GOD'S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

''For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.''
Jeremiah 29:11

No one knows you like God does. He’s known about you since before time began. He was present at your birth, and he’s been intimately acquainted with every detail of your life right up until now. He’s aware of your weaknesses as well as your strengths. He knows your fears and your joys. He knows how to make your life fulfilling and how to make it really count for something. That’s why he has plans for you. He didn’t create you, then abandon you to figure out life as you go along. He loves you far too much for that!

God has a perfect plan for your life. It’s tailored just for you. It matches the things He’s building into your character right now. The plan he has for you is not the same as His plans for your friends. All of your experiences, both good and bad, fits into His plans. The promises He has made to you and the things He has taught you are part of His design for your life.

How tragic to live your life and accomplish all your own goals, yet never discovering what could have been if you had sought God’s direction! Be sure to spend time consulting the Master in your decisions. He will show you options you never considered. You will have no regrets when you allow God to direct your steps, for His path leads to abundant life (John 10:10)

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined

to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called;
whom He called, these He also justified;
and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Romans 8:29-30

Remember, your life is a part of God’s grand design. God had a plan for your life since before time began. Your life, therefore, has a destiny. Christ is the model upon which the Father is developing your life. You are meant to have a relationship with the Father that is as intimate as the relationship between Jesus and the Father (John 17:21). Every event He allows into your life is designed to make you more like Christ.

God’s call came when He invited you to join Him in the process! His call was extremely personal, designed specifically for your response. How wonderful to realize that at a particular moment in history, almighty God spoke personally to you and invited you to become His child!


What could be possibly stopping men from realizing their destiny with God? Because of sin, people could never live blamelessly. But God forgave your sin and justified you, declaring you righteous. All the spiritual debt you carried with Him was forgiven, and you were freed to enjoy God and to serve Him for the rest of eternity. In Biblical times, the glory of God’s people was His presence. You, too, are glorified because the fullness of God now dwells within you, and you will one day be with Him (Col. 1:27; 2:9). He invites you to join Him in working out His will in your life—conforming you to His image (Phil. 2:12).

God has a glorious design for you. Your task in life is discover what He has purposed in your life.
Do not let it pass. Find out what God has destined you to be.

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IMPRESSING GOD WITH WHAT WE DO

At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations. (Psalms 8:3-4). We can never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater than He Could do in and through your life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life. (Phil 3:7-8). Can we really impress God with what we do? Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Think about what Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3:20: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us. We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big picture," that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence. How could we be satisfied with anything less?

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GOD GRANTS THE DESIRES OF OUR HEART

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." [Psalms 37:4] This verse sounds too good to be true. The Lord will give us whatever we want? But God is not a heavenly Santa Claus who always delivers everything on our wish list. Neither is He an indulgent grandparent who lives to spoil the grandkids by giving all we want. Nor is God a weak parent who, annoyed by whining and tears, gives in to us to keep the peace. So what does this verse mean? God will give you the desires of your heart, but the prerequisite is setting your heart to delight His ways. Are you able to do that, to rejoice in the things that give God joy? Is your heart broken by agonies in the world, by the very things that break God's heart? Is regular time with your Lord nourishment for your soul? Do you love being in His presence in times of worship, both corporate and private? As you delight yourself in the Lord in these and other ways, God adjusts your heart to be in tune with His. Then the longings that grow in your hearts --- the seeds of which are sown during your time with your heavenly Father --- will be His desires for you. And of course He will satisfy that godly hunger.

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THE HEART OF A CHRISTIAN

"Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble"
Proverbs 28:14

Why is it that some people can go through life's dark valleys and never lose their faith in God, while others turn their backs on God at the first sign of hardship? It’s the same reason some people can run a marathon, while others can’t climb a flight of stairs without stopping to catch their breath. It all depends on the condition they’re in. A marathon runner doesn’t start out as a marathon runner. She works her way training her body little by little until she can endure the grueling intensity of a twenty-six-mile race. If she tried to run the race with no training, her body wouldn’t know how to handle it, and it would shut down. The reason some people can trust God when big problems come is that they’ve been trusting him all along in the little things. They’ve conditioned their hearts by spending regular time with God. They’ve watched him at work all around them, and they’ve listened to his voice, even when there was no crisis. Others may have gradually turned away from God, possibly without even realizing it. They found it more comfortably to stay in bed than to get up and spend time with God. Their non-believing friends ridiculed them for their involvement with Christians, so they gradually pulled out of church. Before they knew it, their hearts were no longer sensitive to God’s leading, and they no longer heard his voice. When a crisis hit, they found themselves alone and in trouble. Take an honest look at your own heart’s condition. Is your heart tender toward God, or are you pulling away from him? If you sense cynicism creeping into your life, spend some quality time meditating on God’s Word. Read the Bible. And pray that God will soften your heart so you can stay with him for the whole race.

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Professing To Be Wise, He Became A Fool.

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his class on the problem Science has with the existence of GOD.

He asks one of his new student, whom he knew was a Christian, to stand and inquired. . .

Professor: Young man, you are a Christian, aren't you?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So you Believe in GOD?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Professor: Is GOD Good ?
Student: Yes He is, Sir.
Professor: Is GOD "All Powerful"?
Student: Yes He is, sir.
Professor: My Brother died of Cancer, even though he was a Christian and always prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't help him at all despite fervent prayers. So, how is this GOD good then? Hmmm... What can you say about that?

(Student is silent)

Professor: You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, young fella. Is GOD Good?
Student: Yes sir, He is.
Professor: Is Satan good ?
Student: No Sir, he is not.
Professor: Where did Satan come from ?
Student: From . . . God . . . God created Satan... or, a... Lucifer.
Professor: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student: Yes there is... sir.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? .... and God did make everything. Correct?
Student: A... He created everything...
Professor: So who did He created evil?

(Student does not answer)

Professor: Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who Created them ?

(Student has no answer)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the world around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever SEEN God?
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever HEARD your God?
Student: No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever FELT your God, TASTED your God, SMELT your God? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor: And YET you still Believe in HIM???
Student: Yes, I do, sir.
Professor: According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol... Science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor: Yes, Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.

(Brief silence)

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't...

(The lecture hall becomes very quiet with the turn of events)

Student: Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat . . . But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. So there is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe in the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir... just the Absence of it.

(There is dead Silence in the Lecture hall)

Student: What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student: You're wrong, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something.
You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it, sir? In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student: Sir, my point is that your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed? In what sense? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death . . . a Good God and a Bad God . . . You are viewing the Concept of God as something finite . . . something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life . . . just the Absence of it.

Student: Now tell me, sir, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going endeavor, Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist, but a Preacher?

(The Class is in Uproar)

Student: Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain? (The Class breaks out into Laughter)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .

Student: No one appears to have done so.

Student: So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable,
Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have No Brain, sir.

Student: With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.

Student: That Is IT, sir . . . The link between Man & God... is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving... and Alive.

The bell rings. The Professor is Saved . . . by the bell.
And the professor never forgot this one incident
when he got squared by a student named Albert Einstein.


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World Troubles Are Exciting Opportunities To See How God Will Overcome

These are exciting times. With all the anxiety and trouble going on in society and the world, I am just excited to see how God will overcome and see us through. God always delivers us from every evil. Let's see how the mountain will move.

Many people fear that there will be trouble in society caused the recent changes in political administration, by fall of the stock markets, the fall of financial institutions, company shut-downs, labor lay-offs, etc. There will always be trouble if we put our faith in the world's system. All these things will happen. And God already knows that it will.

More than ever, it is time to put our faith in God. Because God promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Amidst the crisis and problems in society, He will supply us with all our needs. His answers may be delayed at times, but He is always on time!

So, put your faith in God --- because God is still, and always will be, in control --- even when the world is out of control. Trouble will always be part of the world order. As long as Satan's system is in place, and for as long as man does not fully adhere to God's economy. And it will always "de-focus" our faith and our walk as Christians.

Brothers and sisters, whatever is happening around us and in society, just keep on moving. There is nothing new in societal turmoils that are happening. It is all part of the world system that the enemy has entrenched. God is for us: who can be against us? Many actually. Christ said, "In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." So, whatever it is that is happening in society... just keep on moving ... go forward.

Keep you eyes focused on the Lord Jesus Christ, and keep on moving, and working on fostering God's economy in society. Our God is BIGGER than the troubles around us. We have a BIG God who promised not to leave us nor forsake us. We have a BIG GOD who can see far beyond what we perceive.

What is exciting about the troubles that are coming is that we are given the chance to see how God will overcome and see us through. Our God is an amazing God!

Faith can move mountains. But if our faith can't move mountains, then pray that God will give us enough strength to climb that mountain until we reach the top --- because at the top we will find God. We will overcome!

Welcome to the 21st century. Onward Christian soldiers! Keep the flame of Christ's love burning in the hearts of men.


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HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS PROPERLY ADDRESS OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST?

Is there a proper way of calling on the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we call him "Jesus Christ", "Lord Jesus Christ", or simply "Jesus"? How must we address the Son of the Most High God?

After a nice prayer we commonly hear people say, "In Jesus Name". Sometimes people would add nice descriptive words like “In the sweet name of Jesus” or “In Jesus mighty name”.

In the New Testament gospels and epistles, all names and titles used of Jesus Christ represent the different relationships which are sustained by Him.

JESUS. The same name as the Hebrew “Jehoshua”, or the abbreviated form ‘Joshua’ (used in Heb. 4:8 / Acts 7:45), and means “the salvation of Jehovah” or Jehovah the Savior. The name ‘Jesus’ expresses the relation of Jehovah to Him in incarnation, by which “He humbled himself, becoming obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross.” (Phil 2:8); Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God”. The name ‘Jesus’ is the name associated with ‘humiliation’ which He endured in order to “save His People from their sins” (Matt 1:23).

His People never therefore never addressed Him as “Jesus”, but always as “Master” or “Lord” (Luke 6:46 / John 13:13, 14), and so should all His people today; not following the examples of demons (in Matt. 8:20), or His enemies, who irreverently called Him “Jesus”.

CHRIST. This is the Greek translation of the Hebrew ‘Mashiah’. ‘Christos’ has the same meaning, from ‘chrio’, to anoint. Hence, the noun is used of and for the Messiah, and in the Gospels should always be translated “Messiah”, as well as in the Acts, and sometimes in the later books of the New Testament.

JESUS CHRIST. In the combination of these two names, the former is emphatic by its position, the second being subsidiary and explanatory. In the Gospels it means “Jesus the Messiah”. In the Epistles, it means Jesus who humbled Himself but is now exalted and glorified as Christ. Care should be taken to note the various readings.

CHRIST JESUS. This is the converse of “Jesus Christ” and denotes the now exalted One, Who once humbled himself.


CHRIST THE LORD. This the Hebrew Mashiah Jehovah = Jehovah’s Anointed, as in 1 Samuel 24:6. It occurs only in Luke 2:11; The anointed of Jehovah, Luke 2:26. All names and titles used of Jesus Christ represent the different relationships. May all of human kind (saved or unsaved) address the Savior who now sits on High as "Lord Jesus Christ", in calling on him in prayer, or even when simply mentioning His name in conversation.

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What's in a Name?

Even dignitaries here on earth are given due respect as men of authority, with earthly titles or positions. When we address the president of any nation, we properly address them as “His Excellency”… or “Mr. President”. We mention the nicknames like “Bill" (for former president Bill Clinton) especially during relaxed conversation with friends --- but when standing in front of them or when writing an official/formal letter we don't address them by first name basis, we address them with the proper title of honor... we say "Mr. President" or in Asian countries “His Excellency”. Even ministers of the state or judges are addressed as “The Honorable” or as “Your Honor”.

Then, why must we give due respect and the same title of honor when addressing the Son of the Most High who now sits at the right hand of God? On earth, there have been many people named as “Jesus” --- some Christian parents even proudly name them as such in honor of the Lord. What would distinguish our Lord from the same people with the same name. Simply saying “Jesus” may mean any other person “Jesus” walking on earth.

So when calling on (or mentioning) the name of the Son of the Most High God should we not properly address Him as “Lord Jesus Christ”, to give Him the respect and honor which is rightfully due His position.

We hope that in the next time we approach the Lord’s presence in prayer, may we properly address the resurrected Lord, the Son of the Most High God, rightfully with all due respect... in honor and title, as “Our Lord Jesus Christ”. In ending our prayers, may we properly say … “This we pray in the name Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”, or “In The Name of Our Lord and Head Jesus Christ”, or the converse of it “In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen”.

Let us not follow the examples of demons (in Matt. 8:20), or His enemies, who irreverently called Him “Jesus”. Let’s approach Him with the right salutations, with proper exaltation. It is but just and right.

Peace be to all who call on the name of our Lord, Savior and Head Christ Jesus.

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