Imrah Ministries

By Sidharth Mohandas

So the church throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied. [Acts 9:31]

If there’s anything the Church lacks today, it is the fear of the Lord. In our day this word has lost its meaning, because most Christians have a distorted knowledge about the love of God. They think love excludes discipline and rebuke. However, Jesus Himself said, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” [Revelations 3:19] If we Christians would walk in the fear of the Lord, I believe we could impact the world to a greater extent.

How do we fear the Lord?

In simple words, the Bible tells us that “the fear of the LORD is to hate evil.” [Proverbs 8:13]. But here’s something more specific:

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. [Psalm 34:11-14]

The first area that the fear of the Lord affects us is our speech…“keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies”. We may use words flippantly but God takes what we say very seriously. He will hold us accountable for every idle word spoken. Do you think you and I can come before the Judgment Seat of Christ say, “But I was depressed and frustrated!”, “I didn’t know it was so real!”…?

Second most important area that the fear of the Lord will affect is our relationships. David says, “seek peace and pursue it”. I come across so many Christians who harbor unforgiveness and bitterness towards others, and they live in a false state of assurance that God has overlooked it. God wants us to strive to keep away any thing that will disrupt the peace between us and our brethren.

Do we take God and all that He has said serious? Or are we deluding ourselves into thinking that all our actions will go unnoticed? Dear friends, we need to remind ourselves that we will have to be accountable for every word and action of ours before the Judge of the Universe. Let us live lives that respect and revere God in everything we say or do.

By Robert Allan Pennington

Many times I have complained and gone directly against what God wanted me to do. Many times I have figuratively slapped Him in the face. Many times I have been one of the worst horrible little sinners imaginable. And yet, every time He has come after me even when I have left Him. Every time He has showed me His other cheek that I might slap it also. Every time He has hugged me and called me His perfect creation. I want to know what kind of love that is! It is a God-love!

Dear brothers and sisters, are you going through a time of separation from God? Are you running away after the things of this world? Do you know what you ought to do, but you don’t do it? Do you give into the temptations that surround you, as they do all of us? Then let me encourage you that God is walking after you; He is calling after you; He is jealous for you; He is waiting for you; He died for you; He lives for you; He forgives you. Do you see His love? When you or I run away He chases us! Much swifter than a gazelle! He catches us and loves us even when we are covered in mud from our stupidity. He holds us so dear…

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. [Hebrews 4:15-16]

Dear brothers and sisters, have you sinned against God and are angry with yourself? Do you not feel worthy to come back in to His arms? Do you feel as I have that you’re not worth loving? Can you see the Father holding out His arms for you? Do you see the pain in His face because you are tormented? Can you not hear Him weeping for you? His love goes beyond what we see of ourselves. He sees the you that you will be, the perfect you. He doesn’t look at outward appearances, not at the mud, not at the sin, not at the stains that have covered you, nor at the failures. He sees His precious, perfect, blood washed and beautiful child. You are His delight.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. [Matthew 11:28]

God’s love reaches farther than the furthest star. His love spans wider than the east is from the west. His mercy is new every morning. His grace abounds to all living things. His peace is beyond understanding. His perfection more perfect than the most flawless jewel. And you precious child are the apple of His eye. Rest assured beloved, you are loved by the One that created love.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! [1 John 3:1]

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8:32-39]

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name - Psalms 103:1.

I remember a story of a young man who went out with his kids for horse riding and played with them all day long. By evening they got back home, and after supper he got the kids on bed. But while he was about to leave the room, one of his kids said, “Dad, you’re the best dad in the whole world!” This blessed the dad so much that he felt like pulling the kid out of his bed and taking him for another ride! And God’s just like that!

I’m sure that if we knew what would bless the Lord, we’d be doing that a lot. I encourage you to spend time on the Word and find out what blesses His heart. When God is pleased, He moves in pleasing ways.

Sometimes just a “Love You” will lighten up His eyes and make Him thrilled. I remember a time when I was depressed and the Lord whispered and said, “Sidhu, can you smile for Me?”. I’m sure it blessed Him to see me take the effort to smile for Him. I was smiling for Him so much that people came to me and told me that they were blessed seeing me smile and that blessed me!