Strongholds and Strangleholds In his second letter to the Corinthians in chap 10:4 NIV, Apostle Paul tells the church: The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. Contemporary English version translates this as: We live in this world, but we don’t act like its people or fight our battles with the weapons of this world. Instead, we use God’s power that can destroy fortresses. Strongholds are... Read more
Being A Brother In the book of Romans in the Bible, there is a simple but telling portion in its sixteenth chapter from verses 21 to 23: Timotheus my workfellow, and Lucius, and Jason, and Sosipater, my kinsmen, salute you. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord. Gaius mine host, and of the whole church, salutes you. Erastus the chamberlain of the city salutes you, and Quartus a brother. It is significant that the Apostle Paul adds... Read more
Who or What is an Underdog The word underdog was originally used in dogfighting around 1887, to refer to a dog defeated in a fight. Anyone who is at a disadvantage, whether in general or in a particular situation, is said to an underdog. In sports or any in a competition, the person or team considered to be the weakest and the least likely to win it’s common to call the team that’s expected to lose in a game the... Read more
Vision and Dream An important idea that is touted today is that one must have dreams or visions, and work to fulfill them. Basic difference between visions and dreams is that the former occur when awake, while the latter happens when asleep. According to sources, dreams go unplanned and remain unreal, and visions are real ideas with concrete applications. Again, visions and dreams are different things, since vision is usually a very specific idea of what you want to accomplish... Read more
The Priceless Commodity of Loyalty Loyalty is the quality of being loyal and the strong feeling of support and allegiance. It is staying steadfast, not vacillating with opportunity, opinion or opposition. It is standing by and sticking your team whatever the circumstance and irrespective the cost. Loyalty bestows integrity and causes you not to be like the foam or froth that doesn’t stick to anything but is quickly blown away. Loyalty is the one attribute most prized and appreciated by... Read more
Calamity Comment I happened to be reading the book of Obadiah around the time a major calamity hit one of the prominent leaders in my city. He and his family went through the tragic loss of a beloved child in an unexpectedly horrific accident that shook them all. It was a day of extreme distress and trouble for this family that hurt them deeply. I was privy to the details of the case since my father was the local investigating... Read more
Battle Mode In Ephesians 6:10-16, there is one part of the body that doesn’t seem to be covered by the armor: the back. The apostle Paul, after describing the various portions of the armor of God, concludes with a request to pray for him and his team that they would be granted the boldness to speak the gospel (Eph. 6:18-20). Prayer is needed not only to activate the armor, but also to provide protective armor and cover for the others’... Read more
Transition times Transition is a change or shift from one state, subject, place, etc. to another. August is usually a time of transition, with parents and students negotiating the move from and to various levels of education. Climatically also it is the season of wrestling with the dog days of summer before autumn sets in the Northern hemisphere. Tove Jansson declares “August is the border between summer and autumn”. August in the Southern hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of February,... Read more
Rest and Vacation When we travel by road and cross places where repair work is being done, we normally see the sign “CAUTION. MEN AT WORK”, but we never come across a sign that says “TAKE CARE. MEN AT REST”. Probably the only place we can expect to see something similar is at a cemetery, as an epitaph! In the fast-paced activity-prone, post-modern world of today, rest is probably the most neglected and sidelined aspect of life. The word rest... Read more
Family Talk My son-in-law (actually a son than a law) and I often take time to discuss about the ministry and work of God, since both of us happen to operate within the realm of the church. Our repartee would bring insights and growth that enhanced us both. Being at different ends of the age spectrum, as iron sharpens iron, we crystallize and shape one another’s understanding that causes expansion in our thoughts. In one such recent colloquy, we were... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In