Oh! Not another one Lord!

Ps:120:1

I took my troubles to the Lord

I cried out to Him and He answered my prayer.

Oh! Your troubles may look overwhelming. Your problems might look huge and unconquerable. You might seem puny before the huge wave that looks to devour you. Before the huge mountain that blocks your way.

Your strength seems to ebb away and your confidence melting into thin air. Because you do not seem to have a clue as to what to do. All your wisdom. All your assets and strongholds which you have gained over the vast experiences of your life seem to vanish off. Because whatever you try to do is not working. You literally are helpless not knowing what exactly to do.

The world seems to give you suggestions. But none of them seems to work for you. You do not seem to have strength to face the giant. But then one strength you have been provided. To take your trouble to the mighty God. You have been given the power to take it to the Lord. All you have to do is to take it and place it in His hands.

And if you boldly and confidently do it - He wouldn't either give you strength to overcome. He would equip you to scale over it. Or He would give you grace to suffer, to wait patiently. With the promise attached to it - And it will not subdue you. Slowly and steadily He will enable you to be not affected by it. Slowly and steadily you would overcome. And while in the process of deliverance you would have learnt something beautiful. May be a sin of yours. May be an attribute of God. But the process would be beautiful because you walk with Him.

Recently my son lost a badminton match with someone way younger to him. Today morning as he wakes up from the bed, this is what he had to tell me about it, "Appa, do you know, why I lost that match? Because I was proud. Because I thought I will easily win. "

God had to take him through a failure to teach him about the pride in his heart. Then I had to tell him, it was the Holy Spirit that taught him this truth because the Bible says, "God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. "

Failures are definitely stepping stones to success. The world says, it motivates you to work hard and scale over that mountain the next time you face it. But the Word says, success is when you really meet your Saviour. When you put aside all your burdens and seek your Redeemer. All the hardships are means to bring you closer to God. Be it a life threatening disease, be it losing your job, be it uncertainty about your children's future. Whatever it is. Nothing is too hard for God to handle.

Job was a person who lost all his wealth and all his children on the same day. Can we even imagine that? In few days he is struck with a disgusting diseases with unbearable pain. To add on he has all the more reasons to go to depression because of the discouraging words of his dear wife and accusing words from his friends. But in all this Job did not sin.

Will God be confident in giving you troubles to face. One after the other if it keeps coming, means He desperatley wants to teach you more things.

Or is your ship smooth sailing?

When the torrents strike which seems to sink your boat. Remember one thing. TAKE IT TO THE LORD AND MAKE IT.

And whatever He has to offer would you gladly receive? Knowing full well that He is in control? Be it instant victory. Or process of healing and learning and coming closer to God through the dangerous looking way ahead.

Both are from God. And the best part of the story is this - He is with you in this.

Image credit: https://www.freepik.com/premium-ai-image/boat-ocean-is-sinking-storm_47206143.htm

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Encourage

Barnabas, the word means son of encouragement. His quality of encouragement is seen in bringing up of Paul. When all believers in Jerusalem were afraid of Saul, when no one believed that he had truly become a believer, it was Barnabas who took him to the apostles. Being an encourager is a tough job. It needs discernment. It needs wisdom. It needs courage. You should not be affected by your mood. You need to be open. But an encouragement can do a lot to benefit a person's life. It might transform a Saul to a Paul. If Barnabas had not taken an initiative to help him, where would have Saul been? It was because of this, that Saul stayed with the apostles(v:28). Image credit: https://kiricard.com/70-heartwarming-encouragement-messages/

Forgiveness is the first step

Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch. Acts:14:21. In Lystra, they were stoned and dragged out of the city. To Lystra they come back to strengthen and encourage. What a commitment? What love to the people of Lystra? What surity of their calling? They both go back to the very place that tortured them. To the very place they suffered. We would never go back to the very place! Scared? Hatred? Indignation? What if God asks you to go back? Would you give excuses? Would you still love the person, who stood against you? Would you hate or love him/her? If you understand the truth that, calling is unto a person not to a place, nor unto people, then it becomes easy to forgive. Forgiveness is something which needs grace, much grace. If God could forgive me yet again, how much should I? For Jesus taught us to pray - Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Image credit: https://coriechu.com/blog/forgiveness-and-healing

Accomplished. Satisfied.

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Rom:1:8

Yesterday, after the India vs Australia ICC WWC semifinal, these words hung in the air after the player of the match Jemimah Rodrigues was given the stage. Your faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world. Rom:1:8 A church which was not even started by Paul. Paul wouldn't probably have known these people personally. But he commends their faith. You want to be a silent Christian because you are not a bold Christian. Do your colleagues know that you are a Christian? Not by name. Is there a difference between you and the nominal Christian? Between you and the carnal Christian? Do you freely proclaim that the author and finisher of your faith is Jesus? Image credit: https://www.crictracker.com/cricket-news/womens-world-cup-2025-cried-every-single-day-went-through-anxiety-jemimah-rodrigues-opens-up-after-historic-knock-against-australia/?amp=1

Calm

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Be encouraged and be an encouragement

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Time is running out

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