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“Therefore we always pray for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thess. 1:11, 12 NKJV).
The planet has arrived in a new and fresh year 2015! Last year our gracious God was with all of us guiding and instructing us, helping and encouraging us, strengthening and motivating us, protecting us and providing for us, filled us with His presence and power, blessed all our endeavors and made us successful in all that we attempted, above all He enabled all of us to live in godly fear and brotherly love all through 2014! I personally thank God for blessing all the children of God who are washed by the blood of the Loving Lamb, scattered all across the globe, utilizing their talents and resources in the best possible way to extend the Kingdom of God and helping others understand how much God loves them!
As we all have arrived in this new year by the love and grace of our God and His Beloved Son, I express to all my beloved and precious readers a very happy and blessed New Year 2015! According to Paul’s prayer for the Church in Thessalonica, may God fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness in this new year. Yes! God’s good pleasure reveals of His goodness towards us! The sweet singer of Israel, King David says in one of his psalms, “You show me the path of life. In Your presence there is fullness of joy; in Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (16:11 NRSV). Yes! My beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ! When we walk on the path of life that God shows us, we will experience fullness of joy because when we obey Him, we will daily experience His loving presence deep inside our hearts! And to see what He wants to show us, we need to daily read and meditate our Bible, take time to converse with Him in prayer and live a committed and selfless Christian life.
Also, may God manifest His power through the work of faith. Do you say that you are a person of faith and yet you have not experienced the miracles of the Lord? How can that be? Remember what our gracious Lord told about faith like a grain of mustard seed in Matthew 17:20 and Luke 17:6? Yes! that small amount of yet complete and unwavering faith is enough to make the impossible possible! How can those who do not have faith expect anything from God? “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23 NKJV) “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea’, and it will be done. And all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” (Matt. 21:21, 22 NKJV). “Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. I assure you: If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea’, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for – believe that you have received them, and you will have them.” (Mark 11:22-24 HCSB).
What more evidence do we need to understand and realize that it is only our lack of faith that prevents God’s miraculous power to become evident in our lives? The Apostle James clearly states in his epistle that anyone who doubts receives nothing from the Lord! Have you received God’s special blessings in your career, education, family and spiritual life? Have you seen how God opens new doors and new ways for you who believe? Good! Now, in this new year, develop your faith to such an extent that its results will change the situations of the world!
But does all this mean that we can ask God whatever and anything we want? Clarify your doubts by reading what the Holy Spirit says through Saint John, the Apostle of Love: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14, 15 NKJV). In prayer, it is a vital part to deny our meaningless desires and ask according to God’s perfect will. But how do we know the will of God? “Blessed are You, O LORD; teach me your statutes.” (Ps. 119:12 NRSV) “Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of Your law.” (Ps. 119:18 NRSV) “Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; and observe it with my whole heart.” (Ps. 119:34 NRSV) “The LORD is my portion; I promise to keep Your words.” (Ps. 119:57 NRSV) “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all day long.” (Ps. 119:97 NRSV) “Through Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.” (Ps. 119:104 NRSV) “I incline my heart to perform Your statutes, forever, to the end.” (Ps. 119:112 NRSV) “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” (Ps. 119:130 NRSV) “My soul keeps Your decrees; I love them exceedingly.” (Ps. 119:167 NRSV). There is only one way to know the Will of God, His Will is found in His Word! So the next time you open your Bible, ask God with faith to open your spiritual eyes, unfold the mysteries of the Scriptures and give you wisdom and understanding. Then, you can be sure of God’s Will for you and you will be able to ask only what He desires to hear from you!
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His instructions have good insight. His praise endures forever.” (Ps. 111:10 HCSB) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” (Pro. 1:7 HCSB) “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” (Pro. 9:10 HCSB). Yes! To gain wisdom, understanding and insight from the Omniscient, we need to fear Him all through our lives!
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Rom. 10:17 NKJV). Do you know what is the greatest proof of the Bible’s uniqueness as God’s Holy Word? Is it the declarations the Bible itself makes confirming its identity as God’s infallible word? Or is it the praises it derives from God and men in the Bible? Or is it that some servant of the Lord said such a thing? For a Christian, the greatest evidence for the authenticity of the Bible is that it is the only Book in the planet which connects our spiritual ears to the supernatural voice of God! When you are weak, His voice will strengthen you. When you are sick, His voice will heal you. When you are troubled and worried, His voice will strengthen and empower you from within. When you are confused, His voice will give you proper knowledge and understanding. When you are in danger and problems, His voice will come to your rescue and deliver you. When you are facing insults and blames from people around you, His voice will help you concentrate on your future eternal reward!
What do we hear by the Word of God? His sweet, tender, still small voice. And if once anyone hears that Voice, it is crystal clear to the whole inner being. So, when we read the Bible with attentive spiritual ears, we will hear the voice of the Supernatural God, which enables us to increase in our faith as we have heard His crystal clear, assuring and undoubtable voice inside our spiritual beings! Thus by growing in faith, we can grow in our prayer-lives!
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (Jam. 2:26 NRSV). Another important thing we need to remember whenever we practice and apply our faith is that if we do so by disobeying God, then our prayers will not be heard! A dead faith cannot work!
Yes! God will continue manifesting His power through the work of faith even in this new year!
What will be the end result when God fulfills all the good pleasure of His goodness and manifests His power through the work of faith? The NAME of the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified in us! Yes, the NAME which is above every name will be glorified in the lives of those who live for the good pleasure of God and live a life that manifests the power of having faith in God! In this new year, may our good Lord enable each one of us to grow in every realm of our spiritual lives and help us to experience His presence in all that we think, read, write, speak, listen, do and may His presence be with us in our journeys and also bless all our endeavors enabling us to live for the glory of the Infinite, Eternal God! May this new year be a year of spiritual breakthrough when all who have tasted the love of God determine to follow His precepts all through their lives! HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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