Walking with an Undivided Heart with our First Love!

How do we walk with an undivided heart, intimately with Jesus daily? The best way I know of is to read and meditate on the Word of God and to talk with the Holy Spirit and with Jesus and the Father throughout the day reexamining and reflecting on our ways.

The Old Testament and the New Testament are seamless. "The Old Testament is in the New Testment revealed and the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed," said Chuck Missler. Jesus often quoted the Old Testament to reveal Who He really IS, but the one track minded Pharisees and the priests did not recognise Him. Do we recognise Jesus in God's Word and in our lives? Do we know Who He really is? Jesus asked His disciples, " Who do you say I AM?" He asks each one of us the same question! Who is Jesus to us?

Yes, the Bible says, "Jesus is the only Way, Truth and Life! He is the door to the Father. No one goes to the Father except through Him. He is The Word of God. He is the Son of God. He is our Saviour. He is our Healer. He is our Provider. He is our Redeemer. He is our Salvation and our Hope. He is...He is...He is...BUT...Who is Jesus to ME? How real and how personal is He to me?  These are the questions we must ask ourselves. If we don't check ourselves daily, our hearts will easily become divided and eventually turn cold.

In our zeal to follow Christ, we look up to pastors and church leaders and at times, our own parents for spiritual guidance. Many times we are bewildered by their preaching, teaching and way of living which do not match. Who or what then do we follow?

In Matthew 23:2,3,12
Jesus said to the crowd and his disciples: 2 " The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practise what they preach.......12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

In Deuteronomy 13:1-5 and in
Deuteronomy 18:18-22,  God warns His people about the false prophets.(Go and read it)

   Yes just as in the old and the new even now there are those who operate in their giftings but they in their humanity start expecting something, other than Jesus and the eternal life, in this life. That is why they use it for the wrong purposes. They abuse their gifts. Prophets prophecy in two ways. In the supernatural and the natural. In the supernatural, when they get a revelation from God. But they sometimes use this same  prophecy in the natural when they use it for their gain. Pastors and leaders start off on the right foot but along the way , when their hearts become divided, they draw people to themselves instead of the Lord Jesus. They get drawn into the prosperity gospel which causes disillusionment to the sheep.

Now, everything boils down to our motives. No one knows our secret thoughts. Only God. In Matthew chapter 24:36 to  chapter 25: 1-46, Jesus talks explicitly about how we will be judged and who will be sent to their eternal damnation. So we must be very careful in speaking, doing and even thinking... Why am I doing this? Why am I saying this? Why am I thinking these thoughts? How do I benefit spiritually? How can I help those around me and those under my charge spiritually? Would this put me in the right standing with God? How would this benefit my soul and spirit? Am I pleasing God through this? Am I leading others who see and hear me, to Christ? Am I feeding spiritually nourishing food to those under my charge? Am I a prayerful watchman who is fully prepared and equipped with God's anointing? Do I pray for those around me and under my charge and do I keep a prayerful watch at all times? Am I fully utilizing my talents, however little they may be to win souls for God's kingdom? Because God has given me talents according to my ability. Am I keeping short accounts with God? Am I seeing Christ in each one I serve? Do I help and serve Christ in others whomever they may be, whatever rank they may come from, without expecting gains or returns of any kind?
This is what we will be judged on when we meet Jesus.

Judas was greedy for money and was thinking of gains even as he was with Jesus. His heart was divided. Although he was in the inner circle of Jesus with the other 11 apostles, he was shrewed in worldly ways and had his heart leaning towards monetary gains.  His spiritual eyes and ears were blinded by his desire for worldly gains. Therefore he conveniently did not hear or did not remember all that Jesus told them about what would happen after his death on the cross...about his coming back in three days! Peter denied Christ but when he realised his sin, he wept bitterly but did not despair. Whereas Judas despaired and took his own life. If only Judas was really living in the Presence of Jesus at every moment he was with Him, hearing Him and internalising His Words, he would have known that Jesus would rise again, he would have repented and waited for Jesus and would have fallen at His feet.

Jesus told Judas, in
Matthew 26:24 NLT For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!"
That means the way Jesus was going to be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver was already predicted in Zechariah 11:12,13.
Jesus knew that He would be betrayed, but He also knew how Judas would die after that, taking his own life in despair and remorse. That is why He mentioned that it would have been better if he had never been born.

People, prophets, leaders, pastors, parents...in the old testament, in the new testament and even now, want to walk in the right path. Some know how. Some are still seeking and growing. Mature Christians must show the way. We may fail but we must keep re-examining ourselves and our walk with God daily and at every moment and set our bearings right. We learn right and wrong from the fall and rise of others especially from the Bible characters, our parents  and the leaders in our spheres of circle. We must pray for wisdom and discernment as we examine their lives and instead of judging them especially our pastors, leaders and parents, we must pray for them and we must keep reexamining our lives and guard our hearts to avoid falling into similar or worst pitfalls. In order to do that we must devour the Word of God like real food daily and walk in God's presence, communing with Him at every moment.

Judas was a man of divided heart. The enemy uses people with divided hearts even today. That is why guarding our hearts from placing one foot here and the other foot there, is very important. The disciples who abandoned Jesus and ran away when He was arrested in the garden of Gethsemane and Peter who denied knowing Jesus, ran away and denied Him out of fear, but in their hearts, Jesus was still their first love. But for Judas it was not the same. Jesus was not his first love, money and material gain was.

All of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but  instead of being like Judas, despairing in remorse, let us weep bitterly and repent like Peter and cling on to Jesus, our first Love, Who is The Only Way to God our Father. Let us welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives daily and ask Him to teach and guide us because He was sent to us, for this very purpose by the Father at the request of Jesus our Saviour.

Let us walk reflectively and intimately with our First Love, Jesus, with an Undivided Heart, daily!

A Life Well Lived in Christ Jesus. (In Memory of my dear aunt Beatrice John)

A Life Well Lived in Christ Jesus.
(In Memory of my dear aunt Beatrice John)

It has been a week and a half of sadness. We lost my Aunt Beatrice on 27th July 2016, whom we lovingly called Betty Chitti. 'Chitti' in Tamil means, 'mum's younger sister'. She has 5 sisters. All are in India except for my mum and aunt Betty. Now three are gone to be with the Lord. I have three aunts in India.

She married my dad's older brother. It was an arranged marriage and a match truly made in heaven. He was in Singapore and she in India. It was my parents who matched them up. They were the only siblings of my late parents, I had in Singapore. Now I only have my uncle John, whom I lovingly call 'Periappa' meaning 'dad's older brother' here with me. 

Looking back at her life, I praise and thank God that I was a part of it. She was a lady full of love and adored her husband and only son Anthony whom all know as AJ. She showered the same love on her daughter in law and her two grandsons Gerald and Justin.

In my early years when I was in secondary school, both my sister and I used to go over to her house for lunch twice a week during lunch break and she lovingly cooked for us and served us joyfully. I remember the dresses she used to sew for us and every Christmas she used to get my youngest brother Francis new shirts.  As her son grew, she occupied her time by giving tuition to many many many children, most of whom are all married and have their own children. She was an exceptionally dedicated tutor, going all out to buy them assessment books and teach them till they understood. She used to have parties in her house every children's day for her tutees whom she regarded as her own kids. Her dining area used to resemble a classroom. She was very resourceful and a true entrepreneur in many ways. Whatever she put her hands to, she did it with devotion and dedication. She cared for others and she prayed fervently daily. My holidays during my youth, were spent in her house. She was a fantastic cook. Even lately while her health began to deteriorate, she quickly taught her recipies to her domestic helper so that my uncle John will get to taste her delicious recepies daily, even after she was gone. 

Her only regret was that I did not visit her as frequently as I used to after I had kids of my own.
But I am glad that I spent the last couple of months with her as often as I could, telling her that I love her. She in turn will reply that she loves me. This was a daily thing we exchanged endearingly while she was in Yishun Community Hospital. I am glad that I spent her last precious moments with her, stroking her head and singing to her while she breathed her last, as her son and grandsons stood around. Two days before she passed on, she sang Alleluia, Alleluia,  Alleluia and when her son asked her why she was singing, she said that she was singing with the angels whom she saw singing up there. Tony my cousin has recorded that for memory. Without a doubt I know she is in heaven with Jesus. She will be rejoicing and singing eternal Alleluia's to God Almighty with all the angels and saints now. She has left a legacy of love, blessings and faithfulness to her loved ones.

As I reflect on her life, I reflect on my own. What legacy am I going to leave behind for my loved ones. Material goods will corrode and devaluate as time goes by. What do I want to leave behind? 

God's Word says, ...
Proverbs 20:7 NLT
The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children who follow them.

Proverbs 11:21 NLT
Evil people will surely be punished, but the children of the godly will go free.

Psalm 37:25 NLT
Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.

Isaiah 54:13, 17 NLT
I will teach all your children, and they will enjoy great peace. [17] But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken!

Yes I want to live a godly life and leave an inheritance of God's abundant blessings for all my children, descendants and loved ones. That is what will last.

God's promises are always, 'Yes' & 'Amen'. They are always fulfilled, in the lives of those well lived in Christ Jesus.

Mary Augustine.
7th August 2016

Why do people continue to sin?

There are 7 groups of people in this world.  All of us sin. No one is perfect. But 6 groups are those who continue to sin not considering sin's consequences and it's impact on their lives and the lives of others around them. Only one group repents as soon as one realises that one  has hurt a loving and compassionate God and does one's best  to avoid hurting Him in future.

Now let us see who the above mentioned 6 groups of people are.

1. The first group of people are those who do not believe in God or an eternal after life. Since they believe that they disintegrate into nothingness after they die, they seek to enjoy their lives to the max, while still alive. They seek to enjoy all forms of pleasures and acquire all wealth irregardless  of the methods used or people they hurt along the way. All they are concerned about is, themselves. 'Each man for himself!' is their motto.

2. This second group of people are those who believe in re-birth on earth. They are those who believe that they will be born as an animal or human depending on how they live now on earth. They come from many diverse religions. They pray to many gods.  They seek to enjoy all they can while still being a human being on earth.  "What if I am born as a goat or an ant in my next birth, I won't be able to enjoy this or that. Of course there are those who do not want to be born as an animal, bird, reptile or insect, but as a human being. So they try to do charitable works and many sacrifices like fasting etc to avoid punishment, for their sins which they commit now, in their next birth on earth.

3. This third group believes in a special place called purgatory where they will go after they die, provided they are Catholics. They believe all their sins will be purged in purgatory and then they will enter heaven spotlessly clean. Since this place gives them the guaranteed assurance of heaven, they don't worry about their sinful habits, as long as they are Catholics. They also believe that the prayers and sacrifices  of their loved ones on earth who are still living on earth will get them to heaven from purgatory faster. Long ago, prayers were sold by popes for money to help souls get to heaven in a much shorter period. These prayers were called indulgences. Then they also believe that when they ask the mother of Jesus and the saints to pray for them on their behalf, Jesus will answer their prayers immediately and that they will be saved in this manner although they continue in their habitual sins now.

4. This fourth group of people believe that once they accept Christ Jesus, their past, present and future sins are all forgiven and they are saved. So they continue in their sinful habits as they believe they are saved by God's grace. They believe that God already knows their future sins and Jesus died for all their future sins also. So if they commit adultery, God has already forgiven their sin 2000 years ago. So it is OK. They believe that no sin can separate them from Christ Jesus and that they need not as for forgiveness. They say that is being, 'Sin Conscious'.

5. The fifth group are also Christians but they believe that they are saved only by their works. So although they sin they are not greatly worried because they believe that the good works they do will wipe away their sins.

6. This sixth and last group of people who continue to sin are those who do not care two hoods about heaven or hell. They can be of any religion. They don't even follow their own religious practices properly. They just want to enjoy life while on earth. They believe that their conscience is their god and at times they subdue their conscience and continue to do what they like. If they get into trouble they try to justify their actions by killing their conscience.

The only group of people who do their best to avoid sinning further, are those who love their Saviour Jesus Who died a cruel death in their place and bought them salvation by shedding His blood. They are not afraid of God, but they are afraid that they will hurt Him. They are afraid to lose Him. These are the imperfect people, sinful people who repent and run into His arms when they do something wrong. They  tell Him they are sorry and they resolve never to hurt Him by sinning again. They live a well balanced life of good works and faith in Christ. The only thing which sets them apart from all the others is their immense love of Christ Jesus and fear of hurting God.

So again, Why Do People Continue To Sin? My answer is, They don't know Jesus, or they do not know Him well enough yet. They don't have an intimate relationship with Him. Then for the many who dabble with the dark forces, that are so afraid of God and they run away from Him.

~Mary Augustine~
        01/07/16

If you have it...just flaunt it!!! Do you agree?

"If you have it, just flaunt it" I heard someone say and the person who said it was a female and a Christian to my utter dismay!

'Our body is the temple of God...', the bible says in 1 Cor 6:19.  

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NIV

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; [20] you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Shouldn't we then as Christians treat our bodies with holy reverence and keep it modestly covered?

In today's world we see men and women who are extremely liberal in their thinking and dressing. What is indecent for one person may be perfectly normal for another. Where then do we draw the line?

Where do we keep our cash in the wallet unexposed or outside exposed? If then we keep what is important to us hidden, shouldn't we keep the sacred parts of our bodies covered?

What was worn in the bathrooms and bedrooms are being worn publicly in the name of 'Summer Wear', 'Poolside Wear', etc. Even many office workers and teachers and even sadly those worshipping in church on stage seem to have the code of dressing blurred.

The term 'looking SEXY' was created by worldly men. Why do we need to dress sexily? Are we appealing to the lust in men? Why are we Christians following the evil patterns of this world? 

It is so heartbreaking to see the difference between a prostitute and a lady of morals being blurred by the modern way of dressing these days.

Many think that if you become a Christian, you can dress liberally. They associate Western body revealing dressing to becoming Christian. This is wrong thinking.

Sadly I see many Christian girls whom I know personally, exposing parts of their breasts, their tummy, their back, their thighs in the name of modern and liberal dressing, either exposing those parts or wearing tight, figure hugging clothes to expose those parts. They proudly take selfies and post their photos wearing revealing clothes on facebook and instagram for all the world to see. 

In the olden days girls did wear fashionable clothes but their dressing was modest. Now with modernism all hell is breaking lose in women's apparel. Should not Christian women be role models to all others instead of embracing the worldly way of dressing ? Will Jesus be happy with you flaunting what you have to the whole world? Please think carefully. 

I know many will not agree with me because you have been used to this kind of dressing all your life. You see, when you grow up wearing skimpy shorts and plunging neckline singlets at home it will seem OK to dress that way before others. Aborigines in the mountains and forests wore nothing and they were OK with it. But when they got educated they too covered up.

Even figure hugging skin tight clothes reveal your entire body shape and makes one wonder why you even bother to wear anything when only the colour is different but your body is exposed for all to see. 

I see mothers and their daughters walking with t-shirts barely covering their thighs and their shorts are hidden. It makes one wonder if they are even wearing shorts. I see mothers shamelessly walking with 'shorts' which actually resemble an inner garment (it is that short and figure hugging) walking with their teenage sons.

Don't get me wrong. I am not judging anyone. I am just appealing to you Christian ladies to dress modestly according to God's Word. Do not be a cause for someone to sin because of your dressing. Treat your body as God's holy temple. Let your beauty be revealed to all through the perfume of the Holy Spirit's fruit in you:- Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control; not the way the world, the commercials and the media want you to reveal yourself. What I say will seem harsh to many and I know you may dislike me but I am not worried if you get angry with me. Just be right with God. Do not encounter His wrath. Jesus Himself has warned us in the verses below, "Woe to that person through whom they (temptations) come!"

Matthew 18:6-7 NIV

“If anyone causes one of these little ones---those who believe in me---to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. [7] Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!

Do you know how beautiful you will look with your body appropriately covered? You will look stunning and God will be pleased with you.

The Word of God says, in Romans 12:2 "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." 

We need not go to extremes in covering ourselves. We should dress appropriately and modestly to avoid leading others into temptation by your dressing. 

Reveal what needs to be revealed to your husbands. Not to the whole world. 

What thrill do we get in exposing our bodies by wearing revealing, skimpy clothes or even figure hugging, tight clothes? Both are ugly and sinful in the eyes of Almighty God. Both lure men, women and children to sin. 

Therefore let us be aware of how we dress and ensure that God Almighty is glorified through us.

In countries with hot tropical climate we can still dress comfortably and cover our bodies  without revealing them and luring others into temptation. There are many cool and comfortable materials out there.

Let us Christian ladies always remember this:-

Proverbs 31:30 NIV

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

~ Mary Augustine ~

June 23rd 2016

Prayer for our Nation Singapore

Father God we surrender ourselves and every single family member and  everyone we are acquainted with and all whose names are in my book of life and prayer box, into Your hands. As we begin to pray for the variois districts in our nation Singapore, cover each one of us with the blood of Christ and place Your fire of protection around us. Send forth Your 12 legions of warrior angels to battle for us against the principalities, powers, wicked rulers, dominions and strongholds in the high places.

I pray over ___ districts.
May our home and every home, neighbourhoods, churches, educational, medical and  community institutions, homes for the aged, entertainment centres, shopping malls,  government buildings, offices, all islands belonging to Singapore and our country be protected at all times from the schemes of evil people and manipulative spirits, destructive spirits, oppressive spirits, spirits of depression,  from deadly sicknesses, violence, gangsterism, drug dealings and terrorism and may there be no cry of distress, in our home, our neighbourhood, our churches, every district I pray for and our land, Singapore.
I decree and declare that all pubs, immoral and harmful places of acivities, all places, buildings where satanic and occultic activities are carried out be shut down immediately. May the atmosphere over all these places be cleansed and purified and may every bondage over these places be broken in Jesus name. Tear down and destroy all strongholds over all the districts and our homes. May all these places and everyone who lives there and all who go to visit these places  be covered with the precious blood of Christ Jesus and filled with God's holy presence always.

I pray for the children, teens and youth that they will have the right Christian mentor to guide them in the way of Christ. May the children and youth grow up firmly founded in Christ Jesus. May they honour, respect and obey their parents and authorities. May they be protected from the filth from social media. 

I pray for the elderly, the lonely and the sick. Heal, strengthen and comfort them.

Father. I pray for married couples and  marriages. Help every married couple be pure and faithful to their spouses. Restore unstable and broken marriages.

Protect all pastors, leaders  and members of the churches in these districts  from deception, compromise and sin.

Restore a passion to follow Christ Jesus in all backslidden believers. Lord renew the passion in them to pray, read the bible, worship You Father corporately and privately, to walk in Your way and to win lost souls. Give them an unquenchable thirst for You so that they will never ever backslide again.

Help every false teacher to repent and turn back to Jesus. Holy Spirit my dearest Friend hover over all these areas and our homes and breathe the new life of Christ into every dry bone there.

We pray for all foreigners who come here to work and make Singapore their first or second home. Bless them and their families. Help them work faithfully and hard and help to contribute to the peace, joy, harmony of Singapore and  help to increase Singapore's economy. Help them live harmoniously with us Singaporeans and respect our values and our Asian culture. Help no Singaporean to lose a place in the higher educational institutions or lose a job because of the foreigners.

We pray for the import and export trade industries and pray for protection of our harbours, airport terminals, customs checkpoints on land and sea. Place You Cherubims with flaming swords to guard these places Father.

May we Your children be productive in our strategic job scopes, suffering no mishaps, jealousy of others, accusations or failure in bearing and may our businesses suffer no losses.

Blessed are we to whom such blessings fall. Blessed are we whose God is the Lord!

We make our prayer in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen!

New Song:-Jesus, Your Presence is all I need!

New Song- Jesus, Your Presence is all I need

Let me lay my head on Your chest Lord
Wanna hear every tiny heartbeat of Yours
Every precious whisper of Your heart Lord
Will reveal each desire 'n longing of Yours

Never wanna leave Your side Lord
Just wanna be in Your sweet embrace
Where fear will flee 'n gloom turned to glee
To be secure 'n calm in Your tender embrace

Chorus
Jesus, Your Presence  is all I need
It's Your Presence Lord that I seek
In Your Presence Lord I'll n'er be weak
I want to hear Your every heartbeat.

Never wanna hurt You my Love
Never will grieve You Spirit of God
Wanna keep Your temple clean
Want You to be my Lord and King

Sweet Jesus hold me tight
Let me not wander from Your sight
Speak oh Lord 'n I will hear
Command me 'n I'll go far  'n near

Pour Your living water, refresh me
Give me strength so mightily
To be all You want me to be
Lord I come, use me for Your glory

Wanna do what Your heart desires
Wanna tell the lost of Your undying love
Wanna bring the lonely to Your side
Wanna mend broken hearts 'n lives

Lyrics by Mary Augustine
Music by Lawrence Vimal Augustine

A Letter to my Spiritual Children

My child, fear not. We are placed on earth for a purpose. We have to run our race victoriously inspite of the trials we face.

In your walk of life you will meet many kinds of people. Understanding people is a skill. No one or nothing can pull us out of God's hands when we understand people.

 
Yes, my child, people are people whether they are pastors or church leaders or just family or friends.  Whether they are your employers or employees, educated or not educated. Everyone has a heart and a mind and a free will. It is how they use it, that will determine their course of life.

To get along with others whomever they may be, you need Christ in you. To work alongside with them, you need Christ in you. To manage their temperaments, you need Christ in you. 

Many people think that they can make it on their own. The Babylonians thought just that, when they built the tower of Babel. Time and again it has been proven that man can't make it on his own. He needs God. People who climbed to the top without Christ in their lives have had a terrible fall; worst than Humpty Dumpty's.

Now, many will say all gods are the same, but only have different names. But we know, don't we? Only Christ came as a man and died for our sins and resurrected and is now seated on the right hand of the Father, interceeding for us. Only Christ Jesus said, "I Am The Way, The Truth & The Life! No one comes to the Father, except through Me!"

No one else suffered and died for us, no one else died and came back to life and no one else in history said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me!"

Either, Jesus is telling the truth or He is a liar. Either, we believe Him or we don't. 

Heaven and hell are real. Where we go when we die, to be there for ever and ever and ever and ever, for all eternity, depends on our decision now.

When we stand before God when we die, we will be standing alone. No one will be beside us. No father, no mother, no brother, no sister, no friend. Alone we shall stand, to give Him an account of every second of our earthly life. How are we going to feel then? As one who has completed his earthly race successfully? Or as one who failed miserably? As one who has conducted his life well? Or as a loser who has handed over God's gifts which were lavished upon us to the devil? Are we going to experience joy when we meet our Creator God? Or are we going to be fearful and hide in shame because of our spiritual nakedness? We must decide. Decide NOW!

Next, my child, we must surround ourselves with people who have the same passion to run the race with the Holy Spirit. Only then will they help us if we fall or fail. People of the same mind will think alike. When we are too long with people who are not interested about Jesus and what He taught, if we are too long with people who are only interested in this life and it's affairs, we will soon begin to be saturated with their thinking. We will begin to think and act like them.

We must make a conscious effort to surround ourselves with friends who are passionate about winning souls for Christ in the marketplace. I am not saying all Christian friends have a passion for Christ and for winning souls. Not all Christians are following Christ. Not all Christians are disciples of Christ Jesus. There are many Christians who have backslided and are in need of help.  And what about non-Christian friends? Although they may be of excellent character, kind, compassionate, honest, patient and good, they will not have a passion for winning souls for Christ because they do not know Him themselves. 

I am not saying that we must not have friends of other faiths. What I am saying is that we must be soaked in Christ so that we can be influencers instead of being influenced by them.  We must first of all have a living, ongoing and intimate relationship with Christ. Our thoughts, our speech, our actions must reflect Christ, in order for them to be transformed and for us to resist temptations to sin.

We must have friends, but keep work friends at work. Do not meet up with them too often. All other friends, keep at arms length, but pray for them. Remember it is not a coincidence that God places people in your circle of influence, be it work or outside. We are responsible for their souls and need to pray for them. Pray and with the Holy Spirit's leading share the Good News of Christ with them. But first of all be an exemplary follower of Christ because they will follow what you do and say and their coming to Christ greatly depends on your modeling after Him.

Next, keep selected friends who are good Christians, who are passionate about going to heaven and about winning souls for Christ, only those who are disciples of Christ. Meet up with such friends at least 2 to 3 times weekly. Read God's Word together with them. Check one another's Christian walk and correct one another's speech and actions to help one another walk in the narrow path, to walk in morality, in Christ's path to reach heaven. Select your Christian friends carefully.

Then also be very careful when selecting a life partner. Do not fall for anyone who talks sweetly or entices you with her/his looks, words, money or rich lifestyle. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to send you the right person. Your partner must be one who loves Jesus more than you and must be one who has a passion to save souls from perishing into hell. Take time to select, because a wrong choice will bring countless miseries into your life and please do not blame anyone for your choice.

The right life partner is vital. If you marry an unbeliever how is he/she going to help you raise your kids in the way Christ taught us to? There will surely ensue a struggle between you both and this will be a cause of dissension and marital problems. Then seeing that, the kids will either grow up hating God or following your partner's religion, if he/she is successful in teaching then his/her ways. Oh, for them to grow up knowing and loving Christ intimately, and walking in His footsteps, you must work a trillion times harder than, if you marry a believer who loves Jesus and knows Him intimately. (You dad and I are believers and we love Jesus and strive to walk in His ways. And...I am still travailing in prayer for you my children) 

When will be the best time to decide to tie a knot? When you yourself are well settled, when you are able to work and are able to earn well to support a family on your own instead of depending on your spouse or parents. When you have earned, saved and have taken care of your parents (who brought you forth into this world and made numerous sacrifices for you) for several years, before you are joined in matrimony with your partner. What we do now, we will reap in our future. So do not neglect your aging parents.

Again pray daily, select your army of friends carefully and let God select a partner for you.

Pray not only for yourself but also for your parents, brothers, sisters, friends and all whom Christ has put in your life. Pray not only for their health and material needs but pray also for their spiritual needs; that they will know, love and serve Christ and be in heaven for all eternity. We have a responsibility towards our family members and all whom Christ has put in our lives. Jesus said the punishment of those who lead others astray will be great. So we must lead them to Christ through our thoughts, words and actions and not away from Him.

Many things we go through in our lives now are the consequences of our past actions and decisions. Whether we did them knowingly or unknowingly, purposely or playfully or ignorantly or because of others. Outsiders will not suffer the immediate consequences for our actions and decisions but we and our family members will. So think before you decide on anything; choice of enjoyment, choice of the type of relaxation, choice of friends, choice of education, choice of job, choice of a life partner etc. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. Include Him in your planning. He is our best friend and guide.

We are made of body, soul and spirit. Physical death is sad but not frightening. Spiritual death is extremely frightening, it means separation from God for all eternity. For our spirit to be alive in God we must have an ongoing relationship with Christ Jesus, we must be filled with the very Life of God, Who is the Holy Spirit. He lives within us. We are His temples. Let us keep God's temples (body,  soul, spirit) free from smelly filth  and keep them clean so that the Holy Spirit can reside in a perfumed and clean temple. Having a perfumed body but smelly soul will sadden God's Spirit Who is in us.

We who have known Christ Jesus, know the truth. So therefore let us continue to worship, praise and thank  God day and night for everything in our lives. Let daily dig deep into God's Word to feed our starved souls and let us constantly communicate with, talk to our best Friend, the Holy Spirit Who is the Only One Who has the Power to Save us. Please, let us not let anyone stop us from running our race faithfully, to go to heaven. Remember! It is our race, not theirs. So run it well with  the Holy Spirit in Jesus' Name!

If you think you have walked far away from Christ Jesus, run back to Him. When we realise our faults and run back to Father God in Jesus name,  although we may have stopped thinking about Him, talking to Him, worshipping Him or stopped reading God's Word, or even done somethings which He will not approve of, when we go back to Him and tell Him we are sorry, He will run towards us, welcome us with open arms and make all the wrongs in our lives right. Run back to Him my child and then, all your affairs, job, education, life partner etc will be ordered and secured by Him. You will be protected from the evil one and its temptations.

I pray the following and believe and receive it for you in Jesus name my child.

God's  hedge of protection will be around you always. You will be the head and not the tail. You will succeed in every good thing you do. The work of your hands will be blessed abundantly. You will be a leader in your field and will lead countless people into God's kingdom. You will obey and respect authority. You will honour your parents. You will be successful, prosperous and healthy all your life. You will be a blessing to all those around you. Heaven's storehouses will always be open above you and your family and loved ones and you will have no lack in your life. No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. Every word that is spoken against you, you will refute it in Christ Jesus. Every accusation about you and every negative word and curse hurled at you will be null and void in Jesus' Name. When your enemy rises up against you, he will stumble and fall. When fear tries to tell you lies about who you are and who you are not, it will fall on deaf ears. When sickness and disease try to attack your body, it will flee from you seven ways. When doubt tries to confuse you, it will meet the faith in your spirit and break every assignment waging war against you. I declare this in Jesus name! Amen!

My child, I want to be with you in heaven singing praises to our God & King, our Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity.

Love you lots & lots.
Your Mum in Christ Jesus.