Dear Father, I think we are quite fortunate that Your word is not scarce in this part of the world. We encounter it in Sunday services, during bus evangelism, through the media, and in historical writings. Yet, I wonder if the very regularity with which Your word comes to us can make it less precious to those who have grown familiar with it. Still, this regularity is not without its benefits. And Jesus makes a distinction, seemingly harsh words, but with real consequences. He says, “Whoever hears my words and obeys them is like a wise man who builds his house on a rock, while whoever hears them but does not obey is like a foolish man who builds his house on sand. When the rain, floods, and winds came, the one founded on the rock stood firm, while the one built on sand collapsed.” Jesus distinguishes wisdom from foolishness, not by the availability of Your word to us, but by what we do with it. This speaks to consciousness in application: not reducing the very word that comes to us to customary practices, because it is sent to build something in us, intentionally so. So I wonder, what have I done with Your word? Sunday after Sunday, fifty two weeks in a year, perhaps even more frequently than this. Still, I stand at the risk of being driven by every contrary wind. Is the wind too fierce, or are my structures not firm? To objectively assess myself, would I fall into the wise category or not? The value of Your word is not just that it is heard, but that it is lived. Jesus made a distinction, and the gap that exists between hearing and doing is the same as the distance between wisdom and foolishness. Oh, that I would be wise! But then again, wisdom is demonstrated through application. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #wisdom #parables #application #wordofGod

Dear Father, Questions have been raised about whether You love every one of us equally, and responses have been given that perhaps it is the level of trust You have in us that differs. Today, I write not to answer this question, but about a scripture I came across in which You said, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? For he shall surely become a great nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him; for I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him.” There is a lot inherent in this scripture. But I am particularly concerned about Your intention that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him, and how it was greatly predicated upon what You knew about him. It's almost as though Your assignments and the blessings attached to them are not random. Let her birth the president, for I know her not to be negligent in godly parenting. Let him carry the Cross; I am certain he won't drop it. Let her be queen; I know how selfless she can be in matters that concern My people. Could it be that both the assignments and their related blessings are committed to our hands based on what You know about us? I am very concerned about this because, I wonder, what do You know about me? If we were to walk through my track record with You, would we find trust? What level of trust is there? If I could influence Your judgment, I would perhaps try to convince You with words, but sadly, Your trust is based on what You know from what You have studied about us. It's amazing how we all claim Abraham's blessings for ourselves as though they were entirely a matter of grace. Although this is prophetic, but we must also be aware of all it would entail to be blessed as Abraham was blessed? You blessed a man because You knew that, through his leadership, his children would find You. So, before I ask to be blessed, I'm stopping to consider: who finds You through me? Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Abrahamsblessing #trust #stewardship #grace

Dear Father, There was more to the last plague in Egypt than just the killing of the firstborn of man and beast. You instructed the Israelites to “kill a lamb, according to the house of your fathers, and take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper doorpost of your houses.” You said, “For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Couldn’t You tell the difference between the houses of the Israelites and those of the Egyptians and pass by without any of these blood-post identifications? Or is there something about the blood that isn’t just random? How come they would be saved only after You saw the blood? And I’d like to assume that whoever did not obey, despite being an Israelite, would experience the fate of the Egyptians. Perhaps there’s more You revealed: that it wasn’t just about deliverance by Your mighty hand, but also about the significance of the blood, that only through a visible display of the blood as a covering would they be saved. That there’d come a point in our lives when the transition from a life of bondage and sin to freedom and promise would require a worthy sacrifice through which mercy can be extended. So, when You look upon the blood, You see the price that has been paid for our redemption. However, isn’t it strange that the availability of the blood wasn’t a covering in itself until they made an effort to kill the lamb and apply its blood? Jesus, the Lamb of God, as the Bible calls Him, was killed as the sacrifice. We can all be saved by confessing His covering over us. And the last plague in Egypt (divine judgement) may reoccur again, but for some reason, some have chosen to remain as Egyptians. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Theblood #redemption #salvation #repentance

Dear Father, What if we were all privileged to know Your assignment for us through the ministry of angels? Today, I pondered the story of Mary, when an angel appeared to her and said, “Hail Mary, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” It is beautiful that she experienced this. However, I am mostly concerned with her response to this revelation, for “when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.” Perhaps, if we were all visited by angels, we would be shocked by their sayings. Better still, we would be troubled by what they reveal about us. And this is where it gets serious, because, on most occasions, this troubled feeling arises from a gap between who we think we are and who You have called us to be. Perhaps never experiencing revelations like Mary’s could mean that we live below heaven’s expectations of us, for how can we become who we do not know we were called to be? However, we would not all be visited by angels, yet we are all expected to fulfil our destinies. So, perhaps it is also necessary that if the angels do not find us, we find them. I also considered situations in heaven where people are shown the possibilities they had been privy to on earth and how what they thought to be the apex of their calling may perhaps only be just a start. Yet there remain people who do not engage even the least, simply because they do not know. And although the blueprints for our destinies are not necessarily secrets buried so deeply that we must dig tirelessly to find them, yet the only way to find me is to first find You. If I knew what I could become, would I live differently? If I am still unaware of what I could become, would I seek differently? I’ll ponder on these. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #destiny #purpose #encounters #knowledge

Dear Father, There's a school of thought that points to the struggle of rising, like when a poor man works his way up to becoming wealthy. Yet there's another that speaks of the struggle to remain wealthy. It's almost as though every stage in life requires a struggle, and there are people who assume it gets even more difficult to maintain greatness than to grow into it. I think these perspectives are both reasonable. Having considered the life of Saul, who pursued David to kill him, I wondered about this. Although Saul was king and wore the crown, yet in the strangest and most unreasonable way, he sought the life of a man who had shown no sign of rebellion, in a bid to preserve his own relevance. Perhaps there's more to this struggle than building and maintaining. Perhaps relevance is what we all seek. And so, if building is what it takes, we build. Often, we can become so focused on building that, like King Saul, we become exposed to the risk of losing sight of purpose after becoming consumed by the desire to preserve the crown. Yet Scripture says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." In contrasting the lives of David and Saul as rulers; Scripture reveals that Saul left the kingdom to chase after David when his position was threatened, while David left the kingdom to preserve his life and trusted in You when his position was threatened. They both desired to remain relevant, but they contended differently. And paradoxically, the one who fought to keep it was the one who lost it. I do not write this to advocate for laziness or negligence, but to reengineer our minds back to what truly matters. So, in building, we do not become anxiously driven to the point that we lose our peace. At the end of the day, our building may be appreciated, but true relevance is preserved with You. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #relevance #wealth #building #peace

Dear Father, There’s an innate desire in every man that leads him to the pursuit of satisfaction. Perhaps this is one of the reasons a man who prayed yesterday would also look forward to praying today; The one who does not know how to engage in spiritual activity would still be in pursuit of something, and even the atheist who denies the existence of God may still spend his life searching for purpose beyond himself. The point remains that the pursuit of mankind is connected to something greater than the actual object of his pursuit. Whether it be a direct pursuit of wealth, fame, or marriage, in reality, it is an innate search for satisfaction. This is explained by the emptiness that still exists immediately after he acquires a goal, and by his desire to chase after something else. Perhaps the solution to satisfaction is not necessarily how much can be acquired when the very thing to be acquired is missing from the numerous acquisitions. A scripture in Jeremiah says, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” This scripture speaks to a search for something only You can give--from a different source, and our attempt to build and seek satisfaction from a different source is explained to be broken on arrival. And perhaps water is used as the metaphor to signify mankind’s natural desire for something indispensable. Yet this letter may not seem to concern some who have not underscored the composition of their major pursuits. For it does not say that we do not know we need water, but that we seek to find it in various other places. Perhaps the test can be found in our desperate pursuit of other things versus our skeletal pursuit of You. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #satisfaction #livingwater #seekingGod #goals

Dear Father, I pondered a popular story in Scripture that we were told when we were younger: the parable of the Good Samaritan. The passage says, “A certain man on his way to Jericho was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest went down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.” It felt so easy to judge their disposition. Who walks past a half dead, wounded man who needs help? If that isn’t wickedness, or even witchcraft, what is? But now that I think of it, having put a lot into consideration, I may understand the place of the priest and the Levite who walked past him. Help presents a burden that may not be satisfied with compassion alone. Sometimes, the greater the help needed, the more that is required to give. What if, in helping, a person exposes himself to reputational risks or even places his own life at risk? In such situations, would he then be right to walk away? Perhaps this is one of the most difficult parables in Scripture. If helping would place my own life at risk, what is the wise thing to do? Or, if I may ask, what is the “kingdom” thing to do? Perhaps this parable doesn’t just teach, “Who walked away and who helped?” Perhaps it points us to the subtlety of replacing what we describe as wisdom with kingdom values. Sadly, the world is at a place where it would seem wiser to walk away than to stop and help. Because, although famously known, one of the most competing demands is to love my neighbour just as I love myself. Because I won’t let myself die, but to save myself, I may let my neighbour die. Father, how is it measured in heaven? The wise act or the kingdom act? Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #thegoodsamaritan #parables #biblestory #burdens

Dear Father, There are so many possibilities in Your kingdom, and sometimes it is easier to imagine what we could become when we have a picture before us--perhaps through a grace someone carries or a mentor who embodies such grace. I considered which biblical mentors to emulate, and so I began studying the life of Daniel. There were profound and enticing manifestations in his life, most of which I am thrilled by. Yet, in becoming a partaker of a grace, I’ve realised that sometimes, the anointing of the man whose grace we desire isn’t what we receive, but his zeal, perhaps because it would require more than supernatural impartations to manifest a grace on earth. For instance, the Scripture says Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him; yet, again, it says they sought to find fault in him but found none because he was trustworthy and was neither corrupt nor negligent. First, we learn about an excellent spirit; then, we see the works. In other words, as much as the spirit of excellence was upon him, he was also not negligent. This highlights not just the fact that we can be helped by You, but also what is expected of us. If I desire an excellent spirit, I should perhaps first commit myself to judiciously carrying out the responsibilities placed in my care, down to little tasks. Today, I write to You not just about Daniel or my desire to be endowed with his graces, but to emphasise the possibilities that exist in this kingdom: that there are no limits to what is obtainable if we desire to put in the work as much as we desire to manifest the grace. Whoever reads my letter to You may ponder on what he would commit to studying or doing more of, but for me, my journey towards excellence begins today. Translations; Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Grace #spiritofexcellence #excellence #excellentspirit

Dear Father, People often say that today is a product of yesterday’s choices. And so I thought, if, to a large degree, today is determined by yesterday’s choices, and we are not without expectations for tomorrow, why is it that the consequences of yesterday can become evident, yet we sometimes continue making tomorrow’s choices from the same convictions that produced yesterday’s result? During the period when Baal worship was spreading rapidly in Israel and Your prophets were being killed by the infamous Jezebel, Prophet Elijah summoned 450 prophets of Baal and said to them, “How long will you waver between two opinions? Call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The God who answers by fire, let Him be God.” They called on their god, cut and wounded themselves while anticipating a response, but got none. This is where I have questions: Why would they go so far unless they genuinely believed Baal was god? Now, the problem is that the genuineness and simplicity of a man regarding his faith or religion do not, by themselves, exempt him from fallacy. Completely devoted, yet completely wrong. It gets serious, especially because, to a great extent, a person’s faith determines his destiny. Yet, have we ever asked ourselves: Is my devotion inspired by my ancestry, or is it a reflection of choices borne out of my own convictions? Why do I believe what I believe? If I had to call on my god, would he respond to me? Has he ever responded? Are my practices real, with encounters, or are they routine? I believe priority must be given to our choices as they relate to our devotion, because what reason is there in dying for a belief whose strongest link is inherited knowledge? What risk could possibly exist in subjecting matters as serious as eternity to verifiable choices? Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu #LettertoGod #worship #choices #devotion #baalworship

Dear Father, I love the story of Daniel, particularly because it reveals a much needed balance for success. The King of Babylon had dreamed a dream, and he asked his magicians, sorcerers, and astrologers not just for the interpretation of his dream, but first for what he had dreamt and then what it meant. As absurd as this request sounds, he placed a death sentence on all his wise men for failure to reveal both his dream and its interpretation. He thought, “If I share the dream, they would cook up interpretations; if they tell me my dream, I would be sure of its interpretation.” At the mention of astrologers and magicians, it is tempting to envision advanced old men who cast spells and live in bushes, but the Scripture explains that the king’s wise men comprised “young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace.” He sought out men of intelligence, wisdom, and skill, and now he made requests beyond intelligence and skill. The lives of the entire chosen wise men of Babylon were hanging by the thread of something only You could reveal, and Daniel was one of them. How often do we fall for the subtlety of celebrated intelligence, living as though our wins in certain areas of life can suffice for overall success, while lacking in the very area of life that gives balance to all others? Wealth, fame, intelligence, and skill, but what happens when destiny requires more than these, and yet this is all we have to offer? This balance does not exclude You, Father. Life, as we know it, may sometimes make demands on things that only a well nurtured relationship with You can give. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #wisdom #intelligence #skill #relationshipwithGod

Dear Father, I think it is quite interesting that, through the prophecies of Scripture, we can interpret recent, shocking occurrences in our world today, telling the times by their prevalent signs. We live in the era of prophecy, albeit unknown to some of us, because to the natural man, matters of the spirit seem as foolishness. Although, I believe, this foolishness becomes questionable when the signs unfold as foretold, and yet we remain unaware that, for instance, Jesus had said, “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” From the Hebrew translation, “iniquity” means lawlessness and wickedness. The passage also speaks of love expressed towards You and our fellow humans. A quick analysis of the world today would reveal that we are witnessing manifestations of prophecy, with very prevalent manifestations whose effects have produced the life we now live, yet we abhor responsibility. For instance, man loves a perfect world; yet the world is made imperfect through men. Man seeks answers, yet men would rather throw stones than strive to make things right. So, with shifting blame, we are at the mercy of the compounded effects of blame-shifting: like Adam, through words spoken about Eve, and like Cain, through murder. And yet, the people’s solidarity and love for You is perhaps strengthened by their idea of a perfect world, and so the love of many grows cold amid the prevalent rise of lawlessness. We thought we loved You until the bomb blast. We chose You until we were robbed of our investments. Our love for You is somehow linked to our fate, and so our love, in the face of iniquity, waxes cold. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #iniquity #lawlessness #love #Agapelove #disappiontments

Dear Father, There were two harlots who lived together; they both bore sons, three days apart. One of them lay on her son, and he died. She arose at midnight, took the living son from beside the other woman, and exchanged him for the dead child. In the morning, they brought the matter before King Solomon because they both contended over who the living baby belonged to. “And the king said, Bring a sword. Divide the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other.” Then spake the woman whose child it was, “O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.” But the other woman said, “Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.” The first woman demonstrates how easy it is to tell the difference using one distinct attribute of family: we would rather lose the battle than lose our own. Now it makes sense that all the words I hear regarding the major issues we encounter on social media, particularly concerning critics who speak against kingdom builders, are, “Divide the baby into two.” Clearly, the moment we become pioneers of conflict and unhealthy rivalry in Your kingdom, we reveal something contrary to the character of this family. Even a harlot was distinguished as family by her decision to lose a battle in order to save her child. So then, the struggle seems not to be from people who belong to this family, but from intruders who feign brotherhood but, in reality, advocate division by introducing conflicts. Father, this is not to say, “Let important issues go unresolved,” but to present the attribute of what it means to belong to this kingdom, for easy identification of those who are not part of us. So, when I look around on social media, I pay less mind, because most of all I see are intruders, screaming, “Divide the baby into two halves.” Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #KingdomofGod #conflicts #managingconflicts #intruders

Dear Father, There are circumstances surrounding Solomon's birth, and perhaps we are yet to uncover them all. Adonijah, the step-elder brother of Solomon, had made himself king while David had yet to declare his successor. Solomon's mother came to David and said, “You yourself swore to me, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall be king after me,’ but now Adonijah has become king, and you do not know about it. And as soon you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be treated as criminals.” I wondered, why would Solomon and his mother be treated as criminals in David's absence? Except there is a part of the story we haven't yet deduced. There is a concept called narrative ellipsis in storytelling, where a writer deliberately leaves out an event in a story, trusting the reader to understand what happened from the surrounding context. In Solomon's story, it may not have been a deliberate act of omission. Still, when we scan through the events that preceded his birth, we can infer that Solomon and his mother were hated by the palace residents. Perhaps David's affair with Bathsheba and the resulting murder of her husband, Uriah, were no secret; matters of the palace may have become gossip for the town. David may have tried to compensate for Bathsheba's shame by prioritizing her concerns above those of the other wives, and this may have been the reason her son, Solomon, would succeed David as king despite having older brothers. The Bible doesn't explicitly say this, but it does give us good reason to assume that this polygamous home experienced more trouble than peace. And now Solomon gets to deal with troubles that existed long before his birth. Today, I thought about the battles that have existed long before my birth, legitimately so, and how ignorance of their existence may not make me immune to their effects. Father, how many battles must I face before I fulfill my destiny? Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Battles #Spiritualbattles #Solomonstory #Biblestory

Dear Father, Today I write to You about a matter that relates particularly to people who are gifted: the outstanding manifestations of our gifts that can result in applause but are done without Your presence. When Samson had his hair cut off by Delilah, the Scripture says, “She said unto him, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and went out with the doors of the house, and the post, and shook himself; and he wist not that the LORD was departed from him.” This is where it gets serious: how was it that he lost Your presence and yet remained unaware? It is different with Samson because there was not so much he could do without Your presence, and perhaps this was because of the peculiarity of the operation of his gift. But how about situations where we are unable to tell the difference between Your absence and Your presence during the manifestation of our gifts? Because perhaps it is a beautiful singing gift, and whoever connects to the atmosphere with purity of heart and worship would be blessed and experience notable results; and so, distracted by the testimonies, we replace manifestations with right standing with You. Apostle Selman once gave an analogy of a fan operating at its highest speed, and when the light goes off, it does not automatically stop spinning. This is the risk that exists in outstanding manifestations of our gifts without Your presence. Because eventually, the fan stops spinning. This is why I wonder: how distracted must we be to recognize a break in our connection with You only through disruptions in the manifestation of our gifts? If, by spending twenty four hours away from You, I do not feel drawn to You or unsettled by it, this is how I know something is wrong. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #PresenceofGod #Gifts #manifestationsofgifts #koinonia

Dear Father, There are certain passages in Scripture that would naturally not appeal to me. First, because I’d rather meditate on a Scripture about You that says, “He shall cover me with His feathers, and under His wings will I abide,” than one which says, “He trains my hands to war and my fingers to fight.” I’d rather be shielded from battle than trained for it. However, sadly, balanced growth perfectly combines both. Yet, the downside to resisting what we would rather not experience is that we may become exposed to the risk of ignorance and, subsequently, failure. The idea of failure in this illustration can begin with asking: Do we know there is such a thing as being trained for war? Can we discern the periods when training is what we are experiencing? I’ve seen soldiers train, and, if I’m being sincere, I’d conclude that some exercises are difficult and needless. So, perhaps there are periods during such training when a soldier may regret his decision to become one, or maybe his life becomes a paradox of desiring strength while despising his trainer. Only someone who has gone through that can give firsthand testimony. Yet, the point is, they know they are being trained. What happens when we go through life expecting protection but detesting training? Like in times when we would rather not get involved in spiritual activities because we behave as though “Pastors” alone were designed to get their fingers dirty. While we sit still and expect to overcome because we’d rather be protected than trained; unaware that the very reason there is training for battle is because there is a battle. Now, we happen to be caught up in a training we never envisioned, and so we fail because we admire strength yet despise the training that births it. Certain Scriptures appeal naturally to me, but sadly, we cannot have one without the other. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #trainedforwar #trials #shelter #divineprotection

Dear Father, Something strange transpired before Saul was crowned king. The Israelites requested a king, and Prophet Samuel warned them against their request, explaining to them what Your will regarding the matter was and the downsides of having a king rule over them. Yet they insisted on their desire for a king, and the Scripture recounts: “Then the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to them and give them a king.’” The strange part about this Scripture is that it seems to show that a request can be granted even when the thing requested is not what You desired for us. I cannot describe with words how serious this matter is, seeing how the Israelites insisted vocally, committing to hold themselves responsible for wherever their choices led them. Yet it gets tricky because we, on the other hand, pray that Your will be done while insisting on ours. So, in praying to align, we willfully misalign, perhaps unaware that sometimes we may experience gaps between our prayers for alignment and Your direction regarding alignment. Because there is more to Your will being done than faithfully abiding on our knees. For if all we pray is Your will, why is it difficult for our actions to reflect what we profess? From whence come the hatred, the murders, from whence comes the suffering? Today, I write to You about the difficulty of alignment, consciously or unconsciously. About the shocking revelation that You can grant requests outside of Your will. About the issues in desiring Yours but doing mine. About the difficulty of containing our desires and proving our actions. So, if this works, I’d pray this way: Father, do not grant any of my requests if they are not Your will for me. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #willofGod #requests #desires #Godswill

Dear Father, I have once been of the opinion that, “When You lead, I would only find myself in palaces.” It has actually just been a mindset I am scarcely vocal about, but it reveals itself in my reactions to being brought into places that are not palaces. But I have come across several instances where You lead men in diverse ways, to different places, and for varying reasons. In Scripture, Ezekiel retells: “The hand of the Lord was on me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones.” He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, You alone know.” You took Ezekiel and showed him human bones? That’s really strange. Except when we consider the reason for that. You asked him, “Can these bones live?”--A question that does more than require an answer, but one that could affect the very heart of his faith. You showed him death and asked about life; You showed him bones and spoke about flesh. What if You are still accustomed to leading us this way? That the advantage of being led by You is that, even when palaces are not where we find ourselves, we can choose to see through the very heart of faith: life where there was death. And although Ezekiel did not have the right answer, he also did not try to make it seem like he did. Because as much as I trust You, what I like most is that I can be real with You. So yes, this is not a palace I’m in, and yes, it seems so much like a valley, and there seem to be a lot of bones around me--dry, ugly, broken, dead! And I am not so sure they can live again. But I can believe in one thing: if You have brought me here, certainly, there must be a reason. And if death is all there is, life is what You reveal. Because it’s either the palace, or it’s the prison that leads to the palace. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #life #shapingmindsets #Godleads #Ezekielstory

Dear Father, There's one reason I love the accounting profession: it makes mere numbers make sense. I think it's brilliant to look at numbers and be able to describe the financial health of a business and even make forecasts of likely future occurrences. After a while, I got sick of the accounting profession because, in my field, most of what we deal with are historical figures, and I'm not settled with why I have to analyse matters of the past as though they were current. But, for some reason, these historical figures also have current and even recurrent implications. It's great that we are intentional about record keeping, first because it tells a story: "Accurate records kept are valuable, traceable, perhaps even reliable." Today, I read through a part of Scripture that says, "Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." This sounds like record keeping to me. And although historical, it is not confined to history; it is obviously not obsolete either, because it tells a story: "You keep records of Your promises to fulfil every one of them." And if You did it for the Israelites, I trust You'd do it for me. Perhaps Scriptures like this are recorded for days when the voices of doubt in our minds seem to overpower the voice of Your promises. As though our lack is an exact reflection of Your failed promises and our abundance is a reflection of Your fulfilled promises. Sadly, there's more to consider than can be contained in one letter to You. But I make bold to say that if we ever decide to seek out dormant or seemingly failed promises, we must first look inwards, because You don't just make promises; You have records of them. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Promises #Seasons #Accounting #recordkeeping

Dear Father, If I were asked to describe what I think to be the most challenging aspect of growth, I think I’d begin with practice, or, better said, putting knowledge to use. One of the most challenging aspects is that the motivation required to know often differs from the motivation required to do. The Scripture says, “My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to hear your words, but they do not put them into practice.” It may not be out of place to ask: what’s the need for desiring knowledge while not giving room for it to have its course? Or what’s the purpose of acquiring knowledge if not to put it to use? Yet, in reflection, I would be insincere to write to You about this and make myself seem guiltless, as though all I know to appeal to growth, I have done without reluctance and in consistency. Obviously, growth requires more than being the most committed listener to words of wisdom; it requires more than being the most intelligent preacher of wisdom. Perhaps, in becoming faithful participants in these two extremes, we become unaware of the subtle risk of looking the part but not playing it. Perhaps the satisfaction that comes from knowing, we replace with the void that comes from not doing. What good is knowledge without works? What good is a tree without its fruits? Yet, aren’t we all guilty? Lacking results necessarily proportional to the level of our knowledge? Aren’t we all guilty of knowing what to do but simply not doing it? Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Knowledge #practise #reflections #growth

Dear Father, When I was younger, we were taught to quote a scripture while demonstrating what it meant with our hands: “From henceforth, let no man trouble me, for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” I grew up understanding that because of the mark of the Lord Jesus I had spiritually placed on myself, no demon or person could lay a finger on me. Symbolically, this is not wrong; but perhaps, this wasn’t exactly what Paul meant. The Greek word for the marks: stigmata, means physical marks or scars. In other places throughout Scripture, we see how Paul endured severe physical suffering because he preached the gospel. There were times when he was beaten, imprisoned, stoned, and left for dead, and so much more. Paul was literally saying, My suffering for Christ proves where my loyalty lies. The issue with my former understanding of this Scripture is that while I strive to obtain the benefits of what it means to bear the mark of Christ, I exempt myself from the responsibility. Paul describes how committed he was to serving the kingdom’s mandate, even through inconvenience, so evident that you could see traces of it on his skin. Today, I ponder the state of my service. How committed would I be to You if I had to serve through inconvenience? If my expectations are not met, or my plans do not fall right into place? Does the level of my commitment rise and fall to the degree of my comfort or answered prayers? Father, if we had to count my scars, how many do I bear for You? Perhaps the evidence is proof of service. Perhaps this is what Paul meant: that our allegiance is best seen through our commitment to service. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Galatians6:17 #marksofChrist #responsibility #benefits

Dear Father, I've learned that there are side effects to every desire or feat we undertake, whether good or bad. Even success has side effects. When we make plans for success, we often imagine the celebrations that will proceed from our commitment and prepare ourselves to rejoice over the wins. But when weariness finds us along the way, we often become unfair to ourselves, as though progress must only be accompanied by strength and never by weariness. There is an interesting passage in Scripture where Joshua and some Israelites went to war against the Amalekites, while Moses went up the hill with Your rod in his hands. The plan was that whenever Moses lifted Your rod high, Israel prevailed; but when he became tired and let his hands down, Amalek prevailed. But the Scripture records that, “Moses’ hands grew tired, so Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then Aaron held up one of his hands, while Hur held up the other.” This reinforces the idea that success does not necessarily diminish weariness; it can enhance it. Perhaps, the more successful a man becomes, the greater his chances of growing weary. However, there is something worth noting about this Scripture: the sight of the Israelites succeeding was not enough to keep Moses from becoming weary. His hands remained raised only when structures were put in place to help sustain the victory. So then, we do not only require structures and support when we fail, but also when we succeed. Because weariness isn't necessarily laziness; sometimes, it is a sign of our commitment to success. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #sideeffects #success #weariness #structures

Dear Father, There's something about how You operate that would keep us at peace if we knew: Your love is for Your glory. I'd like to take it from this angle: Lazarus had just died, but only after his sisters had called unto Jesus, while he was still sick, to come and heal him. When Jesus heard, “He abode two days in the same place where he was, and when He came, Lazarus had lain in the grave four days already.” If this story were never retold, we would never know that the reason Jesus waited two days longer was for Your glory. From the perspective of Mary and Martha, the One who could heal sicknesses did not respond to the urgency of the matter while the one He loved was still alive. Their perspective was valid, but when we judge from clarity and reason, we see that Jesus’ perspective was valid too. Yet the struggle remains because we are often privy only to our own side of the story. Even more difficult is that we sometimes interpret Your love using our timelines and expectations. So then, does Your love contradict Your glory? Can You become so interested in glory that You sometimes forget what it means to love? Except perhaps Your definition of love differs significantly from our perception of it, and You are under no compulsion to act because You have Your timelines too. And when our definition of the perfect time differs from Yours, it is not because You were late, but rather, we were too early. Or what really is the reason, Father? Especially in situations when our Lazarus never returns from the grave and our expectations are never met, can we still find Your love in our suffering? We may never fully understand certain occurrences in our lives, but I hope that one day I will sit with You and raise these questions; but even without having all the answers, I have chosen to love You too. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #LoveofGod #Glory #perspectives #tryingtimes

Dear Father, It is encouraging that there are gifts in this kingdom, and often, we need not ask to receive them. But one of the limitations of gifts is that while we can make requests, we cannot always decide what we are given, and courtesy may demand that we accept whatever is given if it was offered from a sincere place, especially because we did nothing to earn it. There are also rewards, which differ significantly from gifts because they can more easily be traced to something we did, and even when we made no requests, the compensation can exceed our expectations, especially when it comes from You. However, there is a tendency to confuse rewards with gifts because it is often easier to think, "He is only privileged to have held that position," than to acknowledge that he earned his place. Perhaps this is because acknowledging that a person paid the price for greatness places a responsibility on us to do the same. I saw a related passage in Scripture where Ezekiel prophesied about Nebuchadnezzar, saying, "I have given him Egypt as a reward for his efforts because he and his army did it for me..." You gave an entire nation to a man as a reward?! It is easier to desire gifts, especially with matters of the kingdom. But in times past, the greatest men in Scripture were also those who offered the most. For as much as You give gifts, You also desire that we grow into the version of ourselves that is responsible to steward what You have given us. And this requires accountability on our part. In this kingdom, not every manifestation is a gift. Perhaps the easiest way to walk in kingdom success is to desire gifts while committing ourselves to becoming trustworthy stewards of more. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #Gifts #rewards #responsibility #stewardship

Dear Father, It's amazing how You operate: often through symbols, but not without giving us an opportunity to meditate on what You have revealed. I read through a scripture in Jeremiah which says: “The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree.” The concept of perception and interpretation may perhaps be one of the most challenging aspects of life, especially as it relates to the matters of the Kingdom and destiny. I imagine You would only ask what he sees if there is a connection with what You want him to understand. The almond tree, translated from Hebrew, is associated with “watching,” and it is also known to bloom early. After he had seen an almond tree, You said to him, “You have seen correctly; I am watching over My word to perform it.” If You showed me an almond tree, I would need to study to know what relationship it has with the words You have spoken because, for beginners, I don't even know what an almond tree looks like. Can we say, then, that how much a person understands is sometimes a reflection of how much he knows? Can we infer that there is a relationship between sight and understanding, and understanding is often limited by knowledge? I write about this because we may not all pay attention to areas in our lives where attaining success may require an understanding born from sufficient knowledge and right perception, even after receiving a revelation from You. But are we even willing to seek out the meaning of almond trees or look to see what You show us? The fulfilment of destiny requires us to grow in the knowledge necessary to steward what You have revealed to us. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #Destiny #sight #perception #knowledge #understanding

Dear Father, We are not told how much time went by between the serpent’s conversation with Eve about the forbidden fruit and her eventual eating of it. The Scripture moves from the serpent saying, “Ye shall not surely die,” to saying, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat...” It is almost as though she ate the fruit immediately after her conversation with the serpent, but perhaps this is not how the story unfolds. What if there was a process of meditation after that conversation? Or perhaps one where, each time she walked around the garden and saw the fruit, she remembered the conversation. Perhaps, daily, her conviction concerning Your instruction weakened, while her desire for the fruit was strengthened. Because it was not a fair argument where words combat words, but a statement requiring performance while initiating contact with a seed in her. The serpent is cunning, not often intending that sin should befall us instantly, but strategically planting seeds and patiently watching them grow. Unlike the popular belief where rising seems planned while falling seems instantaneous; falling, too, is often premeditated. In instances where doubt has lingered a little too long in our hearts, and we entertain questions without appropriate responses, which eventually lead to weakened convictions. Because daily, all we see is the fruit, with just about the right seed of desire in us for compromise. And in situations where words are meant to combat words, I hope not to be found without. Translations: Slide 1: English Slide 2: French Slide 3: Bengali Slide 4: Hindi Slide 5: Urdu Slide 6: Portuguese #LettertoGod #temptation #sin #seeds #risingandfalling