Friday, March 16, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
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| Dal Lake, Srinagar |
Why is horoscope harmful?
Many sincere people are being deceived by the horoscope, stargazing, palmistry, etc. Many do not know why horoscope predictions, etc. can be accurate.
For every human being, God has a plan, and the devil too has a plan. The devil's plan is "to kill and to destroy" (John 10:10). However, God's plan is ever grand - "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (1 Corinthians 2 : 9).
Many parents, anxious to know the future of their children, consult the horoscope. When horoscope predictions contain frightening or tragic future events, no doubt, these things will torment the parents and they will virtually serve a life sentence in the dungeon of fear. Moreover, when the children grow, they too will be tormented with fear of the future. Parents who are concerned about their child's future should read the Bible, the Word of God, because the Bible says, "In the volume of the Book it is written of me" (Psalms 40:7). God is so love and caring that He has already written the words needed for your child's well-being and future. God was careful to send an angel to Manoah's wife, Elizabeth, Mary and many others, to tell them what to do with their children; in some cases information about their future was also given. God is well able to advise you regarding your child's future without the aid of astrologers, sorcerers, and other agents of the devil. Indeed, God loves your child so much that He has done much more than merely sending an angel; He has give you the Word of God. Some tragedies (not all) happen in children's lives because parents do not obey the Word of God.
Going to the astrologer, sorcerer or horoscope book for more information about the future, when God has not revealed it, is a form of rebellion against God. When you believe the horoscope, palmistry, etc. and desire to know your future through them, you are ruining your own future; you are already in the pocket of the devil - for him to fulfill his plan in your life. The devil will capitalize on your unbelief in God's Word and use it against you. [Remember, unless you give room for the devil he cannot attack you with his destructive weapons.]
Horoscopes can be accurate for several reasons:
- They have some kind of self-fulfilling prophecy. For example, if the horoscope says,"You will die," the person is so filled with fear and terror that he can barely eat, and he dies from sheer fear and emaciation.
- Consulting the horoscope opens the door for demons to enter a person's life and control it (even upto four generations), and these demons can force things to happen according to the horoscope predictions.
- Some horoscopes, particularly those in newspapers and magazines, are written so vaguely that they can apply to anyone.
Whatever the case, it is always a deception to make it seem that the astrologer can predict the future. If you really want to know the future with 100% accuracy in a way that is spiritually edifying, read your Bible.
Many years ago, the parents of a girl consulted the horoscope to know the future of the child. The horoscope revealed that everything would be prosperous for her till the wedding and that life would be hell after that. Quite naturally, the parents were constantly tormented by the thought of what was going to happen after their daughter's marriage. True enough, as the girl grew, everything was prosperous as predicted by the horoscope. However, that prosperity in no way comforted the parents but rather tormented them all the more - as they kept thinking of how true the foretelling of the horoscope was, and anticipating the sorrowful period after the marriage. Thank God, the girl and many of the family members soon got saved. They threw away the horoscope and renounced all their superstitious stuff. Soon afterwards, the girly got married to a godly man. The other children in the family and their families too became godly, walking in the fear of God. Ever since, the whole family is enjoying freedom from fear, and peace, joy and prosperity. If the girl and her family members had not come to the light of gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, the horoscope's prediction could have taken place.
Horoscope, palmistry, etc. are a part of witchcraft or sorcery; "No Israeli may practice black magic, or call on the evil spirits for aid, or be a fortune teller, or be a serpent charmer, medium, wizard, or call forth the spirits of the dead" (Deuteronomy 18:10,11). Having anything to do with these sins in the New Testament time, is all the more serious and sinful. Look at the words of St Paul to a sorcerer: "O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" (Acts 13:10).
Dear friend, if you are guilty of having had anything to do with the horoscope, etc. repent for this great sin and renounce your relationship with such demonic elements. [Consult a matured servant of God for future counseling.] Believe the Lord's grand plan for you. Then you can live a life free from the fear of the devil and fear of the future. No witchcraft or any demonic influence can come anywhere near you as God will be a wall of fire around you. "Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel" (Numbers 23:23).
"Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32)
Monday, October 17, 2011
How is life in heaven?
HOW IS LIFE IN HEAVE?
Heaven is a place of lasting joy, peace, grace and love. In hell one has to endure all the wrath of all the demons; in heaven one enjoys all the goodness of the Lord.
In heaven, we will recognize not only our dear ones, but all the saints too. We will recognize even those who were unknown to us, those who lived on earth long before us, and those who lived on earth after our death. For example, Peter and the others with him on the mount of transfiguration recognized Elijah and Moses (Matt 17:3,4). Peter had never seen them on earth. However, he recognized them. If he could recognize them beingin the earthly body, how much more certainly we will be able to recognize them in heaven! We will recognize all those who are in heaven and know their names, their character, and other details. However, we will have only a divine affection or relationship in heaven. Although we may see our father, mother, brother, sister, wife, children, etc. there, we will know them only as saints and will have no carnal affection for them.
In heaven, in our resurrectd bodies, we will have no pain or sorrow but will always be sensitive to joy and gladness. In hell, the rich man was worried about his five brothers. In heaven, saints will have no worry at all.
Some are worried about how they are going to spend their time when they go to heaven. Will there be boredom in heaven? No, not at all. It is the other way round. In a deep sense, all through Eternity we will be enjoying God, the source of all true joy and peace.
Once we leave the world we are freed from the limitations of time. There will be no time factor in heaven. Saints in the resurrected body are no longer conscious of time. In other words, once we are caught up at the Coming of the Lord, time has no power over us to captivate us, to make us have a feeling of boredom, etc. When we are transformed or resurrected, we will be greatly excited to see Jesus, the glorified saints, the silver-winged holy angels, and the indescribable, immaculate beauty of heaven - all in a moment of time. How exciting it will be! And that very excitement will continue forever; rather that joy and excitement will keep increasing and abounding.
The glory of the resurrected body will differ from person to person - based on the character perfection each had on earth (I Cor 15:41,42). Our closeness to God in heaven and our happiness there, will be proportionate to the closeness to God we experienced here on earth. "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalms 16:11).
On earth all do not have the talent to sing, but in heaven all of us will be singers. We will be singing the praises of God, and the beauty of His holiness. We will not sing with our mouth there; our very life will be singing. The sweeter our relationship with Jesus on earth, the sweeter our song in heaven. We don't need any musical instruments there. In a deep sense, all the musical instruments needed to produce melodious music, will be fitted into our body - far better than how they were fitted in the anointed cherub.
In heaven saints will be comforted in three ways. Thinking about their past, they will be grateful to the Lord for wonderfully saving them, keeping them from backsliding till death, keeping them in the numerous trials they faced, helping them to take water baptism, receive the Holy Spirit and walk with Him, etc. Looking at their present comfort too, they will greatly rejoice, They will enjoy beholding the glorious face of the One they love, the beauties of heaven, the joyful faces of all the saints in heaven, and the beautiful holy angels; they will enjoy listening to the sweet words of Jesus, and the melodious music, singing and praising of the saints and the angels; and they will enjoy smelling the pleasant aroma around them. There's no pain, no sorrow, no death, no devil - nothing at all to fear. They also rejoice looking into the future. Knowing that all their present joys and blessings are going to keep abounding, and knowing that they are going to keep growing in the grace of God, in the wisdom of God, in the knowledge of God, etc., will give them great joy.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Corinthians 2 : 9)
"In mansions of glory and endless delight
I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now!"
In heaven, in our resurrectd bodies, we will have no pain or sorrow but will always be sensitive to joy and gladness. In hell, the rich man was worried about his five brothers. In heaven, saints will have no worry at all.
Some are worried about how they are going to spend their time when they go to heaven. Will there be boredom in heaven? No, not at all. It is the other way round. In a deep sense, all through Eternity we will be enjoying God, the source of all true joy and peace.
Once we leave the world we are freed from the limitations of time. There will be no time factor in heaven. Saints in the resurrected body are no longer conscious of time. In other words, once we are caught up at the Coming of the Lord, time has no power over us to captivate us, to make us have a feeling of boredom, etc. When we are transformed or resurrected, we will be greatly excited to see Jesus, the glorified saints, the silver-winged holy angels, and the indescribable, immaculate beauty of heaven - all in a moment of time. How exciting it will be! And that very excitement will continue forever; rather that joy and excitement will keep increasing and abounding.
The glory of the resurrected body will differ from person to person - based on the character perfection each had on earth (I Cor 15:41,42). Our closeness to God in heaven and our happiness there, will be proportionate to the closeness to God we experienced here on earth. "In Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore" (Psalms 16:11).
On earth all do not have the talent to sing, but in heaven all of us will be singers. We will be singing the praises of God, and the beauty of His holiness. We will not sing with our mouth there; our very life will be singing. The sweeter our relationship with Jesus on earth, the sweeter our song in heaven. We don't need any musical instruments there. In a deep sense, all the musical instruments needed to produce melodious music, will be fitted into our body - far better than how they were fitted in the anointed cherub.
In heaven saints will be comforted in three ways. Thinking about their past, they will be grateful to the Lord for wonderfully saving them, keeping them from backsliding till death, keeping them in the numerous trials they faced, helping them to take water baptism, receive the Holy Spirit and walk with Him, etc. Looking at their present comfort too, they will greatly rejoice, They will enjoy beholding the glorious face of the One they love, the beauties of heaven, the joyful faces of all the saints in heaven, and the beautiful holy angels; they will enjoy listening to the sweet words of Jesus, and the melodious music, singing and praising of the saints and the angels; and they will enjoy smelling the pleasant aroma around them. There's no pain, no sorrow, no death, no devil - nothing at all to fear. They also rejoice looking into the future. Knowing that all their present joys and blessings are going to keep abounding, and knowing that they are going to keep growing in the grace of God, in the wisdom of God, in the knowledge of God, etc., will give them great joy.
"Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him" (I Corinthians 2 : 9)
"In mansions of glory and endless delight
I'll ever adore Thee in heaven so bright
I'll sing with the glittering crown on my brow,
If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'tis now!"
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Bible says God is angry every day, and Jesus also got angry. Why can't we be angry then?
Yes, the word of God states, "God is angry with the wicked every day" (Psalms 7:11). But we will be surprised to see that GOD'S ANGER, UNLIKE MAN'S ANGER, IS TENDER AND REDEMPTIVE. In other words, God's anger shows His care and compassion for us. For instance, we read,"And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses..."(Exodus 4 : 14). Naturally we expect God to be hard on Moses and punish him for his doubt, unbelief and disobedience. However, as we read the following verses till verse 17, we are greatly comforted and blessed to see that God's anger was virtually God's compassion and care for Moses; absolutely no hard words, but only words of tender care. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF GOD'S ANGER.
"In wrath remember mercy (Habakkuk 3 : 2) i.e., in God's anger God's mercy is revealed. For instance, God was very angry with David when he sinned with Bathsheba, and He gave him various punishments for his heinous sin. However, look at the covenant of mercy He made with David - "the sure mercies of David" it says (Isaiah 55 : 3).
When man gets angry, he often utters things or does things in haste. Unlike man, when God shows His wrath, it displays His "much long suffering" nature - "What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long suffering..." (Romans 9 : 22).
There is a ministry of rebuking and reproving (2 Timothy 4 : 2). Unlike what many people think, this does not mean shouting and yelling at others. As you grow in grace, you will learn to do this ministry with a Christ like gentle spirit.
Let us look at the anger of Jesus : "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts..." (Mark 3 : 5). It is crystal clear from that THE ANGER OF OUR LORD WAS THE EXPRESSION OF HIS GRIEF FOR THE HARNESS OF THE HEARTS OF THAT UNBELIEVING CROWD. Look at what He did immediately after getting angry - He performed an instantaneous healing. Yes, the Word of God is true - "The wrath of man worketh not the righteous of God." In other words, the wrath of God worketh the righteousness of God - as we have seen from the above texts.
Some try to quote Ephesians 4 : 26, "Be ye angry, and sin not" and say, "You can get angry, but avoid sinning, that's all." But let us look at the entire text : "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4 : 26, 27). One saint comments thus on this text : "If you want to be angry, you had better be angry with only sin; because when you are angry, the Sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus, will go down, bringing darkness into your life." Remember what the word of God says. Each time you give place for anger, you "give place to the devil."
Some people of God excuse themselves saying that their anger is righteous anger or divine anger, and continue to "explode." When the meekest man on earth (Moses) got angry, he lost his inheritance (Psalms 106 : 32, 33; Numbers 20 : 10-12). Is not this a severe warning to all those who get angry? When Jonah got angry the Lord asked a question; our Lord is still asking the same question to every one of us each time we get angry: "Doest thou well to be angry?" (Jonah 4 : 4).
Dear friend, will you please repent of all your excuses for your anger. Remember how much it hurt others, hurt God and hurt yourself. Cry from the depths of your heart so that you may be transformed into a gentle person. "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalms 18 : 35).
Praise the Lord.
"In wrath remember mercy (Habakkuk 3 : 2) i.e., in God's anger God's mercy is revealed. For instance, God was very angry with David when he sinned with Bathsheba, and He gave him various punishments for his heinous sin. However, look at the covenant of mercy He made with David - "the sure mercies of David" it says (Isaiah 55 : 3).
When man gets angry, he often utters things or does things in haste. Unlike man, when God shows His wrath, it displays His "much long suffering" nature - "What if God, willing to shew His wrath, and to make His power known, endured with much long suffering..." (Romans 9 : 22).
There is a ministry of rebuking and reproving (2 Timothy 4 : 2). Unlike what many people think, this does not mean shouting and yelling at others. As you grow in grace, you will learn to do this ministry with a Christ like gentle spirit.
Let us look at the anger of Jesus : "And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts..." (Mark 3 : 5). It is crystal clear from that THE ANGER OF OUR LORD WAS THE EXPRESSION OF HIS GRIEF FOR THE HARNESS OF THE HEARTS OF THAT UNBELIEVING CROWD. Look at what He did immediately after getting angry - He performed an instantaneous healing. Yes, the Word of God is true - "The wrath of man worketh not the righteous of God." In other words, the wrath of God worketh the righteousness of God - as we have seen from the above texts.
Some try to quote Ephesians 4 : 26, "Be ye angry, and sin not" and say, "You can get angry, but avoid sinning, that's all." But let us look at the entire text : "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4 : 26, 27). One saint comments thus on this text : "If you want to be angry, you had better be angry with only sin; because when you are angry, the Sun of righteousness, the Lord Jesus, will go down, bringing darkness into your life." Remember what the word of God says. Each time you give place for anger, you "give place to the devil."
Some people of God excuse themselves saying that their anger is righteous anger or divine anger, and continue to "explode." When the meekest man on earth (Moses) got angry, he lost his inheritance (Psalms 106 : 32, 33; Numbers 20 : 10-12). Is not this a severe warning to all those who get angry? When Jonah got angry the Lord asked a question; our Lord is still asking the same question to every one of us each time we get angry: "Doest thou well to be angry?" (Jonah 4 : 4).
Dear friend, will you please repent of all your excuses for your anger. Remember how much it hurt others, hurt God and hurt yourself. Cry from the depths of your heart so that you may be transformed into a gentle person. "Thy gentleness hath made me great" (Psalms 18 : 35).
Praise the Lord.
Friday, January 7, 2011
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