Connect with Jesus and Bear Fruits

Get connected & bear fruits in Christ

Let's go through John chapter 15 and get to know how to get connected with our Lord Jesus.

In John 15:1-2 says that, Jesus is the true vine, our heavenly Father is the husbandman /farmer/ gardener & we are branches. Our father cast away every branch in Jesus that does not bear fruits. But prune every branch that bear fruits, so that they may bear more fruits in future too. Let's take note and remember this. That our heavenly Father is watching us all the time. He's expecting fruits from our lives. What are these fruits? In Galatians 5:22-23 the fruits are described. They are love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness & temperance.

The Word Jesus spoke can sanctify our souls.(John 15:3) Jesus said that we are clean through the Word He has spoken to us. The Messiah Jesus ask us to be in Himself to bear fruits as the branch cannot bear fruits itself unless connected to the branch. (John 15:4) Here Jesus reminds us that we are nothing without him. If we are in Jesus & He in us we may bear much fruit.

If someone is not in Jesus, that person will be cast out & his/her life will be withered. So at the judgement, withered branches will be thrown to the eternal fire. Let's take a look at this. We know if we cut out a branch from a tree, it remains like live for 2-3 days and starts withering. Likewise are our lives. When we disobey the Lord & get disconnect with Himself, our lives may not experience sudden withering or loss of things. But from the time we break His commandments we are dying inside like the branch started withering after few days. The results appear after some time. But we are dying & slowly walking in the path of hell.

Our prayers would be answered if we abide in Christ & the Word of God is in us

Jesus glorified our heavenly Father by every work He did. Every miracle, sign & wonder glorified God. Jesus says when we bear fruits we become true disciples in Christ and glorify the Father. Let's remember that Jesus selected disciples to be with Him. Because of things we do mentioned in above paragraphs, we stay in Him. Therefore automatically we become disciples.

In John 15:9,10 Jesus asks us to be dipped in His love.  How much the Father loves Jesus, that much Jesus loves us. How great that is? Can you imagine how much you are loved? Hallelujah!! Hey wait. But there's a condition. This happens only if we keep His commandments. As Jesus kept Heavenly Father's commandments, Jesus remained in Father's full love.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean (Psalms 51:7)

What is hyssop?

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Hyssopus officinalis is a shrub in the mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea. It has antiseptic, cough relieving properties etc. It has been used in traditional herbal medicine. As a part of the Jewish Passover, hyssop was used to sprinkle blood. 

Remember during the 1st Passover how hyssop is used?

 

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 "And you shall take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. And none of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning." (Exodus 12:22)

Hyssop is used symbolically in psalms 51 to show spiritual cleaning. Cleansing the soul from sin. 

In Numbers 19:16-18, Moses says who ever touches someone that was killed by sword, a dead body, bone of a dead or touched a grave shall be unclean for 7 days. And a clean person shall pick up a hyssop, dip it in water and sprinkle upon the tent, upon the vessels there, upon people live there & upon the person got uncleaned. 

Background for this verse

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We know that King David sinned with Bathsheba, wife of Uriah after sending Uriah intentionally to the battlefield where the battle was so intense. After this God called Nathan and sent him to king David to show his sin. David understood the sin. He was so worried and sad about what he has done and knowing that he has displeased God by doing evil. He repented. In this prayer on psalms 51, king David is asking God to purify him with hyssop. In other words, he is asking to purify his soul from sin.

What we can learn?

When we sin, we obey the devil and become servants of the devil. When we sin, channels of heavenly blessings will be cut out. Why? Because our Lord is the light of the world. God is holy. He loves the sinner but hate the sin. Sin brought death to humankind. Sin brought eternal death. But let's remember why Christ came. He came to break the yoke of sin, deliver us from eternal death & open the door to eternal life. As the light and darkness cannot be together, God cannot call us sons and daughters as the sin or darkness dwelling in our souls. 

Sin in our souls attract more darkness and our souls getting disgusting. Our selves experience sadness, corruption, all kinds of disease etc. We need to repent (Read more on : Why we need to repent). Though you may have all kinds of riches, you have no internal peace. Though you think you are living, day by day your internal systems getting weak and you are dying. 

In John 1:4-5 says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men.And the light shine in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not"

Why suffering when there's the answer? Jesus is the life. When He comes to our soul, sin runs away. As darkness cannot dwell with or overcome the light. Our decaying souls are coming back to life then. In above we read Moses commanding to clean unclean person with hyssop as he/she has connected with dead. (By sin we are connected to the eternal death) The Lord commanded to sprinkle the blood of the Passover lamb during Passover so the angel of the Lord will not attack their firstborn. 

Today is palm Sunday. We are entering into the Holy week. We know Jesus became the Passover Lamb by dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus loves you and waiting for you. Therefore let's pray to our Lord. "Dear Lord, I am a sinner. Forgive my sins. Make me a new person. Clean me with hyssop dipped in your precious blood. Amen!!"

New Coronavirus (Covid-19) Prayer guide

If my people, who bear my name, shall bow and bid my face, and forsake my wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and heal their land. 

(2 Chronicles 7:14)

Let us Pray,

1. To stop the spread of the disease
2. For quick recovery of infected patients
3. For doctors and nurses who treat patients
4. For the people who are being quarantined
5. Ask for strength and guidance leaders of the country, security forces and decision makers
6. For the sick who seek Gods salvation in death beds
7. For the people who are suffering from economic hardships
8. For people who are in hunger
9. For Christians clothed with fear
10. That people may turn from their evil ways and repent
11. For the destruction that man has done to the creation of God
12. Ask for guidance for the people in every country to act responsibly
13. For all those who reject Jesus
14. For all those who are ungodly
15. For those who refuse to believe in the Truth
16. For those who are failing to obey God

In the meantime, fill your prayers with songs of praise thanking God who has protected our country so much and brought us so far. God bless you!

COVID-19 Ultimate Protection

COVID-19

COVID-19

What is covid-19? This name make goosebumps even on our Christians these days. Let's explore about this corona virus family a bit.

It's a large family of viruses causing illness from cold to severe life threats. MERS & SARS are also from this family of viruses. Corona viruses are zoonotic, which means they are transmitted from animals to human beings. Now COVID-19 has been declared as an epidemic.

Bible says we are at the age of the beginning of sorrows. In Mathew 24:4-8(NKJV) says, “Take heed that no one deceives you.For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows."

Jesus protects you in every situation

Ultimate protection 

As human beings we often forget how powerful & what a dominion God has our lives. Bible says that everything in this world is created by Him. In John 1:3(NKJV) it says that "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."

When pestilences like COVID-19 spreads around the world, we think that this small virus is powerful & can bring harm to our lives. We forget the promises of God. Many times He says not to be afraid of these kind of things. The other thing we do is reminding God to protect us. Why we need to remind Him? Has He forgotten? 
No. The fault is with our selves. Let's look into scriptures. In Psalms 91:1(NKJV) says, "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 

God invites us to live in Jesus, so we will live under the protection of the almighty. When we live in Jesus, we get a bunch of benefits which is described in the rest of psalms 91 which also includes in Psalms 91:10 (NKJV) "No evil shall befall you,Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling"

See, your life is protected. It is promised. Therefore don't undermine the power of God in your lives by getting feared on this small virus. Have faith. God is with you keeping His promises faithfully.We have to do our part. Live in Jesus.


If you have not received salvation in Christ yet or a non believer, I ask you to say the prayer below & invite Jesus to your heart. He'll change your situations & comfort you with divine peace. Though you don't know Jesus, He knows you. Because you are His creation. He's waiting until you come to Him. Jesus loves you. 

Offer this prayer to accept Jesus as your redeemer

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen!

Have a blessed day in Christ. God Bless

References :
https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus 

Does Jesus knows the situations we are going through?

 We all go through joy, pain, hard times, storms etc. While we are inside these situations we tend to think whether cannot Jesus see that we are suffering and going through painful situations. We question our God.

We all know that a blacksmith heats the blunt iron equipment first in a very high temperature before shaping it. It's easy to make it sharper after this process. Our lives are similar to this process.

Our Lord know the situations we are going through. But this is for a purpose. To make us more stronger & sharper to face the future challenges. 

In Jeremiah 29:11 it says, For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (KJV)   

References :
Image by Dirk Hoenes,PixaBay

Why repentence needed in Jesus for our sins?

 "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand"

One day Jesus was at the temple of the Lord. While Jesus was teaching the gospel, a bunch of scribes & pharisees came with an adultery woman. She has been caught while committing adultery. They questioned our Lord, is it okay whether they stone her according to the law of Moses? And asked Lord about His judgement on her. Our Lord sat down & with His finger started writing on the ground. Then Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her"(John 8:7 KJV) Hearing that saying, everyone from the youngest to the eldest left that place leaving Jesus and that woman there. Then our Lord said, "go and sin no more". (Read More on John 8:1-11)

Let's look at the characters of scribes & pharisees. These people were with lot of pride, full of biblical knowledge, who liked to be famous etc. Aren't we the same? 
We sin sometimes more than non-believers & don't repent. But we think that we are higher than others(non believers, sinners etc). In Mathew 3:9 the scriptures tell that 

"Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."

 

This video from Bible Project Team describes what Sin is.  

The word repentance is not sounding good for many Christians. For some it's like taking a bitter medicine. But we know after swallowing it, it goes inside and brings us some relief. Repentance too acts same. So let's have a look on what happens when we repent.

1. Through repentance God forgives our sins, purify us & restores us

We feel guilty to go in front to the presence of God after sinning. We are ashamed of what we have done. We are feared to ask for forgiveness from Him. We question ourselves "Will God forgive me? will God accept me again as His child? " In 1 John 1:9 (KJV) it says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Therefore we need to confess our sins in front of our Lord.

We have to keep in mind that we didn't choose God, but His grace found us while we were sinners. God hates sin, but loves the sinner. In Zechariah 1:3 (KJV) it tells that "Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you."

2. Repentance make us humble in Lord

Think a while. The Lord ask to repent now. But you may feel inside that your mind is not ready or your mind tells you that you don't need to do so. Something inside is blocking you from taking that action. What's that? The factor that cause such is called pride. 

What is pride? Pride is the key component that Satan uses to control your life. It's like a remote in his hand. When pride is injected to you, you tend to think that the way you think, what you think is correct & acceptable than what God commands us to obey. Pride makes us to neglect the word of God & trust in our selves, our own way of thinking. Pride is a spiritual blindness. Sometimes it makes us think that things in bible doesn't fit to day today life, not fitting modern world, obsolete etc.

Humbleness is the is the opposite of pride. Humbleness is an agreement with the truth. We know the way & the truth & the life is none other but our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that repentance lead us to the truth. In Proverbs 3:34 (KJV) it says "Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he give grace unto the lowly". See His grace is with the humble people. In James 4:6(KJV) it says "God resist the proud, but give grace unto the humble"

 

3.When we repent Satan move far away from us

When we disobey God & sin more, we move more to the Satan. When we do the will of the darkness, Satan can easily build his fortress in our selves. Further he bombard our mind with negative thoughts about God. Fill our lives with sadness, bitterness & makes us poor. But when we repent His chains, cords get broken by the blood of our Lord Jesus & release our selves from bondage.

In James 4:7-8 (KJV) it says,"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." Let's give our selves to Jesus, who created us in His own image. Because He knows what's best for us. (For more to get know about Lord's plan in our lives read Does Jesus knows the situations we are going through?)

Therefore commit your selves to Jesus. Resist the sin. Repent. Seek God with repentance. Clean your hands & hearts with repentance. when you do these the devil cannot hold your more. You win by the blood of Jesus.

4. Repentance cut out inherited curses & let experience a bunch of blessings

Sin leads us to eternal death. You were created here on this earth not to suffer. We suffer with illnesses, incurable diseases, generational curses, demonic bondage, limitations in progress, family curses because of this sin. In Isaiah 53:5(NKJV) says that Christ suffered to give us freedom from all these.

"But He was wounded for our transgressions
He was bruised for our iniquities
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him
And by His stripes we are healed"

Sin removes joy from your life & fill your life with sadness. It weakens the relationship with you & God stopping all heavenly blessings.

But as said above, repentance & accepting Lord as our savior washes our dirty clothes with His blood opening us the gates of eternal life at heaven. Repentance establishes our connection with God opening the gates of blessings. 

Enjoy this hymn about showers of blessings which promises in our lives.

 

Offer this prayer to accept Jesus as your redeemer

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen!

Reference:

5 Reasons You Should Repent – Again and Again   

Sinners prayer