ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU. SO WHY NOT ASK? - PASSAGE TAKEN FROM A BOOK CALLED "THE PRAYER OF JABEZ" WRITTEN BY BRUCE WILKINSON

What if you found out that God had it in mind to send you twenty-three specific blessings today, but you got only one? What do you suppose the reason would be?

There's a little fable about a Mr. Jones who dies and goes to heaven. Peter is waiting at the gates to give him a tour. Amid the splendor of golden streets, beautiful mansions, and choirs of angels that Peter shows him, Mr. Jones notices an odd-looking building. He thinks it looks like an enormous warehouse—it has no windows and only one door. But when he asks to see inside, Peter hesitates. "You really don't want to see what's in there," he tells the new arrival.

Why would there be any secrets in heaven? Jones wonders. What incredible surprise could be waiting for me in there? When the official tour is over he's still wondering, so he asks again to see inside the structure.

Finally Peter relents. When the apostle opens the door, Mr. Jones almost knocks him over in his haste to enter. It turns out that the enormous building is filled with row after row of shelves, floor to ceiling, each stacked neatly with white boxes tied in red ribbons.

"These boxes all have names on them," Mr. Jones muses aloud. Then turning to Peter he asks, "Do I have one?"

"Yes, you do." Peter tries to guide Mr. Jones back outside. "Frankly," Peter says, "if I were you...." But Mr. Jones is already dashing toward the "J" aisle to find his box.

Peter follows, shaking his head. He catches up with Mr. Jones just as he is slipping the red ribbon off his box and popping the lid. Looking inside, Jones has a moment of instant recognition, and he lets out a deep sigh like the ones Peter has heard so many times before.

Because there in Mr. Jones's white box are all the blessings that God wanted to give to him while he was on earth...but Mr. Jones had never asked.

"Ask," promised Jesus, "and it will be given to you" (Matthew 7:7). "You do not have because you do not ask," said James (James 4:2). Even though there is no limit to God's goodness, if you didn't ask Him for a blessing yesterday, you didn't get all that you were supposed to have.

That's the catch—if you don't ask for His blessing, you forfeit those that come to you only when you ask.

LOOKING BACK (WITH THANKS) - 11 (GOD'S LOVE AND GRACE UPON MY LIFE THAT MADE ME TO WRITE A SONG 'NEER PODHUM')

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” – Hebrews 8:12

Many years before when I was studying a diploma course, I love to hear movie songs. The college in which I was studying was nearly 12 kms away from my home and I used to travel in bus. In the bus they used to play movie songs and I love that travel a lot. All the songs which will be played in the bus were the latest songs.

So daily I used to memorize the lyrics of any one song and later on that day I sing that along with my friend in the college. We used to memorize so many lyrics and sing together. 

My parents never allowed us to hear movie songs and also to see any secular movies. They taught us about the Biblical values and tried their best to raise me in that. Though I loved God a lot, I was eager to hear movie songs and sing that in my heart. 

Years passed and when I joined an engineering college to study degree, I started to write love poems. I wrote 3 volumes of love poems in a short note book.  I was called as a poet among my batchmates but all that I wrote was worldly poems. 

After few years I got closer to God and one day I felt that I should destroy the poems I wrote. I obeyed the voice of God and I destroyed the notebooks in which I wrote poems. Also I stopped memorizing movie songs. 

I confessed my sins to God and moved on in my life. I never knew that God will use me for His purpose. But as I stayed closer to God, He made me to write nice spiritual poems based on the way He led me personally and I posted it online.

Recently one day when I was driving my car, God made me to sing a new song for Him. Then after few days He made me to remember the lyrics and write it down. Even at that time I never knew that it will be made as a song. One day God spoke to me about a person who is a worship leader and asked me to get his help to make those lyrics as a song. 

God’s grace led us beautifully in the process of that song making and through His abundant grace we could release that audio song (Neer Pothum) this week online.

Few days before, I was eating dinner with my family at a hotel. When I was sitting there I heard the music that was playing and it was the very old songs which I used to sing along with my friend. 

At that time, Holy Spirit made me to understand God’s love. I was a sinner who memorized worldly songs and my life was never a blessing to anyone. But then God loved me so much and He transformed my life. He had never remembered my sins. He removed my guilt and made me to write a song for Him and few told me that God comforted them through that song. How could God love a sinner and unrighteous like me and gave His grace to write songs for Him? When I think of His love upon me, joyful tears flows from my eyes. 

What a loving God we have! Bible says, “God is love.” Even today He loves you a lot. He will never remember your old sins. God wants to give you new life and a new beginning. Just tell about your life’s situations to Him. Jesus will listen to your prayer and will bless you. Not only that, He will also bless others through you. You will shine for the glory of God.

GHG PRESENTS 'NEER POTHUM' - TAMIL WORSHIP SONG

COMING VERY SOON - NEER PODHUM ( A TAMIL AUDIO SONG) RELEASED BY GHG

GUEST ARTICLE - 14 (GOD CAN USE YOU THOUGH YOU ARE WEAK - WRITTEN BY MR. RAVI SHANKAR)

A stone is simply something which is useless, dead and good-for-nothing for normal eyes. But in the eyes of a sculptor, it is seen as a master piece of art. In your eyes, you may see yourself as a failure, a victim useless for God. But in God's eyes, you can be a master piece.

You see what you are now; God sees what you can become. You see a failure; But God sees a master piece. You see the effect now; God sees the potential for the future. You see a Victim now, God sees a Victor.

This amazing transformation from a victim to victor can become true if the Stone yields fully to the Sculptor's plan and trust Him through the making process.

Friends, God chose the foolish to shame the wise. He chose the weak to shame the strong. Do you feel now that you are weak? Then you are the right person for God. Because, in your life and through your life He will show what He alone can do provided if you yield and trust Him. 

2 fishes and 5 loaves is not even a full meal for 2 persons. But for God, it is more than enough to feed 5000. Your lack will continue to be a lack in your hands, but in the hands of Jesus the same lack or insufficiency can feed thousands. Surrender your weaknesses to the lord and yield to His process.

Trust in the Lord during this phase of your life and you will see things what He alone can do.

(Note: GHG team thank Mr. Ravi Shankar for permitting us to use his article. May God bless him abundantly and use him for His glory. If you wish to send your article, mail it to mailtoghg@gmail.com)

JOY FILLED PARENTING - 8 (KNOW GOD'S PURPOSE IN YOUR CHILDREN LIFE AND LEAD THEM IN GODLY WAYS)

At one point of time when Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, He delivered them into the hands of Philistines for forty years. God wants to deliver the Israelites from the hands of Philistines. 

At that time there lived a man called Manoah and his wife was barren and had no child. 

The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean.

You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”- Judges 13:3-5

 

Every detail about how she has to behave during the pregnancy and how they should raise that child was given to her clearly. Once she heard what the angel told, she ran to her husband and told him about everything. 

Manoah never said like, “Ok we will think about this later once the child was born or Ok if God wants us to do that let Him come again and speak to us.” He never said like that. 

But with so much of humbleness and eagerness to know God’s purpose upon his son who is to be born, he prayed a beautiful prayer which was recorded in Judges 13:8

“Then Manoah prayed to the Lord: “Pardon your servant, Lord. I beg you to let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.”

He says, “Lord teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born.” He wants God to tell him the ways in which he should bring up his son. God heard his prayers and revealed His purpose. 

Then Manoah and his wife made sure that everything was done in accordance to God’s will in Samson’s life. They made sure that Samson’s head was never touched by the razor. Because of that God could fulfill His will in Samson’s life. God worked through Samson’s life and he led Israel for twenty years in the days of Philistines until he revealed everything to a woman.

Once when Samson wants to marry a Philistine girl, his parents objected and asked him why he should go to uncircumcised people to get a wife?

Manoah and his wife tried their level best to lead Samson in a right path giving him good counsel as they knew God’s purpose upon His life. Manoah and his wife were so serious about God’s purpose which was revealed to them and they surrendered themselves to God’s purpose completely.

You asked God for a child and God gave you a child. Do you know what is God’s purpose upon your child’s life? Have you ever waited in God’s presence to know His purpose upon your child?

You know that you have to raise a Godly generation. But then are you taking that seriously or you say to yourself that your child will grow and decide which ways to follow later?

When our parents wanted us to stop watching secular movies, they first stopped watching that. When they wanted us to pray daily, they showed us by their action. They never said that you do anything and I will not interfere. They gave good counselling to us and they showed us the right path and they never exposed us to unwanted things of this world. Now we are blessed and doing God’s work with so much joy and happiness. 

My dear young friend, do not expose your children to filthy things of this world. God has a purpose upon your child’s life and now you have to lead your child in that way. It’s your duty. He has given you a child while so many others are still longing for the blessing. But now you have begun to take things lightly. You are not serious as you were before in raising your child in Godly way. God wants you to change so that your children life will be blessed and you will live without shame. 

Lead your children in Godly ways and righteous path. You will be blessed.