Who really is this 'Comforter of the Afflicted' & 'Help of Christians'!

Whom do you turn to in the midst of a storm? Whom do you run to when you are in trouble and are afflicted? Jesus knew that you and I will need a lot of help in these areas. He knew that we, frail as we are, would always need someone who can comfort us, someone to whom we can run to when we are helpless, someone who will constantly remind us about what Jesus taught while He was walking among men in His flesh and someone who would alert us of the things to come.

Therefore before Jesus was arrested, scourged and crucified, before he died and was resurrected He gathered His disciples and told them that He will ask the Father to send them a Comforter, a Helper and a Guide.

Jesus did not tell them to go to His mother, Mary and ask her to pray for them. He did not tell them that when anyone of them dies and goes to heaven, the others can ask that person who is in heaven to pray for them or ask him or her for favours. By this time His earthly father was already dead. Jesus knew that His dad, Joseph will be with Him in heaven after His resurrection, once heaven's doors were open. Jesus did not tell them to pray a nine day novena to his dad to obtain favours from God.

Before we go any further let us know God's nature. God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient.

Omnipotent means all-powerful. God has supreme power. This means God can do what He wants. It means He is not subject to physical limitations like man is. Being omnipotent, God has power over wind, water, fire, gravity, physics, etc. God's power is infinite. His power is limitless.

Omnipresence means all-present. This term means that God is capable of being everywhere at the same time. It means His divine presence encompasses the whole universe. Being omnipresent enables Him to hear the prayers of every individual throughout the world, at the same time and answer each prayer individually.

Omniscience means all-knowing. God is all-knowing in the sense that He is aware of the past, present and future. Nothing takes Him by surprise. His knowledge is total. He knows all that there is to know and all that can be known.

Only God is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omniscient. Human beings alive or dead are not. We are finite beings and are limited in our powers. Even angels do not pocess these attributes of God. The bible says that only God knows our secret thoughts. That means  that only God knows what we wish for and what we pray in the silence of our hearts.

When we pray to Mary or the saints who are in heaven, they will not be able to hear us because they are not near us. When we say that they can hear, then we are saying that they are Omnipresent and Omniscient. If ten people around the world pray to Mary or any one of the saints at the same time will they be able to hear and answer everyone's prayer at the same time? By saying that they can, are we not saying that they too have God's attributes?

Jesus knew our human weakness. He knew that we human beings, if left alone will turn to other beings or images to pray to, to seek favour from and to worship. That is why He told His disciples about the Helper Whom He will ask the Father to send and  reminded them time and again after His resurrection but before His ascension not to leave Jerusalem before receiving this Helper, The Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is only given to those who believe in the life, death, resurrection and the saving power of Jesus Christ and who keep His commandments. He is the Helper of every Christian.

Let us read through the Words of Jesus.

John 14:15-17
English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[b] in you.

John 16:12-15
English Standard Version (ESV)

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

After His ressurection Jesus appeared to His disciples.

John 20:19-22 NIV
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” [20] After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. [21] Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” [22] And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:3-5, 8 NIV

[3] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. [4] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Jesus knew that we would need a Helper to be with us and in us, at all times. The disciples in the early church did just what Jesus commissioned them to do and prayed the way Jesus taught them to pray and sought the Holy Spirit for every need of theirs. Now all the martyrs of the early church surely went to heaven. The early church members could have prayed to the martyrs right? We don't read about Paul praying to Steven whom he ordered to be stoned to death, after his own conversion. Nowhere in the bible do we read of anyone praying to the saints in heaven.

Blessed is the one who heeds the Words of Christ and allows the Spirit of God to abide in himself and makes the Holy Spirit his best Friend.

The Holy Spirit Who is God's Spirit is Omnipotent, Omnipresent and Omnicient because He is the third Person of God. He has limitless power and the Bible shows us, all that the Holy Spirit can do for us.

Here, listed are some 33 ways in which the Holy Spirit helps us. These are by no means exhaustive. Nevertheless these 33 in this list, would enlighten us about the ability of the Holy Spirit Who resides in every believer of the Lord Jesus, every believer who continually repents and renews His relationship with Christ Jesus.

33 Things The Holy Spirit Does.

(This list, '33 Things The Holy Spirit Does' was adapted from the Charisma magazine.)

1. He helps us.(Rom.8:26)
2. He guides us.(John 16:13)
3. He teaches us.(John 14:26)
4. He speaks.(Rev.2:7)
5. He reveals.(1 Cor.2:10)
6. He instructs.(Acts 8:29)
7. He testifies of Jesus.(John
     15:26)
8. He comforts us.(Acts 9:31)
9. He calls us.(Acts 13:2)
10. He fills us.(Acts 4:31)
11. He strengthens us.
      (Eph.3:16)
12. He prays for us.
      (Rom.8:26)
13. He prophesies through us.
      (2 Pet.1:21)
14. He bears witness to the
       truth.(Rom.9:1)
15. He brings joy.(1 Thess 1:6)
16. He brings freedom.
      (2 Cor.3:17)
17. He helps to obey.
      (1 Pet.1:22)
18. He calls for Jesus'
       return.(Rev.22.17)
19. He transforms us.
      (2 Cor.3:18)
20. He lives in us.(1 Cor.3:16)
21. He frees us.(Rom.8:2)
22. He renews us.(Titus 3:15)
23. He produces fruit in us.
      (Gal.5:22-23)
24. He gives gifts.
      (1  Cor.12:8-10)
25. He leads us.(Rom.8:14)
26. He convicts us of our
       sins.(John 16:8)
27. He sanctifies us.
      (2 Thess .2:13)
28. He empowers us.(Acts 1:8)
29. He unites us.(Eph.4:3-4)
30. He seals us.(Eph.1:13)
31. He gives us access to the
       Father. (Eph.2:18)
32. He enables us to
       wait.(Gal.5:5)
33. He casts out demons. 
      (Matt.12:28)

Why do we need the Holy Spirit? We need Him because without Him dwelling in us, we will not know the mind of Christ and will not be able to function in the way God wants us to function. Without Him we will not have the power to fulfill the 'Great Commission'!

The Holy Spirit is God's Unadultrated Essence given to us Christians as a Gift to transform our distorted images into God's Image and Likeness.

My greatest desire is for everyone to come to the knowledge of God and allow the Holy Spirit to operate from within us and learn to hear His still small voice speaking to and guiding us.

Hope you found this article useful. Feel free to share it. God bless.

Mary Augustine
12th June 2015

The Secret of Fulfillment!

Pleasing God, must be the  priority in our lives. Only that, will birth the New Life of Christ in us and make us feel loved.

Pleasing ourselves and others to gain fulfillment, can become idolatry. God longs to satisfy us beyond our dreams, but before that He must be placed first in our hearts.

A wonderful example is Leah, Jacob's first wife. She was unloved by Jacob. Leah thought that if she pleased him, he will love her more, but Jacob continued to ignore her and love Rachel instead. Jacob did not love Leah. God saw that she was unloved and He gave her a son.

God's nature is to be drawn towards those who are unloved and who are hurting within.

Man's nature is the opposite. Man will move away the more you pursue him to try to win his love, and this is what happened with Leah and Jacob.

Leah was seeking fulfillment by trying to attain Jacob's love, and now her problem was becoming worse. For not only was she not attractive to Jacob, but her jealous acts seemed to be building up on her unloveliness. Thus she now became even more unattractive to him.

We can learn a great lesson from Leah's life. The more we try to win someone's  love and affection,  the more they will move away from us. Trying to do anything in our flesh will reap unfruitfulness. We need to do everything in God's strength. But even before that we need to be filled by God's presence.

Leah continued in her efforts to please Jacob but her efforts were futile. When Leah conceived the fourth time, she slowly became aware that although she was not loved by her husband, God loved her and she realised that God's love is the only thing that matters. Therefore she began to grow closer to God and began praising and worshipping Him and proclaimed, " I will praise the Lord" Genesis Chp 29 vs 35.  She named her fourth son Judah, which meant 'Praise'. It was from the tribe of 'Praise' that is, the tribe of Judah that Christ was born.

While Leah was busy seeking self fulfillment by pleasing her husband with her own efforts, God could not fill her with His fulfillment because she did not open herself up to be filled by God. God is a Gentleman. He will never violate our will. He waits patiently for us to open up to Him.

When Leah realised that all she needed was God, she began to praise and worship Him. It was then that God was able to remove her insecurities, fear, anxiety, jealousies and heartaches. God filled her to the brim and gave her complete fulfillment. She no longer needed the security of Jacob's love. God's love was sufficient for her.

Now let us look at the other perspective. 'Making others happy'. Brothers and sisters, no matter what we do or try to make our husbands or wives or children or bosses or colleagues or friends, happy by our own efforts, we will surely fail because we are not seeking God first. Only God can make one happy and fulfilled.

Let us look at the following analogies:-

1) A torch has an expensive bulb fitted in it. But only when it is charged it can shine on the beautiful scenery around it to make all the people around enjoy the scenic beauty and be happy. But if the torch is not charged, no matter how expensive the bulb is, no matter how extraordinary its finish is, it cannot shine and all those around will surely be unhappy in the engulfing darkness.

In the same way we need to be filled, charged by God first so that those around us can experience God's love through us and be happy.

2) Imagine a durian rolling over to people and trying to hug them! Won't the people run away in fear because of its thorny exterior? But when the vendor who sells it cuts it open, the sweet aroma of its yellow juicy flesh fills the air and people are drawn towards it.

In the same way we need the power of the Holy Spirit to remove our thorny exterior, to remove our addictions, our self seeking characteristics, our fleshly desires, our uncultured habits and our egoistic attitudes and bring out the beauty from within us so that others may see God's beauty of character in us and be pleased and happy with us and in our presence.

These days husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends are seeking to please each other by putting them on the pedestal instead of our Creator God and they are failing miserably in their efforts. Thus the reason for the rise in divorces.

Blessed is the person who knows the secret of happiness, and the secret is in seeking after God's heart, pleasing Him and resting in Him.

We need to soak in God's holy presence, read His Word and meditate on His Words daily without fail. Only then will we be changed and filled with the Holy Spirit in all His fullness. Only when we seek God will we be fully satisfied and know that we are truly loved by God in our filthy state. That will draw us to repent and seek pardon from Him and draw us closer to Him. Then our character will change from the inside out and God's presence in us will bring about a positive change in us first and in our loved ones next and bring us closer to one another in genuine unconditional love. We will then be bonded in love with Christ. Anything apart from Christ's love is not genuine.

God is waiting for us to surrender fully to Him. He is patiently waiting to fill us with His Spirit, to refresh us with a fresh anointing. What are we waiting for?

     Mary Augustine
Tuesday 9th June 2015

Father's Blessing.

This blessing was prayed over his children & spiritual children by John Paul Jackson. He just went home to be with our Lord in heaven on 19th Feb 2015. He is now communing with our Father face to face. Pls share this with all the Fathers and Fathers to be and all who are even intending to marry and become Fathers one day and also with all spiritual Fathers. So that they can can pray over their children/ unborn children / future children/ spiritual children, etc...

A Father's Blessing over his children is very important for their physical, mental and spiritual growth and well being.
~Shalom...MaryAugustine.

     THE FATHER'S BLESSING

May “The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

May you reach the purpose for which you were created. May you have courage above your peers. May you have more passion for the things of God than others think is necessary. May you dream more than others think is practical, and may you expect more than others think is possible.May you choose wisely, without earthly bias. You have people to influence that you have not yet met. You have lives to change that are waiting for your arrival. You are strategically placed wherever God takes you by His grand design, just so you can become all He made you to be. That place is the place you can best grow, the place you can be most fruitful, the place where the future is changed because of your presence. May you see vistas that others do not even know exist. May you see God in every petal of every flower and in every blade of grass for each of them are designed by His hand. May you bless your children and may they become giants in the faith under the mighty hand of God. You will not fail, you were made by God to be here for such a time as this. I pray this and I decree and declare this in Jesus' mighty name. Amen!

Forgiveness, Pain & Healing.

Before I begin, here is a quote from Kris Vallotton.

"Forgiving somebody who harmed you will release you to recover from pain but forgiveness, in itself, will not take away the pain.

  The process of forgiveness and the process of becoming pain-free are two separate things. In other words, just because I forgive someone does not mean that I don’t feel pain when they’re around.

Example: if somebody ran me over with a car and broke both my legs and I forgive them, I will still have to go through the painful process of getting well. The fact that my legs still hurt does not mean that I haven’t forgiven them. It does mean that the process of healing is not complete. I now need to take the needed action for my legs to be healed." - unquote.

Although it is right not to react in anger, enduring the pain or living with the pain is not the solution. It is plain ignorance. Just as healing must take place for the human body to become whole and healthy, healing must take place in our spirits and souls to make our spirit man whole, or else it will affect our relationship with God and others.

In relationships, if the person who hurt us is sincerely sorry, we must accept their sincere apologies and love them with the unconditional love of Christ. Albeit it is wise to be on guard so that the same hurt does not occur again. Yet we need to do that without shunning or rejecting the one who was sincerely sorry and who apologised to us. 

It is true that the memory of what happened will return when we see them.  Yet when we ask Christ to pour His love and forgiveness in us and through us to love them and to heal our memories, just as Corrie Ten Boom did, we will be able to love as Christ loves.(Read the amazing biography of Corrie Ten Boom). We will be able to talk to them with unconditional love and compassion. Just as, the memory of the accident returns initially and  over time it disappears and at times although it appears it does not appear with the pain with which it appeared once upon a time, so shall the hurts of the soul disappear with time with the help of God's Spirit.

We live in a world of imperfect people. Everyone makes mistakes in their lives. Although the magnitude of their mistakes may vary, a mistake is a mistake. Every mistake tiny or huge is obnoxious in God's eyes.

The Word of God says in
Romans 3:23 (NIV)
'for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,'

It also says in Isaiah 64:6(NIV)
' All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.'

Before an all righteous God even our most perfect act will look like a piece of filthy rag.

We as human beings forget our own mistakes but we  carry the magnified mistakes of others in our hearts. This will eat into our souls and weigh us down eventually. We must allow the Spirit of God to pour His healing balm into our souls to heal us of all past hurtful memories. Then we must pray for those who hurt us. This will speed up our healing process and this is exactly what Jesus wants us to do.

In Luke 6:28(NLT) Jesus says,
"Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you."

Even when the Pharisees wanted to stone the adulterous woman, Jesus did not condemn her. He said, "He who has never sinned throw the first stone at her!" He forgave her, told her that He does not condemn her and told her not to sin anymore. When she came back with an alabaster jar of perfume to anoint His feet out of gratitude, Jesus did not shun her or reject her but He said in Luke 7:47 “I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”

This my friend is what we as Christians must do after we forgive someone to heal our hurts. We must embrace them with love.

Who are we to withhold forgiveness? When Christ Himself forgave and loved unconditionally those who tortured Him and nailed Him to the cross, why can't we forgive and love? Are we greater than Christ? 

Now a word to those who are sincerely sorry for your mistakes but are shunned or rejected by the ones you offended...

You have done your part by repenting before God and the ones you offended. Now if those persons do not want to have anything to do with you, reject you or shun you, do not be dismayed but know that your Father in heaven has forgiven you, clothed you with the righteousness of Christ and accepted you as His own child. You on your part have done the right thing. You are  right before your Almighty Father. Now give your feelings of rejection to Him and begin to pray for those whom you have hurt that they will come to the full knowledge of Christ and be healed of their hurts. Pray unceasingly for them till they are filled with the Spirit of forgiveness and unconditional love.

May the Holy Spirit guide you in  your peace making efforts and in all you think say and do. I pray this in Jesus' most precious name. Amen!

Mary Augustine

Blessings spoken over our children / spouse / loved ones

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

My child/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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 and without judging 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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
You are now a part of God's Kingdom of Light. You are 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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
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/spouse/loved one (name of the person),
I speak all the above promises & I decree & declare all the following promises and blessings over your life...God has put His fire (hedge) of protection around you; You are covered by the blood of Christ; All accusations made against you, all negative thoughts thought about you, all negative words and reports spoken against you, all judgemental, demotivating, derrogative, demoralising words spoken to you, all gossips gossiped about you, all curses spoken over you by anyone, especially by your parents, spouse, siblings, spouse's parents, in laws, teachers, leaders, pastors, medical doctor, bosses, employers, colleagues, friends and all authority figures, be bound and be made null and void and destroyed in Jesus' name and I cast them and all fear, anger, bitterness, worthlessness, self loathing, self blaming, depression and worries caused by these negative words, out to be burnt into ashes in Jesus' mighty name. I decree & declare that you have found favour with God and man, that you are walking under God's umbrella of protection and in complete health of mind, emotions, body & spirit in Christ Jesus; You are resisting the devil and every temptation set before you and therefore the devil is fleeing away from you; You are infilled by the Holy Spirit and His anointing overflows from you and touches and blesses all those you come in contact with; No weapon formed against you will ever prosper; God's 12 legions of warrior Angels stand guard around you always and fight all your battles for you; All your bondages are broken and all the blessings, finances, honour, health and every good that you lost and every lost second of your life are all restored back to you by God's 12 legions of restoration Angels;  You are receiving your breakthroughs swiftly by God's 12 legions of breakthrough Angels in Christ Jesus. I decree and declare that there are open doors of opportunities for your future before you and you are walking through the right door with the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the right job,  for you our unmarried children  to be joined with the right godly Christian life partner, for close godly Christian friends and abundant blessings and for our every breakthrough ; God has put his cherubims with flaming swords before every door through which you must not enter and shut tightly those doors forever; You will obey the Lord and will not force through the shut doors. I decree and declare that the Lord has removed all bewitching friendships, bewitching relationships, bewitching acquaintances and all of your friends and acquaintances who lead you away from Christ Jesus and His ways and He has removed those who bring destruction into your life and your future and those who give you wrong advice; Your  spiritual eyes and ears have been opened to God's vision for your future & to hear God's still small voice speaking to you; You are transformed into God's child of faith and a person of total dependency on Him alone; You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness and therefore God has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions; God's Holy Spirit hovers over you 24/7 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; 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 and you are a blessing to all around you. Therefore no weapon forged against us will ever prosper in Jesus' mighty name. God is raising you up to be His watchman, a compassionate intercessor who will stand in the gap for God's people, a mighty warrior of God, a passionate worshipper who seeks after God's heart, a prophet of God, an evangelist bringing people into God's kingdom through the knowledge of Christ Jesus. 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/spouse/loved ones.

Mary Augustine

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