GODFIDENCE !!!

 “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord Almighty.”-Zech 4:1

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing fine. In my previous post, we saw that Confidence is one of the most important traits we should possess for success in our life. There is however a difference between having Self Confidence and Confidence in GOD. As we think about it, often self-confident people think that they are able to achieve anything in their life by their willpower or talent. The truly wise know that of our own we are not able to do anything. Even the Lord says in John 15:5 “that apart from Him we can do nothing!” Does that mean we should not trust ourselves and not to try to do anything in life? Actually,  it’s just the opposite; the ones with their Confidence in the Lord are the ones who will go to the greatest heights in life in His power & strength and achieve the impossible because of HIM. As I was ruminating over this thought,  …a new word came to my mind; - GODFIDENCE …I just looked it up and found that surprise of surprises there is a word like that! It is the belief that we can do anything because of our firm belief that it is HE who strengthens and enables us to do so. Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We can attempt the Impossible and know that it is the Lord who has done it through us and so we will give Him all the Glory. The more we use what He has given us and in His name , the more He will empower us and we will be so grateful to Him that we will say like the psalmist says in Psalms 118:23 “This is the Lord’s doing and it’s marvellous in our eyes.”

The Bible is full of such men and women who did exploits in His name and brought Glory to our Lord. Daniel in the Lions Den, Moses in the Wilderness and David when he stood against & defeated the giant Goliath. We too are called to defeat the Giants in our life in His name and power.

One thing however we should remember is that the moment we depend on our ability we will not be able to accomplish His will in our life. We need the power of the Holy spirit to do what God has called us to do. Peter walked on the water when he fixed his eyes on the Lord. However when he saw the waves he remembered his frailty and panicked but the Lord took hold of him immediately. The same way, we can rest assured that as long as we are walking with our eyes fixed on Jesus the author and Finisher of our faith , we may slip but we will never drown for His eye is upon us always! Just like an eager mother watches her little toddler take his first tottering steps…encouraging the baby to take small steps…always ready to reach out and help the baby in case he falls, in the same way, our Father is EL ROI – the God who sees and watches us take steps as He directs us :) 

Sharing a song that speaks about facing our Giants with  GODFIDENCE!

Enjoy CONFIDENCE by Sanctus Real :  https://youtu.be/SNNTVD_dTxU

Have a blessed week!

Sparky laurie

 

 

 

TRUTH BE TOLD !

 "But you shall know the Truth and the Truth Shall Set You Free! " - John 8:32

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing fine. Today, I'd like to share some thoughts on this lovely song that I came across sometime back.

Everyone knows that Confidence is one of the most crucial elements to succeed and win in today’s rat race. If we look around, one thing that we can see is no matter what people go through ; they put on a strong face and their best foot forward. Many people especially the youth of today go through many hardships behind closed doors and yet we would never know that until something bad happens and we are too late. This lack of openness and transparency among us may also be one of the causes of the rising rate of suicides and other shocking destructive behavior like the school shootings etc. Much of such tragedies could be avoided if we realized that its okay not to have all the answers and that we don’t need to be filled with shame and hopelessness if we feel we don’t fit in sometimes. Truth be told, none of us has it all together and all the time. We all have seasons of great joy and sorrow, ups and downs. 

The key that helps us get through this all is to first and foremost admit that we need help and to approach someone we can confide in, sometimes a friend you can trust or a teacher, pastor, parent, or someone who would be able to help you. And of course, the best person we could confide to is our Lord Jesus Christ who never misunderstands us and is always happy to help us out no matter how messy a situation we are in! And when we cross over from that state to a better one, there’s so much we have learnt that we are then anointed to offer the same comfort to another person who God will put in our path. The best thing we can do to help someone is point them to the Cross to the Savior who saved us and loves us. “A safe place for the sick, the sinner and the Prodigal…”

I love this song by Matthew West which speaks to us about this problem and how to address it. May it bless you today!

Have a blessed week,

Cheers,

Sparky laurie

 

 

My Battle Cry is Jesus !

Philippians 2:10,11 " ...that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing fine. This week I'd like to share with you a song that I came across rather accidentally but which has ministered to me so wonderfully. Its called Battle Cry! (written & recorded by Aaron Lee.) The word battle cry is a word or a phrase that is shouted by soldiers going into battle to express solidarity and to intimidate the enemy. 

This song as I understand it is mainly about how sometimes we get so weary with the constant spiritual warfare coming against us. What we need to remember at such times is that it is not us, but Jesus who will do the warfare for us. He has already won the fight for us (about 2000 years ago) when He died for us on the Cross and was resurrected on the Third Day! We can run to shelter ourselves in the arms of our Lord where we can rest and our wounds can heal. Just like in any war, when the army needs direction , they turn to their Commander who will always give them the right advice at crucial times , in the same way, we too can turn to our Chief Commander Jesus who will guide us with His Voice .He has promised us that His Holy Spirit will never leave nor forsake us. And because of this ,we can march confidently behind the Lord Jesus and be sure that we are more than Conquerors coz this fight He has already won! So our Battle Cry is the name of Jesus - The name above every name!

Do sit back and enjoy this blessed song : 

  

Click here for the Story Behind the Song by the writer Aaron Lee

Have a blessed week!

Sparky laurie

Fully Known & Deeply Loved!

" But by the Grace of God, I am what I am, and His Grace towards me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I , but the grace of God which was in me."- 1 Corin 15:10

Hi friends,

Its been a while since I've jotted down something. Hope you are doing fine in His Grace! I recently came across this beautiful song which has ministered to me through some of the toughest phases in my life!It is a song that comes straight from the Father's heart and resonates with every fiber of my being. Hope it blesses you as much as it blessed me!

No matter who we are, how old or young we are or from which part of the world we come from, it is a common factor that we all want to be understood, accepted and loved. However, often we may be  misunderstood, rejected  and even hated by people who think they know what we are. Yet, we can be grateful for the few people in our life who know us inside and out, our failures and victories, our strengths and weaknesses and love us deeply for who we are. Such is the love of our Loving Father, our Creator. In Psalms 139:13- 16 it says " You knitted me together in my mother's womb....Your workmanship is marvelous! ....You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." This means that no matter what we think or feel or others tell us , we are no accident. We are created by Our Father God for a definite time and purpose. Since He crafted us with His hands , none of what we say, think, do or imagine surprises Him. According to Luke 12 :17 : "Even the number of our hairs is known by Him." That is how intimately He knows us and how unconditionally He loves us. 

Often in life we have to put our best foot forward before we approach people but with God we can come just as we are... there is only love and acceptance for us; His children! Just like a small puppy who has rolled in a muddy puddle and rushes to his Master when He hears him coming, we too can rush into the loving arms of our Lord & Savior no matter how broken and shattered we may be. People may doubt us or speak bad about us but we have a God who sees and knows us and will take us and cleanse us with His Holy Blood and fill us with His Living Word. As David sings in Psalms 40:1-3 : The Lord picked me up from the miry clay, set my feet on a rock to stay; put a song in my mouth to sing ...a song of Praise to my Lord & King." That's what our Lord does with us;  so we can always rest with this assurance in our Heart that our Lord loves us so much that He gave His only begotten Son Jesus to die on the Cross of Calvary for us so that we could enjoy abundant life here on earth and ever after. (John 3:16)

Hope you are blessed and do enjoy this wonderful video of this song by City Alight . Always remember that no matter where you are at this point in your life.  You are known , You are loved! 💓

Have a wonderful week !

Sparky laurie

The Lord Jesus, Our Shepherd!

 

Hi friends ,

Today I would like to share some thoughts from a portion of the Bible that most of us are familiar with. It is from Psalms 23. This portion was written by David who himself was a shepherd boy in the earlier part of his life.

Let us go verse by verse;

Vs 1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”

 The Shepherd - Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep ( acc to John 10:11) and we are the sheep ( sheep are not a very intelligent animal as compared to other animals ) but the Shepherd knows how to take care of the sheep and to safeguard the sheep from any attack by wild animals like bears or lions or wolves etc. The Shepherd knows those who are truly His sheep (John 10:27) As long as the sheep listens to the Shepherd's voice, (John 10:14) the sheep will be safe.

1 Corin 3:19 says that “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God and He catches the wise in their own craftiness”

Verse 2 “ He makes me lie down in green pastures . He leads me beside still waters.”

 This speaks of physical rest to the sheep. We can really trust our Lord Jesus and can rest assured that He will take care of us even when we sleep as we have a God who neither slumbers nor sleeps.(Psalms 121:4,5) He stays awake with His eye on us always. How can we not rest when we have such a Protective Shepherd!

Verse 3 “ He restores my Soul”

This speaks about rest for our mind, will and emotions. It is only the Lord who can repair the trauma/ damages that come to our soul due to hurts ,rejection and the such that come to us as a result of living in a fallen world. So we see that our God can revive us and makes us completely ready to face the battles of life that come to us everyday. We can experience this rejuvenation by daily prayer and cleansing by meditating on the Word of God which is the Voice of our Shepherd Jesus.

Verse 3 b  “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”- 

It is the  Lord alone who leads us, His sheep into righteousness by cleansing us from all our sins and shortcomings with His Holy Blood and by His Name and giving us His Robe of Righteousness. (Isa 61:10)

Verse 4  “Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death , I will fear no evil , for you are with me.”

Many times while grazing , the sheep lose their way and may get stuck in unfamiliar and dangerous terrain and when the sheep cannot find its way back, what it does is it starts bleating as loudly as it can knowing that the Shepherd will hear its voice and come looking for it. In our Christian life also when we make mistakes or get off track, if we cry out to Him in all sincerity He will come and save us leaving the other sheep securely. That much valuable each sheep of His is! It is His promise that “He will never leave us nor forsake us.”Deu 31:8

Verse 4b “Your Rod & Staff they comfort me.”

The sheep know that the Rod is for scaring away the wild animals and the curved part of the Staff is used by the Compassionate Shepherd to gently draw the sheep towards Himself. His nearness comforts the sheep. In the same way, our Lord gently corrects us and gently leads us in the right ways. (Heb 12:6, Proverbs 3:12)

Verse 5 “ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

It is the Lord who prepares a feast which signifies abundance and fruitfulness in front of all for everyone to see and for His Glory. “He is our Glory and the Lifter of our heads.” (Psalm 3:3)

Verse 6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”

As long as we run after Jesus our Shepherd, we don’t need to run after blessings. Our Lord will provide it for us forever. Blessings will chase us down.

Verse 6b “And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”-

We will always dwell with our Shepherd Lord Jesus. Our Lord has a place prepared for us. In John 14:2,3 we read Jesus telling us that “ I go to prepare a place for you . And if I go and prepare a place for you ,I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am , there you may be also.”

Hope you enjoy the following songs :

The Lord’s my Shepherd -  by Stuart Townend

https://youtu.be/-eIQQayhpak

Shepherd of My Soul

https://youtu.be/9sv3e2cFcj4

The Lord's My Shepherd ( I will trust you ) Georgie & Sashi

https://youtu.be/fMYV3pI6VrE

Stay blessed!

Sparky Laurie

 

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS!

 

Psalm 116:12 “What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me?”

Hi friends !

Hope you are doing well in the New Year! This year God has promised us in Psalms 65:11 that “He will crown our year with His Goodness and our paths would drip with abundance.”  So, no matter what the scenario around us may look like, we can be sure that as a Father takes care of His children, our Lord is eager to take care of us. The Lord has many blessings in store for us. So let us wait expectantly for the wonderful things He has in store for us. In the meantime, I think we should praise Him while waiting on Him. The best way to enjoy our journey on the path to our destination is to be thankful to Him on our way. I would like to share this Malayalam song I have learnt right from my childhood days. It reminds us to count our blessings for His unlimited mercies in our lives. Recently I came across the Hindi version of this song and am sharing it too! Let us decide in this New Year  2023 to praise Him believing that His goodness and mercy would chase us down with blessings galore!

 

ENNI ENNI STUTHIKUVAN

GIN GIN KE 

Just came across this song today and had to add it to this list ...Its called Million Little Miracles by Elevation Worship & Maverick City... Hope u enjoy singing it as much as I did!

MILLION LITTLE MIRACLES!

Have a blessed week!

Sparky laurie

The Resurrected King

He is not here; He has Risen ,just as He said!" _Mathew 28:6

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing fine. Just want to share some thoughts that came to mind when I came across this lovely song "Resurrecting" which is filled with hope. It is applicable to all of our lives. In some area or other all of us have dead situations in our life , broken dreams, things we may have wished and wanted but never could attain for ourselves. When speaking about Resurrection, what comes to mind is the story of Lazarus.  How Jesus visited Mary and Martha at Bethany only after two more days in spite of knowing that His loved friend Lazarus was very sick. (John 11:6) I have always wondered why the Lord didn't hurry to Bethany or why He didn't heal him with a word as He had healed so many with a word from the place He was. In fact, He actually delays two more days and Lazarus dies. He then tells His disciples that Lazarus is dead and lets go to him. The disciples must have thought Him crazy. But the Lord knew what He was doing. The heartbroken Martha runs to Jesus and tells Him that if He were there, Lazarus would not have died. Jesus assures her that Lazarus would rise again. Later we read in John 11:33 ,35 that Jesus, moved by Compassion, weeps and groans when He saw Mary and the others weeping. Such a great & loving Lord we have! Then when Jesus tells them to take away the stone from the tomb entrance , we hear how Martha reminds him that it had been four days now and there would be a stench from the decaying body. But Jesus insists and  explains to them that if they believed, they would see the Glory of God. So they obey and watch in amazement as Jesus calls Lazarus to come forth from the grave. Lazarus is raised from the dead. Jesus asks that he be loosed from the grave clothes and be set free. 

The Resurrected King resurrects our situations too. No matter whether we understand why the All powerful Jesus delays in coming to set us free. No matter that we think it is over and the situation is decayed and rotten.... let us remember that just like in Lazarus case, just as Jesus our Lord and Savior rose again on the Third Day, The Resurrected King is resurrecting all the dead and hopeless situations of our life. So we can get expectant and be filled with a fresh hope knowing that if we have surrendered our life to the Lord, no matter what happens in our Life, we are never beyond His reach. He will resurrect us and breathe into us His breath of life!

Enjoy the anointed song "Resurrecting" by Elevation Worship

The head that once was crowned with thorns

Is crowned with glory now

The Savior knelt to wash our feet

Now at His feet we bow

The One who wore our sin and shame

Now robed in majesty

The radiance of perfect love

Now shines for all to see

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ, our king

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ, our king

The fear that held us now gives way

To Him who is our peace

His final breath upon the cross

Is now alive in me

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ, our king

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ, our king

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory (c'mon!)

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory

The resurrected king, is resurrecting me

He's resurrecting me

Our God is good, oh

The tomb where soldiers watched in vain

Was borrowed for three days

His body there would not remain

Our God has robbed the grave

Our God has robbed the grave (yes He has, yes He has)

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ our king

Your name, Your name

Is victory

All praise, will rise

To Christ our king

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

By Your spirit I will rise

From the ashes of defeat

The resurrected King, is resurrecting me

In Your name I come alive

To declare Your victory

The resurrected king, is resurrecting me

The resurrected king, is resurrecting me, yeah

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Christopher Brown / Mack Brock / Matthews Thabo Ntele / Steven Furtick / Wade Joye

Resurrecting lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Have a blessed week!

Sparky Laurie :)