked flourish. Put your trust in the Lord despite the worse situation. God is faithful, and so deliverance is assured to those that are His – for All His ways are perfect and His judgement are altogether righteous.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Father God, we bless and thank You for Your precious Word. Thank You for telling us that You know how to rescue Your people from both the temptations of the evil one and the inevitable trials that follows the pathway of every man and woman. Give us the discernment, to identify our errors and to rectify them. Thank You Lord that even in times when we fail, through fear, or lack of faith, You remain faithful to keep the promises. Help us to live and work, for Your praise and glory.
In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
I greet and bless everyone in the name of Jesus Christ our God, who created and formed us and who never ever forgets us. The blessed word that God has given for you, today is from the book of 1Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you except something common to mankind; and God is faithful, so He will not allow you to be tempted .”
From the above context we see such marvellous words of encouragement throughout the Scripture. And we understand that God’s sufficient grace is available to all His children in the midst of the various trials and temptations that we all have to face during our earthly journey. God does not promise to keep our lives free from difficulties and danger. But He does undertake to limit its intensity and to provide a way of escape, so that we may be able to bear it.
These are truly heartening words that have helped to bring consolation and comfort to young and old, who have clung to this precious promise as a spiritual life-line, knowing that His grace is sufficient for all eventualities and that His grace will expand and multiply to encompass every temptations, trials and tribulations that we may be compelled to endure in this life. God will not give you troubles that you cannot bear. He will not test you beyond your strength to bear the trial. He knows the strength which you have. And accordingly He allows trials and temptation in our lives.
May be you are going through a lot of struggles in your life. Your neighbour may be causing unnecessary nuisance to you just to irritate you, or aggravate you. And you lose your peace. This might prolong for days. And this might upset you. Then you might be saying, “ Look I have been tested beyond my strength.” But God who has put in the strength within you knows for sure, how much you can bear or tolerate. You might be thinking, “Will I be able to come out of this struggle? Don’t worry for the Bible says, “For by You I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall.” He attributes his victory to God.
”If God has allowed you to suffer trial then that same God will enable you to overcome the trial with the strength He has granted to you. For He gives power to the weak and strength to the weary. God will help you to come out of the problem you are struggling through if you totally depend upon Him for your victory. God will not forsake you rather He will descend upon you, “Like birds hovering overhead, so the LORD of Hosts will protect you. He will shield you and deliver you. He will pass over you and preserve you. ”We see how Israel was saved out of the hands of Egypt’s cruel task masters, and all who obeyed and applied the blood of the Passover lamb on their door posts, were saved by the angel of death. Similarly like Israel, we too have been saved by grace through our faith in God’s Word and have been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world.
God’s promises to both Israel and us remain the same. His Promises stand fast forever and ever. And God has promised that, “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man” and God is faithful, Who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation God will provide a way of escape, so that you will be able to endure it. Let us never forget that the temptations and trials in our lives are no different from what others experience – and God is faithful and has promised that He will not allow the temptation to be more than ,what we can bear – but in His grace God will provide a way out of it, so that we can endure it. God Bless you.
Prayer: Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blessed day. Father, thank You for Your Son Jesus, Who understands what it is like to be tempted in life. Thank You that He is able to sympathise with all our weaknesses. Thank You that there is no temptation that we have to face that is not common to the human race, and thank You that You have promised to provide a way of escape, by grace through faith in Christ when trials come our way.
In Jesus Name We Pray,
Amen.
My dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet and bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed word that the Lord gave me is from the book of Daniel 1:8, “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies nor with the wine which he drank.”
Daniel was a noble Jewish youth of Jerusalem. He was taken into captivity by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were brought to serve in the king’s palace. The king granted for them a daily provision of his royal food and wine which they drank and training was given for them that they might serve before the king. But Daniel refused to eat of the king’s delicacies and the wine that was offered to him. He made a commitment in his heart that he will not defile himself with the royal food. Daniel and his companions proved to be the wisest of all the trainees and at the end of their training; they entered the service of king Nebuchadnezzar.
Although Daniel was a captive in the land of Babylon, he was not ashamed of his relationship with his God. Even though the decree had been published, he went upstairs to his room, and facing towards Jerusalem, he prayed three times a day. Daniel was a man of prayer. Therefore, God raised Daniel to a high office by his royal master Darius. But his rivals tricked king Darius into issuing a degree which condemned Daniel to death. God delivered Daniel from the power of the lions. King Darius promoted Daniel and his friends to a higher status in the kingdom.
My dearly beloved, have you taken a stand for the Lord? Have you compromised on the things of this world? The Bible says, ‘The Lord has set apart for Himself, him who is godly.’ Are you set apart for God? Today, if you make a commitment to God and obey the precepts of God and walk in His ways, then you will do well in your life and prolong your days in your land, like Daniel who lived in a land and proved to be unique among all the people of his times because of his faithful service to the Lord.
God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father we thank You for this blessed day. Lord, may You fulfill all the expectation of my children. Release them from their problems. Father, I thank You for setting them apart for You. Bless all those who wait upon You. Father, help them to remain zealous for God. In Jesus name we pray.
Amen.
Dearly beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, I greet and bless you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. The blessed word that the Lord has given for you today is from the book of Isaiah 33:20, “Look on Zion, the city of our festivals; your eyes will see Jerusalem, a peaceful abode, a tent that will not be moved; its stakes will never be pulled up, nor any of its ropes broken”. The Lord says that He will bestow these blessings upon those who look up to Zion (heaven).
When the Lord blesses you with His blessings, He will not uproot it off from you because it is He who gave it to you. In the above verse God says that He will not uproot that what He has given. The Lord is going to cause you to keep growing higher and higher. People might have been waiting for you to start to grow in what you do so that, they would be able to uproot you off even before you could have taken root. Do not worry my child for the Lord says that, no one will uproot you off from what you have started to do because it is He who blessed you.
The book of Amos 9:15 says, “I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them”. The Lord Himself says that He will not uproot what He has planted. No man can do any harm to you. God will make you to excel in all that you do according to His will. You need to have a steady mind only then God will be able to make you to stand firm.
The book of Hosea 14:5 says, “I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots”. The Lord says that He will descend upon you like the dew. The Lord will make you to come out of all your fears and you will bloom like the lily. When you put your trust in the Lord, you will fear no evil. The Lord will make you to take strong roots like the cedar of Lebanon. When you go forth to do any work with the strength that you have, the Lord will be your strength for He says that His strength is made perfect in your weakness.
My dearly beloved, if you feel scared or lost, do not be disheartened. The Lord says that He will be by your side in all that you do according to His will. Before you start to do anything, take a moment to pray and ask the Lord for His guidance. The Lord will guide you and you shall prosper in the place that the Lord plants you.
God bless you.
Prayer:
Our loving heavenly Father, we thank You for this blesses day. Lord, Your word says in the book of Amos 9:15 that You will not uproot Your children from the land that You have placed them in. I pray that Your children may claim this word of blessing and seek Your guidance in all that they do. Take away fear from their hearts and strengthen them. Father, give them the wisdom to be vigilant in their work. Bless Your dear children. In Jesus name we pray,
Amen.
