Reaching God – Page 2

Reminiscences on Father’s Day

Reaching-God Blog Admin June 23, 2016 No Comments

Hugs, flowers, greeting cards, gifts, some good food and once again Father’s day is over. My thoughts about father’s day go much beyond these social gestures.

When I think of Father’s day, the very first thought that rushes to my mind is about my Heavenly Father Yahweh, my Almighty God. It is He who allowed me to come on earth through my father whose faith, love, and discipline led me to the knowledge and experiences of my Heavenly Father. Again I am grateful and ever indebted to my Heavenly Father for granting me three loving children. Above all, I have no words to express my love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father for making me a spiritual father to thousands on earth, speaking different languages and hailing from different cultures. This is the greatest of all reasons to place my Heavenly Father far above all considerations on or about father’s day reminiscences.

My father, late Mr. M.V. Mathews, whom I call Pappa has the paramount position in my heart among mortal humans on this father’s day. It is Pappa, whose life and principles drew me to God. His family life was exemplary – I say because of his care and love for my mom. They were unanimous in everything, doing everything in one accord.

He was very strict, possibly even too strict with me in my childhood with no appreciation or exhibition of love, which my younger siblings got. Being his first born he could not tolerate any pranks, nor put up with my mischief and strong willed nature. He tried to discipline me with the cane but failed as I refused to be tamed. This went on till the age of 12 and his attitude began to change as there came five others after me. His confidence in me grew and from my 16th year he freely allowed me to handle the finances. It was the tune of thousands those days which today may mean lakhs. He has never scolded or even uttered a word when I ran into losses because of my immaturity. He has never asked me whether I drank or smoked and never asked me for the accounts of his money taken by me. He tried his utmost to give us, all what we children asked for. He sold a piece of his property to pay the capitation fee for my admission to the B. Pharm course in spite of the advices of dear and loved ones who tried to stop him. However, I failed repeatedly in the first year B. Pharm course and went to Pappa with the results of my fourth failure. I expected a shout from him and had prepared myself to apply for a job in the Indian Navy. To my surprise Pappa told me, “I want you to complete the B. Pharm degree at any cost even if I have to sell all my property.” It shattered me because he never blamed me, though he knew that one of the main reasons for my repeated failure was that I was involved in student politics going to the extent of even leading a strike. His words gave me a new sense of hope and confidence. I returned and never failed again, graduating with a first class! I was chosen for a highly paid job even before graduation among 15,000 applicants from all over India. At the end of my final interview conducted by the top brass of the company I put forward my hand to shake hands with the members of the interview board. Everybody except the top man shook hands but he refused. I felt humiliated. When I returned home, all at home were buoyant that I was selected and stood first in the interview. However I told my father that I could not work with a person who had no basic courtesy to shake hands with someone who stretched forth his hand. There were a lot of debts at home and this high paying job would have eased the situation. I thought he would compel me to take up the job due to his financial strains, but he strongly said, “Don’t take it up if you are not happy.” I didn’t take up that job and furthermore, decided never to look out for a job in India. I wanted to go abroad and that wait cost me another 15 jobless months in India. Pappa never ever blamed me and was still supporting me when debts were on the increase- that was Pappa!

His spiritual life paved the way for my own journey. He was the pioneer in building two churches one in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia and another in his native place Mannar Kerala, India. His prayer life was a great example for us, as was his honesty and determination to stand for truth. Indeed his life, love, and confidence showered in me, is the foundation of all what I am today.

The shining stars in the horizon of my reminiscences is that God blessed me with three lovely, loving, God-fearing children and their spouses who share my principles and join me in the building of the Kingdom of God. Their zeal and passion for God till this moment is something I treasure on this father’s day.

Praises a million and glory to my Heavenly Father, for His showers of blessings, for granting me a father and making me a father for building the Kingdom of God on earth.

Praise the Lord
Father’s Day 2016

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Reaching-God Blog Admin February 28, 2016 No Comments

The patrons of the Word to World Television flocked to the weeklong Maramon Convention – the biggest Christian convention of Asia from different parts of the world, for the promotion of their own beloved television Channel “Word to World”. They made history in the 121 year existence of the convention by reaching the message and vision of the Word to World Television to the hundreds of thousands of people swarming the banks of the great river Pamba.

Praise! Praise! Praise!

Fluttering like butterflies in their Yellow or Blue uniforms, they found their way to all people, old and young ,men and woman alike on every road and lane leading to the convention handing out sun shades, hand fans and copies of Word Vision and Bible Times. Neither the scorching sun nor the long walks or even the continuous standing could dampen their spirits. The epitome of each day’s activity was the spirit filled praise session of the patrons proclaiming the glory of the almighty God. It touched the hearts of thousands who were returning from the convention. It brought everything to a standstill – the buses, cars, and the traveling pilgrims. Police came in several times to keep the crowd moving who stood spellbound at the heavenly melodies… History was being made, as never before had a television channel yet to begin its regular broadcasts, gone into the hearts of the people.

Bibles for Bibleless

H.E. Archbishop Kuriakose Mor Severios Valiya Metropolitan

This journey started when my heavenly Father commanded me after the glorious 72 hour fasting prayer at New York to go to Maramon convention and conquer it. It seemed an impossible task as only about 20 days were left for the convention. The premises for stalls at Maramon were all sold out well in advance…. It was difficult for our brethren worldwide to come to the convention as they had all taken all their vacation to attend the annual fasting prayer…. I was in New York and there were none around to go ahead with the massive preparation to fulfill God’s command.

But I was sure of one thing. My commander, the Lord of hosts had supreme confidence in me and thus He had commanded me to go and conquer the ocean of souls that would gather at Maramon. He led me and His own people whom He had brought to be with me from Canada, The Middle East and India, every moment – every day and at the end to hoist His flag. Julius Caesar upon his conquest of Asia Minor had famously said “Veni Vedi Vici” – meaning “I came, I saw and I conquered. So too, the patrons of Word to World Television who came to Maramon can lift His banner high and proclaim We Came, We Saw, We Conquered.

PRAISE THE LORD

Medias that makes a man God

Reaching-God Blog Admin October 28, 2015 No Comments

The media in their unending race to capture the attention of the human mind very often use superlative words, adjectives and descriptions without weighing the implications and influences that are brought about by such usages. Recently a legend in the field of sport, visited India and the newspapers were vying each other to report the event with the greatest importance. A leading Newspaper of India published the photograph of the celebrity on a full page with the Himalayan caption “GOD ARRIVES”.

The use of “GOD” by media to glorify people who have the greatest records in various activities of human life is becoming more frequent. The media very often forgets that the great majority in the world revere, respect and regard God as the Supreme Being, the creator and the ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority. There are many who consider God as a superhuman being worshipped as a deity having power over nature and human fortunes. Is it not foolish and absurd to compare this sanctified and sacred word “GOD” to glorify the two legged human beings whose sojourn on earth vanishes with their breath, with the Almighty GOD who is glorified, magnified, worshipped and referred on earth in different names as “YAHWEH”, “ BRAHMA”, “ALLAH”,“ZEUS”, “JUPITOR”, “AHURA MAZDA” or the “GREAT SPIRIT” ???

The consequences of such media gimmicks can be understood only when we realize the future of ignorant and innocent people who accept and begin to worship such Living Media Gods whose life is dependent on the tick of their hearts and that too in a country where people make temples for living actors and worship them. Let all those who love “GOD” always stand for God and strive to Sanctify and Glorify His Holy name irrespective of regions, religions and languages. Remember each reaction matters as even a single drop of water in a great ocean has its own identity.

World Bible Translation Day

Reaching-God Blog Admin September 29, 2015 No Comments

The World Bible Translation Day enters its 50th year of existence ever since the US Congress established it on September 30, 1966, as a permanent day of the year to honor Bible translations. This day was chosen, as it is the feast of St. Jerome, the patron saint of Bible translators. He pioneered the first major Bible translation of the world, translating the Word of God from Hebrew to Latin to make what is called the ‘Latin Vulgate’. There are many to be remembered on this auspicious day, including John Wycliffe, who translated the whole Bible into English from the Latin Vulgate and William Tyndale, who was burnt at stake for having translated and published the Word of God into English from the original Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. His last words as he was being burnt at stake, “O Lord open the eyes of the King of England,” opened the door of Heaven and decades later the king of England himself brought out the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, which has by far the greatest number of printed books in the world till date. After the martyrdom of William Tyndale, thousands were persecuted and shed their blood, including his disciple and associate, Mathew Rogers, who was also burnt at the stake in front of his wife and eleven children for helping to complete the English translation of the Bible which Tyndale left unfinished. Ironically, a prominent Christian church was behind these outrageous and cruel persecutions against all these Bible translators. These martyrs remain unsung heroes and are seldom remembered by the present day churches. The unfading crowns of these martyrs in heaven can be seen by the so called Christian leaders only when they leave their abode on earth.

It is estimated that there are about 6,819 spoken languages in the world, of which more than 2,700 are yet to have even a verse printed. In this grand total, India has around 447 living languages of which 29 languages have more than one million speakers. According to unofficial estimates, the Word of God has yet to reach more than 375 languages in India .

Ironically, the established Churches of different language groups are neither bothered about their outdated Bible translations nor about the language groups who do not have even a single verse of the Bible in their language. The wealthy Christian churches and Bible making societies are more focused on beautiful buildings, business and educational establishments than to give the Word of God to millions of poor brethren in different language groups. In my personal experience, they neither pioneer the translation of the Word nor do they encourage people who struggle to get the Word to other language groups.

My bitter experience is that Satan used Christian leaders to try and crush my translation of the Modern Malayalam version of the Bible – Vishudha Satya Vedapusthakam. My wife and I both lost our jobs abroad … my children… their education. They tried to keep this Bible out of the Christian bookshops in Kerala. In spite of all the ridicule and discouragement, the Almighty God has carried the Vishudha Satya Vedapusthakam to the hands of hundreds of thousands across the world. Though no awards, rewards or appreciation came from the so-called overseers of God on earth, my testimony on this sacred day of prayer is that, He never let me down and lifted me further up to present His Word to the Paniya, Jennukuruba and Banjara language groups, making the Word of God, the first piece of literature ever presented and printed in their language, since their existence on earth. God enabled me to pioneer the translation of the Bible into the Telugu language, which is the second largest language group in India. And above all, the Lord blessed me to present the Christian Walk Bible, the first ever Study Bible in any language in the world on Fasting Prayer.

Bible Translations presented by Bro. Dr. Mathews Vergis

God made all these possible without any aid from any Church or Bible making societies, but just by the earnest efforts of my brethren in my fasting prayer ministry across the world, who fast and pray in unison crushing the barriers of churches or congregations, under the banner of “WORD TO WORLD”.

I place my humble prayers at the feet of my Heavenly Father beseeching blessings for all those who have shed their blood and laid down their lives for the translation of Word of God and for everyone engaged even at this very moment in translating the Word to the untouched languages, to carry the Good News to the uttermost parts of the earth.

Praise the Lord!

The Happiest Onam of my life

Reaching-God Blog Admin August 30, 2015 No Comments

After several years, Raaji and I were in Kerala during the Onam season. Memories of Onam celebrations about 50 years ago at Mannar (my father’s ancient family home) are still afresh in my memory. The “Kaduva Kali” (Tiger dance) of those years are too good to be forgotten. In this form of village entertainment, one will paint himself as a tiger and another dressed himself as a hunter with a gun. They go from house to house and dance to the rhythm of the drum beats for a couple of minutes until the tiger is shot down. Nowadays I do not see such dances anywhere, but hear instead, of tigers coming out of forests and visiting people in different parts of Kerala.

Gone are the many customs and traditions of the Onam celebrations of yester years. Massive measures are taken to ensure the pomp and splendor of Onam celebrations to make it an international Malayalee festival, fostering love and care for one another irrespective of cast and creed as in the times of Mahabali. But today, the poor man would have ran away in shock and despair after seeing the revenge, rivalry, and bloodshed amongst our people.

Leaving all this aside, what makes Onam truly special to every Malayalee household is the luxurious food they prepare for Onam. The one tradition that has continued even today is the ancient principle of Onam “Kaanam vittum Onam unnanam”, which means that one should have good food at Onam even if it requires selling one’s possessions. So I told Raaji that I wanted her to prepare a real Onam Sadya as I am expecting a couple of friends. She bears the brunt of the cooking with no one to help, as I am very helpful only with my tongue to taste and give suggestions when she brings the important dishes to me before the final serving. So Raaji started cooking right from the morning, bringing out all her culinary skills, and by 1pm she managed to make half-a-dozen dishes along with Ada Prathaman and Semiya Payasam. She was a bit upset that the guests had not arrived, so I finally told her that they would not come but I have to go to them. Raaji understood what I meant and together we made Ona Sadya Packets.

I set out to meet my guests, deciding to take lunch only after giving these packets to some poor ones on the way side. My driver, Arun, expressed his doubts about finding someone in need because it was Onam. I told him the Lord would show us the needy ones. As we drove around, I met a poor old man lying on the roadside. I went to him, gave him the packet and told him that it is Ona Sadya. He stood up with folded hands… I cannot forget the toothless smile on his face… Arun captured that great moment – thanks to the mobile phones cameras. As we went forward we met a couple of women. They did not speak my language but hunger is a universal language of the have nots. The glee on their faces when they understood it was food is too good to be forgotten.

We had our Onam Sadya at about 3pm with a heart full of happiness, praise and gratitude to our Heavenly Father who made it possible to have this delicious Onam Sadya and make Onam true for at least some who never had an opportunity to even have one dish of the Ona Sadya.

I am posting a couple of photographs to show you the real joy on the faces of these poor ones.

When you bring such a smile to a poor human being, remember Jesus will be telling His Father “(your name) gave me something to eat.” And that made it the happiest Onam of our lives!!!!

Share-A-Meal…..

“You gave me something to eat”

Share-A-Meal

Reaching-God Blog Admin July 2, 2015 No Comments

“You gave me something to eat”

It happened on October 31, 2014 at the Delhi Darbar restaurant at Connaught Place, Delhi. I had ordered lunch and was waiting for its arrival. I was surprised when the waiter brought the food as the portion of the food was large. In fact, the portion of the same food for the same price varied from country to country. In USA, it is lavish but in Europe it is of a smaller volume. In China and the Middle East, the portions are good but at times the tastes vary according to the local likings. As these thoughts flashed in my mind, I was in a real dilemma as I realized that even with my best efforts I may not be able to eat more than 50% of the food in front of me.

While in Kerala, I usually packed the leftovers for Bruno, my pet dog and thus he too very often had a taste of the high quality food I had, while traveling. But now Bruno was far away and I needed another option. Packing the remainder and saving it for dinner was one that came to mind. I did not want that. People seeking alms on the way side were very rare in those roads leading to the Parliament House – possibly because the “Nethas” or leaders fail to see these poor ones from their cars big and small in their rush to the parliament to take care of the poor masses of India.

I did not want to waste this food. I put it before the Lord … “Guide me Lord, show me a way” I prayed. “I was hungry and you gave me something to eat”… the words of my Master rang in my ears. Immediately I asked the waiter who was standing bewildered in front of me (minutes had passed since he brought me the food) to pack half of it. He said he would do that after the meal but I insisted that half of it should be packed right away before I touched the food. I did not want to carry the left overs as I had been doing for Bruno…. It was done. I took the parcel and began walking to the Hotel not knowing what had to be done with the parcel.

Suddenly, I saw a mother sitting on the footpath asking for alms. A child wrapped in a piece of cloth lay in front of her. Many were walking past her without even noticing her. Rarely someone threw a coin to her. Upon reaching her, I gave her the parcel. She looked up at me wondering what was inside it. “Khaana”, I told her in the little Hindi I knew and walked away.

But I noticed the glow in her eyes, and a wave of joy on her face as she heard that single word “Khaana” which in Hindi means food. I looked back after walking a few steps. She woke the child up and they were eating the meal of Delhi Darbar. It may not have filled them. But the joy on their faces remains one of the richest experiences I treasure in my memory lane. I made a decision at that very moment – to order a similar meal whenever I take a meal from hotels in my travels on road, and give it to the first one I see on my way, seeking alms. Sometimes I did not find anyone immediately, but would drive further, asking the Lord to show me someone in need.

And I have always found someone on the way, though it may be even after a few miles. As the monsoons began in Kerala, I thought I may not find someone seeking alms on the wayside due to rains. However, I made sure that I had the parcel with me and to my surprise the Lord showed me two, not one, on the wayside.

In the past eight months the Lord has been blessing this tiny effort of mine, more and more. Now Raaji, my beloved wife and co-worker in my endeavors for Him gives me a parcel whenever possible as I go out travelling. Some of my near and dear ones who have accompanied me in my journeys too have begun to share their meals. However the biggest surprise came from the members of the IDCFI, Bangalore led by Mr. Sunny Abraham. Once a week on a specific day they give their parcels to Mr. Sunny who takes and distributes it to the needy on the roadsides.

These lines come at the repeated requests of a few of my brethren who are a part of this effort and have started to share. In my experience I have rarely come across people who are so hardened at heart, to refuse to give something, sometime, somewhere for the less fortunate who are hungry. This is neither an organization nor a group and has no rules or regulations. I launch the ‘Share a Meal’ movement as a platform for anyone, anywhere who decides to spare something at any time for those are less fortunate than ourselves! Let us join hands and spread the message across to share a meal and share His love with the helpless, hapless and hungry ones around us. If you decide to be a part of this movement, email me at shareameal@wordtoworld.com and I will be praying for you.

Praise the Lord!

More than Words…

Reaching-God Blog Admin April 18, 2015 No Comments

Ever since I heard the call of the Almighty God and started the Inter Denominational Christian Fellowship Foreign units (now the Inter denominational Christian Fellowship International), the Lord burdened me with promoting and propagating His Word beyond the borders of nations and languages. It seemed a mighty unattainable task, for someone who had not even a Sunday school education. I did not know where or how to begin. I knew that if I took the first step in obeying His command, He would hold my Hands and lead me on. The first thing I realized, was that many who claimed to be led by the Spirit of God had no real intimate or intrinsic relationship with the Word of God. For many Bible reading had reduced to simply a “Sermon Reading” experience (reading only for references while hearing sermons).

Thus I started the “Brother’s Bible Lovers League” to encourage our members to read the Bible daily. Monthly Bible reading programs were initiated along with Quizzes, and other Biblical competitions to enhance Bible study. Bible Exhibitions named “Biblex” were held annually for promotion of the Word of God beyond the parameters of our Fellowship. I remember Rev. Dennis Gurney (now Sir Dennis Gurney) whose guidance, help and prayers brought thousands to the “Biblex” – the first such event of its kind in the Middle East.

Over the course of my ministry after nearly 14 years of study, I could no longer turn a blind eye to the outdated 100 year old Malayalam Bible translation which was in dire need of correction. After the Bible Society authorities turned me away, refusing even to look at the corrections I had noted through years of study, I was forced to take up the task myself. I am always thankful to such authorities because ultimately it was their insult and inaction that paved the way for me to get the most blessed command from the Almighty God to translate and publish His Word. He bestowed upon me numerous Gifts and Graces for translating His Word into different languages, but additionally warned that I will have to face storms, tempests and fiery trials to be victorious. But He also promised “I will be with you and never let you down.” The “Vishudha Satyavedapusthakam”, the translation of the Bible in the modern Malayalam language was published on 22^nd December, 2000.

I had taken three 40 day fasts to overcome the obstacles Satan had created – including adverse health conditions that even baffled doctors. But the worst was yet to come. Soon after the release of the Vishudha Sathyavedapusthakam, I was forced to leave the country of my residence for nearly 25 years. My erstwhile spiritual brethren were behind it. My Bible translation research work of two decades were destroyed by their actions. My wife and I both lost our jobs. Our children’s education was disrupted. Not a word of consolation, comfort or encouragement came from any quarter – people led by Holy Spirit or otherwise. Tabloids filled with lies from the enemy were read and quoted even in Churches. They were rejoicing that the new Bible was destroyed.

No! Never! My God never let me down! The Vishudha Satyavedapustakam was revised and reprinted with an additional feature – Subtitle Index, which no other translation of the Bible in Indian languages had. There was no looking back!. Today hundreds of thousands across the globe have made Vishudha Satyavedapustakam a part of their spiritual lives. From there, the Lord blessed me with one Bible translation after the other, enabling me to scale new peaks that were beyond my imagination!!

Over the past one and half decades the Lord helped me to present the New Testament to the Paniya Tribe which has population of only about a hundred and fifteen thousand in the Paniya language and the Gospel of Mark to the Jennu Kurumba tribe which has a population of around sixty thousand in the Jennu Kurumba language. These Bibles were given free to these ethnic tribes. Above all, the Lord enabled me to present the “Christian Walk Bible”, the first ever study Bible on Fasting Prayer in English to all the English speaking people on earth. Besides “Bibles for Bibleless” and “Scripture Sharing Students” ministries were started to give Bibles free for those who could not afford to have a Bible of their own.

The Lord who called me, continues to lead me on. All this was made possible by the Almighty God because I never gave up my pursuit in spite of the fiery trials and tribulations created by Satan at every phase of the Bible translations. My actions for the Almighty God were not limited to mere words bound by inactivity . Satan cannot be silent as Word of God will destroy him because “the Word of God is like a fire and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces”(Jeremiah 23: 29). So he will be constantly using all possible means to create dissensions and divisions, envy and enmity to isolate us and deter us from our goals for the promotion and propagation of the Word of God.

Sometimes he will use Christians themselves for his purpose. William Tyndale and Mathew Rogers were burnt at stake by the forceful instigation of the then powerful Christian Church because these poor men had no endorsement of that church. People were banned from reading the new translation by Tyndale. Thousands of Bibles were burnt publicly and tens of thousands of people were tortured and put in jails for reading and distributing the Bible. But no king or church could destroy the Word of God translated by these martyrs. God used it to pass on through generations and millions and millions read it even today.

It is my prayer these words would inspire to go forward. God will lead your battle and guide you to victory.

A new vision for the Global Harvest

bromathews August 23, 2014 No Comments

When I planned our trip to attend a seminar in Indonesia, little did I expect that the Lord was going to give me a new vision about the building of His Kingdom. Very little is known in the outside world about Indonesia or about the Christian Churches in Indonesia. It was a rare and rich experience to be a part of the prayers for the “Global Harvest” at the Indonesian Christian Church during our recent visit to Jakarta.

Indonesia is a unique country comprising several islands and has approximately 726 languages. I have yet to come across another nation in my travels which has these many languages. It is also one of the poorer countries of the world which I have visited. The Indonesians appear to be simple and honest people. On the three hour train ride to Ciberon, I found the countryside to be as poor as in North India and modernization had not crept in. The train journey was indeed a pleasant one with A/C coaches and reclining seats and the cleanliness maintained was remarkable as compared to my experiences in India.

Christianity is the second biggest religion in Indonesia which is around 10% of the population. The unique feature of Christianity in Indonesia is that Protestantism and Catholicism are considered as two different religions and are included among the six religions of Indonesia recognized by the government. Of the 23.5 million Christians, 7% account for the Protestants which number about 16.5 million and the remaining 3% are Catholics numbering about 7 million. There is no curtailment or restriction on worship though new churches are rare.

“Alkitab” is the name of the first Bible translation in Indonesian language. It has now been replaced by the TERJEMAHAN BARU, meaning the New Translation which is the most popular of the 22 available translations of the Bible.

What was amazing to me was that, of the 726 languages, some portions of the Bible or the whole Bible has been translated into about 100 languages. This is indeed remarkable considering the meager resources for the Christians of Indonesia.

My seminar at the “Lembaga Alkitab Indonesia”, which is the equivalent of the Indonesian Bible Society was very fruitful. The well organized Bible Museum at the headquarters is indeed praiseworthy. It really gave me a new dimension to my dreams, of setting up a Bible Museum.

Though I have been leading fasting prayers in many nations across the globe, I must admit that I have not prayed for a rich Global Harvest for the Lord. The Holy Spirit led me to a new vision about the Global Harvest, at the worship of the Indonesia Christian Congregation in their prayer for a rich Global Harvest holding artificial golden stalks and ears of wheat in their hands. Though a small minority with little knowledge of the Christian activities on earth, their earnest and honest prayers touched me. Their purpose driven prayers were illuminated by the golden stalks and ears they held in their hands.

The prayers of these small groups of Indonesian Christians to reap a rich Global Harvest for our Lord should ignite our prayers too, for a great Harvest on earth for our Lord as we approach the end times.

The Heavenly Weapon against Satan

bromathews April 26, 2014 2 Comments

Jesus defeats Satan

Today many modern Christian groups question the necessity of fasting prayers in their spiritual walk. For many such, their anointing of the Holy Spirit is only the ecstasy experienced in their praise and worship sessions, lasting a couple of hours or more. Many are not concerned about their time before and after such sessions. The phenomena of the anointing of the Holy Spirit is not merely a short worship session experience but a continuous 24/7 presence. Those who are anointed and led by the Holy Spirit should always be aware that Satan is at their heels to destroy their anointing. He hates them as they are away from him, and lead others away from him too! So he wants to destroy the anointed people of God. That is why Peter warns us to be vigilant, “because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
Jesus forewarned his followers about the adversary Satan and gave them a mighty weapon to defeat him – “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:21) He proved that by his own life, defeating Satan by fasting and prayer. Thus Jesus established fasting prayer as the divine weapon for the children of God, to defeat Satan, in their spiritual walk.

Change!

bromathews January 5, 2014 3 Comments

We have stepped into the dawn of the New Year with new dreams, renewed hope and aspirations of prosperity. However, many of us fail to think on how to fulfil these in the days ahead. They would have reached this New Year without achieving or attaining any previous dreams though they had the very same thought process for ‘New Years’ in the past. Why? Why?

Their dreams, hopes and aspirations couldn’t bloom and bear fruit because they could not bring about the CHANGES in their lives which were required for attaining these goals. Only when changes – changes for the better – are brought about in our visions, attitude and the relationships in our lives, can the days ahead grant us the blessings we desire! Changes in our lives are achieved only when we change and enrich our relationship with God. God wants to grant us the blessings we long for … but only when we change from the past….

To bring about this change in His people He has commanded a process for His people; to sanctify them and build an everlasting relationship with Him, to crown them with His blessings to be His glory on earth. And that process of change is Fasting, as proclaimed by God himself in Lev 16:29, 30, and 31, Num29:7 and again 3 times through His prophet Joel. “Sanctify ye a Fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, and cry unto the LORD. (Joel 1:14)” (Joel 2:1, 2:15)

It is to bring about this change and establish an everlasting relationship with God, to experience the power and presence of His Son Jesus Christ with the power of the Holy Spirit, that the Inter Denominational Christian Fellowship of USA, Inc. has declared an International 24 Hour Fast on the 9th and 10th of January,2014. Restore your relationship with God , renew your dedication to Him and experience the touch of the nail pierced hands of Jesus, making possible the impossible with healings, deliverance and above all, the amazing anointing of the Holy Spirit to make you a glowing testimony for Jesus in 2014 and ever after… God bless you.