Daily pearls from the shore🫧 Cheesy treasure My husband is very fond of cheese. I would buy big blocks so there is enough for a week at least, but before you know it’s gone. I tried even hiding it behind the containers in the fridge, but he can really sniff. Eventually, I stopped making the effort to save any. The crux is that his heart is in the cheese; he would find it anyway. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21)  This reminds me of the story about the Rich young man who came to Jesus seeking eternal life. “..Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. (Matthew 19: 16-30) The rich man was a religious person, keeping all the commands, and Jesus loved him for that, *but the man chose what was given over the Giver.*  Another man found a treasure, which was the Kingdom of God hidden in a field, and he hid it again. He was so happy that he went and sold all he had and bought that field. (Matthew13: 44)  A merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” (Matthew 13: 45-46) Merchant and the other man understood the *value of the precious Giver and traded everything for that treasure.* There is a contrast in the stories of the rich young man and the other two. It’s what your heart prioritizes that matters.  Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ feet. (John12: 3) She didn’t care about the cost. She brought her *best to honour the Lord* . It’s about defining the ultimate. When you find the ultimate, that becomes your most prized possession. What we are following is where it will lead us.  A poor widow offered only two tiny coins she had in the temple. (Luke 21: 2) Even when she *had little, she honored God with it* . It’s not only the principle of honoring the Giver but also how much the Giver matters to you. God is in the counting business, but *it’s the heart that counts with Him, not the pennies* .

Daily pearls from the shore🫧 Are you still battling?  “As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.” (Exodus 17:11) Isn’t this true? Till we are standing firm and fighting with strength, we are winning. And then we wear out in our strength, the enemy starts winning, and we start losing. We, humans, are prone to take matters into our own hands. We live with the idea that we can handle and sort everything. We can fix the problems. We talk of resilience and self-sufficiency. We keep fighting our battles on our own. And one fine day, we feel like we are failing. And we are. Because our carnal strength is limited. Self-sufficiency is a lie. Resilience is futile without a source of power. Amongst various struggles chartered for present times, burnout tops the list, followed by loneliness, insomnia, self-esteem and self-doubt issues, anger, depression, anxiety, and addiction, impacting both physical and mental well-being. More so, relationship challenges, conflicts, mutual hatred, infidelity, and gender confusions are further weighing everyone down. Most challenging is fighting against temptations. These fights are not always visible but are present to some extent. Not to forget, physical ailments, financial goals, work deadlines, success ladders, responsibilities of children and parents, future concerns, and the unforeseen. Seems endless for a mere human to handle.  Elijah suffered severe physical and emotional exhaustion due to fear of Queen Jezebel. He felt like a failure, ran away, isolated himself, and wished to die. This was the same prophet who, a little while ago, challenged 450 prophets of Baal and had victory. See the contrast? Elijah tried to fight this fear with his own strength, and it failed him. Earlier, the same Elijah fought 450 Baal prophets, won, and had them seized and put to death. HOW? Because God was in the picture then.  Peter saw Jesus walking on water in the middle of the storm-tossed sea. He, too, jumped in and started walking on water. And after a while, he started drowning. The point? Till he had his eyes on Jesus, Peter was walking on water; the moment he took his eyes off, he drowned in the same water. (Matthew 14:25-31 ) Paul talks about fighting the good fight of faith. (1 Timothy 6:12)  David, a teenage shepherd boy, single-handedly struck down the giant Goliath without any army training or weapon, solely with his faith and a slingshot. The same Goliath whom the whole army and mighty general, including King Saul, couldn’t dare to take on. “All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's.” (1 Samuel 17:47)  Joshua, an army general, was concerned that enemies would get together and make an alliance against him overnight. So, Joshua prayed to God and commanded: "Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon." And it was so, and he won. (Joshua 10: 12-14) How? What just happened here? Instead of relying on themselves for victory, Joshua, David, Elijah, and Peter, when they sought God, won the battles. For there is a promise, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6) “Don't be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God's.” Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord's victory.” (Chronicles 20:15) "For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."(Deuteronomy 20:4) "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still" (Exodus 14:14) Time and again, God showed up and proved that He is fighting the battles for us. What battles are you still fighting alone? A sickness, a depression, a financial crunch, a rebellious child, a temptation, an addiction, a marriage falling apart, a burnout, loneliness, or fear of uncertainty? Maybe drop your guard before God and let him take over your battles? **Call out your Goliath,* *Face it with faith,* *Aim with confidence,* *and watch* *God give you victory.**

Daily pearls from the shore🫧 40 Long years! “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day.” (Exodus 16: 4)  When the Israelites walked out of Egypt and crossed through the parted sea, they entered the wilderness in their journey to the Promised Land. Even after miraculously crossing the parted sea, they still had to deal with the basic needs of food and water, like you and me. So, God showed up with provision every morning and evening. He provided manna and quail on a daily basis for 40 years. "You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there." (1 Kings 17:4-6)  Elijah, the mighty prophet, was told by God to live by the brook. Ravens brought him meat and bread every morning and evening. As much as both stories talk about miraculous provision by God, there is something more than provision. Trusting God on a daily basis needs faith. Faith needs a faithful God. Was it easy for the Israelites to trust God that He would show up the next day and then again the next day? I guess NOT. Did they try to make a plan? OF COURSE, it’s human nature to take control of the situation! Some of them did try to gather extra, thinking, who knows, God will show up tomorrow or not. BUT God did show up. Day after day for forty long years. And this is just about food. Thrice, God opened drinkable water through rocks and rods miraculously for them as well. Elijah had to also trust God for every meal, every single day. God showed up faithfully for him. But it’s still a challenge for most of us to trust God for our situations. We, in our carnal nature, always want assurance, which God has promised over and over. It’s very easy to proclaim trust in God when we have abundance: business is up and running, money saved up, and stable jobs. But when challenges show up, faith starts shaking, and we start panicking. No judgements, this is a normal human reaction. But then doesn’t it make us wonder about birds? “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds!” (Luke 12:24)  Months later, during a drought, God told Elijah to go to a widow’s house for food. The widow was already in a desperate situation of lack and had hardly enough to provide for the prophet additionally. She was planning, presumably, her last meal with her son. But Elijah told her to bake bread for him anyway and told the widow, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up, and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the land.’” (1 Kings 17: 14) The same God is here for each one of us. He is a faithful provider. He knows your needs before you even say them. He provided for the Israelites, Elijah, the widow, and her son, day by day, week by week, month by month, and year by year. "And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) I remember, one time, we were short of a certain amount of money, and God provided an exact amount to us lying on the road. Look back at when God has been faithful to provide for you. Check His track record. He shows up, day by day, again and again.

Daily pearls from the shore🫧 ALL LONELY TOGETHER In the beginning of creation, God created man in His own likeness and made him to have fellowship. Even after creating man, he found man to be lonely and noticed the need for a companion. So, He created the woman and put the two together. As we see, the idea has always been having someone, and having fellowship, and NEVER TO BE ALONE. Companionship, or fellowship, is the innate need of every creature, and more so for humans. Isolation was never the design; loneliness was never in the draft. We are made to have friends, families, and communities. But lately we are seeing a reverse picture. There is so much population, yet everyone is lonely. There are people everywhere- workplaces, schools, gyms, and festivals- but everyone is alone in the crowd. People are worn out from carrying life alone. Lately, one of the biggest challenges that people are facing is finding like-minded life partners. Friendships are not meaningful anymore. Children feel left alone. Teens find comfort in screens. Adults are burnt-out with pressure. Loneliness has become a greater global crisis than any other pandemic. Simply put, there is no one to talk to. It is hard to find anyone who would listen.  “As long as Moses held up his arms, the Israelites won, but when he put his arms down, the Amalekites started winning. When Moses' arms grew tired, Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on, while they stood beside him and held up his arms, holding them steady until the sun went down. In this way Joshua totally defeated the Amalekites.” (Exodus 17: 11-13) This incident is simply a display of the need and the power of a support system. Moses was keeping his arms up, and he did so for a long time. But eventually, he got tired. What did that lead to? Defeat of the whole army. This is how humans are falling apart in the present times. Carrying the weight of life, the pressures, challenges, struggles, emotions, and pains ALL ALONE. What happens next?  Aaron and Hur brought a stone for him to sit on. What did they just do? They comforted him in his physical tiredness. He didn’t have to leave the battlefield and hence his responsibilities. And how do we see this in our lives? People get exhausted and don’t find any support or comfort. They either want to leave and run away or just suffer burnout. What did Aaron and Hur do next?  They stood beside Moses. Sometimes, even the presence of another person works like a miracle. Imagine a wife working alone in the kitchen. It’s not the work that wears her down. It’s the feeling of doing it alone that catches up. Now, consider the husband, or any other family member, standing next to her while she works. Observe the change in the atmosphere. We all can choose to stand with others in their routines, as friends to talk and laugh with, as comforters in the tough times, and as supporters in their needful hours.  What Aaron and Hur did next was marvellous. They took Moses’ arms and held them for him, and they kept them steady till the sun went down. This was the ultimate. In other words, they not only offered and reached out with comfort, help, and support, but did it till the end of the battle. Such an awesome anecdote: a whole community won, a whole army won because of a simple gesture by two men reaching out to one weary man. Where did it all start? THEY SAW the army being defeated, and THEY NOTICED the one who was carrying it to victory. And that he was tired. How many times do we see someone falling apart around us, in our families, in our friend circle, in our schools, and workplaces? Can we not do something to help them? A simple gesture of kindness, a hand of help, a word of prayer, and a moment of presence act like honey to a fainting person. IT ALL STARTS WITH SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE CARRYING IT ALL. ALONE. And this is what is leading to the fall of communities in the present times. We are already sitting with a major mental health crisis in the world. All because nobody talks to each other, no one bothers to be there for another, and no one is ready to carry each other’s burdens. We have become so self-focused that we can't look beyond ourselves. AND IT IS NOT ONLY THE LOSS OF OTHERS. We are all at a loss, too. Every single person is a unit in a community. And a community needs every unit to function. Imagine what it would look like if people had meaningful connections. Everyone would be helping others. Everyone would know they have some arms to carry them if they fall. Imagine children, teens, and adolescents knowing they can run back home when they feel vulnerable rather than taking refuge in addictions and self-sabotaging activities. "Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6: 2) Wouldn’t that be a nice world to live in? Your presence matters to someone. Be there. Be together. BE VICTORIOUS.

Daily pearls from the shore🫧 UNMERITED Recently, my daughter got an opportunity to present her research work at an international conference. Some of you might be thinking: okay, and what’s so special about that? She is an undergraduate intern who got to present her research at an international conference, usually attended only by postgraduates or professors. Not only that, her work and presentation were well received, applauded, and praised. What was this: Great favor from God and from men. From God for getting the opportunity when it is not conventional for undergraduates, and from men because it was well received and appreciated. Eventually, all favor is from God because it’s His favor that grants us favor in the hearts of humans too. • There was a young boy who had eleven brothers who despised him so much that they sold him into slavery. However, he found favor with his master, and he was appointed to be in charge of everything in his master’s household. He was, then, falsely accused and was thrown into prison. Even there, he found favor and was appointed the chief of the prison operations. When the Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret, he was called to interpret it and he did. Not only that, he further provided the solution to the issues predicted in the dream. This led to him being appointed as an authority and being handed the work of the whole country. This was Joseph, who ended up as second only to the Pharaoh in the vast kingdom of Egypt. Where did he start? Thrown into a well by his own brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused and imprisoned, living in a dungeon despite having committed no crime. Still in the middle of all these messes, he found favor at every step- WHY? Because God was with Him. • A group of slaves was taken to a kingdom, which included a young orphan girl and her relative. She was put into a harem, where she found favor, out of all the other girls, with the person in charge of the harem, who granted her the best beauty treatments and taught her the highest palace etiquette. She went on to find favor with the king and became the queen. Not just that, she could reverse a decree of genocide for her whole people because she had favor with the king. This was Queen Esther of Persia, and she happened to be the queen who was actually an orphan slave girl from an enemy camp. She kept on finding favor at every stage of her life, even in the most dreadful of situations. How? God was with her. What do we see here? Favor was working all along. God promises “I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you.” (Leviticus 26: 9) There wasn’t anything that these people did to earn this favor. They were actually in the most adverse situations where they could hardly think of receiving any favor. The favor was given freely because God was with Esther and her people, with Joseph, and with my daughter. Now, how do we receive this favor from God? Moses said to the Lord, “…You have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have found favor with me.’ If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you.” (Exodus 33:12-13) Beautifully portrayed here in Moses’ conversation with God. God already knows you by your name, and his favor is already upon you. Moses was not a saint who had special favor. He was an abandoned child of the enslaved Hebrew community, left to die in the river, but was saved by an Egyptian princess and was raised in the palace of the enemy king as the Princess’s son. Not only did God give him favor as a newborn with the princess, but also with the king’s whole palace and kingdom. He was raised as the king’s own. But what’s important here is how God’s favor continued to be with all of these people. The winning point is that God knew them and they knew God. Moses asked God to teach him how to know God for continued favor. Two things stand out: 1. God’s covenant of love and hence favor is already there for his people. 2. Seeking God constantly to know Him more and more. God loves us all unconditionally, and His promises stand true for us in the form of blessings and unmerited favor. As we seek to know him more and more, we abide in His presence, and that is the place of continuous favor. No matter what your situation looks like presently, know that God knows you by name and His favor is upon you. Know him closely, and you will know his love and favor that follow. For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor; now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6: 2) Let your life be directed from the place of God’s favor because of His Love.

Daily pearls from the shore🫧 The Trajectories Years ago, God asked me to move from India to South Africa. To be honest, it wasn’t easy. It was a new country, new people, and everything was so uncertain. I had my apprehensions. But I had to trust God and take the step of faith. I packed my life up in a few suitcases (as my mom-in law says) to move to where God asked me to. Something similar happened to another guy. The Lord had said to Abram, “GO FROM YOUR COUNTRY, YOUR PEOPLE AND YOUR FATHER’S HOUSEHOLD TO THE LAND I WILL SHOW YOU.” (Genesis 12: 1) Abram packed his belongings and left for the unknown country that God asked him to set out for. I at least knew where I was going. Abram just had to set out without many specifications. I was scared even when I had a lot more details and information. Abram didn’t even have an itinerary. But God carried him from place to place towards the promised land. A few years later, there was a famine in the land, and Isaac, son of Abraham {renamed by God from ‘Abram’ to ‘Abraham’ (Father of many nations)}, planned to move to another place. The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. FOR TO YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS I WILL GIVE ALL THESE LANDS AND WILL CONFIRM THE OATH I SWORE TO YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM”. (GENESIS 26: 2-3) Third generation, Jacob is wandering from one place to another, and God spoke to him. “There above it stood the Lord, and He said to Jacob: ‘I AM THE LORD, THE GOD OF YOUR FATHER ABRAHAM AND THE GOD OF ISAAC. I WILL GIVE YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS THE LAND ON WHICH YOU ARE LYING.’” (Genesis 28: 13) And we see how generations down the line, the SAME GOD stayed faithful to the promise made to ONE MAN who STEPPED OUT IN FAITH into the unknown. “… because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees, and my instructions.” (Genesis 26: 5) And God kept the promise to generations further to Jacob. God said to the Israelites through Moses, “And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’ (Exodus 6: 8) And HE DID. It is by witnessing the faith of this One Man and the faithfulness of GOD to the promise that gave me the courage to step out into the unknown future. It is amazing to witness the faithfulness of God through this story – and mine - to the very end. While we were there, He kept us, sustained us, and prospered us. The LORD kept His promise. One step of faith changed the destiny of generations to come. I wonder what trajectories are ordained for generations ahead that are waiting for a step of faith. What is that which you need to step out into?

Daily pearls from the shore 🫧 Waiting Rooms If there were ever a list of the longest waiting, my name would probably be at the top of it. I remember my college days when my friend and I used to travel from our hometown to our college in another city about an hour and a half away. We did this daily for the first year or so. Every morning, I would reach the bus stop around 6:15 AM and wait. And I would wait. And wait and wait and wait and then I would eventually call her home landline to enquire how far she was, only to discover she was still sleeping! Funny, Isn’t it? It may be hard to believe, but this happened almost every single day. And it was so hard to wait, as the people would start staring at me, while I stood there the whole time, as there was no place to sit, and no waiting room. So, if anybody understands waiting and the patience for it, I might still have the best of chances of topping that list. WAS IT EASY? NOOOOOOO. How did I feel? At that time, I still had a lot more patience, but was t pleasant? NOT AT ALL. Did I want to wait? NO WAY. But waiting comes for all kinds of things in life. It’s easy to wait for a courier these days because we know the date and time. Then, there are things in life for which we wait with no timeline. And what do we do during that waiting period, especially when we don’t have a timeline? There was a Prophet named Elijah who lived in a land that had been under drought for years. He told the king that it would rain. Thereafter, he waited. “Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. ‘Go and look toward the sea,’ he told his servant. And he went up and looked. ‘There is nothing there,’ he said. Seven times Elijah said, ‘Go back.’” (1 Kings 18: 42-43) There were no clouds, and he had no timeline for when there would be any. Still, what did Elijah do here? He waited. On his knees. Was he grumbling? No. Did his faith waver? No. Did he doubt? No. How do we know? He didn’t have time for all of that. He was busy worshipping. In faith, he declared that God will send rain. In the meantime, He worshipped God. He waited and hoped. Seven times he sent his servant to check for any sign of rain, while he himself remained on his knees. HE DIDN’T CHANGE HIS POSTURE. “In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and WAIT EXPECTANTLY.” (Psalms 5: 3) Like the psalmist, Elijah believed that the Lord had heard his voice and would grant his request. And He waited EXPECTANTLY, IN HOPE. It seems easier said than done. Waiting is easy when we know the timeline. But sometimes, we don’t know the date of delivery of a promise. In those times, we tend to get up and start fixing the situation ourselves, and end up birthing Ishmaels. “But they soon forgot what He (GOD) had done and DID NOT WAIT for His plan to unfold.” (Psalms 106: 11-13) God promised Abram a child, but there was no timeline, and after waiting for several years, he and his wife, Sarai, devised a plan and had a baby with a slave girl, naming him Ishmael. Did God not bless Abram with the promised child? He did. Isaac was born. (Genesis 16:1-16) It might be easy to believe a promise, but difficult to wait for it to materialise. Elijah didn’t make plans to beat drums and summon rain just because six times there were no clouds. He worshipped. Abram and Sarai, on the other hand, started with hopeful waiting for the promise, but gave up soon and made their own plan to fix the delay. See, it matters what we choose to do in the waiting rooms. We see all kinds of people in the waiting rooms - some people sleep, some read books, some kids play, and some people start walking up and down impatiently. Does impatience change anything? NOTHING. Does worship change anything? EVERYTHING! “I remain CONFIDENT of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. WAIT FOR THE LORD; be strong and take heart, and wait for the LORD.” (Psalms 27: 13-14) When we wait and wait expectantly, we hope in confidence. And hope strengthens us to wait more expectantly. WAITING IS ANOTHER POSTURE OF A DEEPER LEVEL OF TRUST. "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40: 31) CONVERT WAITING ROOMS INTO WORSHIP HALLS, And witness the goodness of the lord. And yes, the seventh time, the servant of Prophet Elijah did see a cloud. AND YES, IT RAINED LIKE ANYTHING. “The seventh time the servant reported, “A cloud as small as a man’s hand is rising from the sea.” So, Elijah said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’” Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, A HEAVY RAIN STARTED FALLING, and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came on Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.” (1 Kings 18: 44-45). #MonsoonVibes #WorshipPower #mentalhealthandwait #psycholgybehindwait #ChristianCounselingResources

Daily pearls from the shore 🫧 Mind games “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. “ (Matthew 12:43-45) As the saying goes, “an empty mind is a devil’s den”. This is what is happening with the people struggling with anxious thoughts, panic attacks, and confusion nowadays. The text about the empty house also shows a similar picture of a troubled mind. When we try to fix our troubled minds with quick fixes without finding the trigger and replacing it, initially, it seems all clear, only to relapse worse than the first time. The truth is, if we leave our minds empty after removing the negative thoughts, there are chances of recurrence of the same or similar thoughts. And repeated failures in coming right result in further worsening of our mental condition. What is the pot-hole here that needs to be filled? It is a void in our minds that needs to be filled with something stronger than those negative thoughts. Paul writes, “We demolish arguments and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:4–5) “How can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.” (Matthew 12: 29) Basically, something stronger than the negativity is required to occupy our mind, so that we may operate in sanity and peace. "You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you." (Isaiah 26:3) Negativity brings fear, which further leads to anxious thoughts of uncertainty and insecurity, and this keeps on repeating, adding to the magnitude of fear, and manifests in the physical body as racing hearts, breathlessness, and panic attacks. “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7) Some people try meditating on positive thoughts, which is not wrong, but positive thoughts not rooted in faith in someone more able and promising are like leaving a seed unattended on a rock. Birds can eat it, wind can blow it away, and the sun can scorch it, and it won’t find any root in the mind. So, people rote-learn affirmations that aren't rooted in faith, and it leaves them weary. What is actually required is something stronger, alive, and effective that can edify and enable the person for the long run. That is why we confront the negative thought, as Paul says, and demolish it, and then take the thought captive and make our minds obedient to Christ. “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2) The things of Heaven are the seeds that can find root and occupy the empty mind. And what are these things? “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learnt and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6) BECAUSE FAITH IS THE ABILITY THAT GIVES POWER TO THE MIND TO TAKE CONTROL OVER THOUGHTS. Proverbs 4:23, which states: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it", emphasises protecting your heart (which represents the mind) from all negativity because what it carries, it will deliver. “For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Matthew 12:34) And whatever we speak, our mind receives. Hence, we need to watch what goes in because that will come out.

Daily pearls from the shore 🫧 Heritage People are like a goods train, carrying so much inside them but never stopping to offload any of it. Then, one day, everything stops. The mind gives up, stops co-operating with demands. Trauma is still part of everyday life. There are accusations, betrayals, and shame forced onto many of us by families, workplaces, and communities in the form of verbal or physical abuse, gaslighting, etc. It can also project from within us as self-condemnation, self-doubt, and guilt, causing us to live in deep darkness. Regardless of where the toxicity comes from or which mode it uses to attack, it affects the whole being of an individual. And then it translates into labels which we end up attaching to our identities. But is that all it is? “In righteousness you will be established” (Isaiah 54:14) The highest truth about you and me is the righteousness of God for us. That is our identity given through the finished work of Jesus Christ. We, humans, are born into a fallen world. Our beings fall prey to sin and failure. Not only that we blame everything happening wrong to us onto GOD. This is the biggest lie mankind believes. The same God says differently. “Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you. If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.” (Isaiah 54:14-15) This is a very important fact that the world is missing out on: The knowledge of God, God’s character and love for us. Any harm that occurs has never been directed by GOD. “It will not be my doing” God has safeguarded us against any form of tyranny. It can be a physical or mental attack, but it will not be able to get to you. Even if we find ourselves in depression, anxiety, or a financial crunch, the very assurance helps us reframe our minds that the attacker will be taken far away from us. “TERROR WILL BE FAR REMOVED.” Simply put, you will not be sabotaged by the attack. You will get out of it. People suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and similar mental health struggles suffer a different level of fear due to auditory and visual hallucinations. But there is hope and peace in knowing that “YOU WILL HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR.” People living in terror-affected zones suffer huge dread for their lives, but God says, “IT WILL NOT COME NEAR” It further states that if you still experience attacks verbally, physically, or in any other form of accusation or harm, your attacker will not get away with his wrongdoing, but God will make sure “WHOEVER ATTACKS YOU WILL SURRENDER TO YOU.” “No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and this is their vindication from me,” declares the Lord.” (Isaiah 54:17) Whether it is anxiety or depression, failure or sickness, “NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU SHALL PROSPER.” It will not be able to destroy you. The very knowledge of the fact that the Almighty God declares the ineffectiveness of weapons against you is encouraging. Further, it affirms that any kind of attack on your identity, such as abusive words, labels, calling names, false accusations, malice, gossip, or anything said that might have caused pain, hurt or damage to your reputation, you will condemn “EVERY TONGUE WHICH RISES AGAINST YOU IN JUDGMENT YOU SHALL CONDEMN.” Sin, guilt, shame, or self-condemnation doesn’t have to weigh us down. Knowing your identity in the righteousness of God will help you see yourself through that lens. You would be able to rebuke every attack. You would prove every label a lie. Wear the correct lens, Put on righteousness, You have a heritage with God.

Daily pearls from the shore 🫧 Prisons Nelson Mandela, the South African president and a revolutionary, spent 27 years in prison. He spent a major part of his imprisonment in solitary confinement. He described it as follows: “I found solitary confinement the most forbidding aspect of prison life. There is no end and no beginning; there is only one’s mind, which can begin to play tricks. Was that a dream or did it really happen? One begins to question everything.”–Nelson Mandela And how many of us are living a sentence like that? As much as people are confined to prisons of brick and walls, some are far less visible. Mankind is suffering from restricted autonomy with a dogmatic worldview, digital walls with constant novelties, pressures, status bars, and many expectations. This is another kind of solitary confinement that people are living in, both physically and mentally. There begin the mind games that Sir Nelson Mandela expressed. There were once two other prisoners with whom I observed something very different. Badly beaten and wounded as they were, they didn’t say much about their prison experience as such, but SOMETHING POWERFUL stood out. “About midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly, there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26) Who does that? Who sings in prison?! You might either wait anxiously to be out or for someone to show up with a plan to take you out on bail, or wish to simply drop the charges against you. They were not grumbling with pain and agony. They weren’t pleading with anyone for them to be spared or released. They were simply doing what they did when they were outside. They prayed and started singing hymns to God. Truly speaking, if I am in a little distress, I can’t even listen to music, forget about it having the intention to worship. But here, two men, wounded and beaten up, sitting in a dungeon, were singing hymns to GOD. They were not in denial about their situation. It’s just another level of grace that they were presented with to accept and deal with the reality, as Paul mentioned, “His (God’s) grace is sufficient for me.” This passage speaks to all of us about the situations that keep us imprisoned and leave us overwhelmed. This is not only about the attitude but about focus. It’s not about keeping it all together but allowing the mind to switch over to something that can bring us into a more regulated mode. That is the place where we can then start to experience things turning to optimism. As the text here describes, this involved having other prisoners listen to their hymns. Imagine the change of atmosphere. A place that could have been otherwise chaos filled with anxiety, anguish, anger, uncertainty, negativity, and possible quarrelsome, had surprisingly turned quiet and calm. All prisoners had something better as a directive for that moment. Next, what happens is miraculous. THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PRISON WERE SHAKEN; THE DOORS FLEW OPEN, AND CHAINS WERE LOOSENED. This story depicts a physical prison scene. But that’s exactly what happens when we allow our minds to FOCUS ON SOMETHING GREATER THAN THE VOLUME OF OUR SITUATIONS. Something powerful takes place. The strongholds are demolished(foundations of the prison were shaken). Our minds get opened up to new perspectives (prison doors flew open), and we start to experience freedom from the shackles that were binding us(chains came loose). It's a high-octane transformation from a place of confinement to a place of gratitude. Not only that, but it also directs us to witness how emotional regulation can help others around us, like the other prisoners who started listening to the hymns. Now, think about the same regulation of the mind influencing the atmosphere in challenging circumstances for family members, especially for children. Witnessing one person deal with a tough situation through faith-directed perspectives relays hope and resilience to the next generation. Light doesn’t fight darkness; it enlightens the atmosphere. So does hope in God. GOD IS STRONGER THAN ANY STRONGHOLDS. LET HIM DIRECT YOUR MIND TO FREEDOM, not your situations.