THE MOST HIGH LORD'S MINISTRY

" I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing. " (Ezek 34:26) "Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life." John Updike. I believe that every one of us enjoys the rain. The showers from above enlighten the moods, relax us, and help to calm a bit from a tiring schedule. In the holy scripture, rain refers to the blessings from heaven. It is our Great Almighty God who sends drizzles perfectly in its seasons. The well-known prophet, Zechariah once insisted the people plead to God to pour down rainfall. When there was a severe drought in the region, to tackle the hopeless situation Zechariah quickly came up with the thought of taking the situation to God. He asked the people to plead Lord with a whole heart so that he sends spring rain upon the land to flourish and on the people and cattle to live as most of the population were employed in agriculture and cattle-raisers. We can read from the Bible that, " it is the Lord who makes the storm clouds; And He will give them showers of rain, vegetation in the field to each man." (Zac 10:1) So, even unto this day, the Israelites thank God, when it rains as they are aware that when God sends showers, its blessings will be generous. And when they see rivers and streams of water flowing from their mountains and hills ( Isaiah 30:23–25), they know that times of refreshing have come. A healthy climate is indeed a boon especially to those who depend on the land for food. Not only to them but also to mankind. We prefer to live in a cooler temperature area than a hot region. I have seen for myself that people particularly in the country region welcome the sprinkle with gratitude and celebrations. We yearn for it during the harsh summers and forget to thank God during its season. Back to Zechariah, the land was cursed by God and the people of the location faced dreadful dryness. People were in desperate poverty, livestock died, children were starving, etc. As I mentioned earlier dryness in the spiritual term refers to a "phase of no blessings." Somewhere in life, we would have all acknowledged this distressing moment. We pray and God's answer is what we've been taught the entire life. The Christian families teach the children to pray to God for simple things like school kits, for food, for provisions, to bigger ideas while choosing a college, picking up a rightful career, a good partner, and so on. We were made to understand that whatever we ask God in prayer. we receive it from Him. So where does this alarming situation enter? Why is it that we are put into such situations? I have witnessed that many people fall back from their faith in God during these terrible times. They even mock God and yell at Him for the condition. They live in depression and frustration that many have turned their back to God by following a different faith. But as a Child of God, what are we supposed to do? Let me take you into the life of Job in the Bible. Job's sorrow was unending when he lost everything, every good thing from wealth to health and even his children. He lost all of it in one day yet remained faithful to God. He never rejected God or uttered cuss words against His holy name. The amazing part is Job still believes in God for miracles. Look at his mental ability to endure every harm yet praise God. Unfortunately I, myself would have fallen if I was Job. Have you ever wondered why God stopped being good or being God all of a sudden? Why is He quiet when we are unable to make out the circumstances? Why does He become a stranger to us? The once loving-good God who listens to our prayers and answers us made it an end to even consider our petitions? He no longer cares, nor bothers. The one who promised us to be with us disappeared and was found no longer. Why? We must primarily understand that God is a good God despite the situation we face and the feelings we have on Him. Though we change, He changes not. Secondly, He is a good whose understandings cannot be measured, His ways cannot be judged, His works cannot be fathomed. He is a God astounding in Knowledge and wisdom that it is beyond human interpretation. Lastly, when God allows sufferings in our lives, He either wants to learn something or for Him to work His wonders in us. I simply say, " He is a God or He alone is a God who can change/turn our trials into triumphs." Although He has a plan behind it, certain moments in the time of the Bible made Him angry. 1. Drought occurs as a result of Sin. There was a king named Ahab and his wife Queen Jezebel, who ruled Israel and was considered to be the most wicked king, in fact, the wicked couple. After her marriage with Ahab, Jezebel emerges to the power behind throne. Queen Jezebel hated the monotheistic Israelites religion. She fostered to spread her " Baal religion" with its many gods, ritual sex, and temple prostitutes. When she became queen, Israelites have already begun worshiping alien idols. Under his wife's malevolent influence, King Ahab protects and encourages pagan rituals. To Israelites, Baal worship was the worst sin against God, akin to today's Christians embracing Satan. Some interpreters see Jezebel as commendably faithful to her pagan religion, but the King's writers portray her as a dangerous apostate. The Israelites forsook their one true God Almighty and started worshipping idols. Now, this is a serious issue that angered the God of Israel. The Israelites and their King provoked the anger of God by their practices. God was desponded at the ways of His children. They promptly, forgot His name, His mighty power, His blessings, and above all His love for them. Sometimes, we too feel the same way. we go bored reading Bible, going to prayer meetings, etc. It's because as we gaze at the world, their enchantment amazes us that we conclude that people out there live their hearts. And maybe, that would have been the problem with the Israelites as well. They found the Queen's way of worshipping her gods more amusing. Tied up with the infinite regulations of Moses, they wanted to be relaxed and enjoy the pleasures. In this way, they abandoned one true God. Hence God decided to send His mighty servant Prophet Elijah to warn the Kingdom. Therefore the prophet made it to meet the King. Elijah warned the king of the divine punishment that would be visited upon his land if he did not abolish idol worship and did not cause a general return of all Israel to God. Nevertheless, hearing it from Elijah, Ahab scoffed at the idea, saying: “Didn’t Moses already warn us that the rain would cease and the land would not give forth its produce if we should worship other gods? Yet, nothing happened as yet!” So, Elijah answered “God has been patient with you, but you don’t seem to realize it. Now you will see that not merely shall Moses’ words be fulfilled, but mine also. I tell you in God’s name that as from today there shall be no rain until I shall say the word!” As proclaimed by Prophet Elijah, there was no rain for 3½ years. The famine from the drought was so severe that King Ahab was looking everywhere for grass to feed his horses and mules. If those animals all died his army would be powerless against their enemies. To solve the dispute between Elijah &Ahab and to make him understand that the " God of Israel" Jehovah is the one true God, Elijah prayed to God to send fire from Heaven, and so God did it. He proved to the King, Queen, and the worshippers of Baal that Jehovah is the real and powerful God. After this victory, it rained. When we choose to live in filthy ways, we cannot expect the outpouring(blessings) from Him. It doesn't just block our blessings, more importantly, it restraints God's Holy Presence. In (Jer 5:25) God says," Y(o)ur wickedness has deprived you(r) of these wonderful blessings. Y(o)ur sin has robbed you of all these good things." Yes! Sin leads us into deeper dryness. Still, what's so amazing despite all this is God heard the prayer of Israelites when they turned and acknowledged one True Almighty God. Go near to God, confess everything to Him, and ask for His forgiveness, He immensely forgives us and recollects no sin of our past, He the Holy Spirit transforms us into a new being and thus the rainstorm pours with all of God's blessings in it. The same thing happen in the time of Zechariah, it rained when people turned to God. 2. Drought as a purpose to move closer to God. We all know that story of Ruth, Ruth was a Moabite woman married to an Israelite husband. Her life was all good until her husband passed away, and eventually, all the males in the family died leaving behind her Mother-in-law Naomi. However, Ruth chose to stay by her in-law, in Naomi's place with her people worshipping their One True God "Jehovah". After they both returned to the Homeland Judah, Ruth graciously and tenderly started to support the old Naomi trusting in the Lord. After a while, Ruth caught the eye of Boaz, a wealthy man in the land as she labored tirelessly all day for her mother-in-law. Boaz was impressed by the stories he heard of her love, sacrifice, and faith in God that led her to find refuge in the wings of the LORD (Ruth 2:12). The end of her story paints a beautiful picture of God’s intervention. Boaz and Ruth were married and had a son named Obed. Ruth, the widowed woman from Moab, became the grandmother of Jesse and the great-grandmother of King David, the most well-known of Israel’s kings. This means she was an ancestor of Jesus Christ! Isn't that amazing? God changed the aridness, when she moved closer to Him, closer to His presence with Faith. She received abundant blessings in her life through God who could make everything possible for her. Sometimes, the scorch God allows is to help us to cling to Him. The Psalmist understood this and sings " You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water." ( Ps 63:1) Just when we offer our lives into His hands, choosing to obey Him, He changes the entire weather and sends us His rainfall from Heaven. 3. Drought as a cause for God's Power to reveal. Isaac had enormous flocks and herds, which occupied the area around Gerar city and consumed lots of water and the philistines didn’t like it, as they too had animals and needed water simultaneously. Unfortunately, Egypt was lashed with severe famine during the time of Isaac and all the farmers left Egypt to save themselves. That's when God told Isaac to sow in the fields. Isaac could have questioned God looking at the circumstances, but he chose to obey God. "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year a hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him."(Gen 26:12) Isaac understood that the power was not in the seed, the power was in the obedience. When he obeyed, that's when the miracle happen. The conditions need not have to be perfect for God's blessings. Amidst all the odds and impossibilities God blessed Isaac, in hundredfold blessings. He does the same for you and me when we trust Him and obey Him. He is a God who works in His ways which we cannot predict. He uses every negative situation in our lives for His Glory. At any cost, choose to be with Him for His plans, and thoughts about us are greater than our plans and thoughts. We may not understand His actions, but whatever He does, He does it absolutely for our good, He brings the rainfall. God never leaves you in any situation nor does He forsakes you. Trust in Him and examine yourselves. The pain you are facing now knows no bounds when God fills you with His everlasting Grace. Let me quote my most favorite verse to encourage you, "But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me." God says, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!" See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me. Cheer up folks, I pray that God will hear your cry and swiftly save you from the troubles you face. AMEN!!

" The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD." (Prov 21:31) Who is our GOD? Who is the King of Glory? He is our Lord, Who is strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. (Ps 24:8) He is the Almighty God who offers triumph to everyone who trusts in Him. We serve a powerful God who has defeated all the enemies of His people (Israel) and brought them Salvation. The above verse impresses that they are no victory without God. He alone is capable to deliver us from every conceivable danger or enemy whether in the day or night. In the scriptures, we could see how God ferociously fought against His children when the enemies raised their weapons. Look into the life of Hezekiah, King of Judah Of all the Jewish Kings, King Hezekiah was portrayed to be the most obedient and faithful King in the sight of the Lord. His orderliness was so evident that he found immense favor in God's eyes. The Sovereign Lord responded to his faithful prayer immediately when offered and expanded 15 more years of life. Our God is a prayer-answering God. He sees our tears and hears our earnest prayers. Remind yourself that none of the prayers offered to Him goes unanswered. Into the life of Hezekiah, the name " Hezekiah" means " God has strengthened". Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began his reign. During his kingdom, there were ruthless Assyrians under the ruler Sennacherib, who went on the march capturing mighty cities one by one. There was a great terror fallen on the kings of neighboring lands, and what not? even the Jewish King Hezekiah started paying tribute to the Assyrians to evade war. As days passed Hezekiah's treasury became empty. Yet, King Sennacherib was not satisfied with the provinces he received from Israel hence invaded Judah. The Assyrians of Forty-five thousand princes riding in golden and silver chariots tread the way towards Israel, followed by eighty thousand knights in armor and sixty thousand swordsmen. More than two and a half million fine cavalrymen made up the rest of the army. With this strong army, Sennacherib easily captured all the fortified cities of Judah, until he came to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem the walls of the city were high so, Sennacherib ordered his men to pile up their pillows as high as the walls of the city and climbed on top of the pile and looked into the city. On looking inside the King was disappointed saying “Why did I have to bring my entire army to take this poor little village,” he cried with scorn. “Only a few of my legions could raze it to the ground!” Such was the pathetic state of God's land. Sometimes the enemy exhibits himself to be more competent than us. He demonstrates his insufficient power to make us weak in spirit. However, remember that "when the enemy comes in like a flood (or in any form) the Spirit of the Lord shall lift a standard against him(for you)" Is 59:19 Over to Sennacherib, the men of Sennacherib were eager to fight, waiting for King's order. But the king said: “No hurry; we shall spend the night by the walls of this city and refresh ourselves after the weary journey, and in the morning let every warrior bring me but one brick from the walls of the city.” Rabshakeh, the leading general of Sennacherib, called to the defenders of the city and shouted in a loud tone: “Let not Hezekiah deceive you that your God will save you. Has any god of other nations delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Has Hezekiah put his faith in that broken rod, the king of Egypt, to save your land? Or might it be that Hezekiah relies upon his warriors to defend his capital? Now, then, let him make a wager with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give him two thousand horses if he can set riders on them.” When the news reached Hezekiah, the dejected king tore his clothes in grief and despair and rushed to the Beth Hamikdosh to pray to God. He also ordered all his people to observe a day of prayer, as he knew well that God almighty can alone help his people. So King Hezekiah and all the Jews full of sorrow and grief cried to God for deliverance. All you readers, let me encourage you with a note "No prayer is considered late/ delayed in the sight of the Lord" As soon as God hears the whispers of your hearts, he ascends instantly to rescue you from all the threatening troubles. He simply waits for you to call upon His name. And all who calls on Him are saved. Going back to Hezekiah, soon after the prayers were over, the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz appeared before the king and brought him God’s message. It was a message of comfort and hope, of victory and triumph: “The God of Israel has heard your prayers. The king of Assyria shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there. By the way, he came, by the same way, he shall return. For God, Himself will defend this city and save it.” When midnight came, the angel of death went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand captains and men of valor. When Sennacherib rose early in the morning to storm the city of Jerusalem, he found corpses in the place of his mighty army. What a mighty God we serve? Peeping into the lifeless bodies of once a robust men Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed and returned home swiftly in disgrace. THE LORD FOUGHT FOR ISRAEL. The same God will fight for you as well. He will bring glory and honor as you trust in Him just like Hezekiah. What an omnipotent God we indeed worship? God promised to Israelites, that He will go before them, to fight against their enemies to give them victory. (Deu 20:4) Are you troubled and trembled by your enemies? Do not worry, the Almighty strong will go before you and you're enemies even before the attack. Put on the Armor of God and be ready every time in God's presence. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. God assures us that, " No weapon formed against us shall prosper. " God will be with us whenever we are, in whatever situation we face and helps us to conquest through Lord Jesus Christ. May God be with you and enable you to see His power and grace in your lives. Amen!!

" THOSE WHO TURN MANY TO RIGHTEOUSNESS WILL SHINE LIKE STARS FOREVER AND EVER. "(Dan 12:3) Interestingly, the book of Daniel is filled with prophecies that are yet to be fulfilled. All the recordings of Daniel are about to happen during the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, many of us know celebrities from the entertainment industries, sports personalities, politicians who are often referred to as stars. But, have you wondered yourself to be a shining star in the everlasting Kingdom of God? Yes, in the reign of Christ, we will shine bright with all the glory just like a star provided to bring as many as possible to Christ's Kingdom. God is waiting to reward every single person, who turns many towards Him and His Kingdom, they will shine the brightest among every other. Lord Jesus Christ before leaving the earth, gave a predominant responsibility to His disciples. And what is that? It is to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Adding on to it, they are supposed to teach these new believers to obey all the commands Lord Jesus has given them. So, all the 12 disciples of Jesus went out and stood as a firm witness of Him. They taught others the way to salvation (i.e.) Jesus, the way to be saved, and to escape from the eternal lake of fire. They preached the love of God and His commandments and performed miracles and wonders in the name of resurrected Jesus Christ. This responsibility doesn't end solely with those 12 disciples, the legacy is ought to be carried forth by each and everyone who accepts Jesus Christ as a Savior. As a child of God, we also should carry this marvelous grace of witnessing Jesus in our lives anywhere and everywhere. There lived a woman named Rahab, a Canaanite. When the Israelites were camped at Shittim, in the Jordan valley across from Jericho, Joshua sent out two spies to examine the fighting force of Jericho. The spies hid in Rahab's house, which was constructed into the city wall. The men sent to seize the spies asked Rahab to bring them out. Rather, she covered them under bunches of flax on the roof, protecting them from being captured. Rahab learned about the Mighty God of Israel who saved His people with His Powerful fist wondrous deeds, defeating and killing the entire army of Egyptians. So, she requested the spies to spare her family and friends. After escaping, the spies agreed to spare Rahab and her family after conquering the city, even if there were to be a slaughter if she would designate her house by placing a red cord out the window. She became one of the stars of Faith in Heb 11 as she saved her fellow men from danger. She believed in the Almighty God. She was so determined to save her family. She called everyone into her house for safety. And Rahab and everyone in that house was saved when the wall of Jericho fell. In the same way, we are called to proclaim the good news of salvation to our near and dear ones. Make sure they are all under the same roof of your spiritual house and a member in the Kingdom where you are going to spend eternity. Until fight for the souls which are going to perish. Let God be with you in this gracious journey of building His Kingdom. May God give you the grace to shine bright like a star forever and ever.

" Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. " (1Thesso 5:18) Dear God's people, have you ever thought about thanking God despite the situations? Yes, Paul encourages Thessalonians to give thanks to God in every situation. In all situations, we are subdued to God to thank Him. Wait, what?? do you mean the bad ones as well? Yes, my friends. But, why do we need to thank God? Well, foremost we ought to thank Him "because He is good", and so it is our responsibility to thank God always in Lord Jesus Christ. God never changes His goodness so should we never go weary thanking Him. Gratitude or being grateful is a heart tenderizer. Giving thanks to God constantly in all that we go through, ups and downs, highs and lows keep our eyes focused on God, the source of all good gifts. The Scripture says, " Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. " (Ps 100:4) We do not deserve anything, but God provides us everything. The basic natural resources such as the sunlight moonlight fresh air to breathe, animals, and birds in our neighborhood are all the blessings of God for us. In the same way, We don’t deserve forgiveness or salvation, yet God extends it. Every good thing in our lives is an act of grace from our loving and merciful heavenly Father. Even strength and endurance in times of difficulty are grace gifts from God. 1) Give thanks for the good times. At the time of Jesus Christ on earth, Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem. He traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met Him. (Luke 17: 11-19) They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, pity us! "Lepers are not supposed to meet the people, they stay away from the community, rejected by everyone, even by their own family. Because leprosy was an incurable disease those days. They shout "Lepers here, go out. " whenever they hear the footsteps. Learning about Jesus Christ and the miracles performed by Him. They shouted(begged) at Jesus for their healing. When Jesus saw them, He was moved with compassion towards them. He said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. They were healed on their way before they reached the Priest. What a mighty miracle of Jesus? Yes, by His stripes we are all healed from every sickness on the earth. If anyone reading this, are suffering from any disorders, ailments or illness lift your voices just like these lepers. Jesus will heal you completely. There's power in the name of Jesus and the blood which was shed for us. Believe and you will be healed. Back to the plot, One of the 10 lepers, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him and he was a Samaritan. 10 cried to Jesus, and all 10 members were healed but only one came back to thank God. This kind of thankfulness is worship to God. As loud as he shouted for the miracle, he still shouted aloud to offer thanks to God for restoring his life. 2) Give thanks in the troubles. God told Jonah to go and preach to the wicked Assyrians, however, Jonah decided to flee. He boarded a ship heading in the opposite direction and fell fast asleep in the hold. He was awakened by the captain who pleaded with him to call on his God. The ship was in the midst of a great storm sent by God and in danger of breaking to pieces. The sailors cast lots in an attempt of figuring out who was responsible for the storm. God caused the lot to fall upon Jonah. Jonah told them to throw him overboard so the sea would become calm. Immediately after doing so, the storm stopped and the sea became calm. The Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah and this was Jonah’s abode for three days. It was from this fish’s belly that Jonah cried out to the Lord. Jonah prayed " But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. " (Jonah 2:9) By, giving thanks in the belly of the fish Jonah acknowledged the faith he had in God. God offered the sacrifice of Jonah and commanded the fish, it vomited him onto the dry land. Giving thanks is a sacrifice we offer God each day. So never forget to thank God for His love endures forever. Amen!!

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms"( 1Peter 4:10) Dear servants in Christ, Our Lord Jesus has blessed every one of us with special gifts(talents/skills) which are to be used for His glory. Even before we were born God had a specific purpose to bring each of us into this beautiful world. We were formed by the hands of God. He created us exactly in His likeness, knitted us together in our mother's womb, and thus we are fearfully and wonderfully designed(Ps 139:13,14).None on earth a mistake. Nobody's purpose goes in vain. But, what is the aim of our lives? How to find out God's will and blend it into our daily lives? Biblically our greatest motive on the planet is to serve God, to serve Him with our whole heart and that is the topmost priority of life and which is why according to His grace upon each one we receive gifts. As a servant of Christ, it is in fact, authoritative on us to work for our Heavenly Master. I believe that this message helps everyone to understand where to work? What to work and How to work? As we look into 1Cor 3:9 it says, " For we are God's fellow workers; You are God's field." Here, the scripture says that We are God's field. So everyone whose alive on the planet, despite color, creed and race are all His land brought by the blood of Jesus Christ. As fellow workers, we are to work in the land for our Master to which we are chosen. Similar to a farmer who works tirelessly in his field we are also ought to work in our Master's field. There are four simple steps are as follows to guide us better in comparison to an agriculturist; 1. Ploughing: This is to loosen the soil before planting. As a faithful steward let your light shine before others, that people may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in Heaven(Matt 5:16). Follow God's example, walk in the way of Christ, and do not conform to the pattern of the world. Let the people around you see the goodness of God in you. 2. Sowing: Acts(4:31) And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Never be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the Power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Share what God has done for you in your life and His everlasting love for us all. 3. Watering: Water the hearts with Christ's living water. Preach the importance of getting baptized in the name of Jesus for He has the authority to forgive sins of all flesh. 4. Harvest: Pray for the souls constantly and lead them to Christ every day. And let us not grow weary in preaching for in due season we will reap (Gal 6:9) we will reap hindered fold. So, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow(1Cor 3:7) Use your gifts for His glory The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore let God send each of us as laborers into His Harvest. Amen!!