by PH International | Jul 10, 2018 | Christian Walk, Healing & Freedom
We often read and quote about Abraham and Sarah in the Bible, but there’s one more important character in their story whom we miss out. The story of the Egyptian slave Hagar in the Bible is a story of brokenness until she encounters the true and living God, “who sees her”.
As a young girl, one day Hagar finds herself given away as a slave to an Israelite childless couple. To be known as somebody’s slave is heart-breaking – no matter how rich, kind or God fearing your owners are. You have no freedom of action, no right, no will. And that was the beginning of Hagar’s brokenness.
Then one day Sarai, her mistress has an idea. She urges her husband Abram to lie down with Hagar. Suddenly this young beautiful girl finds herself next to a man, probably as old as her father.
And she gets broken further.
Soon the news is out – Hagar is pregnant. At this point I feel Hagar is fighting mixed emotions. She was broken because after all that she went through, she was still unsure of what the future holds for her and the unborn baby in her womb.
And she was in her moment of ‘success’ because she was able to bring forth what Sarai couldn’t after decades.
Genesis 16:4 says When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
Brokenness – Jesus = Bitterness
Another version says, when Hagar knew she was going to have a baby, she became proud and treated Sarai hatefully.
Here is what I want to draw your attention to.
Hagar was broken, but her brokenness was exclusive of God. You see, when Jesus is not a part of your brokenness, it becomes bitterness. Like it happened with Hagar, she became very bitter in her heart against Sarai and this overflowed in her actions towards her.
Similarly if Jesus is not a part of your success then there is every danger of pride creeping in. Hagar in her pride, reacted as the world would, and eventually she suffered the consequences of her behaviour.
But praise God, in His mercy, He rescued her and gave her a promise that still stands true today.
What does it mean?
No matter what season of life you are going through, invite Jesus into it. Cast your brokenness upon Jesus because He cares for you, like no one else. Share your heart to Him and allow His Word to seep through every crevice of pain and crack within you. And you will find that His grace will be sufficient for you. The Bible says that He is yet to deny a broken and a contrite heart.
Similarly yield your so called success to him. Always walk in humility and thankfulness and God will give you more grace, for He exalts those who are humble.
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by Pastor Kim DSouza | May 24, 2018 | Healing & Freedom
Struggling with Menstrual Pain & Disorders? Break Free Now!
I remember visiting my native place when I was in my pre-teen years. During this time, my mother and I went to visit a house nearby and as we were about to leave, I heard someone screaming in pain. This was not an ‘ordinary scream’ but almost as if someone was in intense labour pain. I ran in the direction of this cry, only to see a young girl slouching on a cot and weeping and screaming in pain. Later on, I came to know that she was suffering from menstruation cramps.I didn’t know much about menstruation at that time, but it definitely seemed to be a traumatic experience that I or any other girl could do without.Praise God, I never had to battle with any menstruation issues, but the reason I am led to share about this topic on our blog is because I sense it will set many of you, who are struggling, free!
Young women don’t talk openly about it, but statistics reveal that up to 80% of women report having some form of menstruation disorders including painful cramps, excessive bleeding, prolonged periods etc.If you are one of them, I believe God wants to heal you right now!
…. And here’s the key
Your healing is hidden in the confession of your mouth
You need to confess what you need to get it
The Bible says in Job 22:28, You will also declare a thing, and it will be established for you.First things first – While there may be things that you may not like about your period, not everything about it is negative. In fact, every cell and activity in our body is a testimony of God’s perfect work. As the Psalmist proclaims: For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. (Psalms 139:13-14)Menstrual cycle is a beautiful way designed by God for the hormones in a woman’s body to remain balanced. Regular periods also provide vital information about the reproductive system, metabolic system, thyroid glands and bone health in one’s body. Medical experts say that when menstruation stops for longer than 90 days in the absence of pregnancy or breastfeeding, a medical evaluation should be taken as a number of health problems can occur.Wow!That makes me value my periods, rather than grumble about it. And what I value and appreciate- I don’t feel sad about it, nor do I feel fearful or condemned.Much of thinking with respect to menstruation is shaped by the media or the stories of women around us. And as you think in your heart, so shall it will be for you (Proverbs 23:7). We need to renew our mind with the Word of God and not think, say and act as the world does.As opposed to fear, pain, discomfort, inconvenience and ‘cleaning up’ mentality, I encourage you to value and bless your body during the menstrual cycle. Stop complaining or allowing your emotions to rule over you, rather fill your mouth with thanksgiving and praise.Instead of saying, “I am in my down days” or ” I am bound to feel depressed or emotional during my period”, declare loudly : Body, I bless you. Thank you, for you are working as God has meant you to. I am in my best days. I am happy and blessed!Say it out loud; say it like you mean it – with all your heart. And even as you do that by faith, you will see it happen in the natural. Your miracle is in your mouth!Even as I conclude, I want to pray with you..
In the name of Jesus, I command every menstrual disorder to leave your body right now. Pain – You are illegal in this body, which is purchased by the blood of Jesus. I command all the body parts to align and function in order as God intended to be. I cancel every negative word and self-imposed curse declared over your body related to menstruation in the name of Jesus. I thank you Jesus for this healing. In your precious name I pray. Amen.
by Pastor Kim DSouza | Feb 28, 2018 | Christian Walk, Healing & Freedom
Struggling? Come Walk With Me, Says Jesus
Struggling with addictions? Weaknesses? Fighting wrong thoughts? Doing something that you know is wrong but you can’t seem to win over it?
I hear Jesus singing over you, “Come, walk with me.”
That’s all you and I got to do.
Don’t try to be good or perfect in order to reach Him. Instead go to Jesus just the way you are, and start spending time with Him.
In the book of Acts 4:13 we read, When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
The best walk in life – Walk with Jesus!
Peter and John were ordinary, undignified and smelly fishermen. Until one day they decided to drop their nets and walk with Jesus – spend time with Him, listen to Him, ask Him questions. It is in this process of being with Jesus, that their likeness changed! So much so that the world around them were astonished!
That’s exactly what you got to do right now. Start spending time with Jesus and His Word and as you do that, you will not have to strive to see a change in yourself, but His light in your life will cause all your addictions and struggles to fade.
I love this testimony of my husband – there was a time when Derrick was struggling with the addiction of smoking. There was a desire in him to change but no matter how hard he tried, he could not let it go. So he started spending more and more time with Jesus (sometimes even with a cigarette in hand!) And as he did that, the word of God became like fire in his bones, and one day his bondage broke, and he could no longer smoke again!
Wow, that’s the power of being in the company of Jesus.
“Come, walk with me,” Jesus is calling out to you. Would you hearken to His voice today?
by Pastor Kim DSouza | Sep 1, 2016 | Healing & Freedom, Marriage & Parenting
Hello readers, don’t miss reading this beautiful testimony of supernatural pregnancy and childbirth as shared our dear friend Sasha Singh from Bengaluru. Let this encourage you to believe what the Word of God says: With Him all things are possible!
My journey of beautiful pregnancy began in October 2015. At this time I had only heard of supernatural pregnancies and childbirth. But Jesus had to personally show me what it really was!
Sasha and Robin Singh with their beautiful daughter Shiloh.
I started reading Kim’s book ‘It’s Your Turn for a Beautiful Pregnancy’ soon after my marriage, and came across many testimonies of believer friends who had experienced God’s supernatural grace during their pregnancy. At that moment I prayed to God saying that even I want to experience something like this! I had also heard a lot of negative things from women concerning pregnancy, but I had a choice to make – to believe the Word or the world. Well, I chose to believe the goodness of my God!
Praise Jesus, throughout my nine months of pregnancy, I didn’t have to go through any symptoms or ‘pregnancy effects’ that normally a pregnant woman goes through. Together my husband and I believed and trusted the goodness of God in the minutest of things and He saw us through beautifully at every step. I must mention here that it is great to have a godly spouse beside you in your biggest hour of need. My husband was my biggest support in everything. He would continually pray for me and the baby and encourage me through God’s Word.
Baby out!
Soon, I was in my ninth month of pregnancy. One day my water bag broke and I was rushed to the hospital. Since this was my first pregnancy, as is prevalent commonly, my gynaecologist was sure that it would take many long hours for me to deliver.
My contractions had started but they were painless, which made my gynaecologist more sure that my case is ‘not gonna be quick or easy’. But when she last examined me, she noticed that I had started dilating very fast.
Since I was not getting any pain, I was induced. All the hospital staff was sure that it would take not less than 12-15 hours for my baby to come out. But praise God, within no time I had completely dilated and was ready to deliver! The hospital staff wasn’t ready as they didn’t expect things to turn around so soon. My gynecologist was not present in my room at this moment, and so all the junior doctors kept stopping me from pushing. I was urged not to push and finally when my gynaecologist arrived, my baby was out in 15 mins!!!
If you’re thinking all this must have taken many long hours, let me give you the good news: All this happened in a span of just two and a half hours! Now isn’t that a miracle?
God blessed us with a beautiful and healthy baby girl and we named her ‘Shiloh’, meaning peace. Hallelujah!
We serve a good good father
The God we serve is a good good father who delights in our well being (Psalms 35:27) and when He blesses, He adds no sorrow to it (Proverbs 10:22).
As children of God, we have been set free from every pain and curse through the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It is now for us to renew our minds and believe God’s Word for every situation we face in our lives, especially pregnancy.
We no longer have to be locked up under the consequences of this fallen world for faith has been revealed. All God’s promises can now be ours, as the Bible says in (Galatians 3:22), “so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who Believe“.
The Bible also says, (2 Peter 1:3-4) that we can partake in the divine nature and escape the corruption of this present world through the precious promises of our Lord Jesus.
All Glory to Jesus!
by Pastor Kim DSouza | Jul 8, 2016 | Healing & Freedom, Marriage & Parenting
This post is the continuation and the conclusion of our previous post on temptation. See Help!I am Getting Tempted to read the first part.
3. Guard your senses
The Bible says: Guard your heart for out of it flows the issues of life and the easiest way to guard your heart is by guarding your senses. Your senses gateways to your mind. Ferociously guard what you see, hear, say etc. What music you listen to, what books, magazines or websites you flip through, what kind of movies you watch – for they all carry an influence. The question is: Is what I intake through my senses making me love Jesus more, read by Bible more, abstain from sexual sin and walk in holiness more? Or is it influencing me to think more about myself and my own fleshly desire for worldly and sensual validation?
4. Guard your Associations
Association births influence. So who do you associate yourself with a majority of your time? Do you surround yourself with friends who are mediocre in their thinking? Who are time wasters? Who enjoy indulging in the flesh? Well, what you tolerate, you encourage. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says: Bad company corrupts good character.
Avoid bad company and unbelieving friends, who are leading you astray from the call of God upon your life.
Instead have mentors and friends with whom you can be accountable with, who can pray with you and counsel you in the ways of the Lord. And do not neglect meeting together at church – Hebrews 10:25.
5. Know what’s at stake?
Finally and most importantly, every time you get tempted ask yourself: What’s at stake?
Temptation always follows the Esau Syndrome – trading something that is of eternal worth in order to satisfy a short term appetite. )Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a mere meal). Temptation will provide you with two choices. Sadly we often make the wrong choice because we look at the smaller picture, but there’s something bigger at stake.
So choose wisely.
Instead of choosing pornography, choose a healthy marriage.
Instead of choosing to throw junk and chemicals in your body, choose choose health. Choose life.
Instead of choosing worldly friends, choose your God destiny.
Instead of choosing temporary pleasures, choose to set your face like a flint towards your calling.
Remember what’s at stake.
-Concluded
by Pastor Kim DSouza | Jul 1, 2016 | Dating & Relationships, Healing & Freedom, Marriage & Parenting
Temptation, simply put, is a desire birthed in your flesh that is in direct conflict with God’s standards and can take you off course from the plan of God for your life.
We live in a fallen world and so none of us is temptation-proof. But the problem starts when we start yielding to it. And it starts little by little (like yeast, which too seems to be a small thing, but it works its way through a whole batch of dough pretty fast), and then destroys your life (James 1:14-15).
PS: The world finds everything ok under the pretext of freedom of expression. But your standards of norm are not defined by the world but by the Word. The world is slave to sin, but believers are at war with it. As long as you weigh things as per the world’s norm, you will fall into the trap of accepting it. And what you accept, you won’t fight. You are called to be different! You have the royal blood. You are a holy nation!
In the part 1 of this post we want to give you 3 keys to break free from the temptation trap. (Don’t miss reading the concluding part next week for the next 3 keys) :
1. Know your identity in Christ
Many Christians are struggling with temptation because they have not renewed their minds. Know that once you are born again, there is a new you in the inside of you (2 Corinthians 5:17). Know that the spirit in the inside of you has authority over every force of darkness (Colossians 2:9-10). Know that you have the power to take into captive every thought that is contrary to what God says (2 Corinthians 10:5). Know that you are loved and accepted in Christ (Galatians 3:26). Once you know the truth, the truth will set you free!
2. Fill yourself with the Word
The source of temptation does not lie with God or in others, or our surroundings, movies, modern girls dressing, current wicked generation, but rather all our temptations come from our own inward desires and lusts of our flesh.
Sin always begins in the mind. No one ever falls into adultery without first entertaining it in his (or her) thought life. That’ why it is so important to fill our hearts and minds with the Word. For when you walk, His Word will guide you, when you sleep, it will watch over you and when you are awake, it will speak to you (Proverbs 6:20-22).
3. Flee from it
Joseph in the book of Genesis showed us the best way to avoid the temptation trap – Flee! You need to know what tempts you, when it tempts you, where it tempts you, who tempts you, and then just stay away from those situations and people. Don’t just walk away, but run! You don’t fight it; you flee it!
Remember sin easily entangles and so it is easier to avoid than to resist. Paul counselled Timothy saying – Flee from the evil desires of your youth (1 Timothy 6:11-12). Sadly people want to be delivered from temptation but would like it to keep in touch.
Another thing worth mentioning is 1 Corinthians 10:13, which says, when tempted, God provides a way out so that you can stand up under it. So if you are still falling for temptations, you are simply rejecting God’s way out from it.
-To be continued
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