For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. (Psalm 27:5)
Have you ever thought about how much God does to keep you and your family safe? Well, we do not really think much about it until some "near escape event" happens in our life and then we are forced to think of how much "He Cares".
Several accidents have happened in the lives of my Church members this year and God has been gracious to keep all of them safe; save a few scratches here and there. One brother was on his bike traveling early one morning with a pillion and didn’t notice a wire lying broken on the road. As he drove his vehicle the wire just whipped his neck and threw him and the pillion on the ground. The wire slashed the front of his neck but did not cut threw or he would have died immediately. God intervened just at the right moment.
This month when I was conducting a baptism, there was a phone call which brought distress to all of us. An auto in which 3 adults and a child of our church were traveling overturned when the driver suddenly applied the brakes because a snake slithered across the road. God intervened promptly and all were saved except for a few scratches.
One of our members, on a rainy night, last week, went out of his house to feed his dog and stepped on a poisonous snake and he became aware of it because it lashed at him with its tail. God had positioned the snake in such a way that he had stepped on its head. Just imagine if it was the other way around.
Another brother who is a welder, had a spark of fire hit him directly in his eye. God saw to it that the spark hit only the conjunctiva and not the cornea for then he would have lost his sight in one eye.
These are just a few of the wondrous deliverances that the Lord has done for us as a church. All who have experienced these near fatal accidents have testified in church about 2 things- 1) It is the mercy of God that they escaped. 2) It is the fervent prayers of the church that is a shield for them.
If you read the verses at the top of this message and think about the near escapes in your life, you will realize that God’s Word is 100% truth and nothing else. Also do understand that we and our family are shielded by God’s mercy & by the prayers of God’s faithful ones and it is not our righteousness or integrity that is working overtime which is keeping us safe.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
From The Doctor's Diary- 47- Demon's Everywhere
It was around 6 am one Sunday. We were getting ready to leave for our morning worship. My wife and children were still dressing.
Those days we were living in a neighbourhood with many non-Christian homes surrounding us. They never approved our kind of worship. We suspected them of working against us through witchcraft too, praying to their idols to thwart our worship and work for the Lord.
This morning as I opened the front door and walked out to get my car ready, I saw a Hibiscus flower lying on my doorstep. Very unusual I thought. How could this land up on my doorstep so early in the morning.
Surely these are my enemies putting this (idol) prayed over object at my doorstep. Creating obstacles for me.
Anger surged through me. I stamped on the flower and rebuked the demon vociferously in Jesus name. Still seething with anger, I was contemplating my next move.
"Dad", my elder daughter called ,as she came out to join me. "Dad, did you see the Hibiscus flower that I dropped while I came in, she asked?
"Flower!! You mean to say…………………. And I could not find many words to tell her what I had just done. She picked up the crushed flower and asked me, "Dad, how did this happen?"
Well……………well…………I just rebuked it, I muttered. You, what? She stared at me in surprise.
Oh! Nothing! I said and burst out laughing realising my blunder.. How preposterous it was ; doing such a fooling thing. That's how we Preachers are. We get carried away too much some times.
We had a good laugh regarding this at the worship too when I recounted the story during my preaching.
Moral
There's no demon hiding behind every soap dish. Unless ofcourse your soap dish is a great blessing to you; in which case he( the evil one ) may fight tooth and nail to snatch it from you.
Those days we were living in a neighbourhood with many non-Christian homes surrounding us. They never approved our kind of worship. We suspected them of working against us through witchcraft too, praying to their idols to thwart our worship and work for the Lord.
This morning as I opened the front door and walked out to get my car ready, I saw a Hibiscus flower lying on my doorstep. Very unusual I thought. How could this land up on my doorstep so early in the morning.
Surely these are my enemies putting this (idol) prayed over object at my doorstep. Creating obstacles for me.
Anger surged through me. I stamped on the flower and rebuked the demon vociferously in Jesus name. Still seething with anger, I was contemplating my next move.
"Dad", my elder daughter called ,as she came out to join me. "Dad, did you see the Hibiscus flower that I dropped while I came in, she asked?
"Flower!! You mean to say…………………. And I could not find many words to tell her what I had just done. She picked up the crushed flower and asked me, "Dad, how did this happen?"
Well……………well…………I just rebuked it, I muttered. You, what? She stared at me in surprise.
Oh! Nothing! I said and burst out laughing realising my blunder.. How preposterous it was ; doing such a fooling thing. That's how we Preachers are. We get carried away too much some times.
We had a good laugh regarding this at the worship too when I recounted the story during my preaching.
Moral
There's no demon hiding behind every soap dish. Unless ofcourse your soap dish is a great blessing to you; in which case he( the evil one ) may fight tooth and nail to snatch it from you.
From The Doctor’s Diary46-Confessions Of A Nominal Christian
Last Sunday after the morning worship as I relaxed at home, there was a phone call and the caller asked whether we would be at home in the evening as she wanted to come over to our house for prayers. Her daughter had been married for 10 years but had no children.
They came at around 5pm and after the initial talks, my wife escorted the lady and her daughter to an inner room for prayers. I was left with the son of the woman who had brought the women from home in their jeep.
We started conversing and the topic was about ‘construction’ as he was a ‘contractor’. He spoke eloquently about all aspects of his occupation and his life in general without touching one aspect of his life-The Spiritual. And the Holy Spirit was prompting me to touch upon that part of his life. I waited for the right moment and then asked him which Church he attended. He said that he was a member of a main line denominational church but never actually attended church. When I asked him why, he said he didn’t see any point in attending church because people just came there to show off their flashy clothes and new cars; no one really cared about calling upon God. Moreover, he said, “When I stand in Church, if at all I go, I am surrounded by rivals in business who are plotting my downfall and I theirs.
When I asked whether his wife went to church, he said, “Yes, but she just hangs around outside the church to catch up with the things that she missed from her friends in the past week.”
Of course, he believed in God, he retorted in self defense when I put that question to him. It’s just that I don’t have any time, he sighed!
When I asked whether he had read the Bible recently, he just shook his head in the negative. Family prayers had become something of a routine though, he added, because excessive crying of his child for one and a half years had made someone comment that God was mad at him. Still they were careful, he added, to adjust the timings of the family prayer so as to not miss important serials on TV.
So what do you think about life after death? I asked finally. I’ve just not thought about that, he said and he had a surprised look on his face which said, “Who’s this fellow and what’s this trap that I have fallen into, on a quiet Sunday evening?”
I took some time to explain to him the “Gospel” and he seemed to be genuinely interested or so I thought. After a while of my preaching, he suddenly asked, “OK, Tell me where do I start?”
And I told him the basics- Pray, Read the Word, Accept Jesus Your Lord & Savior, Worship….
He seemed to be lost in thoughts for a while and then said, “I just don’t know, you see I’m so busy, maybe after all my present projects are complete, I’ll give it a try."
They came at around 5pm and after the initial talks, my wife escorted the lady and her daughter to an inner room for prayers. I was left with the son of the woman who had brought the women from home in their jeep.
We started conversing and the topic was about ‘construction’ as he was a ‘contractor’. He spoke eloquently about all aspects of his occupation and his life in general without touching one aspect of his life-The Spiritual. And the Holy Spirit was prompting me to touch upon that part of his life. I waited for the right moment and then asked him which Church he attended. He said that he was a member of a main line denominational church but never actually attended church. When I asked him why, he said he didn’t see any point in attending church because people just came there to show off their flashy clothes and new cars; no one really cared about calling upon God. Moreover, he said, “When I stand in Church, if at all I go, I am surrounded by rivals in business who are plotting my downfall and I theirs.
When I asked whether his wife went to church, he said, “Yes, but she just hangs around outside the church to catch up with the things that she missed from her friends in the past week.”
Of course, he believed in God, he retorted in self defense when I put that question to him. It’s just that I don’t have any time, he sighed!
When I asked whether he had read the Bible recently, he just shook his head in the negative. Family prayers had become something of a routine though, he added, because excessive crying of his child for one and a half years had made someone comment that God was mad at him. Still they were careful, he added, to adjust the timings of the family prayer so as to not miss important serials on TV.
So what do you think about life after death? I asked finally. I’ve just not thought about that, he said and he had a surprised look on his face which said, “Who’s this fellow and what’s this trap that I have fallen into, on a quiet Sunday evening?”
I took some time to explain to him the “Gospel” and he seemed to be genuinely interested or so I thought. After a while of my preaching, he suddenly asked, “OK, Tell me where do I start?”
And I told him the basics- Pray, Read the Word, Accept Jesus Your Lord & Savior, Worship….
He seemed to be lost in thoughts for a while and then said, “I just don’t know, you see I’m so busy, maybe after all my present projects are complete, I’ll give it a try."
From the Doctor’s Diary-45- What an exam!
I had hard time while I was doing my MD in General Medicine in Gulbarga (a town in Karnataka state, India). We were eleven of us to appear for the exams. Even before the exams took place, everyone concerned said that only four or five people would get through. The subject matter in Medicine is too vast for anyone to study everything and go for the exams. The theory and practical exams are really tough. The internal examiner who is supposed to be a comfort to any student was himself a terror for us. We were all afraid of him. Being an oursider (from another state) I had more disadvantages. There didn’t seem much hope for me to get through.
Those were the days (1992) when I had begun experiencing the wonderful presence of Jesus in my life. I had given my life over to him and given my burdens and griefs into his hands.
So even though circumstances were in the negative. I had one hope and that was my trust in Jesus. I believed he would get me through. My prayers to him were fervent. The theory exams did not carry much weightage; the practical was the one that mattered.
I still remember it was Sunday that the practical exams took place. Those days I had made it a habit to fast on Sundays and so I went for the exams fasting. I had a throbbing headache by the time I reached the exam hall. One internal and two external examiners. Two short cases and one big case(patients with sicknesses) to be examined and diagnosed in the given time. And it was really tough. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a lot of grilling. One of my colleagues was sent away for just talking casually to someone else during the exam time. That for him meant another wait for six months to reappear. I was glad that it was finally over by 5 p.m. Six of us appeared on the first day and five on the next. The speculations were that only 3-4 out of eleven will pass. I couldn’t sleep for the next two days thinking of the result.
Despite speculations, despite unfavourable circumstances; despite evaluations, despite unfavourable people, my hope lay in Jesus because I knew only He could save me. And that is exactly what his name means: Jesus - He saves
At around 2 a.m. a couple of nights later, there was frantic knocking on my door. Three guys heaving and panting and three wonderful words - “You have passed”. I didn’t know what to do. Laugh or cry. But one thing I did and that was to thanks Jesus for his saving grace. The predictions were true. Only four of us passed. But I was one of them. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.
The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
And that is exactly what I did. Not only did I pass, but Jesus helped me to get second rank in the university. Praise the Lord. Truly, Jesus cares for us like no one else can.
Those were the days (1992) when I had begun experiencing the wonderful presence of Jesus in my life. I had given my life over to him and given my burdens and griefs into his hands.
So even though circumstances were in the negative. I had one hope and that was my trust in Jesus. I believed he would get me through. My prayers to him were fervent. The theory exams did not carry much weightage; the practical was the one that mattered.
I still remember it was Sunday that the practical exams took place. Those days I had made it a habit to fast on Sundays and so I went for the exams fasting. I had a throbbing headache by the time I reached the exam hall. One internal and two external examiners. Two short cases and one big case(patients with sicknesses) to be examined and diagnosed in the given time. And it was really tough. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a lot of grilling. One of my colleagues was sent away for just talking casually to someone else during the exam time. That for him meant another wait for six months to reappear. I was glad that it was finally over by 5 p.m. Six of us appeared on the first day and five on the next. The speculations were that only 3-4 out of eleven will pass. I couldn’t sleep for the next two days thinking of the result.
Despite speculations, despite unfavourable circumstances; despite evaluations, despite unfavourable people, my hope lay in Jesus because I knew only He could save me. And that is exactly what his name means: Jesus - He saves
At around 2 a.m. a couple of nights later, there was frantic knocking on my door. Three guys heaving and panting and three wonderful words - “You have passed”. I didn’t know what to do. Laugh or cry. But one thing I did and that was to thanks Jesus for his saving grace. The predictions were true. Only four of us passed. But I was one of them. Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.
The Bible says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
And that is exactly what I did. Not only did I pass, but Jesus helped me to get second rank in the university. Praise the Lord. Truly, Jesus cares for us like no one else can.
From the Doctor’s Diary-44-Double Blessing
We had been desperately searching for a house on rent as we had to vacate the one we were staying in because the term was over. For almost 2 months we looked here and there, asking, enquiring and inspecting. But our search did not yield fruit. Initially our prayers were routine, but as time passed and the deadline drew near our prayers were fervent.During that time, one night the Lord showed me a dream.
“ A very rich man dressed in white, was distributing sweets to people gathered for a function. To every one he gave one sweet but when he came to me, he smiled and gave me two sweets.” The dream ended there.
I woke up the next morning and wondered what the dream was all about. Surely a double blessing was coming my way. I prayed for the same, not knowing in which area of my life it was to be.
“A man in white and a rich man too.”
Men who wore white were few in our town, except ofcourse a certain group of Pentecostals called “The Pentecostal Mission” or TPM. But I had no contacts with them whatsoever.
I forgot about this dream and our quest for a rented house continued. It was almost 2 months that we had been searching. One day after finishing my clinic work, I stopped near a wayside shop to buy a few things.
As I stopped and got down from my vehicle, I saw a Pastor known to me,stop his bike near me. After we exchanged pleasantries, I told him about our search for a house. He spoke of certain possible locations where we could still seek. As we talked, a car came to a stop on the opposite side of the road. Out of it emerged 2 persons both short and stockily built, one older and the other younger, an aura of the rich around them. The Pastor with me said, “Come, lets us ask that person, pointing to the older person who had stepped out the car. I said, “That’s fine with me.”
As the 2 came walking towards us the Pastor with me shook hands with them and asked them when they had came from abroad. After talking for sometime, he introduced me to the two and told them that I was searching for a house on rent. Immediately the older man said “That’s no problem, you can take my house, the top floor is vacant.” Come let me take you home. Pausing a little, he then said, “let me first show you this new shopping complex that I have built.”
A little walk from there, a four storied building built well came into view. He took me to every floor and showed me the rooms; on the top floor he paused and said, “This hall I have specially built in remembrance of my parents.” It is a prayer hall that I got made and it can be availed by any one free of cost to conduct prayer meetings or worship services. In front of me was a wonderfully constructed hall with a side room and bath room. I told him that it would be a great blessing to those who worshipped there. “You can conduct meetings here if you want, he said.” “Me?" I was almost startled.
What did this man know of me to so suddenly give a prayer hall to conduct meetings free of cost.? All he had heard from the Pastor a little while ago was that I am a Physician doing God’s work. I smiled at his offer saying I’ll think about it. A little later we proceeded in my car leaving the younger man, the other man’s son at the shopping complex.
As we traveled he asked me about the work that I was doing for God, about my family, about my clinic.
He had a wonderful house with a beautiful garden, with lots of flowers and all kinds of plants and trees.
“Come, he said as we entered his house.” He introduced me to his wife and told her that we were searching for a house on rent. Later he took me to the 1st floor of the house which was vacant. ‘You can stay here’ he said taking me to each room.
The house seemed ideal for us after such a long search and the rent he asked for was reasonable. I said I’ll discuss it with my wife and let him know.
As I took leave of him, he said “You can use the prayer hall, it’s free.” I smiled and returned home with the great news,. In a few days time after praying over this matter we had shifted to the new house and started a new church meeting in the prayer hall that the man had given us. For 4 years we had been praying for a good hall to worship God. Till then we were worshipping in a dilapidated rental house several miles away. Now God had given us this wonderful prayer hall, all of a sudden. I believe while we prayed, God was building a hall for us at another place.
Jesus said,
"My Father is always at his work to this very day,and I too am working."(John 5:17)
Before we shifted to the new house, one night while I sat in prayer (the next night after I had met the man who gave me his house and the prayer hall) I praised God for his kindness and his love for giving us this rented house and the prayer hall.
“Thank you Jesus.” I burst into spontaneous praise for some time. “As I praised and them sat quietly before the Lord mediating, the Holy Spirit suddenly said, “It’s a double blessing.”
It was then that my mind raced back to the dream that the Lord had showed me about a month ago. “A rich man giving me 2 sweets while he gave only one to others.”
My heart again welled with praise as I thought about the dream fulfilled. But one part of the dream made me wonder. The man who gave me 2 sweets wore all white but when I had met him he was just wearing a casual shirt and pant. As we had talked the previous day he had told me he too was a Pentecostal, but I had forgotten to ask him to which group he belonged. (The man whom God had shown in the dream was to be from TPM as I had recognized in the dream)
To make sure, the next day morning I called him and after greeting him asked him casually to which Pentecostal group he belonged.
Oh! We are from “TPM” (The Pentecostal Mission)Why do you ask? He queried.
Nothing! Just asking! I said, my heart rejoicing for God’s faithfulness.
The Bible says,
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;he is the faithful God,keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."(Deuteronomy 7:9)
“ A very rich man dressed in white, was distributing sweets to people gathered for a function. To every one he gave one sweet but when he came to me, he smiled and gave me two sweets.” The dream ended there.
I woke up the next morning and wondered what the dream was all about. Surely a double blessing was coming my way. I prayed for the same, not knowing in which area of my life it was to be.
“A man in white and a rich man too.”
Men who wore white were few in our town, except ofcourse a certain group of Pentecostals called “The Pentecostal Mission” or TPM. But I had no contacts with them whatsoever.
I forgot about this dream and our quest for a rented house continued. It was almost 2 months that we had been searching. One day after finishing my clinic work, I stopped near a wayside shop to buy a few things.
As I stopped and got down from my vehicle, I saw a Pastor known to me,stop his bike near me. After we exchanged pleasantries, I told him about our search for a house. He spoke of certain possible locations where we could still seek. As we talked, a car came to a stop on the opposite side of the road. Out of it emerged 2 persons both short and stockily built, one older and the other younger, an aura of the rich around them. The Pastor with me said, “Come, lets us ask that person, pointing to the older person who had stepped out the car. I said, “That’s fine with me.”
As the 2 came walking towards us the Pastor with me shook hands with them and asked them when they had came from abroad. After talking for sometime, he introduced me to the two and told them that I was searching for a house on rent. Immediately the older man said “That’s no problem, you can take my house, the top floor is vacant.” Come let me take you home. Pausing a little, he then said, “let me first show you this new shopping complex that I have built.”
A little walk from there, a four storied building built well came into view. He took me to every floor and showed me the rooms; on the top floor he paused and said, “This hall I have specially built in remembrance of my parents.” It is a prayer hall that I got made and it can be availed by any one free of cost to conduct prayer meetings or worship services. In front of me was a wonderfully constructed hall with a side room and bath room. I told him that it would be a great blessing to those who worshipped there. “You can conduct meetings here if you want, he said.” “Me?" I was almost startled.
What did this man know of me to so suddenly give a prayer hall to conduct meetings free of cost.? All he had heard from the Pastor a little while ago was that I am a Physician doing God’s work. I smiled at his offer saying I’ll think about it. A little later we proceeded in my car leaving the younger man, the other man’s son at the shopping complex.
As we traveled he asked me about the work that I was doing for God, about my family, about my clinic.
He had a wonderful house with a beautiful garden, with lots of flowers and all kinds of plants and trees.
“Come, he said as we entered his house.” He introduced me to his wife and told her that we were searching for a house on rent. Later he took me to the 1st floor of the house which was vacant. ‘You can stay here’ he said taking me to each room.
The house seemed ideal for us after such a long search and the rent he asked for was reasonable. I said I’ll discuss it with my wife and let him know.
As I took leave of him, he said “You can use the prayer hall, it’s free.” I smiled and returned home with the great news,. In a few days time after praying over this matter we had shifted to the new house and started a new church meeting in the prayer hall that the man had given us. For 4 years we had been praying for a good hall to worship God. Till then we were worshipping in a dilapidated rental house several miles away. Now God had given us this wonderful prayer hall, all of a sudden. I believe while we prayed, God was building a hall for us at another place.
Jesus said,
"My Father is always at his work to this very day,and I too am working."(John 5:17)
Before we shifted to the new house, one night while I sat in prayer (the next night after I had met the man who gave me his house and the prayer hall) I praised God for his kindness and his love for giving us this rented house and the prayer hall.
“Thank you Jesus.” I burst into spontaneous praise for some time. “As I praised and them sat quietly before the Lord mediating, the Holy Spirit suddenly said, “It’s a double blessing.”
It was then that my mind raced back to the dream that the Lord had showed me about a month ago. “A rich man giving me 2 sweets while he gave only one to others.”
My heart again welled with praise as I thought about the dream fulfilled. But one part of the dream made me wonder. The man who gave me 2 sweets wore all white but when I had met him he was just wearing a casual shirt and pant. As we had talked the previous day he had told me he too was a Pentecostal, but I had forgotten to ask him to which group he belonged. (The man whom God had shown in the dream was to be from TPM as I had recognized in the dream)
To make sure, the next day morning I called him and after greeting him asked him casually to which Pentecostal group he belonged.
Oh! We are from “TPM” (The Pentecostal Mission)Why do you ask? He queried.
Nothing! Just asking! I said, my heart rejoicing for God’s faithfulness.
The Bible says,
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God;he is the faithful God,keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands."(Deuteronomy 7:9)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)