Words of Life|Pastor Balan Swaminathan|HIPM

It is not easy at times, but God wants us to move forward.  If Moses would have been standing in front of the Red sea telling the greatness of God and what God had done in Egypt without taking a step of faith they would have been completely destroyed.  That was the reason God was telling them to move forward. 

Today I am sure God has spoken to you, it may be prophetic even to some of you who are listening to this message, God is not asking you to stand at the crossroads and wonder forever.  God is asking you to move forward.

As we stand at the crossroads of our lives, God is asking us to do four things. Consult, Listen, Examine and Walk. 

If we are standing at the crossroads of death, there is only one way to take victory over death.  To be washed by the blood of the lamb.  The sting of death is sin, once sin is removed, death is no more a painful experience. That’s why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:54-56  54 So when this corruptible has put on in-corruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?

O Hades, where is your victory?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

Sickness has been one of the major concerns of mankind right from the beginning.  Disease control and prevention is one of the major concerns of the government to ensure healthy living conditions of the citizens.  Every year millions and millions of dollars are spent on medical research and health and welfare programs by the government. 

One hand the health condition of human has been deteriorating day by day, but on the other hand the advancement of modern medicine is trying to prove that we are ready to handle any challenges that we may face today in human health conditions.   ----more----

But more than all I want you to know that if you are a child of God, the bread is for you, not the crumbs. 

Dogs may eat the crumbs falling from the table and be healed. 

But God wants you to eat the bread and live in perfect health. 

It is not the will of God for us to face premature death due to sickness in our body.  John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 

The abundance of life guarantees a life that is fully lived, the thief tries to take our lives before the date appointed by God. 

But God wants you to believe in divine healing today.  And start walking in it.  As the scripture says in 3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Discouragement is a plague sweeping the country today. This outbreak is as dreadful as any other epidemic known to man.

Andy Drymalski, a psychologist says, "Discouragement steals hope and undermines your faith in the value and purpose of life. With cynicism, it sows seeds of bitterness and resignation. It sours you to life. True to its name, it relieves you of your courage, a precious gift of the heart. Discouragement is your enemy, the enemy of humanity, and of nature herself".----more----

As we stand at the crossroads of discouragement, getting discouraged is one of the two choices in front of us.  If you choose, you can give in to it. But courageous people simply refuse to be discouraged. They don’t give up, even in the face of fatigue, or frustration, or fear, or failure, because their strength and confidence is found in Christ alone. Courageous people are just ordinary people who are relying on God for courage.

If you're feeling rejected, down and depressed today, your best days are right ahead of you. Shake off your rejection and put on a fresh attitude of faith, joy and service; and you'll see what your life can become.

Only God can deliver someone today form the pain of rejection and from the fear of rejection. Listen to the sermon to be delivered from rejection. 

Doubt is a tool of Satan to make us lack confidence in God’s Word.

The remedy for doubt is faith, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). God gave us the Bible as a testimony of His works in the past, so we will have a reason to trust Him in the present. “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11). In order for us to have faith in God, we must study to know what He has said. Once we have an understanding of what God has done in the past, what He has promised us for the present, and what we can expect from Him in the future, we are able to act in faith instead of doubt.----more----

If we are standing at the crossroads of doubting God, the decision you are about to take is going to decide if we are going to continue to serve God or not.  Your decision needs to be based on trust in God, not based on doubt.  That trust comes from the Word of God.  Whenever we stand in this crossroads of doubting God, read scriptures such as Psalm 139 (read), they tell us that God is trust worthy.

Being misunderstood is not something unique, it is common.  It is not something we need to panic about, it needs to be handled.  Misunderstanding is as common as cold and flu among human.  It is as common as insects coming inside the house if the door is left open.  

But what is important is such misunderstanding can lead us to take certain decisions, that may have an impact on our journey and the destination.----more---- 

Jesus in the midst of all these misunderstandings: by the Jews, by the disciples and by His own family, He took the right choice to accomplish His Father's will.  These misunderstandings never stopped His ministry.  He was not bothered by what others may think about Him.  

We as children of God need to take the right decision when we are hit with such misunderstanding. 

We need to know what the Bible talks about such crossroads in our lives.

John MacArthur writes in his commentary on Matthew, “Our lives are filled with decisions—what to wear, what to eat, where to go, what to do, what to say, what to buy, whom to marry, what career to follow and on and on. Many decisions are trivial and insignificant, and some are essential and life-changing. The most critical of all is our decision about Jesus Christ and His kingdom. That is the ultimate choice that determines our eternal destiny. It is that decision that Jesus here calls men to make.” 

There comes a point in our lives where we stand at the crossroads with two signs, one pointing towards Jesus, the eternal life and the other pointing towards the eternal destruction. Every one of us have to make our own choice. ----more----

Even after taking the decision to follow Christ, often our lives are challenged with such crossroads or choices that may have eternal impact.  Listen to the sermon to be enlightened. 

God is telling every one of us:

- It is important what we believe because it defines our identity in Christ

Church, it is time to be serious and stand for Christ.  God is seeking for those who are committed not who compromise and accept anything and everything in their lives.  

God has spoken to us through this sermon. 

- God doesn't want us to harbor hatred in our heart compromising the sixth commandment