Finding favour with God and with men in our places of work.

Genesis 39:2-5 NIV
The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. [3] When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, [4] Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. [5] From the time he put Joseph in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field.

3 vital lessons to be learnt from the life of Joseph:-

1. When God is with us, that is, on our side, we will be successful in all that we do and we will prosper.

2. When our employers see that we are successful and that we are prospering in all we do, we will find favour in their eyes. They will trust us and entrust greater things in our hands.

3. When God is with us, our employers, our company and all those around us will thrive and be greatly blessed.

The secret of controlling our thoughts!

Thoughts, thoughts, thoughts! Can a human being sit still without any thought running through his mind? Some say meditation helps. Even then, when he is still and trying to empty his mind of thoughts, he is thinking of emptying his mind. That again is a thought.

Experts estimate that the mind thinks between 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts a day. That’s an average of 2500 to 3,300 thoughts per hour. Some other experts estimate a smaller number, of 50,000 thoughts per day, which is  about 2100 thoughts per hour.

Have we ever wondered that, if we think so many thoughts, what exactly are we thinking? 

By paying attention to the thoughts in our minds, we would discover that most of our thoughts are useless and unimportant. They are thoughts that pass through the mind with a huge velocity. These are words we repeat in our mind, comments our mind makes, repeating what we heard said, questions, answers and a lot of senseless wandering thoughts that we might not even be aware of. Yet, if we probe deeper, we will discover that our thoughts have three distinct origins. We will discuss about that in awhile.

Thoughts shape our attitude which in turn shapes our character. We become what we constantly think of. Due to the ill effects of our thoughts, we constantly face spiritual attacks in our lives. The only way to win this battle is to control our thought life. We cannot do it by ourselves. It is impossible. Who, better than the Holy Spirit can help us to sieve the thoughts that go through our mind. It is the Holy Spirit Who empowers, prepares and equips us for spiritual warfare.

The more we people alienate ourselves from God, the more we open ourselves to demonic activities. The more tumultuous will our thought life be.

As I mentioned above, our thoughts have three distinct origins; self, God and the devil. Some are placed there by God to remind us to walk in His ways, some generated by ourselves and some planted stealthily by the devil, to steal, kill and destroy our souls.

Thoughts of love, peace and correction are from God. Thoughts from ourselves would be thoughts pertaining to our daily duties. Thoughts from the evil one will be thoughts of manipulation, fear, anxiety, guilt, anger, bitterness, rage, judgemental thoughts, self centered thoughts, lustful thoughts, greedy thoughts...in short they will be negative and poisonous thus poisoning our entire being. Therefore we become people after our own thoughts, shaped and moulded by our thoughts.

We have a choice, to entertain or not to entertain the thoughts that speed through our mind. 

When we are obedient to God, we get in place to have victory over the wicked and the wicked thoughts. The devil can counterfeit everything except obedience to God. God's Word tells us to surrender our every thought, making it obedient  to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

"We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Recently, I was tormented by thoughts of confusion, guilt, anger, bitterness, fear, sadness and judgment. I was facing a huge spiritual attack. I was  not able to pray nor read God's Word. I felt as if I was sinking deep into an abyss unable to help myself. I knew that I must take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ, but I did not know how to do it. Everything was so abstract. I was sinking fast.

It was then that I pleaded with the Holy Spirit, asking HIm to be the filter of my mind. I knelt and asked Him to filter each and every thought which goes into my mind. I forbade negative and evil thoughts from entering my mind.

Pleasantly and miraculously it helped me so much that the next morning I woke up fresh and was filled with unexplainable peace. I was able to go about my duties without confusion but with clarity of mind. Now I am able to control my thoughts with the help of the Holy Spirit.

It surely pays to obey God's Word, and when we do not know how, our Comforter and Guide, the Holy Spirit is always there to help us.

Thank you Holy Spirit.

Mary Augustine

The Sin of Ham/Caanan

The Sin of Ham/Caanan

I was pondering on how I conduct my life. It was then the Holy Spirit brought to mind, the little instances when I casually converse with my colleagues and we happen to come across someone we find irritating, or mindless and begin to exchange 'justified' views about him/her. It seems all too casual, all too justified and all too natural. Then one of us will chip in a juicy bit of news the other person is not aware of, such as, " The other day when I opened the door for her she just walked past as if I am transparent and did not even thank me, let alone greet me. These young ones have no manners!" Or, "Do you know that so &so was not even in his class when I went in and the pupils were walking all around the class & they are promoting him. There is the other person who's so hardworking and he is not even noticed. So unfair!" At times we exchange negative news about others with the excuse of pitying them.

We get pulled into workplace politics and we end up pouring our frustrations to one another without realising that we are falling into satan's traps of the sin of gossip, the sin of judging others, the sin of spreading negative vibes and the sin of exposing the sins of others and shaming them.  This is exactly what Ham /Canaan  his son/grandson  did according to Genesis 9:20-22. He exposed his father's sins and thus was cursed.

Sometimes we wonder why we are not blessed, why we are facing problems after problems but we fail to realise that our sins cut away our blessings. Not only are we affected but our children and our children's children down to seven generations.

Upon receiving that revelation, I thanked the Holy Spirit for bringing this to mind today and asked Him to help me keep myself in check always. How glad I am that now, we have the blood covering of Christ Jesus to wash away our sins when we repent and run back into His arms. Thus our curses are broken and turned into blessings for us and our descendants through the redemptive blood of Christ.

Prayer
Lord, help me to present myself well and to abstain from speaking negative things about others. Just as the north wind drives the rain away, so does a backbiting tongue and an angry countenance. (Proverbs 25:23)

New Living Translation
          James 4:11
Don't speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God's law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you.

Reference:-
Genesis 9:20-22 NIV
Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. [21] When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. [22] Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

Genesis 9:24-25 NIV
When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, [25] he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers. ”

Notes:-
Ham was Noah's second son and Canaan was the youngest son of Ham. 'Canaan' in Hebrew language means, "to be humiliated!"

Mary Augustine

Oh the Awesome Power of the Super Mantle!

Today we are going to find out about Elijah's Mantle and the Super Mantle and the link between the Mantles and Bethel, Jericho and Jordan. We have to know this before we know how to use the Mantle which we have received and if we are even using it.

We who have read the Old Testament know that Elijah was a great prophet of God who did many exploits for God's kingdom through the power of God's Spirit. He was the prophet of all prophets and he was the only other human being who was taken up into heaven with his body, soul and spirit in a fiery chariot, other than Enoch.

We know that when he was taken up to heaven, he gave his mantle to Elisha who received a double portion of Elijah's annointing with that mantle and Elisha began doing greater exploits, than Elijah did, for God .

Here, we might envy Elisha, but let me tell you that we do not have to, cause we have received a super mantle which is greater than Elijah's.

I will first explain how Elisha received Elijah's mantle and then lead you into the secret of our super mantle. Tarry with me awhile longer and you will know what I mean.

Elisha knew that Elijah was going to be taken up, therefore he did not want to let him out of his sight. (Read 2 Kings chapter 2). He followed Elijah wherever the Lord sent him. Elijah was sent to three places by the Lord just before his homegoing and before going to each place he asked Elisha to stay behind but Elisha, not wanting to let him out of his sight, tagged along.

The first place, God led him to, was Bethel, next Jericho and the last was Jordan. After which, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted from him before he departed to heaven. Elisha wanted a double portion of Elijah's anointing. Note that he did not ask for the mantle of Elijah. He knew that Elijah operated in God's power. Therefore he asked for the double portion of the anointing which was on Elijah, but what he received was Elijah's mantle which carried the double portion of his anointing.

How do we know that Elisha trusted in God's power and not in the power of the mantle? When we read further into 2 Kings 2:13-14 NIV
'Elisha then picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. [14] He took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.' Yes the water divided into two, just as it did when Elijah struck it earlier. Elisha asked to see the power of the God of Elijah and not the power of the mantle. Thus we know that Elisha depended on God's power.

Now before we go on, let us explore the significance of the three places where God led Elijah, where Elisha tagged along. We need to have a proper understanding of the Old Testament before we go on to the New Testament. We need to read and explore both, hand in hand.

Bethel : - Bethel is where Jacob received supernatural knowledge of God's power, where he wrestled with God and where his eyes were opened to see supernatural celestial visions when he saw the angels of God ascending and descending.

Jericho :- Jericho was a city fortified with extremely humongous strong walls which could only be destroyed by obedience and faith in God. It is the very place where Joshua and the Israelites learnt to patiently obey and trust wholly on God.

Jordan :- Jordan was the river which Joshua crossed, leading the Israelites, before the destruction of the walls of Jericho. It is a place which signifies the transition from the old life to the new life; from spiritual death to life in God. In fact it is a type of baptism. (Later in the New Testament we see John the Baptist baptizing people in the very river of Jordan.)

Now Elisha who went with Elijah to all these three places, first at Bethel, would have received supernatural knowledge of the precepts  of God and anointing where his eyes were to be opened to see Elijah going up to heaven in the fiery chariot. Next at Jericho, he would have received supernatural anointing to have faith in God's power to destroy the supernatural evil fortresses of the evil one. Finally at Jordan when he crossed it with Elijah, he would have supernaturally died to himself and became alive in God, ready to receive his double anointing. I would say that Elisha was being trained in the school of the Holy Spirit with Elijah as his guide.

When Elisha asked for the double portion of anointing this is what Elijah said, “What you are asking me for, is very difficult, yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

Only after the supernatural encounters at the three places could Elisha see Elijah being taken to heaven and receive the double portion of anointing. He had to have his spiritual eyes opened, he had to develop obedience, patience and faith in God's power and he had to die to his own desires before he could receive his double anointing.

We too, the baptized Christians, have received a mantle which is far more superior than Elijah's. Why do I say that? It is because Elijah's mantle was visible but the one we have received is invisible. Elijah's mantle carried a double portion of his  annointing but this other mantle carries immeasurable and inexhaustible annointing and power of the victorious, resurrected Christ. It is the 'Cloak of the Righteousness' of Christ Jesus. We cannot see it but we put it on, in faith.

In John 14:12 AMP, Jesus told his apostles, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father."

Yes, Jesus gave us not only a double portion but an immesurable and unending portion of His anointing. We will be able to do greater things than Jesus did, whenever we put on this super mantle and by having an unshakable, steadfast faith in Him.

Unlike Elisha, the apostles and we believers must go through the Jordan experience first before we receive Christ's mantle of Righteousness. Then we need to go through the Bethel and Jericho experiences to have our faith strengthened and to have an intimate relationship with Jesus.

First the apostles were baptised in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. They died to their sins and received the supernatural grace of God. Then Jesus called them to Himself to show them the Way. That was their Jordan experience. Although Jesus empowered them to heal the sick while He was still with them, they received their mantle from Christ only much later, after Christ resurrected and ascended into heaven, but they could only use it after their Bethel and Jericho experiences.

We believers, met Christ at Jordan when we accepted Him as our Saviour during our baptism. That was when we died to ourselves and received new life in Christ Jesus. That was our Jordan experience. We received Christ's mantle of Righteousness immediately at our acceptance of Christ. But we  will only be able to operate effectively under the mantle of the Righteousness of Christ after our Bethel and Jericho experiences.

Next, Jesus kept His apostles with Him all the time, teaching them about the things of God and opening up their eyes of understanding to understand God's ways and precepts. They had the closest encounter with Christ. That was their Bethel experience.

We believers likewise must read God's Word daily, praise and worship Him and walk very closely with Jesus to have our eyes of understanding opened so that we can see the visions of God, feel His heartbeat, hear His still small voice and understand what exploits He would have us do for the advancement of His Kingdom here on earth. In short, it is our quiet time with Him.This would be our Bethel experience.

Finally, Jesus built up the faith of the apostles by assuring them that He will send a Counsellor who will counsel, comfort and teach them and us, who will believe in Him through them. He gave them strict orders to wait patiently for the Counsellor and sent Him as promised. The apostles were obedient and waited patiently upon the Lord in faith and thus received the Holy Spirit and His power to destroy the supernatural enemy's strong towers. That was their Jericho experience. Immediately after this experience, they went out boldly, clothed in the mantle of the Righteousness of Christ, winning numerous souls.

Likewise we too must be open to receive God's Spirit and obediently and patiently wait upon Him in faith, before we can put on the Righteousness of Christ to boldly stand before the Father and to courageously do spiritual warfare and win souls for Christ. This would be our Jericho experience.

Why did Elisha want the double anointing? To do greater works than Elijah for God. To stand in the gap for the people.

In the Old Testament times not all were worthy to stand before God to represent the people. Only the High priest and selected prophets who had the Spirit of God upon them, could stand in the gap for the people. If anyone other than the high priest were to enter the holy of holies, he would be struck dead immediately. Even the prophets could not enter the holy of holies but they could stand before God in their spirits and intercede for the people, because the Spirit of God was upon them.

Why do we need the Mantle of the Righteousness of Christ? We too need the mantle of the Righteousness of Christ to enter the holy of holies, to stand in the gap for the people.

The bible says, "We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," and that we are not worthy to stand before Him. But again the bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV, that 'God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.'

Therefore in the New Covenant times all baptised Christians have the right to stand before the all powerful, Almighty God, only when we are clothed in the mantle of the Righteousness of Christ. Thus every believer can come freely into the holy of holies countless number of times every single day without having the fear of being struck dead.

But sadly today, even when given that special privilege to enter the holy of holies, not many believers are grabbing the opportunity to do so. They do not recognise the power of that mantle. If only every believer used it, most people would have been saved by now.

Elisha knew the power of God which was represented through the mantle of Elijah. Because he knew it, he was able to operate in the double portion of Elijah's anointing with confidence and steadfsst faith in Yahweh, 

Likewise, do we know what power the mantle of the Righteousness of Christ holds for us? If only we know and believe that there is no power greater than the power in the blood of Christ, and know and believe that we have been clothed with the Righteousness of Christ, we would daily enter boldly into the holy of holies to stand in the gap for our families, the people of our nation and the nations of the world and do mighty supernatural exploits for God's Kingdom on earth.

Shalom
Mary Augustine

I vs God!

We know that the Fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness &  Self Control.

We also know that as Christians, the Fruit of the Spirit has to be outwardly manifested in us so that Christ can be glorified in us.

Therefore we try our best to manifest, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness &  self control in our lives and we end up getting frustrated. The more we try the more we mess up and we fail miserably.

Some of us might succeed in manifesting some of the fruits in our lives but again we end up wondering why people are not attracted to Christ through us.

Then again we notice people of other faiths manifesting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness &  self control in their lives and we wonder, what is the difference between us and them and  how Christianity differs from other religions!

Now if you have a strawberry and I have a strawberry it doesn't matter which strawberry is accepted by the seeker because both are strawberries and they are the same. That is the same principle explained by the people of the world today. "There are many paths to the One God," they claim.

But this morning during my personal devotion, God showed me a brightly shining sparkling, golden fruit and told me that when the Fruit of the Spirit is manifested in me, it would sparkle and shine like gold and Christ will be glorified in me. For that to happen I must stop trying and let God take over completely.

That made sense to me. That is how we will be different from someone of a different faith. That is how souls with be attracted to Christ instead of us. When you have a strawberry and I have a sparkling golden strawberry, it would make more sense for the seeker to accept the golden strawberry, for with it he can become rich.This is how more and more seekers will be attracted to the golden strawberries which we hold. 

Christ taught us by example to forgive countless number of times. He taught us to love our enemies and do good to those who hate us. He taught us to show the other cheek when someone slaps us. He taught us to go the extra mile while helping others.

Only when we truly accept Christ as our Saviour and let Him be the Lord and Master of our lives, can the Fruit of the Spirit be manifested in us and Christ can be glorified through us. Only when we surrender completely to the Will of the Father as Christ did and only when we crucify our ego on the cross and only when we ask the Father to burn all that is not of Christ within us, can we glorify Christ in our thoughts, speech and behaviour.

We must stop trying and let God take over completely. Christ will then be glorified in all His splendour and Glory before all men. That is when we believers will be able to win souls for God's Kingdom.

(Below, I humbly tried to replicate the fruit God showed me, but I  know I did not do any justice to what He showed me because the fruit in my vision was so bright and shining and so golden,  like a million cut mirrors and diamonds embedded on the fruit and it was pouring out God's glory in it's fullest essence.)

~Mary Augustine~

Anger Management -Part 1

It is so sad to see how people hurt someone in anger, without realising that they are belittling them in front of others. How anger blinds their eyes. How anger transforms loving, kind people into people without feelings, that they hurl all sorts of hurtful, hateful, demeaning, derogatory words at someone and then still feel justified.

What is it that makes her/him to act this way? Well I think it is the deep rooted hurt in her/him. Something that is deeply rooted in her/his  memory. Something that has wounded her/him so deeply. It also could be her/his upbringing and the words she/he has heard others use while reprimanding others.

So everytime a similar incident occurs or everytime a similar topic is spoken, it triggers her/his memory and all hell breaks loose. It could also be our own faults which causes that person to be angry.

Therefore in order to avoid such conflicts we must never bring up such topics before that person, if we know what triggers her/him. If it had been our fault, we must immediately ask for forgiveness and try never to hurt her/him again.

Secondly, we must never get angry with that person, although it is a natural human tendency to get hurt or feel insulted or feel misunderstood by her/him. Although we may feel that way, we must be in control of our feelings and pray during such moments.

Only the Holy Spirit can breathe new life into us and that person to heal all hurts, memories and all inner wounds. Surrender to God. We must first ask forgiveness from God and repent for our faults. Then forgive that person wholeheartedly for hurting us and then pray for deep inner healing for that person and for ourselves. God works miracles in Jesus' name. Trust Him.

Mary Augustine

Blessings from God's Word to be spoken over our children daily.

Blessings to be spoken over our children daily.   
The Word of God is a double edged sword and if we speak these blessings taken from God's Word over our children daily God will set them apart from the others and bless them mightily and they will be protected 24/7.

My child, __________
You are victorious in Christ, because the moment you hurt God, you repent and run back to Him seeking forgiveness. You also forgive freely and unconditionally in Christ, all who hurt you without harboring negative thoughts about them. You are able to love unconditionally as Christ loves and see everyone through the eyes of Christ. You therefore now are a saint, set apart for God. You have received forgiveness for all your sins, past, present and future, and therefore, there is no condemnation for you from God- and can never be!
(Luke 11:4; Hebrews 10:10,14-18; Romans 8:1)

My child, ___________
You are now a brand new creature in Christ Jesus. You have died to your old self & you have been made brand new. Therefore you are now able to walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus.
(Galatians 2:20; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4-7)

My child, ___________
You are now a part of God's Kingdom of Light. You are now seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, above all the power of the evil one and his demonic forces.
(Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 1:19-23; 2:4-6)

My child, ___________
You are accepted in Jesus the Beloved, just as you are - because God chose you for Himself before the foundation of the world. You have been washed clean by the blood of Christ the Lamb and are clothed with the righteousness of Christ Jesus. You have been adopted as God's dear child through Christ and are sealed by, filled with and anointed by His Holy Spirit, Who guarantees that you will live with God forever.
(Revelation 22:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 1:3-14)

My child, ___________
Your past and its consequences have been erased by the blood of Christ, for you have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and you repent everytime you hurt God and run back into His arms. Your sovereign God promises that He will cause everything in your life for good. You have been transformed into Christlikeness, into His image by the renewing of your mind and by contemplating the Lord's glory daily.
(Romans 8:28-30; Romans 12:2;
2 Corinthians 3:18)

My child, ___________
Jesus has won victory over, sin, Satan, sickness and death for you, therefore you are healed by His stripes, you cannot and will not die before God's appointed time for your home going. Jesus holds the keys to hell and death. You will fight the good fight, keep the faith, run the race, set before you, with Christ and will complete your earthly race victoriously and when you die, you will be peaceful and found in favour with God, and you will be immediately absent from this body and be present with the Lord Jesus, Who will award you with the crown of righteousness on that day.
(Revelation 1:18; 2 Corinthians 5:8-9; 2 Timothy 4:7-8)

My child, ___________
You have been made whole, healthy and prosperous in Christ.You can come boldly into His presence, to His throne and find His mercy, unearned favor and help in the time of your need. I see you doing this now. God has supplied all your needs in abundance according to His riches through Christ Jesus your Lord. His storehouses have plenty and you are receiving from Him all you need and more right now because you have no other gods (idols) before you, you love and honour God and walk in His ways obeying all His commands. You honour your parents and respect and obey your authorities. No eye has seen, no ear has heard & no one's heart has ever imagined all the things that God has prepared for you who love Him.
(Hebrews 4:16; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19; Exodus 20:1-17; 1 Corinthians 2:9;)

My child, ___________
I speak all the above promises over your life and declare & decree that God has put His fire (hedge) of protection around you. I declare & decree that you are covered by the blood of Christ. I declare & decree that you are walking under God's umbrella of protection. I declare & decree that you are resisting the devil and every temptation set before you and therefore the devil is fleeing away from you. I declare & decree that you are infilled by the Holy Spirit and His anointing overflows from you and touches and blesses all those you come in contact with. I declare & decree that no weapon formed against you will ever prosper. I declare & decree that God's army of angels stand guard around you always and fight all your battles for you. I declare & decree that all your bondages are broken and all the blessings, finances, honour, health and every good that you lost are restored back to you. I declare & decree that you are receiving your breakthroughs swiftly in Christ Jesus. I declare and decree that there will be open doors of opportunities for your future, you will walk through the right door through the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the right job,  for you to be joined with the right life partner, for godly friends and more blessings. I declare and decree that God has put his cherubims with flaming swords before every door which you must not enter through and shut tightly those doors forever. I declare and decree that you will obey the Lord and will not force through the shut doors. I declare and decree that the Lord has removed all friends who lead you away from Christ, those who bring destruction into your future and those who give you wrong advice.
I declare and decree that your spiritual eyes and ears have been open to God's vision for your future and to hear God's still small voice speaking to you. I declare & decree that you have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness and therefore God has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions. I declare & decree that God's Holy Spirit hovers over you and breathes His life into you and births the new life of Christ in you, bringing you to higher order, keeping your spirit alive in Him and in tune with Him, 24/7. I declare & decree that the Lord has prepared a table before you in the presence  of your enemies and He anoints your head with oil and your cup overflows with heavenly blessings. This is your heritage in our Lord Jesus. I pray this in Jesus' mighty name, receive it for you on your behalf and seal it with the precious blood of Jesus. Amen.

Be blessed as you bless your children.
(Mary Augustine)