365 Blessings- February 5

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

In the book of Esther we read of a wonderful blessing that God bestowed upon the Jews who feared annihilation because of a deadly plan by a man called Haman who had decided to wipe out every Jew. God overthrew his plan and instead of pain and death, they were blessed in this way as we read in Esther Ch. 8
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor. (Esther 8:16)

Darkness, sorrow and belittling were replaced by light and joy and honor.
How remarkable.
Esther, Mordecai and the Jews fasted and prayed and God brought a total reversal of things as they were to be.

So do not despair because of the circumstances you are facing. Go into God's presence with prayer and fasting and God will stretch forth his hand to bless you just as King Xerex held out the golden scepter for Esther.

King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman's estate. Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him. (Esther 8:1-4)

Jesus loves you and he will give you light and joy and honor just as he gave it to Esther, Mordecai and the Jews.

365 Blessings- February 4

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you." (Exodus 15:26)

A promise from God to the Israelites in the wilderness. The key words for them in this verse were- listen carefully....do what is right....pay attention....keep all decrees......
Most of them later on neither listened carefully, nor did what was right, nor paid attention and neither kept his decrees. They suffered as a result. Some of the curses resulting in sicknesses for not keeping God's commands are outlined in Deuteronomy Ch. 28.
The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. (Deuteronomy 28:22)
The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. (Deuteronomy 28:27)
The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind. (Deuteronomy 28:28)

That's a nerve shattering list...and there's more in that chapter.
The point that God stressed upon the Israelites was- If you obey me, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you.

There are other verses too that affirm that God heals our sicknesses.

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits - who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, (Psalm 103:3)

He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave. (Psalm 107:20)

Well, He is still the God who heals, whether someone believes it or not. He's not changed...He is the One and Only Unchanging God. 

365 Blessings- February 3

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)

Referring to the Antichrist, Paul the Apostle here says that Jesus will destroy him by the splendor of his coming. The end of this age will see the final conflict between good and evil, God and satanic forces.

The Apostle Paul writes to the Thessalonians:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)

Of course the fate of the satanic forces is sealed as is written in the Word of God.
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. (Revelation 20:10)

The Bible also says,
If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

The Lake of Fire is the second death. Only those whose names are found in the book of life and who overcome will escape the second death.
He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. (Revelation 2:11)

Is your name in the book of life? If yes, you are blessed and you will enter your eternal home in heaven when God calls you. If you are not sure that your name is in the book of life, take a decision today to live for Jesus. Repent of your sins. Accept Jesus as your Savior and Lord. The Bible says,
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. (John 1:12)
Your decision is vital.

365 Blessings- February 2

When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." (John 11:4)

The story starts in this manner: Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." (John 11:1-3)
That's when Jesus said the words in the verse above.

Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death." A promise from the master for the sisters.

The sisters must have been happy on hearing that. Perhaps they must have told a few friends and close relatives what Jesus said. They must have reassured Lazarus that he was going to recover.

But alas! Lazarus died....How shocking it must have been for the sisters. The many questions that must have hounded them. The many whispers they must have had to hear about them telling others that Jesus had said that Lazarus would not die. The gall of it all being that Jesus didn't even come and visit Lazarus or pray for him.

Well, Jesus had a surprise in store for them. And no one other than their Master & Lord knew it.
Who would have imagined that this man Lazarus who was dead and his body kept in a cave would be brought back to life? That too after 4 days of dying.

"Take away the stone," Jesus said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" (John 11:39, 40)

That sounds preposterous, doesn't it? But this was no ordinary man speaking into the air. This was the Son of God, the one who said, "I am the resurrection and the life."

And then...the miracle...Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"
The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." (John 11:43, 44)

Imagine the aahhs...and the ohs....that could be heard. The rejoicing and the hugs. That's my Lord Jesus for you, even today.

Now what's that thing you were saying is impossible in your life?
Remember my Lord's words: “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?”
Will you believe? Good!!!

365 Blessings- February 1

The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. (Isaiah 51:11)

Are you frequently haunted by painful memories of the past? The injustice that was meted out to you. The gall and bitterness of it all. How could it happen? Why did it happen?
Does God hear you and see you sighing regarding it?
Yes he does. And he wants to comfort you this day.

Remember, he heard the cry of the Israelites in Egypt and put an end to their misery by setting them free. He also brought them back from captivity in Babylon even though he had decreed that punishment for them because of their sins.
Regarding Israel the Lord had this to say though they did not follow him whole-heartedly:
Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:20)

The Lord's heart yearns for you, he has great compassion on you. He will give you so much of love that gladness and joy will overtake you, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

Another great promise that the Lord gave the Israelites is found in the book of Joel:

'I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten - the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm - my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed. Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. (Joel 2:25-27)

Trust in the Lord. Live for him. He will never leave you nor forsake you.