The Word This Week – THE LORD WATCHES OVER YOU – Malaysia’s Christian News Website

13 Jan 2014 by Rev Dr Jai Kumar –

Psalm 100:4-5

” Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name. For The Lord is good and his love endures forever”

GOD DESIRES A GRATEFUL HEART

Psalm 138

1 I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. 2 I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word. 3 When I called, you answered me………

GOD’s mercy and compassion are new every morning and everyday; in spite of our difficult circumstances throughout life. Even though we may endure difficulties that seem unbearable, the fact of the matter is GOD’S LOVE towards us is beyond comprehensible.

King David went through great trials and tribulations throughout his life, but he never blamed GOD. As a matter of fact, he would praise GOD for his loving-kindness throughout his trials and struggles. He had an attitude of gratitude. He was grateful that GOD still loved him and cared for him; even though life looked difficult and chaotic at times.

An attitude of ungratefulness is the worst disease in mankind today. It was the same attitude that made a 11 day journey into a 40 years of wandering aimlessly around the same mountain over and over again without making any progress for the Israelites. (Deut. 1:2)

According to studies done in the University of California in Berkeley, researchers have found that regular expressions of gratitude results in:

–a stronger immune system and lower blood pressure -a higher level of positive emotions

-more joy, optimism, and happiness

-acting with more generosity and compassion -feeling less lonely and isolated, more joy, optimism, and happiness

-acting with more generosity and compassion -feeling less lonely and isolated,

Every virtue divorced from thankfulness and gratefulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.

“Gratitude is an opener of locked-up blessings.” ~Marianne Williamson

STRONGHOLD

It’s a wrong thinking pattern which is obviously a stronghold that keeps us entrapped and defeated in so many areas of our lives. And yet, as believers we don’t realize it’s a serious matter and we leave it unattended. I guess we need to rise to a higher spiritual maturity to be sensitive to the forces that control us sometimes.

God will help you break strongholds, bondages and curses in you if you can change your mentality and tap into what Christ has EXCHANGED for you on Calvary’s cross.

We are often not aware of the blessings that most deserve our gratitude and we take things for granted, and we go on living each day with an ungrateful heart.

YOUR BLESSINGS AND OPPORTUNITIES CAN BYPASS YOU BECAUSE OF YOUR IGNORANCE

The reason most people do not recognize an opportunity of blessing when it knocks at the door is because it sometimes comes around camouflaged in an attire of the enemy. This is why we need the wisdom of God to enable us to decipher the right opportunities that passes by us.

Meanwhile, respect opportunities when it comes because what you do not respect exits your life. May I say to you that whatever has slipped past you so far is what you have not valued and respected. If you do not respect favor it does not come to you! When you do not respect money it will not stay with you! If you do not value health, you will not find it! Where you are today! and what you are today! is obviously a by- product of your attitude towards life.

THERE IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE HUMAN NATURE

Jeremiah 17:9

The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

The heart of man is wicked and cannot cause him to behave righteously and be grateful unless he opens up to God to change him spiritually. An inner change is required for the heart of man to reflect his Maker.

Jesus addressed Nicodemus in John 3; unless you are born from above there is no hope for you! Your religion will not take you to heaven! Your position will not take you to heaven. Your knowledge will not find you a place in heaven. (Paraphrased)

Jesus was literally driving home the point to Nicodemus. You can be so religious, you can be so morally upright with good living behind you but that is merely educating the flesh, and when you have done all that at the end of it all, it is still just flesh! (the natural man) In other words the fruit of the spirit can only be produced through a spiritual birth with a born again spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

BE AWARE THAT THE ENEMY HAS ACCESS TO YOUR MIND

The one main avenue the enemy can infiltrate is your mind. The moment you open a window for him to access your mind he will come in to take over your life.

Many of us have ignorantly fallen victim to the devil and we are trapped and imprisoned by” a manipulated thinking pattern” which is not in alignment with God’s mindset. What you believe determines what you become.

Prov. 23:7

“You think what you think because you believe what you believe”.

I don’t know’ if you can see that a lie can become a powerful truth when you keep repeating it over and over again. In every area of your victory, the enemy will show up and try to convince you his accusation and lie is the truth.

LIFE IS A CHOICE

We can be set free because it is within our ability to make the bold choice to move out from the clutches of the enemy, and change our thinking in line with the word of God. God can intervene to change your life. If you can humble yourself to acknowledge it, it’s not by your might or your power; it’s only by the spirit of God to set you free. Therefore, you need to seek the super-natural intervention of God’s power to execute this change.

Zechariah 4:6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

YOUR INHERITANCE IS NOT POVERTY & CURSE

Unfortunately, many people have been mesmerised and manipulated into thinking that’s it’s a norm, living in poverty and curse in view of some mistakes that has taken place in the past. Whatever the problem may be, you have the opportunity to raise the bar and break out of this negative cycle. But God can only move heaven and earth for you if you can first take the responsibility to repent and realign your righteousness with a heart of gratefulness towards man and God. You know what? When the Prodigal son repented he acknowledged that he had sinned against God and man (father) (Luke 15)

Listen! You will never make it in life without God’s favor. Just think back about how much of grace was given to you to come thus far! Times and seasons will change but not God! From everlasting to everlasting, He is a God that changes not! He is always the God of comfort and He watches over those with a grateful and thankful heart.

Note: Rev Dr Jai Kumar is an ordained & licensed minister of Covenant Ministries International N.J. USA. He is also the representative of Faith International Bible School for Malaysia & Singapore. He is the founder and senior pastor of Full Gospel Outreach Ministry KL, a member of ECCM, Spiritual Adviser & overseer of Full Gospel Christian Church KL. Co-founder and adviser of Kingdom Christian Fellowship, Subang Jaya, he is also the author of a book entitled, ‘God’s Time Clock.’