Monthly Archives: August 2020

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:8).

It is being sounded in the whole world these days: WASH YOUR HANDS, The Lord says, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1:15) Though this is a true requirement in the Covid-19 pandemic yet it gives us food for thought for our lives.

Never has the whole world been shut down at the same time as it is today. Don’t you think that this is something extraordinary and that God is telling all mankind something very specific and solemn? The busiest people have been slowed down and shut in that they would ponder and think.

A widow lived with her son and they were poor and did not have enough to eat during a famine. But they were miraculously provided for when she first gave food and shelter to a man of God. Sometime later her son died suddenly and she said to the man of God “.. have you come to me to call my sin to remembrance?” The world today is passing through the valley of death. Fear of death is all around. Is God saying something to this world? Is the world being reminded of its sins? Are your sins being called to your remembrance? What are you going to do about it?

The Lord says, “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” (Isaiah 1:15)

Many people have hardened their hearts. Let us consider just one example: the abortions that took place in the world from January 1, 2020 till date are 11,529,167 and continue increasing as you read this article. At an average 45 million babies are aborted every year, the daily rate being 1,25,000 (1.25 lacs). The Corona virus related deaths have been less than 88,000 when this was written. But so many babies in the womb have been just put away and their sufferings have gone to deaf ears. Babies in the womb sucked out piece by piece and ‘crap’ pieces later cleaned out. A doctor advertises himself saying he performed 1200 abortions at the start of his career. In Western countries they call it “Planned Parenthood”. In North India they call it “Cleaning up” in the local language.

“World Health Organization says abortion is “essential service” during pandemic. Women’s choices and rights …. should be respected, irrespective of whether or not she has a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection.”

So where is this crooked world going? Will God be silent forever? Count this as a WAKE UP CALL. It is time for you to introspect and set your life right with God. Come near to Him and He will come near to you. Some are comforting themselves saying, “this too shall pass. There were much more serious pandemics than this centuries ago. After all this is just a virus. We will get the vaccine tomorrow if not today”. But God says, “Cleanse your hands and purify your heart from sin”.

There was a hill called Calvary more than 2000 years ago on which stood a Cross. It was there that The Son of God, born of a Virgin, was Crucified for your sins and mine. On that Cross The Lord Jesus Christ took our punishment and died to set us free from the unbreakable chains of sin. Hung there by three cruel nails, His Precious Blood was shed to cleanse you and me. He rose again the third day from the dead so we may believe that He is God and victorious over death. The motive behind His Great Sacrifice is His Love for you. God loves you and does not desire that you or anyone perish forever in his or her sins.

Be Holy for God is Holy. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you shall be saved and your household. Invite Him in your heart today!

By Deepak Jariwala

We live in the age of internet, artificial intelligence and smart devices, and are constantly bombarded with an overdose of information. Though this explosion of information can be wielded to benefit people, one cannot deny that the easy access to all sorts of input can corrupt innocent minds. In this article, let us look at the addiction that most Christians are unknowingly indulging in and let us prayerfully look at ways to break free with God’s help. The smart phones in our hands give us a round the clock access to a plethora of information that may serve as inputs that will eventually work its way to defile the mind of a righteous person. In the Bible we see how Joseph escaped from Potiphar’s wife who planned and presented the former with an offer that would give him all things that belonged to his master (Read Gen 39:7-12).

The Bible says that she spoke to Joseph day after day and proposition to him the same way the serpent beguiled Eve in the Garden of Eden. She tempted Joseph with the Lust of the eyes, Lust of the flesh and Pride of life, covering all grounds to enable the young man to succumb. However, the Lord was with Joseph and the fear of the Lord kept him from sinning against God and Potiphar. Joseph physically removed himself from the temptation presented to him by fleeing from this master’s wife. But, how is one to flee if the pawn used for tempting sits in our hands or pockets? We are witnessing a steep rise in daily screen time which in turn is positioning our generation to be soft targets of the enemy. The screen addiction not only corrupts our minds but also keeps us away from the only cure to this addiction – the Word of God. If you are a phone/technology addict, below are a few ways that can help break free. ·

Pray: Ask God to strengthen you to choose Godliness over worldliness. Also, to instil in you love for the Written Word (Bible) and the Living Word (Jesus). ·

Word of God: Psalm 119:9 says, Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. Yes, the Word of God has the power to convict and cleanse us. Discipline yourself to read the Bible several times a day at preset timings. (A daily reading plan can help with this.) ·

Phone detox: Make it a point not to carry your phone around with you when you are at home. Also fix time to check messages and social media. A successful phone detox includes turning off all social media notifications. The time that is saved by keeping aside the phone can be utilised to dig deep into the Word.

Sin and Slavery: If we fail to check this (any) addiction which on the outside looks very harmless, it is most likely that our thought life will be compromised. This in turn will provoke the addict to convert his/her thoughts into actions leading the person to wander away from God into the clutches of sin. Once a person is gripped in sin, (s)he is a slave to the same. Galatians 5:1 says, 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.

In his letter to the Romans, Apostle Paul compared the slavery to sin with the Roman slave market. In ancient Rome, the number of slaves a person owned was equated to his standing in the society. Slaves were bought and sold as commodities. It is shocking to know that slaves were rented out for a set period of time, and second hand slaves were also sold in the market. A slave had no rights whatsoever. He/she had to do anything that was commanded by  his/her master. Men, women and even children were showcased in the market for the wealthy to assess, bargain and buy. Whenever a slave(s) was put up for sale, a spear was erected on the ground or on a pedestal to let people know that the slave sale had begun.

A slave seen under the spear would be the slave up for sale. The spear is a sign that notifies passers-by that slaves are being sold under public authority. The Bible says in Romans 6:20, that we were slaves to sin; which means that we had a master – the devil. We had no rights and we were to blindly obey that master. Our situation was no different from that of a slave in the Roman slave market – gruesome. In Romans 7:14, Paul states that he was sold under sin. Sin in a person is the sign that he is up for sale in Satan’s slave market (sold under sin) just as the spear was a sign in the Roman slave market (sold under spear).

The only way to break free from the bondage of sin is to receive Jesus as master and saviour. It is only the blood of Christ that can cleanse us from all our sin. The precious blood of Jesus (once we believe) redeems us from the clutches of the devil. Once we are purchased possessions of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves of sin but of righteousness. We are set free from the bondage that we were in and Jesus has paid in full to redeem (buy back) us out of the hand of the enemy. Dear friend, If you are still a slave of sin or any kind of addiction, turn to the Saviour – Our Lord Jesus Christ. Call upon His name and he will deliver you (Joel 2:32). Once you are free from the clutches of the evil one – declare your freedom with the word of your mouth (Psalm 107:2). Also, be vigilant so you are not drawn away and enticed by your own lust (James 1:14) – this will require you to watch the inputs you feed your mind.

By Sheba Franklin