Hope, US Blog

Hope For The Future – Liberating Letters

May 11, 2022 Future by Percy Parakh

Romans 8:18-30 NIV

Present Suffering and Future Glory

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that^[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who^[b] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Tactics, US Blog

The Enemy’s Tactic Is To Entice People To Believe His Lies

May 11, 2022 Lies by Percy Parakh

The enemy is not everywhere. He can only be where there is an opening for him. The enemy doesn’t know everything, and he doesn’t know what you think.

He only knows what you say. So watch what you say. If you say, “I hate my life and I don’t want to live anymore,” the enemy will help you get what you say you want.

Or if you say, “I know I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, and God will enable me to live the life He has for me because I pray in Jesus’ name,” the enemy is powerless against your prayers in Jesus’ name and can do nothing.

The enemy is not even close to being as powerful as God. Only God is everywhere, all-knowing and all-powerful. Keep that firmly in your mind.(Excerpt from Stormie’s book, “The Power of Praying Through Fear”)#ThePowerofPrayingThroughFear

Real Jesus, US Blog

Why You Might Not Be Worshipping The Real Jesus

May 5, 2022 American gospel by Percy Parakh

The real identity of the church is in proportion to her identity with the real Jesus. But, too often, the believer’s identity is with things pertaining to a form of Christianity based on doctrinal fads and theological biases or a leader’s personality—shaped within a “Christian” subculture built on its own ideals, philosophies, and traditions, combined with a particular brand or flavor of God created in our own image, and not with Christ Himself.

“It seems to me that, if we get one look at Christ in His love and beauty, this world and its pleasures will look very small to us.” —D.L. Moody

“Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and to bring Him nearer to our own image.” —A.W. Tozer

“There is a God we want, and there is a God who is … And they are not the same God.” —Patrick Morley

“As a child, I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. No one can read the gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” —Albert Einstein, Saturday Evening Post, Oct. 26, 1929

“The wicked have fashioned a god who will not hold them accountable.” —Carter Conlon

“Too many Christians want a manageable, domesticated Jesus who makes no demands on their time, money, words, social life and sexuality. In the midst of this great and growing deception, God is looking for uncompromising believers who are committed to proclaiming the truth of the gospel and not the counterfeit Jesus of Western Culture.” —Anonymous

“Too many of us have constructed a “god in a box,” a god whose job is merely to pander to our needs, desires, and ambitions.” —Anonymous

“We offer a motivational, pep-talk, feel-good, self-help, personal-empowerment Jesus rather than the Jesus of the Scriptures, and, in doing so, we damn our hearers rather than deliver them.” —Dr. Michael L. Brown

“Sadly, I think many in the community of believers cling to an Americanized gospel which equates what is biblically true and reliable with being part and parcel of various right-wing political agendas. Actually, Christianity itself in the U.S. and many other nations has been interpreted (and by virtue of this) rewritten to gel with sentiments and ideas that actually run contrary to what the Messiah taught and advocated (Torah-based Judaism), e.g., unbridled capitalism and the greed it is predicated on and the corruption it engenders and promotes.

I dare say if Yeshua HaMashiach physically visited most American churches, He would not recognize what was being taught and advocated as being remotely like what He articulated and lived.” —Dr. Anthony G. Payne

In order to have the true image of Christ built into your spirit, you must consider the entire body of His life, example and teachings. For instance, if you focus only on the account of Jesus going into the temple and overturning the tables of the moneychangers in a fit of righteous indignation and driving them out of the temple with a whip, you would be led to believe that Jesus is angry with people day and night.

Your image of Him would be that He is looking for a reason to punish you instead of bless you. Having this mindset of the Son of God would make you think of Him as a religious fanatic filled with rage, which puts Him closer to being a candidate for anger-management classes. This image does not inspire love, faith and praise in the human heart.

On the other hand, and this happens much more frequently, if you focused your image of Him on His encounter and exchange with the adulterous woman whom the scribes and the Pharisees wanted to stone, you probably would come to the conclusion that Jesus never gets angry, never judges, and is just the sweetest, most gentle person.

This image would probably cause you to act presumptuously, believing that Jesus always understands you and your sinful issues and will let you get away with anything. This mindset would eventually lead you to believe and live in an unscriptural mercy. In the West and nations that have been influenced by the false Western gospel, this is the image of Jesus most are familiar with, and their conduct is derived from such a one-sided perception.

Yet neither conclusion would be right within itself, because both sides are Him, and we can know Jesus and His person only as we study the full body of His life and teachings.

If most Christians represented the real Jesus, many people would more easily believe in Him, for, when He is presented in the true light of the Scriptures, the average human heart would be irresistibly drawn to Him.

What we behold is what we eventually become.

When we behold the glory of the Lord as in a mirror (this means, at least in part, to behold Him in the mirror of His Word and by the Spirit’s unveiling of Him to your spirit), we will be gradually transformed by the Holy Spirit into that same glory and reflect the brightness of that image out to the world.

“But we all, seeing the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, as in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Cor. 3:18).

Many are convinced that they are faithful Bible believers but, in fact, worship a feel-good, self-help, motivational, and manageable Jesus — one which the Bible refers to as “another Jesus” (1 Corinthians 11:4)—one contracted from an idolatrous image they’ve built up in their minds, based on sentimental Western values.

This counterfeit Jesus makes no demands on their time, money, words, social life or sexuality. In the midst of this great and growing deception, God is looking for uncompromising believers and real disciples who are wholeheartedly committed to proclaiming the real Jesus.

Are you serving the Americanized version of Jesus or the real, biblical Jesus?

When we see Jesus as He is, glorious and altogether worthy of our deepest loyalties and affections, deserving of our total focus and supreme attention, we will catch fire inwardly and burn with holy fear, as the two did on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:31-32). Then a holy hunger for the Word will grip our hearts, and we will proclaim Him as He is.

This is an excerpt from the fourth book of a compelling tetralogy called The Real Jesus.

Freed, US Blog

Freed From The Past – Liberating Letters

May 2, 2022 Past by Percy Parakh

Romans 6:1-14 NIV

Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? ²By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?

³Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? ⁴We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

⁵For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. ⁶For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,^[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— ⁷because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

⁸Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. ⁹For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

¹¹In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹²Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

¹³Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. ¹⁴For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

New Normal, US Blog

Pray We Go To A New Normal

May 2, 2022 Pray by Percy Parakh

I PRAY WE DON’T GO BACK TO NORMAL

1. I pray that the next time a friend grabs me and pulls me in for a hug, I actually take the time to appreciate the gift of their embrace.

2. I pray that when school resumes and people are dropping kids off, they take the time to thank the staff for the amazing gift that they give to our community.

3. I pray that the next time I’m sitting in a crowded restaurant I take the time to look around at the smiling faces, loud voices and thank God for the gift of community.

4. I pray that the next time I’m standing in church listening to the voices of praise and worship that I take a moment to thank God for the gift of congregation.

5. I pray that the next time I see a person or situation that needs prayer, I hope I pray as passionately and fervently as I have these past few weeks.

6. I pray that when I am at the grocery store that I take a moment to thank God that He provides us with the necessities of life and the amazing people who work so hard to keep us supplied

7. I pray that I never again take for granted the ability to hop in the car and visit a friend, go to the mall, go to a gathering, etc. So, truth is, I don’t want things to return to the way they once were. I pray that we take the lessons and challenges of the past few weeks and create a new normal. My goal is to pray more, love harder and truly appreciate the daily abundance of blessings that were so easily overlooked just a mere few weeks ago.

Be Blessed Today!** copied and shared **

Individualism, US Blog

Individualism, Enemy Of The Church

May 2, 2022 Enemy by Percy Parakh

INDIVIDUALISM – ENEMY of THE CHURCH by Andrew Strom

We live in an utterly individualistic and “self”-oriented age today. I’m sure few would disagree. Every advertisement appeals to ‘self’ in some way. We are taught from childhood to be completely self-contained, reliant on no-one, living in our own little bubble where we decide exactly what will take place.

We are often frightened to commit to any particular group or cause, any particular leadership. The modern man is an “individualist” to the core. “Don’t ask me to join or commit! And don’t tell me how to live my life!”

But all of this, of course, is the exact opposite of “Body”. It is the exact opposite of ‘Community’. And thus the exact opposite of the true Church. And yet millions upon millions of Christians today (especially in the West) are just as “individualistic” as the next man. Sometimes even more so.

As noted previously, the very first sentence used to describe the early church says: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”(Acts 2:42).That is the very picture of a BODY – not a pile of “individualists”.

They have GIVEN themselves to a group and a cause – a group with real LEADERS who are anointed preachers from God. But it is almost anathema for a modern person to give themselves to any group in such a way. We are far too suspicious and individualistic and untrusting to ever do such a thing.

And thus the question must be asked: Is it even possible to have a true “BODY” in our day? Is “CHURCH” (in the true sense) even a concept that we can understand? Or have the media and our entire culture so “individualized” us that true ‘Body’ is no longer possible?

You know, Christianity is not designed to be lived out by a pack of “individualists”. And half-committed “building-attenders” on Sunday mornings are not it either. Christianity is designed to be lived out CORPORATELY – the “Body of Christ” – an entity that can be seen and observed by people – full of the glory of Jesus.

A Body that corporately carries all the words and power and love and miracles of the King. So how on earth can such a “gathering” take place? How can the scattered remnant of today come together to form such a Body?

Well, it all starts with the anointed “word”. You notice in the above verse that these people gathered around a very specific thing – “The apostles’ doctrine and fellowship”. It is an anointed apostolic “word” being preached that is a crucial element in all this.

From such a ‘word’ everything else follows and comes into alignment. But the big question is – Could today’s “individualistic” types bring themselves to form a real ‘Body’ – even if such a word was being preached? Or is individualism so ingrained that even ‘apostolic’ preaching might not bring this about?

These are questions that every one of us should be asking ourselves if we ever hope to be part of a true movement of God in these Last Days.

Hope, US Blog

The Hope You Need – By Charles Swindoll

Apr 24, 2022 Change by Percy Parakh

The Hope You Need by Charles R. Swindoll

Hebrews 6:19 Somewhere along the many miles of southern California shoreline walked a young, 20-year-old woman with a terminal disease in her body and a revolver in her hand. She had called me late one evening. We talked for a long time.

A troubled young woman, her mind was filled with doubts. She had advanced leukemia. The doctors told her she would not live much longer. She checked herself out of a hospital because, as she put it, she “couldn’t take another day of that terrible isolation.

“Her husband had left her. Her two-month-old daughter had recently died. Her best friend had been killed in an auto accident. Her life was broken. She’d run out of hope.

She and I spoke calmly and quietly about what was happening. I did a lot of listening. There were periods when there was silence on the phone for thirty to forty-five seconds. I didn’t know where she was. I still don’t know her full name.

She spoke of taking her husband’s revolver and going out on the beach to finish it all. She asked me a lot of questions about suicide. In what seemed an inappropriate moment . . . I felt peace, a total absence of panic. I had no fear that she would hang up and take her life.

I simply spoke very, very quietly about her future. I made no special promise that she would immediately be healed. I knew that she might not live much longer, as her doctors were talking to her in terms of a very few weeks—perhaps days.

I spoke to her about Christ and the hope He could provide. After a sigh and with an ache that was obvious, she hung up. Thirty minutes later my phone rang again. It was the same young woman.

She had a friend who was a nurse, who used to come to our church. The nurse had given her a New Testament in which she had written my name and phone number and had said, “If you really are in deep need, I think he will understand.”

By the way, the nurse—her closest friend—was the one who had been killed in the auto accident. She had nothing to cling to from that friendship but memories and this Testament. She read from it.I said, “What does that little Book say to you?”

“Well, I think the first part of it is biography and the last part is a group of letters that explain how to do what’s in that biography.” (That’s a good analysis of the New Testament.) I said, “Have you done that?” And she had called back to say, “Yes, I’ve done that.

I decided, Chuck, that I would, without reservation, give myself to Jesus Christ. I’m still afraid; I still have doubts. I still don’t know what tomorrow’s going to bring, but I want you to know that I have turned my life over to Jesus, and I’m trusting Him through this. He has given me new hope . . . the one thing I really needed.

“It’s very possible that someone reading these words right now feels the very same way. You’re thinking thoughts that you have never entertained before, and you’re thinking them more often and more seriously.

Without trying to use any of the clichés on you, I would say that this hope Christ can bring is the only way through. I have no answer other than Jesus Christ. I can’t promise you healing, nor can I predict that your world will come back right side up.

But I can promise you He will receive you as you come in faith to Him. And He will bring back the hope you need so desperately. The good news is this:

That hope will not only get you through this particular trial, it will ultimately take you into God’s presence when you die because you have received the gift of eternal life through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ your Lord.

Liberation, US Blog

Experiencing Liberation – Liberating Gospels

Apr 23, 2022 Gospels by Percy Parakh

John 8:31-38 NIV

Dispute Over Whose Children Jesus’ Opponents Are

³¹To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

³²Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

³³They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

³⁴Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin.

³⁵Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever.

³⁶So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

³⁷I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.

³⁸I am telling you what I have seen in the Father’s presence, and you are doing what you have heard from your father.^[a]”

Citizenship, US Blog

Our Citizenship Is In Heaven

Apr 23, 2022 Heaven by Percy Parakh

1 John 2:15-17 King James Version (KJV)

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Philippians 3:20 New International Version

²⁰But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 11:8-10 NIV

⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Peace, US Blog

Seek The Peace Of God At The First Sign Of Anxiety

Apr 23, 2022 Anxiety by Percy Parakh

When God tells us not to be anxious about anything, it’s not the same as someone telling us to “cheer up.”

It’s not the same as when something terrible happens and a friend says, “Don’t worry.” God is not just saying, “Forget about it.”

He is giving us the solution. He says we should pray about everything and give praise and thanks to Him. When we do that, He promises to give us His peace that is beyond all comprehension.

That means we will have peace even when it doesn’t make sense. That kind of peace will protect our heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-8).(Excerpt from “The Prayer that Changes Everything”)
#ThePrayerThatChangesEverything

Eternal Hope, US Blog

The Eternal Hope – The Liberating Gospel

Apr 19, 2022 Liberating by Percy Parakh

Matthew 28:1-10 NIV

Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

⁵The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Road, US Blog

Which Road Will You Take?

Apr 19, 2022 Eternal Life by Percy Parakh

2 Corinthians 6:17 (KJV)

17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 (KJV)

3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

Romans 12:2 (KJV)

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Titus 2:11-14 (KJV)

11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Strengthen, US Blog

Eat, Pray, Strengthen

Apr 19, 2022 Eat, Pray by Percy Parakh

“When the time came, Jesus and the apostles sat down together at the table. Jesus said, “I have been very eager to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:14-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Eat, Pray & Strengthen one another in Christ! Jesus prepared his disciples for what was about to happen. He was eager to impart faith and strength to them because what they were about to witness would surely shake them to their core!

He disclosed that one of the friends would betray him and would suffer a miserable end. But then he turned to Peter and told him that he was about to fail big time! But that he would repent, recover and then strengthen others.

We can take Christ’s example and prepare those we minister to. As pastors and leaders we see far ahead of the rest. This godly insight helps us to prepare ourselves and others by building faith, strengthening and by giving hope!

Like in the time of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, we are living in a very dark day and it’s about to get worse. We have the opportunity to sit at the table to eat, pray, share insight, give hope and strengthen those that minister alongside of us. Let’s take advantage of these opportunities and strengthen one another in Christ!

Humility, US Blog

A Leader With Humility -Liberating Gospels

Apr 6, 2022 Leader by Percy Parakh

Matthew 21:1-11 NIV

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, ²saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

⁴This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

⁵“Say to Daughter Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”^[a]

⁶The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. ⁷They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. ⁸A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna^[b] to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”^[c]

“Hosanna^[d] in the highest heaven!”

¹⁰When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

¹¹The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Judgement, US Blog

Judgement Is Turned away Backwards

Apr 6, 2022 Backwards by Percy Parakh

Genesis 6:5-22 King James Version (KJV)

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.

And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Resolve, US Blog

The Resolve To Remember – Liberating Passover

Apr 6, 2022 Remember by Percy Parakh

Deuteronomy 8:1-11 NIV

Do Not Forget the Lord

8 Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land the Lord promised on oath to your ancestors. ²Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.

³He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. ⁴Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.

⁵Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you.

⁶Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him. ⁷For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills;
⁸a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

¹⁰When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.

Adversaries, US Blog

My Eyes Have Seen The Defeat Of My Adversaries

Apr 6, 2022 Defeat by Percy Parakh

Psalm 92 NIV

1 It is good to praise the Lord and make music to your name, O Most High,
2 proclaiming your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night,
3 to the music of the ten-stringed lyre and the melody of the harp.
4 For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands have done.
5 How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts!
6 Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand,
7 that though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be destroyed forever.
8 But you, Lord, are forever exalted.
9 For surely your enemies, Lord, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.
10 You have exalted my horn[b] like that of a wild ox; fine oils have been poured on me.
11 My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes.
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, “The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Celebration, US Blog

Celebration Of Completion – Liberating Passover

Apr 6, 2022 Completion by Percy Parakh

Ezra 6:13-22 NIV

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

¹³Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence. ¹⁴So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.

¹⁵The temple was completed on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

¹⁶Then the people of Israel—the priests, the Levites and the rest of the exiles—celebrated the dedication of the house of God with joy. ¹⁷For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering^[a] for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.

¹⁸And they installed the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their groups for the service of God at Jerusalem, according to what is written in the Book of Moses.

The Passover

¹⁹On the fourteenth day of the first month, the exiles celebrated the Passover. ²⁰The priests and Levites had purified themselves and were all ceremonially clean. The Levites slaughtered the Passover lamb for all the exiles, for their relatives the priests and for themselves.

²¹So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it, together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the Lord, the God of Israel.

²²For seven days they celebrated with joy the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because the Lord had filled them with joy by changing the attitude of the king of Assyria so that he assisted them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Checking, US Blog

Checking For Worms – Roger Helle

Apr 6, 2022 Worms by Percy Parakh

ROGER’S REFLECTIONS: “Checking for Worms!”

For years when we lived in Omaha, I took great pride in having a well maintained lawn. We fertilized and watered it. We pulled weeds and the result was a beautiful green lawn. One summer I noticed a brown spot in my grass at it gradually sloped down to the sidewalk.

Assuming the problem was lack of water, I began to water that area more. The spot kept growing and I kept watering Finally, I got down on the ground before my yard floated away and pulled up a section of the grass. I discovered worms (actually they were grubs, but it’s my story) eating the roots!

You see, I was treating what I “thought” was the problem (dry grass). But the brown spots on the lawn was only a symptom of a deeper, root problem ( see how I did that, root problem ). The real problem was worms

! Sometimes life is like that. We spend so much time putting out fires in our jobs, school, home, marriage and raising children (who eventually became teenagers and nothing you can do to stop it!) and even in our churches. We become emotionally drained because we not getting to the root of the problem.

Sin is a root problem. It can manifest itself in many ways. For many of us, it’s easier to try to put out fires than to get to the root of the problem. Because confession is good for the soul, I have to confess I did that in my marriage for WAY too many years. Even after I was saved, and worse, in full time ministry!!!

While in many ways our marriage was good, it took me way too long to allow my wife to freely express herself. I was defensive because of insecurities in my heart I had never allowed God to heal. There were certain issues Shirley had to walk on egg shells around me.

My defensiveness was a symptom of a deeper heart issue. Fear of not being “enough.” Not being a perfect husband or father, or a leader!!!) I don’t know about you, but I find there are some lessons that the Lord taught me way back, that I need to be reminded of. The most important lesson is there are no perfect people! I will tell you that I have met several perfect people over the years.

They are NOT fun to be around! But that’s for another time. So if there are no perfect people, why do we spend so much time trying to be something we can never achieve? It will flat wear you out. Secondly, there is a verse we all need to have implanted in our soul.

I John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive our sins and cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness. ” Is that good news or what! It says He forgives ALL sins, not just some. So quit putting yourself on a self imposed exile because you thought your sin was beyond God’s ability to forgive! He hung the stars in the Heaven’s.

And YOUR problem is to big for Him? Get real. So this week, do a little examination of your heart. Make sure that you don’t have worms! But if you do, call upon the Lord who loves you and forgives you of every confessed sin.

One last suggestion. Don’t go worm hunting in someone else’s yard! Let God kill your worms and live a godly life to everyone around you! Your testimony will speak volumes!

Something to pray about!

Projects, US Blog

Support For Needed Projects – Liberating Passover

Apr 6, 2022 Support by Percy Parakh

Ezra 6:1-12 NIV

The Decree of Darius

6 King Darius then issued an order, and they searched in the archives stored in the treasury at Babylon. ²A scroll was found in the citadel of Ecbatana in the province of Media, and this was written on it:

Memorandum:

³In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem:

Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its foundations be laid. It is to be sixty cubits^[a] high and sixty cubits wide, ⁴with three courses of large stones and one of timbers. The costs are to be paid by the royal treasury.

⁵Also, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and brought to Babylon, are to be returned to their places in the temple in Jerusalem; they are to be deposited in the house of God.

⁶Now then, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and you other officials of that province, stay away from there. ⁷Do not interfere with the work on this temple of God. Let the governor of the Jews and the Jewish elders rebuild this house of God on its site.

⁸Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop. ⁹Whatever is needed—young bulls, rams, male lambs for burnt offerings to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and olive oil, as requested by the priests in Jerusalem—must be given them daily without fail,

¹⁰so that they may offer sacrifices pleasing to the God of heaven and pray for the well-being of the king and his sons.

¹¹Furthermore, I decree that if anyone defies this edict, a beam is to be pulled from their house and they are to be impaled on it. And for this crime their house is to be made a pile of rubble.

¹²May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

Category: US Blog