HOW FAR IS TOO FAR FOR THE LORD TO REACH?

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. - Psalms 139:7-8 

Is there a place so low, so dark, so broken that God cannot reach you there?

Sometimes it feels like there is, particularly when we go through tough situations. At times we go to places we never imagined-places of regret, shame, loneliness, or failure. And in those moments, we feel within ourselves that we are in a situation where the Lord cannot reach out to us. We think in our heart that we have gone too far. But we must understand the truth that those thoughts are not from God.

The Bible tells us that even if someone makes their bed in the depths, even in hell itself, God is already there. There is no corner of darkness where His presence cannot reach. No matter how far you think you have fallen, you have not fallen beyond His reach.

You may feel like your mistakes have pushed God away. But Scripture tells us in Isaiah 59:1: Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear.  

Think about Jonah. He disobeyed and ran away. He ended up in the darkest place imaginable. And yet, when he cried out from there, God heard him.

And he said: “I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, And He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, And You heard my voice.” – Jonah 2:2

 

At times, tribulation comes without a reason we can understand-without a fault of our own. Even then, God can still reach you and save you.

 

Consider the life of Joseph. The Lord promised him a beautiful future when he was safe in his father’s house, loved and protected. The next, he was betrayed by his own brothers, thrown into a pit, sold like a slave, falsely accused, and forgotten in prison. Step by step, it looked like his life was moving further and further away from God’s promise. But the truth is, God never left him. The pit didn’t stop God. The prison didn’t change God’s plan. And when the time was right, God lifted him from the lowest place to the palace.

 

No matter where you are right now, God can still reach you. No matter how far you think you have gone, you are not far beyond His mercy. No depth, no darkness, no failure is greater than Him. For God, nothing is impossible. And no matter how far you are, you are not out of God’s reach. He will surely transform your life.

 

IN THE WORLD YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION

 

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33

Today, the Lord wants you to remember that in this world you will have tribulation.

Jesus says this as He finishes speaking with His disciples and brings His conversation to a close: You will pass through tribulation.

Strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” – Acts 14:22

Paul and Barnabas give precious counsel to the disciples. They say that we must enter the Kingdom of God through many tribulations.

There will be trials, there will be struggles, troubles will arise, and pain will come our way. We may be led on paths that we do not like. In the midst of all these, the Holy Spirit tells us today that we must strive to fulfill the will of God.

Look at the life of Jesus.

Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” – John 18:4

Knowing all things that were going to happen to Him means that Jesus fully understood the suffering ahead of Him — that He would be beaten, His blood would be shed, He would be mocked and humiliated, spat upon, struck on the cheeks, stripped of His robe, and ultimately give His life on the cross.

Why should He go straight toward the path filled with suffering and tribulation?

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” – John 18:11

Why, people of God, should we go forward even when we know the path is difficult?

Because this is the cup my Father has given me. The cup He entrusted to me in faith. I must drink from it.

Here, my will is not important; His will alone is important. It is not about whether I am put to shame or not. What truly matters is that He is not put to shame because of me. That alone is what truly matters.

My dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, we must always remember that this is not about our comfort. This is not about our preference.
It is about obedience to the Father’s will.

May the Lord strengthen you, uphold you, and give you grace to walk faithfully through every trial and tribulation, for His glory and His purpose.

FIVE SPIRITUAL PROPHECIES FOR THE YEAR 2026

Five Spiritual Prophecies – As revealed to a senior pastor of a church

1. God is placing gracious words in your mouth so that you may lead others to salvation.

2. Many of you were afraid of evil spirits. God is placing upon you the gift to cast out those spirits.

3. You will overcome the sins in which you stumbled again and again. Your shame will be turned into victory.

4. You will pray for those who are in captivity and the Lord will set you free from your captivity.

5. You will develop an overwhelming passion for reading the scriptures (Bible) and prayer. Many will be astonished by the power of your words.

THE LORD EXPECTS TRUTH WITHIN OUR HEARTS

Psalms 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

David beautifully expresses God's will in this verse. What does the Lord want?

The Lord expects truth within our hearts.

1. Do what the Lord wants you to do

The preface to Psalm 51 states thus.

To the chief musician, A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him after he had gone in to Bathsheba

Nathan the prophet went to David and made him realize his sins.

Because the heart of the prophet was faithful before God, the word of God that came through his mouth caused a man to repent. Saved David from death.

The Lord is expecting you to carry His word to someone who is struggling because of their sins and make them realize their wrongdoings. The Lord wants you to lead such people to Christ so that their lives will be saved. Will you surrender yourself for God’s mission?

We can read about another prophet in Numbers 22:22.

Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the Lord took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.

God was angry because Balaam was going.

Do you know why? We can learn from 2 Peter 2:15-18 that his heart loved the wages of unrighteousness.

Finally, his life ended in blackness of darkness.

2. The Lord does not want you to change His scale of holiness.

Psalms 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

David sinned. It was a terrible mistake. But he never reduced the scale of God’s commandments. Though he was in a different plane compared to God’s commandments, He never tried to scale down God’s expectation of Holiness.

Do not change God's standard of holiness. The Holy Spirit tells us that it will not do you any good.

In Luke 18:9-14 we read about two types of people

⁹ Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 

The first group are those who believe in themselves that they were righteous. What are they like? Those who adjust God's decrees to suit themselves and compare themselves to it and are content to believe that they are righteous. The scripture tells us about the Pharisee as a good example.

The second group are those who compare their life with God's standard of holiness, repent before God and are justified by God. The scripture tells us about the tax collector as a good example.

Who you are today? Are you the one who believe that you are Holy by comparing yourself to your own standards or are you the one who tries to grow in God by having His standards before you.

Analyse your life and turn back to God. He is ready to forgive and carry you.

#GHG Devotions

 

 

Way to Zion - Written by Bro. Matthew Henry (1662-1714)

If there be any that are asking the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward, pray tell them the way. Tell them,

1.   There is but one gate into this way, and that is the straight gate of sound conversion.

2.   Tell them that the way is narrow, that there is not elbowroom for their lusts. Let them know the worst of it. And that those who would be good soldiers of Christ must endure hardness.

3.   Tell them, notwithstanding this, it is a way of pleasantness; it gives spiritual, though it prohibits sensual pleasures.

4.   Tell them there is life eternal at the end, and let them be assured that one hour of joy in heaven, will make them amends for an age of trouble upon earth.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126:5-6

LET US THANK THE LORD

 

“Let us thank the Lord, who has not let our enemies destroy us.” – Psalms 124:6 (GNT)

As we have reached the end of this year 2020, we can boldly proclaim that we have experienced the Lord’s protection and favour abundantly in this year. We have faced a terrible pandemic and many around us have lost their lives. In this year many of us had gone through some tough times. People tried to destroy us. The pandemic tried to destroy us. Evil forces tried to destroy our peace and family lives. But then the Lord stood with us and He had not let our enemies destroy us.

We are alive today by His grace. How blessed we are to have the Creator of this universe watching over us and standing by our side to guide and help us!

Personally to me this year was a year of blessing. The Lord graciously gave us a daughter before we entered into lockdown. When the lockdown was announced, I really don’t know what to do and so I went into God’s presence and surrendered the whole family into the hands of the Lord. We had our new born daughter along with another little daughter given by God to us. Also my grandmother who is around 82 years old was also with us. I knew very well that I could not take care of this entire people who belong to different age groups. The Lord graciously heard my prayers and took care of everyone and everything.

The Lord graciously protected each and everyone amidst all the trials and tribulations and He blessed us richly. We did go through some tough situations but throughout the year no one got sick and no lives were lost. In all those tough situations we could see the hand of the Lord carrying us and protecting us. Today as a family we are alive only because of the grace of Jesus Christ. I sincerely thank our Lord for His eternal love and grace that sustained us.

My dear young friends, let us thank the Lord who has not let our enemies destroy us. We have escaped like a bird from a hunter’s trap because the Lord was on our side. Remember, you are alive today only because of God’s grace. Let us enter into the New Year with a grateful heart and thanksgiving. The Lord will continue to be with you and He will lead you and protect you in the New Year too.

DO YOU WANT TO ENJOY TRUE LIFE AND HAVE ONLY GOOD DAYS?

Do you want to enjoy true life and have only good days? The Bible has an answer for this in I Peter 3:10-11.

You have to

1.      Keep your tongue from evil

2.     Keep your lips from deceitful speech

3.     Turn away from evil

4.     Do good

5.     Seek Peace and Pursue it

 

The Scriptures say, "If you want to enjoy true life and have only good days, then avoid saying anything hurtful, and never let a lie come out of your mouth. Stop doing what is wrong, and do good. Look for peace, and do all you can to help people live peacefully." - I Peter 3:10-11 (ERV)