Dearly beloved in Christ,
My loving New Year greetings to you in the sweet name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Originally Adam and Eve, created in the image of God, were walking with the Creator. As the presence of the Lord was with them, they had no wants and they lacked nothing. But they disobeyed the word of the Lord, not listening to His commands, but obeyed the deceptive words of Satan and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. Thus, they lost the glory of the Lord and were sent away from the presence of the Lord. Further, sufferings and curse multiplied in their lives. They were sent away from the presence of the Lord and were sent to till the ground. The Lord placed a flaming sword to keep them away from the Tree of Life. Thus, they lost the relationship with the Lord and in the fallen life they had to sweat for food and live in sorrow all the days of their lives. We too have lost several things in our lives by sinning.
The redeemed Israelites had to journey through deserts to reach the promised land. They were sorely depressed and therefore cried against Moses for bringing them to a desert place where they had no grapes or figs or pomegranates. They rebelled and questioned Moses why they made them leave Egypt.
They had no water even to drink. In such places, they thought of the good things they had in Egypt. They did not believe that the Lord could supply them water by splitting rocks. But the Lord performed miracle after miracle to prove His might. They had water from the rock; they were given manna to eat. But they kept complaining.
Some places on earth are cursed. We know that Jericho was cursed by Joshua the son of Nun. Thus, some places come under curse; such places are said to be defiled. In Micah 2:10, it is recorded: “Arise and depart, for this is not your rest; because it is defiled, it shall destroy, yes, with utter destruction” (Micah 2:10). If we stay in such places, we will be destroyed. But Jesus Christ can transform such places into blessed ones with fruits.
In some places, it is difficult to stay as the water of the place is bitter. 2 Kings 2:19 says: ‘Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please notice, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the ground barren.”’ He asked them to bring a new cruse and put salt in it. He took it to the spring and put it there. The Lord then said that He had healed the waters of the place and that there would be no more death. The water of the place was thus made potable to this day.
Today there are people who speak in abusive language profusely. Even parents use such language in anger in the family. But Ephesians 4:29 counsels us: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Once a family came to me for prayer and I prayed for all the members of the family. At the end of the prayer, I asked the head of the family to scan the head of his wife because he very often questioned his wife whether she had any brain. If he took the scan, he could ascertain that she had brain. The Bible says, “He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed the eye, shall He not see?” (Psalm 94:9). So let us be cautious.
The thought process in us also should be pure. We should not be corrupted in our thoughts. The Bible says, “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud and knows nothing, but is obsessed with disputes, and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions” (1 Tim. 6:3-4). When we go astray from the teachings of Jesus Christ, our thoughts are corrupted and are given to evil thoughts and we lose our peace. One manifestation of it is keeping oneself alone day-dreaming throughout the day. In it they are obsessed with vain thoughts and indulge in hallucinations. They hurt themselves without themselves knowing it. Recently, when I prayed for a youth, the Lord revealed that he was sitting all alone and day-dreaming. This was useless and hurt him. He imagined that he was a pilot of an aircraft in action. I asked him not to do that for his blessings. So, we should not give room of evil thoughts, but should be filled with Christ-like thoughts.
WAYS WHICH HARM US
1. Going astray from the Way of the Lord
“They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one” (Romans 3:12)
Jesus Christ who said that He is the way also said that we should enter by the narrow way. The way to hell is always wide open. Some walk in ways contrary to that of the Lord. The way that Balaam took was contrary to the Lord’s. So, the Lord appeared on the way and stood against him and obstructed the way. Hence, the donkey on which he rode could not proceed and opened its mouth and began to talk. Then he realized his mistake. Even today there are children of God trespassing the word of the Lord. They do anything they desire. Disobeying the word of the Lord is sin. Yet they do what the people of the world do. The Word of God says: “For the Lord your God will bless you just as He promised you; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow; you shall reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over you” (Deut. 15:6). Yet we borrow against the word of God. This is the way of the world which is wide. “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Prov. 22:7). In the way of the world, the Christians also have house-warming ceremonies and other cultural rituals. Thus, they go astray from the blessed way of the Lord God and destroy themselves. Some bury certain items before laying the foundation of their houses. Thus, following certain traditional practices of the world takes us away from the way of the Lord, leading to destruction.
2. False Witness
“A false witness shall perish...” (Prov. 21:28).
Resorting to false witness, some gain easy targets. Once a Pastor said of a young girl that she was a good believer of Christ and that she was a regular member of his church. So, the bridegroom’s parents arranged the marriage for their son and the wedding took place. But really the girl knew nothing of the Bible and was given to the traditional practices. This spoiled the peace and joy of the family. Such false witnesses also result in the name of the Lord to be blasphemed. Others get stumbled by such examples. In the 21st chapter of 1 Kings, Jezebel, wife of King Ahab set up two false witnesses against Naboth that he blasphemed against God and King. She wrote a letter alleging charges against him to kill him by stoning. Thus, he was stoned to death. The word of the Lord came to Elijah that in the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth dogs would lick his blood too and the word was fulfilled. False witnesses will be destroyed.
3. Those Who Act Against the Children of God
“And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths” (Zechariah 14:12).
Jerusalem refers to the children of God. They are the temple of the Lord. When people act against them, the hand of the Lord will fight for them. When the Lord wages wars, the eyes of the people will be spoilt. Their state will be like that a blind man needing the help of others.
4. Dead Flies
“Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor...” (Ecclesiastes 10:1)
The children of God are people who are liked by all as perfumes. 2 Cor. 2:15 says, “For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” God’s children should be witnesses to the goodness of the Lord; they should reflect the image of the living Lord. They have high standards. But little acts of folly can easily spoil such an image. In Exodus 16:20, we read about those who did not act according to the word of Moses. Some of them were left with the excess of the collected manna, but that portion got putrefied and let out bad odour. The sin of disobedience is likely to spoil our exalted image and standing among others. Psalm 38:5 says, “My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness.” In Psalm 14:1, we read: “The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none who does good.”
One of my colleagues, in the days I worked in a school, was an atheist. He would call Christians crooked people. I began to pray for his redemption and for his family. With the revelation I had about him, I prayed for him at night on a Saturday. The following Monday I met him and asked him about the revelation I had. Then he realized that the Lord lived. He began to take part in all the meetings in which I preached and would come to me for prayer. Proverbs 6:32 says: “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding; He who does so destroys his own soul.” By such sins, we lose our exalted image and standing among others. We lose our respect and others talk ill of us.
WHAT TO DO FOR NOT TO PERISH
1. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:15).
Heb. 11:1 defines what is faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” When this faith abounds in us, the mighty power of the Lord manifests much more than we desire. The Canaanite woman who came to Jesus Christ for the deliverance of her demon-possessed daughter said that her child was severely affected by the devil. But He did not respond to her call. His disciples even recommended her case. But the response of Jesus Christ was a little offensive as He said that He came only for the deliverance of the lost Israelites. She did not get offended by the response, and continued to pester Him with humility. She worshipped Him and addressed Him as Lord. She pleaded for help. Again, Jesus Christ’s response was not encouraging. He said that it was not proper to feed the dogs with the food of the children. Now she was prepared to accept and humble herself saying: “Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus Christ acknowledged her faith as being ‘great’ and granted her request. Her daughter became all right at that very hour.
The Lord God has regard for the faith we have. When our faith is good, the Lord does great things. But if you lose your faith, you would also lose the exalted purpose and greatness of His assurance. He granted the desire of Peter to walk on the water of the ocean. He stepped out of the boat in faith and started to walk towards Christ on water wonderfully. But when fear gripped him on seeing the ferocious waves of the ocean, he began to sink. The power of the word of Christ lost its substance. Then he cried to the Lord Jesus Christ for help. He did not depend on his expertise, or on his friends for help. Jesus responded and pointed to his lack of faith and doubt, but stretched His hand and caught him. Fear is the expression of lack of faith or doubt in the word of Jesus. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).
2. Repent
“...but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:5
Christian life is a transformed life of regeneration and purity in Christ. It is not by birth in a Christian family or following certain religious rituals and practices like going to church, taking part in worship, making offerings or taking part in ministry. A transformed life is not being hypocritical. It is a new life through the mercy of God. It is a life based on the acceptance of one’s sins and sinful nature and accepting that Jesus Christ paid the price for him/her to redeem him/her from that state with His blood and forgiveness. It is a new life based on this assurance of forgiveness. King David realized his sinful nature and confessed it in Psalm 51 and pleaded in the presence of God. We keep doing something sinful from our early childhood days. This creates a separation between man and God. When our sins are forgiven, our problems come to an end. Tears are wiped out; wounds disappear. All weaknesses and sorrows end and the relationship between God and man is restored. The first message of Jesus Christ is: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” David confessed that his sins are always before him. How many times have you involved in presumptuous sins? How many times have you turned a traitor to your parents or your spouse or children? Prov. 28:13 says: “He who covers his sins shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.” Through the blood of Jesus Christ and His mercy our sins are forgiven and there is repentance at heart. As we submit to live a good life in Christ, we escape the punishment due to us and inherit the grace and blessings of God. One in Christ is a new being; all old things are gone; everything is made new. It is a new holy life in Christ.
3. Submitting to the Will of God
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand...” (John 10:27-28).
The voice of the Lord is powerful. It can do great things. In Isaiah 6:6, when the live coal from the altar touched the lips of Isaiah, he was cleansed. At once he heard the word of the Lord. He was willing to commit to the ministry of the Lord when he heard the burden of the Lord: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” John 10:27 says: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” This still voice of the Lord can totally transform us. Saul came to Damascus to bind and bring to Jerusalem all those who had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ. A light from heaven shone on him. He fell on the ground. Then he heard a voice saying: “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard to kick against the goad.” He was frightened and he immediately surrendered himself, submitted himself to the Lord and was willing to carry out the will of God. Hearing the voice of the Lord produces joy in us and the Lord manifests through His works.
4. Putting on the New Man
“that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24)
Today we should put off the old self of living according to our deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of our minds. For this to happen we should commit ourselves. How to put on Christ? This is a common question to all.
Baptism is carrying out the righteousness of God. It is dying to sin and to be born to a new life of righteousness in Christ. All those who take baptism put on Christ. By baptism, we give up all old nature of sinning, the old lusts. Let us today itself humble ourselves at the feet of Jesus Christ to have His mercy and to be filled with His good Spirit. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). According this verse, let us be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and have deliverance and inherit a life of fragrance in Christ.
May the Lord bless us!
In the service of Christ,
Bro. C. Ebenezer Paul.