Are you winning or are you loosing ???

These are the days of the outstanding stars in the Global Entertainment Business. Thousands of young people are running with a burning desire to become a super star in the American Idol, Indian Idol, Super Star Global etc etc. Many of them are so immensely talented, even great judges get frustrated making the right decisions. The contestants labor so excessively to produce the highest degree of excellence. Every single area is meticulously examined, eye contact, body language, costumes, singing styles, vocal tone, voice texture, vibrato, range, spontaneity, originality, creativity, emoting ability, breathing capacity, communication skill, dancing skill, stage presence, screen presence, attitude, charisma…wow it's a long long winding road leading someone to success. But in the first round itself thousands stumble and fall regardless of their untiring efforts and gifts they posses. When kids get rejected it breaks their heart deeply, it even hurts the passionate audience who hate to see people loose. Everybody is after the winner in the showbiz. The Righteous Judgment is impartial. Hello, it's time to judge ourselves, are you running for the crown of life or are you loosing it. Some times we sing songs of love, without sharing our lives with Jesus. Love is focused attention and life is time. Worship leaders can pretend in worship and can get lost in singing songs to entertain people like showbiz. The unquenchable flame of passion burning for Jesus separates the winner from the loser. Have you lost the spark of your first love to your beloved? Lord is pleading like a sweet romantic, come back my child!!! Do you really love me more than these words and music??? Do you love me more than these fame and position? If yes then enter my throne room and stay. See my face, hear my voice, know my heart and follow me. Tend my sheep and walk with me, share your life and worship me. Keep my word and abide in me!!! Are you winning His love or are you loosing that crown??? let your answer please Him forever. Amen…VJ TRAVEN

Speak God's word for a miracle.

Holy Bible is the true evidence of what God has done than what God has spoken. To defeat the power of death with the abundance of life, we need to exactly do what the Lord did. "Speak His word". What ever God speaks will be done. God and his people speak the same word; it is a double edged sword. When Saints takes the sword of the Spirit, with pure motives and deep conviction, it accomplishes the purpose of God fruitfully. The centurion who came to Jesus knew its power. He told Jesus to"speak the word" to heal his servant and he was healed. Jesus said, "be still" to the wind and the sea and they obeyed. When we keep the word and show obedience of faith, we walk with God and carry the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of Prophecy. When disciples were filled by the Holy Spirit, they began to speak the word with boldness. God always fulfilled what was foretold by the Prophets. Nearly two years ago in my Church, a young man named Vinod met with a bike accident in Cochin. His condition was very critical and he was in coma, doctors said if he doesn't improve within few hours we will loose him in the bargain. Church came to pray for him. With all our heart we prayed, suddenly God reminded me about Lazarus. When Jesus cried out with a loud voice and called his name to come out, life came back on his dead body. Lord spoke His word. This time it was our turn to speak His word. With sincere faith and deep conviction we cried out together with a big loud voice, "in the name of Jesus Vinod come out of the ventilator, by the stripes of Jesus you are healed". In the ICU his body regained its power, with his broken leg he kicked the sides of the ventilator. Doctors need to plaster his leg once again in the Medical Trust Hospital. He had nearly forty stitches on his head, his shoulders and one leg was fractured. But God showed mercy, He send His word and healed him. Next Sunday He came to the Church for worship. Friends, today your problem finds a solution, submit to God and resist the devil. Speak God's word. Amen…VJ TRAVEN

Speak God's word for a miracle.

Holy Bible is the true evidence of what God has done than what God has spoken. To defeat the power of death with the abundance of life, we need to exactly do what the Lord did. "Speak His word". What ever God speaks will be done. God and his people speak the same word; it is a double edged sword. When Saints takes the sword of the Spirit, with pure motives and deep conviction, it accomplishes the purpose of God fruitfully. The centurion who came to Jesus knew its power. He told Jesus to"speak the word" to heal his servant and he was healed. Jesus said, "be still" to the wind and the sea and they obeyed. When we keep the word and show obedience of faith, we walk with God and carry the testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of Prophecy. When disciples were filled by the Holy Spirit, they began to speak the word with boldness. God always fulfilled what was foretold by the Prophets. Nearly two years ago in my Church, a young man named Vinod met with a bike accident in Cochin. His condition was very critical and he was in coma, doctors said if he doesn't improve within few hours we will loose him in the bargain. Church came to pray for him. With all our heart we prayed, suddenly God reminded me about Lazarus. When Jesus cried out with a loud voice and called his name to come out, life came back on his dead body. Lord spoke His word. This time it was our turn to speak His word. With sincere faith and deep conviction we cried out together with a big loud voice, "in the name of Jesus Vinod come out of the ventilator, by the stripes of Jesus you are healed". In the ICU his body regained its power, with his broken leg he kicked the sides of the ventilator. Doctors need to plaster his leg once again in the Medical Trust Hospital. He had nearly forty stitches on his head, his shoulders and one leg was fractured. But God showed mercy, He send His word and healed him. Next Sunday He came to the Church for worship. Friends, today your problem finds a solution, submit to God and resist the devil. Speak God's word. Amen…VJ TRAVEN

Are you struggling, kindly read this ?!!

Five years ago after the writing and composing of songs, I needed a financial miracle to record my first Malayalam album Yeshuve Karunamayane. By faith I booked the Studio dates in Chennai. Miraculously I got a call to produce an English album for US release. As a reward its Promoter was ready to pay for my malayalam album. On the proposed date no trace of the sponsor was seen and I had fifty thousand rupees with me, instead of 8 Lakhs. After reaching Chennai and I prayed, my Father in Heaven, I should finish the first round in twelve days with your help. Lord you are a great provider. You provide for the sun and the moon and the stars. The birds in the sky and the fish in the sea depend on you and are fine. Here I am your son depending on you. On the tenth day, God showed a vision, I saw the famous Guitar player John Antony playing my 12 String guitar 'Talkamine'. He was the session artist for my album. I knew what God wanted! I went inside the studio and saw John playing my Japanese Guitar which was costing forty thousand Rupees, which I paid with great strain. It was my best companion in the award wining recordings in Mumbai, Chennai and Cochin. With that I went inside the offices of the CEO's of the big corporations in Mumbai and won project approvals for major TV commercials like Wipro Corporate. That fine instrument was a part of my history. I said John, please give my guitar for a minute. I kissed the guitar the last time and told, "this is all yours, it is no more mine". He was suddenly broken, he wept and he cried. When he was young he was tied to a tree and was beaten up by the jealous musicians of his time. But here he is honored with a Takamine. I was parting with an object of worship. My pain was somebody's gain. It hurts to bless to somebody. But miraculously the same day I got a call from my wife Junie, she said we have received a cheque of Rs.3 lakhs. Friend, are you struggling? By faith bless somebody. In Gethsemane Jesus was in pain. He sweats blood to bless us. By His stripes we are healed. The great Indian poet Tagore said, "all that is not given is lost". Jesus died on a cross and rose again.Amen…VJ TRAVEN

Wake up and commune with God

A recent research among all the denominational Christians attending the Sunday services revealed few frightening facts. Right after the service the People were asked to recollect the main sermon point. In response only 5% gave the right answer. From Egypt millions were delivered through the Red Sea and was led through the desert, still only two made it to the destination designed by God. The Truth may look merciless, but it can set you free if you respond. Today if Christians were asked about them experiencing God on a Sunday, we may still get frightened!!! Hello, does this worry you? May be not, may be you are all right. The awakening doesn't bother losers. The winners who reached the destination were different and determined; one of them later said, "for me and my house we will serve the Lord". These are the days souls carry a casket to the Church, because right in the midst of the service or later they bury their bodies in some kind of a sleep. Church is a womb of life not a tomb of death. Many Christians are comfortably sleeping inside the coffins of complacency with no communion with God. We are the citizens of heaven, but if don’t commune with God in the desert you'll never cross the River Jordan alive. If your congregation is dead; God still anoints the true worshiper who is desperate to commune with Him in secret. Bad company will corrupt good character. Fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, will make you commune with the demons. We reap what we sow. The Greek word for 'communion' is 'koinonia', which means fellowship, joint participation, intimacy, intercourse, a gift jointly contributed. Joint participation through oneness in heart with God makes a man perfect in Christ. If you miss this process in your daily walk, look at the meaning of one Hebrew word for worship 'atsab' which means to hurt, pain, displease, vex, fashion, to make form, to stretch into shape, worship. Hey…are you listening to the voice of the Spirit of God?...Wake up and commune with God today. Amen…VJ TRAVEN

9 Steps of God pleasing Worship

The unquenchable flame of passion for Christ burning in the hearts of the saints spreads a sweet aroma of worship before God in Heaven. A true worshipper's heart and head is deeply engaged with God uninterruptedly. Worship always sanctifies the true worshipper, with great joy he redefines his commitment to God by always seeking and obeying the perfect will of God in his life. The more deeply you worship like this, the more Christ like you becomes. You can write a thousand books about worship in truth and spirit and can still completely fail to please God in your personal worship. If you are driven by a desire to stay in love with Jesus for ever, your worship will always stay in the glory of God. A true worshipper will always connect and enter the throne room of God to celebrate His presence. When churches fail to do this, God stops rejoicing in them, there the house of prayer becomes a den of thieves.

Thankless hearts do loveless worship and create lifeless churches. These days, on a Sunday you see more pretenders than worshippers. The manifest presence of God never visits such places and people, because their hearts stay far from GOD, they worship in vain without meeting up with God face to face. If you have lost your joy in worship, you can return to God with true repentance and rebuild your worship as a lifestyle.

* Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
* Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
* Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
* Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
* Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
* Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
* Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
* Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Matt 5:3-12

Meditating the beatitudes in Matthew chapter 5, I found nine spiral steps that takes you higher and closer to the presence of God. Nine steps complete one circle and takes you to the top of one floor and you see step one in the next floor again.

The first step: Climb With A Humble Heart

Blessed are the poor in the spirit. In worship people never meet up with God, if they ignore the first step humility. If our hearts are filled with pride and arrogance, we will fake worship. Without humility, you will worship yourself and get deceived. To receive God’s favor and grace, humble yourself, give God the glory and now make His praise loud and glorious. Thank God with all your heart, remember God exists without your worship, but your existence depends on worshiping Him. Jesus said "take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart"... [Mathew 11:29] . Humility is about denying yourself to live the mind of Christ till the end.

The second step: Climb With A broken Heart

Blessed are those who mourn. A broken heart about disappointing God can renew your mind to please God as you climb step two. A hard hearted Cain will only produce unacceptable worship. Remember Jesus and His sacrifice for you. Come to Him; let your love and devotion produce the thanksgiving tears kissing the nail pierced feet of Jesus. Break the alabaster jar of worship, let your Lord rejoice in you. To bear the fruit of repentance, stay broken. Brokenness is the key to enter into deeper intimacy in worship. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart [Ps 51:17]. Ps 109: 22 says "my heart is broken within me".

The Third Step: Climb With A Gentle Heart

Blessed are the meek. Gentleness is the outward expression of the true inner humility. Gentleness is also power under control. Gentleness is your commitment to stay humble without misusing your position in Christ. Gentleness is the fruit of awareness about your citizenship in heaven so you stay calm or stand still and show maturity even in trouble. Gentleness will give God the glory regardless of what you are going through. Climb step three gentleness with sensitivity, because worship can be loud and explosive or calm and silent. A gentle heart is filled with peace that surpasses all understanding, it makes you inherit the earth. A calm and undisturbed heart is health to the body [Pr14: 30].

The Fourth Step : Climb With A Hungry Heart

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. In the presence of the living God there is fullness of joy. Lack of hunger and thirst can lead you to emptiness and dryness because there is no filling with the indwelling presence of God. Worship is a real encounter with God. Be aware of God's promises to a worshiper.
"Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely [Rev 22:1.7Listen, believe and claim your inheritance from GOD. The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. Climb step four hunger and thirst to receive more of Him every time when you worship. Lord sets a grand full course meal before the worshiper's enemies .Are you hungry?!!!

The Fifth Step: Climb with a compassionate heart.

Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy. A embittered person should renew his mind to put on a heart of compassion and kindness [Rom 12:1, Col 3:12]. Bitter and unforgiving nature disconnects you from God, it distorts your focus on Jesus badly. Staying longer like that with a hard and stubborn heart can kill your sensitivity to feel the tenderness of the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit. Forgive and reconcile with your brother before you start your worship. Climb the fifth step to receive the fullness of God's mercy and grace.

The Sixth Step: Climb With A Pure Heart

Blessed are the pure in heart. Unclean thoughts can blind you. It can block your vision against seeing the beauty of His holiness, remember God is holy and He has called you to live holy. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit; flee from sexual immorality and all impurity .Guard your heart with all your strength, and worship GOD with reverence and awe. Climb the sixth step with a pure heart and clean hands.

“Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart…” Ps 24:3-4

The Seventh Step: Climb With A Peaceful Heart

Blessed are the peace makers. A quarrelsome person cannot worship God, because his heart is continuously disturbed. Lord Jesus said "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give it to you, do not let your heart be troubled" [Jn 14:27]. Peace has a major role in worship. Your heart will not condemn you when you stay right with God. You keep peace with every one as much as you can. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, the greatest peace maker became our peace by carrying all our sins on the cross for us. Peace is your security. Peace is the fruit of your commitment to stay silent even when you are absolutely right and your persecutor is completely wrong. You have peace when you know deep within you are hidden in Christ. Peace making has a price, its about giving away your rights willfully. Gospel reconciles the listeners with God and gives them peace.

The Eighth Step : Climb With A Persevering Heart

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness. We need to put on a heart of gentleness and patience [Col 3:12].Impatient people never enter the throne room of God and kiss the Son. Persecution is there inside and outside the church. Have mercy, show patience, do God’s will and earnestly wait upon the Lord, don’t give up till he shows up. Climb step eight patience with a persevering heart. Imitating someone is the greatest form of worship. While showing patience you imitate Jesus and worship Him in truth and spirit.

The Ninth Step: Climb With A Joyful Heart

Blessed are those who rejoice in their sufferings for the kingdom of God. Jesus said "you too have grief now, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and no one will take you joy away from you" [Jn16:22].When you are mocked, criticized, persecuted or rejected you consider it as a blessing to partake in the sufferings of Christ. Paul and Silas when locked up in prison, in stead of complaining, in distress they rejoiced in the Lord and worshiped Him. A joyful heart makes a cheerful face [Pr 15:13]. Climb the ninth step with a rejoicing heart even in unfavorable circumstances. Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad [Ps 105:3].

Going Higher

Climbing these nine steps in true worship can change life and take the worshiper face to face with God . These nine attitudes of the heart can bear the fruit of the Spirit with its nine attributes like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control [Gal 5:22]. True worship always renews your mind. It sanctify you and make you do the perfect will of God. In Proverbs we read, "Give me your heart son and let your eyes delight in my ways" [Pr 23:26]. By the grace of Jesus let your worship eternally remain acceptable and pleasing to the heart of God. True worship makes every man perfect in Christ. Amen Amen.