Alert, Awake and Pray

I greet you all especially all of you my precious dear ones in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus. Brother Shajian family, we again extend our greetings in the name of the Lord. We welcome you as a church. We wish you will come and worship with us in the coming days. The Lord blessed us uh enabled us to praise and worship Lord with the pastor Rajin and family. I praise God they God willing they will be leaving on the 15th. Uh the Lord is protecting and keeping us safe wherever we are. We are strengthening every day by uh by taking the word of God. We were in the presence of God for the last week with fasting and prayer. Last Friday also we heard from the word of God to renew our mind. Those who repent and those who change their mind, renew their mind, the Holy Spirit of God will come upon them. That’s what you heard Saturday. On Friday, we heard renewing our mind and then Saturday we heard the message on build and on Sunday also we heard that the Lord’s blessing is upon them. Hallelujah. Those of us who became a fragrant sacrifice before God on next day we again heard from the servant of God that our Lord leads us with his strong hand. When we renew our mind, the Holy Spirit of God will come upon us. The Holy Spirit of God will work on us. We become a fragrant trans sacrifice for everyone. And when we become a fragrant hallelujah sacrifice before God’s hand, skillful hand, he will lead us. Today morning I would like to preach from uh be awake and pray. Luke 21:36 But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man. But be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the son of man. Today my theme is to pray and be awake. Those of us who have renewed their mind before God, those who have those of us who have been filled with the Holy Spirit, Those of you who have become a fragrant presence before God, those of us who have become the flock under his hand, the Holy Spirit of God is encouraging us not to go back to sleep but to be awake and pray. One of the things written there is you may have the strength to escape all these things. Second, we have to stand before the son of man. [Music] Hallelujah. The question is what is going to happen? In the earlier verse verse 34 we read your mind should not be dulled from corrosing dungness and worries of life for that day will come upon you unexpectedly like a trap. Three things are mentioned there. Corrosing, drunkenness and worries of life. If you think about the worries of life in this world many times we are afflicted by the worries of life. Many of us are worried about what is going to happen tomorrow to us, our future, our children’s future and many other things. Hallelujah. Those of us who are called to be filled by the Holy Spirit to be renewed in their mind and to be a fragrant presence of God, we if we get into the worries of life or we caught up by the worries of life, we will be able we might be going astray from the Lord. What will happen then? the [Music] leg. Second Peter chapter 2 verse 20 we read like this. Those of us who have escaped this world’s impurity, they are again if they are again entangled in these things and defeated the last say it is worse for them than the first in this world. It could happen to us. What we need to do is to be awake and pray in his presence all the times. The Lord deals with us not in the circumstance but according to his law. Our Lord always honors the covenant he has made with us. If we walk away from our covenant with the Lord, our our situation will be worse for us than it was in the first [Music] We should not be falling back into the sinful life we have been redeemed from. If that happens, our state will be worse than what it was in the first. In 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 11, now these things happened to them as examples, and they were written as a warning to us on whom the ends of the ages have come. So whoever thinks he stands must be careful not to fall. here because only of because of the grace of God. [Music] The only reason we are standing in his presence is only because of his grace and mercy. It doesn’t have anything to do with our qualifications. So we need to spend time in prayer and we need to be awake before the Lord. Hallelujah. In the word of God, we see many people who thought they were standing slip and fall. The Lord called and separated us. So now not because that we will not so that we will slip and fall but the Lord wanted us to walk till eternity. We know how the Lord is going to come back. The Lord will be coming again as a bridegroom just to take his bride with us. But Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. However, a bride would decorate herself or get ready herself. The same way we are going to uh be ready in his presence with the prayers and fasting. None of us know when he’s going to come. Anytime he could [Music] come as the bride of the Lord, we need to be always ready for his coming. In this world there is all chances that we may fall. That is how this world is operating. This world is not a a favorite or familiar for this saint. The word says it could happen to us. Many uh saints have fallen in this land. The Lord is encouraging us so that we will be careful and not fall. Hallelujah. Hebrews 12 verse1 15 says like this make sure that no one falls short of the grace of God and no root of bitterness springs up causing trouble and by it defiling many. There is all chance that we may fall back and backslide. It is it could happen to anybody but we need to walk away from that in the book of Ephesians. This is a hard time. So we need to use the time accordingly. How far close are we to the Lord? God has a plan about each one of [Music] us. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Lord is encouraging us today, exorting us today morning that we will be walking away from any pitfalls and spending time in his presence with prayers and be awake in his presence. Use the time accordingly because these times are bad. [Music] This world is not according for a saint and the world is against a saintly [Music] life. The Lord wants us to be aware of this and protect ourselves. Hallelujah. So the word of God says uh be awake and pray the last three years how I spend time in tears and prayer. Remember those Paul is saying be awake. The Lord wants us to follow the word and live according to the word. How many of us are ready for this? Uh do we do we feel the presence of God every day? Oh, if we are like a person who is backsliding all the time, we won’t be able to be his be become his bride and go with him. Today let us be ready in his presence. So the that’s why in Isaiah chapter 60 verse1 we read arise shine for your light has come. Arise and shine for your light has come. The glory of the Lord shines over [Music] you. For look, darkness covers the earth and total darkness the peoples. But the Lord will shine over you and his glory will appear over you. When he when he shines over you, his glory will appear over you. [Music] When the Lord shines over you, you will be a person of light and the nations will follow you. The kings will come to the brightness of your radiance. This is the time to arise and shine so that we will be useful for the Lord. So let us surrender. So because the Lord expects this from us. Ephesians 6:10 says at last strengthen in his mighty power. How can we strengthen ourselves? Only in the spirit of God we can strengthen ourselves. The Holy Spirit is not there in our life. We will not be able to move forward. [Music] If the comforter whom the Lord placed here when he left from this earth if he is not him with us then they won’t be we will be helpless because there’s nobody to help us. That’s why Paul in Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and his vast strength.” Today morning, it is our need that we need to be [Music] strengthened. We are not that group who are sleeping, but we are a people of light standing before the Lord. 2 Corinthians 11:2 says like this, “For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you in marriage to one husband to present you pure virgin to Christ. We are not considered as orphans because we have somebody who is responsible for us. Our bridegroom, our Lord who is always responsible over us. like a pure virgin. Let us separate ourselves to the Christ. Hallelujah. In this world, there is always a chance that we will be uh cheated and we fall down. In 2 Corinthians 11:3 we read, “But I fear that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. It is very essential that we uh examine ourselves today morning. When we are in this world, the Lord wants us to stand straight and not to stumble and fall. Like the serpent deceived Eve. I fear uh I fear the elect serpent deceived Eve. Your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure devotion to Christ. There is a chance it could [Music] happen. But the Lord who promised that I will I will will be with you all the times, he is with us today. If you think you are alone, that is wrong because the Lord who leads us is with us. [Music] So that’s why second Peter chapter 2 verse 14 chapter 3 verse14 says therefore dear friends while you wait for these things make every effort to be found at peace with him without spot or blemish without spot or blemish. without spot or blemish. We are saints before the Lord. Hallelujah. When he comes to receive us, if our garment is without spot or blemish but white as snow, then the Lord will take us. [Music] Only if we live by the word we can do that and we surrender ourselves today morning before his presence. What should we do? Be awake. Let us be awake and let us spend time in prayer in these days. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16, we read, “Be awake.” Chapter 16 verse 13 says like this, “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong, Be alert. Stand firm in faith. Act like a man. Be strong. Your every action must be done with [Music] love. Be alert and spend time in prayer. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 6, we read like this. So then we must not sleep like the rest but we must stay awake and be serious. Today morning are we able to be awake and pray in his presence? How far close can we get to the Lord? Uh as according the word was revealed to us, are we able to move forward close to the Lord? Do we have the initial experience we had with the Lord at the present? [Music] As we receive from the Lord, are we able to give it back to him? Let us examine how we are in his presence today morning. We are not called to be with those who are sleeping but those who are awake and shining for the Lord. for only if you are like those five wise virgins, those who had oil in their lands, bright shining bright for the Lord, then only when the Lord comes we will be able to receive him. There were 10 virgins altogether who were there ready to receive him. But there were only five wise virgins who had oil with them and the lamp. There are many who are called, who are baptized, who have received the Lord. But unlike those five virgins, there will be only very few who will be able to receive the Lord as as his expectation. This is our hope that the Lord will come again. That is what he promised us when he left. In these days, he is going to fulfill his prophecies. That is rushing towards his fulfillment. At that same time many are falling back, many are skipping, many are uh uh backsliding. Hallelujah. [Music] The Lord is not going to coming to receive everybody. He has not promised that. But he is coming to receive only those who are separated for him and leading a holy life. Hallelujah. When he is closed the door with the five wise virgins, the rest of the five virgins who went to get oil, they come back, but he doesn’t open the door. But the Lord said, “I do not know you any anymore. It doesn’t matter what we did in the past. What matters, are we ready to receive the Lord? You did not come this far to hear the voice that I do not know you. Let us be like those five wise virgins with the oil in their lamps. So let us be prudent and let us not be like others sleeping. In first Peter we read, “Be alert. Your enemy is like a roaring lion. He’s going around to devote.” Like a roaring lion, he is moving around trying to devote. The enemy is roaring like a lion and he’s moving around trying to uh trying to uh take people away from the Lord. So let us be alert in his presence. God wants us to escape from his snare and to get to eternity with the Lord. Let us surrender ourselves before this presence. Let us be in his presence with the prayer and be awake. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call unto me and I will answer you. I will reveal to you things that has been hidden. Let us call on his name. Oh, knock and it shall be opened. Seek and you shall find it. Are we ready to knock this morning? Are we ready to seek him? Can we examine where we are standing today morning? Can we call onto him as we are supposed to call onto him? Oh, we can’t find him. Jeremiah was sent to that potter’s house. So when he went to that potter’s house, the potter was making a part on his wheel. While he was working on the vessel, it the clay went bad in his hand. But the potter did not throw away the clay, but he reformed something else from that clay. like that pter if we surrender hallelujah in his hands he will make us into a new uh vessel the Lord is with us today morning he is with us if we are awake and alert and pray If you are ready to cry out, you are ready to kneel. Let us surrender before that good Lord. Hallelujah. Today is Mother’s Day. May the Lord bless all mothers. Hallelujah. We know about Moses mother. Hallelujah. Uh when in that time there was an edict from the palace that all the male children should be put to death. But Moses’s mother hid him for three months. How can you hide a child? Or if the child baby cries out, he will be killed. Well, everybody, all the neighbors should have known that she was pregnant, which means he hid in her house, which means she was praying inside her house. Oh my dear parents, we have a great responsibility about our children. As parents, we are called to hide in our house in the prayer room and be on our knees praying for our children. Zia and Elizabeth had no children even though they were very faithful people. When Elizabeth got pregnant, she hid for five months. My dear parents, if we are ready to cry out and be on our knees for our children, hallelujah, then our children will be blessed. Hallelujah. When Mary goes and greets Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth started kicking. She was not just hiding in her house. She was praying on her knees. That is why the Holy Spirit of God came upon her. Let us be in his presence as parents crying out for our children so that they will be used by the Lord. Hallelujah. Our children are not an accident. God is a gift from God. for if we pray unto the for our children before the Lord then next generation will be risen up for the Lord. Hallelujah. It is not about all our blessings as financial blessings is but that is important but our children before the Lord consider our generations as precious count them as Ps. We need to uh we need to consider that they should be standing before the [Music] Lord. If they we need want them to have a hunger for the Lord, we need to cry out to the Lord. If we are in Moses mother’s situation, what would we do? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The wealthy edict from the palace is very active to kill the children male or male children. That is the time this lady is protecting his her baby very confidently. [Music] How are our children growing in the presence of God? This is the time we are alert and pray. Be alert and pray so that we may be escaped from all that is to happen. So that we stand in the presence of the son of man. So that we will be equipped for that all the time. Be awake and pray otherwise we will have to stand before God. This is not a joke. He will ask us accounts. We will have to stand before the son of man. Oh let us be equipped for that. We have to give accounts when he asks [Music] us. Star sheet. A time will come when we’ll have to give accounts to the Lord. Like an accountant will have to give accounts before his company. I know I think from the word I think that the Lord will ask us accounts for our children. The Lord may not ask where is the car or the house I gave you the Lord but may I ask where are the children I gave you? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. That is why the word says God the my and my children the Lord has given me. And so we are called to pray for each other. Uh prophet Samuel says if I do not pray for you I’ll be sinning for the before the Lord. We are called with the responsibility to intercede for each other there. God lord will be asking us again. That’s why prophet Samuel says if I do not pray for you I’ll be sinning. So let us be alert and pray. May the Lord bless us with these words