​Two individuals came to Jesus, each with a deep spiritual problem. One found life, but the other lost it. What was the difference?  The first person was a rich young ruler who approached the Lord with the most burning question of his heart: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18).

He was not seeking a religious debate as so many others did. He honestly wanted to know. When Jesus listed five of the commandments, the young man replied that he had a perfect record in keeping them all. Christ simply responded to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor . . . and come, follow Me” (Luke 18:22). Scripture tells us that the rich ruler went away sorrowful (Matthew 19:22).

The second man (Luke 19:2 – 19:8) was also rich, but he had gained his wealth by shamelessly defrauding others. Zacchaeus was a well-known crook and most people hated tax collectors. When Jesus came to his house, He said nothing to the man about selling his house or giving his money away. Amazingly, Zacchaeus freely made the decision to give half of his possessions to the poor and restore four times the amount he stole to everyone he had cheated.

Both the rich young ruler and Zacchaeus were rich. But what was it that compelled Zacchaeus to respond so differently than the rich young ruler?

​When Zacchaeus saw Christ, he saw the pearl of great price. He saw in Him everything, all things, completion. Zacchaeus realized that all things pertaining to life is in Christ alone. He realized, If I have Him, I can easily give away everything. What else do I need?
2 Peter 1:3 – as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,

But when the young ruler saw Jesus, he didn’t see that pearl of great price in Christ Jesus. If we could know what his thoughts were that day, I imagine most of them were focused on what he would be giving up, more than what he would gain in Christ.

​We very often make the same mistake as the rich young ruler. We truly want to follow Christ and experience His abundant life, but we focus on what we may have to give up and are afraid to let go of those things we have relied on for so long. The things of this world gives us a "false sense of security" which we cling on to. We call it "being wise" "being practical", and other terms to explain it away. Ever tried "being foolish for the Lord"?  Ever tried "letting go of the things this world clings on to for security"? 

I challenge you to try it. Try walking out into the street and pick a random person who appears to be lonely. Invite him/her to lunch. (Be careful, for there are some dangerous criminals out there too). For a change, don't worry about the money you'll have to spend on a stranger. Don't worry about what your friends will think. Just be foolish and do something contrary to the world. Treat the person to a sumptuous lunch. Just sit with the person and talk about life and display the love of Jesus towards the person. If you get a chance, talk about your faith in the Lord and what He has done for you. Bless the person and leave. Tell me thereafter that you don't feel more alive for having “given” away your time and money!!! Examine yourself thereafter. If you are cringing at the money you spent and feeling guilty for having done so, then you know where your heart is. On the other hand, if you are feeling alive and joyful like never before, praise the Lord. You've got it!!! You have found that precious pearl of great value in Christ Jesus.
Matthew 10:39 – He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Acts 20:35 - I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

​I believe the Lord looks for that “one thing” we grasp so tightly and depend on. It could be anything: our own strength, our abilities, our education, a meaningful relationship, our years of Christian experience, our connections, the good reputation we have established, our position, our extraordinary discernment and other spiritual gifts, our plans for marriage, our financial status, our net worth,  or the things of this world like the rich young ruler.

As long as we hold on to that one thing in which we trust, we will never be able to surrender fully to Christ. Such a lack of intimacy with the Lord results in frustration and discouragement on our part.

In addition, that one thing will be a constant hindrance for the rivers of living water to flow freely out from us and give life to others.

How do we recognize the “one thing” still lacking in us? We will know it by the discouragement, tension, bitterness, frustration and irritation that fill our hearts, when that “one thing” is tampered with. God will open our eyes, and we will recognize it if we truly desire to. We will then have the grace to surrender it to the Lord, not by looking at what we are letting go, but by looking at all that we have in Christ— the pearl of great price. 

You see, if “our riches,” that which we value most is, our relationship with the Lord and what we have in Him, then no raging storm can cause any disturbance. I believe the Lord wants us to live in a continual state of seeing Him as "all sufficient" and being content in Him alone. Those whose life is full of joy and in the unhindered presence of the Lord are the ones who experience a continuous feast on Him. Nothing else will matter to them, and abandonment to Christ alone is their obvious choice.

Blessings to you.

We are not of this world. We have been translated into the kingdom of light. We are citizens of another kingdom. Read more...Not of this World

What is (or was) your New Year resolution? Many people have resolutions at the turn of every New Year. Most of these resolutions last for perhaps a week or maybe a bit more…isn’t it? Some plan to lose weight, some plan to stop smoking or drinking, some plan to give up some other bad habit, some plan to be wiser in spending or saving up and some others plan to regularly go to the gym. How long these resolutions last is anyone’s guess!!

There is nothing wrong with having resolutions and giving it a go. They give you a sense of purpose and motivation albeit temporal. In fact, they can be really good, only if you have the will power to consistently do it. As simple as that may sound, that exactly is the problem too, isn’t it? Will Power! People boast about their will power, their strong determination to do something.  Will Power is a great gift from God and sometimes it can save your life. You’ll know that’s true if you ever watched any episode of “I shouldn’t be alive” on TV.  But man’s will power is really weak when it comes to giving up something pleasurable.  It seems a lot easier to give up something you don’t like anyway. It is a lot easier to donate a shirt or a jacket that you don’t much like or wear, than to donate the one you like the most. 

Likewise, when you are pursuing holiness, you may find yourself easily giving up things you don’t much like anyway. But you will struggle giving up something that you find pleasurable or something that is a source of comfort to you when you are upset, depressed, and stressed. And “will power” is not of much use then.

When it comes to giving up a pleasurable habit, when it comes to giving up something we know is wrong, there seems to be a struggle. We try to suppress it for a while because our conscience tells us it is wrong. But we all know that it’s just a matter of time before we get exhausted with the mental battle and give in. Then there goes the resolution out the window. 

So….what is going on here!! Why is it that we find ourselves so weak?....Does God has an answer? And if He does, then it should be there in the bible somewhere.

And yes indeed…Read Romans 7:15-25 - “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law of God is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is the sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.” NLT

Wow! What a profound truth that we all can relate to, isn’t it?
The fact is that we are all sinful and the sin nature in us wars against our will and mind. This life of ours here on earth is dominated by sin and death. This war will always be there and many times we lose this battle. Could this be a reason why resolutions and freedom programs don’t last? We try to win a spiritual war with human strength.  We come up with clever strategies and action plans, but it only goes so far.  The root cause of our problem is not the habit or the deed itself, but guilt and condemnation.  As long as we have guilt in us, we will always lose this battle. It only takes a moment of disappointment or stress or even a moment of success that leads to indulgence in something we know is wrong. 

Is there no solution to this inner struggle? Yes, there is. The solution is in getting rid of the sin nature in us. If we had no sin nature in us, then we would not have a problem. But we do not have the power or ability in us to rid ourselves of our sin nature. We were born with it. But the bible says “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” And chapter 8:1 starts off with “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” NLT 

I urge you to set you mind on Romans 8:1,2 and meditate on it for the next three months. Your firm belief in the fact that Christ has set you free and that there is now no condemnation, will EMPOWER you to be free from anything you want to be free from.  Nothing will have a hold on you. It is not that Christ has paid the price for your sin and therefore you can just remain to be you and keep sinning without feeling guilty or making any effort to be free. It is quite the contrary.

Romans 8:3 – The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So, God did what the law could not do. He sent His own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving His Son as a sacrifice for our sins.

Because sin has no control over you that believe in Christ, therefore you can now pursue holiness. You did not have that ability before, but now you do. You now have the ability to be led by the Spirit and not led by the flesh. You could not do that before, but now you can. When you make an attempt to resist, a war begins. Your sinful nature begins to war against your spirit, but now because you believe in Christ and you have the Holy Spirit in you, you can now win that war. At first, you may find the war overwhelming and may lose the battle. But stand up and fight again. God will ensure that you never stay down. The gift of “no condemnation” will give you the strength you need to stand up once more and fight the next round. As you keep doing this, you will begin to see progress. You will begin to experience that you are getting stronger, and the flesh (your sinful nature) is getting weaker. As days go by, you will be walking in victory, and you will have slain your giant.

Keep feeding your mind that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. There is now no condemnation for you because you belong to Christ and watch yourself be filled with immense joy, gladness and most importantly, liberty from all bondage. Christ has set us free and whom the Son sets free is free indeed.  You will KNOW the TRUTH and that knowledge of the TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE. 

If you are trying to be free from sin and intend to pursue holiness, then let your resolution be to feed your mind on Romans 7 & 8. I believe you’ll not only be free, but also begin to experience an amazing influx of revelation on the truth of the real gospel message from God’s word.  This is the gospel, the Good News. We are free from the power of sin. We are free from guilt, and condemnation. We are free not because God decided to be soft on us and sweep our sins under the carpet, but because Christ His Son took ALL of our sins upon Himself and already bore the wrath of God on our behalf. That's why there is now no condemnation for us. When you understand this truth, guilt will have no hold over you and when guilt has no hold over you, sin has no hold on you, sinful habits have no hold on you. Oh! What a wonderful news. That is the gospel my friends. That is what compels me to share the gospel with others struggling with sin. Do you see that anyone who does not know Christ is under bondage to sin? How can anyone who is a slave to sin be happy? He/she is not free at all.

Our Lord came for this one reason. To set us free from the power of sin. To save us from sin. Adam and Eve lost fellowship with God just because of sin. And sin led to all kinds of immoralities, idolatry and evil. So it is quite obvious that Jesus came to get rid of the root, which is sin. And that He did of course. Yes, He came to save us and grant us eternal life. Yes, we are all being transformed into His likeness. But none of that will be possible if we are still in sin. The bible says “Without holiness no one will see God – Heb 12:14”. But praise God! He has made it possible for us to be holy.

Blessings in abundance to you in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. 

Interestingly in verse 10, Jesus says the “WORDS” he speaks are not His, but His Father who dwells in Him, DOES the WORKS. Likewise, if we ask anything in Jesus name, that He will DO, not give. And then He says in verse 13…."that the Father might be glorified in the son".

So whatever it is that we are asking is not about making us look good, but that the Father might be glorified. So when I pray for you to be healed or when I cast out demons in His name, it is not so that I can look cool or impress people, but so that the Father might be glorified. That takes absolute humility. It takes dying to self and doing the works of God out of love and compassion. It’s not my asking as a Christian that makes it work, but asking in "Jesus Name" that makes it work. But I must be able to exercise faith in my “asking in Jesus name” and that is only possible when I understand the authority I have over the spiritual realm in using His name. It is also only possible if my inner life is holy, pure and broken of all pride and self. 

Matt 28:18 – All authority has been given to me in heaven AND on earth. ​

​Jesus said ALL POWER or AUTHORITY, not some of it, not most of it. ALL POWER has been given…(past tense). He HAS it already. Then, He says Go therefore and teach all nations….Why? He has the authority, not us. But He says“Because He has ALL authority in heaven AND on earth, go ye therefore…” Nobody has any power, but Jesus. And Jesus LOVES to exercise that authority and power through us (His body) who truly "believe" in Him. No reverend, no evangelist, no so called holy man of God has any power except that which he/she exercises in Jesus name. All power has been given to Jesus. 

What is authority for? To use it…..isn't it? Now what good is it for someone to have authority over some place and he’s not there? What good for you to have authority over the moon, but you are here on earth? What good that Jesus have authority over all the earth and He is not here? So, it is obvious that He delegated His authority to us the church which is His body, so that we the church may use the authority Jesus has and do the things Jesus did whilst He was here on earth. When you understand this, it gives you a boldness that is indescribable. You begin to walk in the newness of life. For example,  youKNOW that you need to RESIST something that you are experiencing because you KNOW that it is NOT of God and now that you know YOU HAVE the authority to overcome it, you can. And you begin to resist it, fight it with a sense of authority not because you are super strong in your own strength, but because you know the authority in Jesus name. Apart from Him, we can do nothing, but with Him, all things are possible.

Paul says "It is no longer I that lives, but Christ who lives in me". How profound and how true!! A truly born again believer should be able to say the same, not because he/she likens to apostle Paul in faith, but simply because that is the very nature of being born again. Our life now is in Christ. Just because we received Christ and became Christians doesn't make us super human beings. We on our own are just as dead as we were before we got saved. It's Christ IN us that gives us the New Life. It's Christ IN us that gives us strength to do the things we do. It's Christ IN us that gives us the hope we now have. 

People sing songs about Jesus….Halleluiah Jesus….there is something about that name…and so on. Those songs will make you feel good, but that will not help you live out your Christian life. However if you KNOW and UNDERSTAND the reality of the power in Jesus name, then it’ll have a huge impact on your prayer life and your faith. 

Acts 3: 2-7 --- in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

Peter said Silver and Gold I do not have, but what I do have…Wow! That means Peter knew he had something…Silver and Gold I do not have, but what I do have…Peter knew he had something and that something had the power to overcome the man’s infirmity. Peter knew he had the delegated authority that Jesus gave. Peter was actually doing John 14. Ask anything in my name and that I will do…Jesus said. Peter did exactly that. Peter ASKED and the Lord did for the glory of the Father. Peter was simply exercising his delegated authority. Peter was not praying a lengthy prayer for healing. No, he just exercised delegated authority. But when you do that,  you need to do so in faith and that is only possible when you really, I mean really, know and understand in your heart, the authority that has been given to you. Again, it is also only possible when the Holy Spirit truly lives in you. The bible says, "Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit". And the Holy Spirit does not live in bodies practicing sinful life styles. I say this in love. Often times, many Christians put up a "lovable" and "christian" front, but have quite a different private life. Their thoughts are impure, they watch movies with swearing and sex scenes for entertainment, some watch pornography, they get angry with their spouse or children and say rude and hurtful words, they gossip, and are very little different to any body else in the world. But, they expect to use Jesus name and heal the sick and cast out demons and speak in tongues. 

My dear brothers and sisters, I speak in love. If an evil spirit makes you evil, shouldn't the Holy Spirit make you holy? Overcome every known sin in your life and then you can truly experience the power of using Jesus name. ​