Equip Ministries India

17/12/2024

26/11/2024

Equip Daily Devotion

Hebrews 11:6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

The very foundation of our relationship to God is our faith in Him. If we don't believe that He exists, it will be difficult for us to cultivate a living, loving relationship with Him. Our very salvation comes through our faith as Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.

God loves it when we choose to have faith in Him despite what our outward circumstances might be saying. In Hebrews 11, we read many accounts of the heroes of faith who believed God against all odds. My encouragement to you today is to declare God's goodness and His love over your life whether you feel like it or not. Our feelings are not always accurate. They can deceive us at times.

So stand firm today my friend. Choose to believe that God exists and that He is the rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Your faith and trust will move the heart of our God and Father like nothing else.

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04/10/2024

25/02/2024

Day 10 - Journey with Jesus Daily Devotion

Scriptures Portion For Todays Reading
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Philippians 3:12-14
Romans 5:3-5

Theme: Self-discipline in discipleship

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11).

Discipline does not happen automatically. It needs sincere, tough and strict training from the self, driven by a desire to have control or power over self. Self-discipline often means reining in ourselves from doing something we wouldn’t ever want to, but find it difficult not to. A tough task to accomplish, but the struggle is worth it. A self-disciplined Christian should be able to resist temptation and focus on those things that bring honour and glory to the Lord.

The Bible lays a lot of stress on discipline of the self. So we ought to understand how important the subject is. The Greek word for “discipline” ‘enkrateia’ comes from the root ‘krat’, which denotes power or lordship. Self-discipline means to exercise power over one’s self. It’s the ability to keep one’s self under control. The word indicates mastery over one’s inner desires, thoughts, actions and words.

As we meditate on the topic, we also need to go through the following verses that drive home the concept of discipline. “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls” (Proverbs 25:28). “No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1Corinthians 9:27). “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly” (1Timothy 4:7).

A disciple, complete with knowledge, and skills, but lacking in self-discipline can easily fall into temptation. In fact, self-discipline is part of the fruit of the Spirit which is the characteristic of a mature Spirit-filled believer.

So how does one acquire this skill of discipline? In 2 Timothy 2:4-6, Paul describes the examples of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. The soldier commits himself to a life of hardship, struggle and denial, for a moment’s honour and a glorious death. The athlete prepares for the greatest of games. He undergoes rigorous training for years on end to win a race which takes but a few seconds to finish and earn a medal. Finally, Paul talks of a farmer working his fields for days together under vagaries of the weather, ploughing, removing rocks and preparing the soil for sowing. When the harvest comes and he reaps his crop. How much more should Christ’s disciples be disciplined! He has to wage a battle and be sure of victory!

Let this year’s Lent see us committing ourselves to be true disciples of Jesus. When others waste their time, we need to read and study the Holy Scripture. While people sleep we should be up in prayer. While some revel in food and wine, we must fast. While the laggard takes it easy, we need to work hard. When the angry lose their temper and bad-mouth others, we must guard our tongue, heart and mouth.

“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night,” said H. W. Longfellow in his beautiful poem.

So let us strive to the heights of self-discipline and not sleep!

Let us Meditate
1. What are the areas you lack discipline in?
2. What areas do you want to work on right now?
3. What will happen if you fail to take action now?

Application
Practice what benefits you to achieve your goal in Christ. Whatever you practice, do it consistently for at least 21 days.

25/02/2024

Day 9 - Journey with Jesus Daily Devotion

Scriptures Portion For Todays Reading:
Hebrews 11
2 Corinthians 11:16-33
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Theme: Taking up my Cross

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

Jesus said: “We have to carry a cross.” What did he mean by that? We interpret “cross” as some burden we are forced to carry all our lives...like a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness or anything unpleasant for that matter. With pride tinged with self-pity we say: “That’s a cross I have to carry.” This is not what Jesus meant when He said: “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

But Jesus meant something far deeper than this when He told His disciples to carry their cross. He told them: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In Jesus’ day, a cross wasn’t just a symbol of pain and suffering; it was mainly a symbol of “death.” What Jesus meant was that they had to put to death their plans and desires, turn their lives over to Him and do His will every day.

Jesus doesn’t simply call us to believe that He existed, or even to believe that He can save us. He calls on us to commit our whole lives to Him—to trust Him alone for our salvation, and then follow Him as His disciples. He said: “Anyone who does not carry his cross and follow Me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).

How to take up your cross? When Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me,” they probably were intentionally reminded of the time He had called each of them. Some of them earlier had left families, friends, occupations and everything else to follow Jesus.

To unbelievers among the multitude who were present on that occasion (Mark 8:34), Jesus’ words “come after Me” applied to the primary surrender of receiving new birth, when a person comes to Christ for salvation. To the believers there, including the twelve disciples, “come after Me” reiterated the call to a life of daily obedience to Christ.

It’s a tempting proposition to compromise our commitment when the cost becomes high. The fact is that we all tend to succumb to disobedience; but the character of a true disciple is manifested in obedience. Although imperfect in obedience, the basic desire and life-direction of the true Christian is obedience to the Lord.

Discipleship is on God’s terms, just as coming to Him is on His terms. The Lord is reminding us that the key principles of winning by losing involves in following Jesus Christ is self-denial, cross-bearing and loyal obedience.

The first prerequisite to taking up the cross is self-denial. A person who is not willing to deny himself cannot follow Jesus and be His disciple. The second prerequisite of discipleship is loyal obedience. Only after a person denies himself and takes up his cross, Jesus said, is he prepared to follow Me. This is submission to the lordship of Christ as a follower that becomes a pattern of life.

The third prerequisite of discipleship is to take up one’s cross. This idea has profound meaning which must be understood. Taking up one’s cross is not some mystical level of selfless “deeper spiritual life” that only the religious elite can hope to achieve. Nor is it the common trials and hardships that all people experience some time in life. To take up one’s cross is simply to be willing to pay any price for Christ’s sake. It is the willingness to endure shame, embarrassment, reproach, rejection, persecution and even martyrdom for His sake.

When Jesus carried His cross up to Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as a symbol of burden. To a person in the first century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: A most painful and humiliating death beyond human endurance.

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but tortuous death. Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed when life throws up challenges. Jesus said trials would hit His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.

Consider these questions if you want to put yourself to the test and know if you are ready to take up your cross:

Am I willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of my closest friends? Am I willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from my family? Am I willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of my reputation? Am I willing to follow Jesus if it means losing my job and position? Am I willing to follow Jesus if it means losing my life? It does not mean all these things will happen, but the crux of the matter is whether we have the intense willingness to take up the cross. What will I choose if there comes a point in life when I have to choose between Jesus or the comforts of this life?

This is the kind of commitment to Christ that calls for daily choices of taking up the cross, giving up hopes, dreams, possessions, even one’s life, if needs be, for the cause of Christ. The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self and offered us the gift of life. So here unfolds the profound truth behind the statement from Jesus the Messiah: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26). Don’t be satisfied with anything less, for there is no greater joy in life than following Christ every day.

Let us Meditate
1. What are those doubts and questions I struggle with as I follow Him?
2. Is Christ the master of my life?
3. Have I put to death my own plans and committed myself to His will all through my life?
4. What are my decisions today to help me follow my Jesus unhindered? Write them down.
Application
I will focus on Jesus, as I carry my cross. I will not be distracted by carnal thoughts. I will love Him with all I have.

25/02/2024

Day 8 - Journey with Jesus Daily Devotion

Scriptures Portion For Todays Reading
Ephesians 6:10-12
2 Corinthians 9:10
Ephesians 4:15
Colossians 1:10

Theme: Growing strong in the Lord

We may get knocked down on the outside, but the key to living in victory is to learn to get up on the inside.
Our spiritual life is always at risk unless we address it with care. Just as we nurture our body, the needs of the mind too call for special care if we are to sustain ourselves. Our lives are constantly challenged by life’s adversities. How often do we recover and go forward?

What do we do when our vehicle breaks down bang in the middle of a journey? Before seeking help we check the fuel level. If the fuel is over, help is of no use. This truth holds good for our spiritual life too.

How can we be strong and grow from the inside?
Consider this example. When we fall ill, we need time to recover and a great deal of rest too. Taking up strenuous work would surely make us ill again. After an illness we need to recover our health. The right food at the right time, in right quantities, with a dash of exercise should surely bring us back on our feet. In the same way, we need to regularly feed on God’s Word and practise spiritual discipline like fasting, praying, and meditating. We need to be involved in fellowship with God’s children. Sin makes us spiritually ill. But through the sacrament of confession, we shall be healed. It’s better to avoid spiritual overloads at one go. The first call is to recover our health through prayer. Prayer is the fuel of our spiritual life, the inner being.

Another challenge in our spiritual journey is the problem of bad habits. St. Augustine said: “Evil is the adversity of goodness.” A hole in a floor can never be fixed by moving it out. Try it and the hole gets bigger. So we fill it up. Likewise, we try for years and years to get rid of our sinful dispositions and bad habits. It is like trying to take away a hole. Every sin and drawback is a privation; fill it with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Invite the Holy Spirit to help you and make you stronger where you are weak. We can’t take away darkness without bringing in light. The problem is that darkness is not an entity in itself, but the absence of light. We can become spiritually strong by filling ourselves with the power of the Holy Spirit.

The season of Lent normally is a time when we abstain from indulgences of all kind, be they food, drink or anything one chooses. We engage more in prayer, silence and meditation. The purpose of all this is to strengthen our inner self—our spiritual life. Our inner, spiritual part is what relates to God. If the inner being is not strong, everything else in our life begins to deteriorate. Our spiritual life, professional competence, family ties, community living, relationships and every other aspect begins to disintegrate and fall apart. ��“When a man has no strength, if he leans on God, he becomes powerful,” said D.L. Moody an renown evangelist.

Let us Meditate
1. How are you in your inside? Are you attending to the health and growth of your inner person? Spare a few moments for self-evaluation.
2. When was the last you spent time alone in God’s presence… reading, meditating fasting and praying to strengthen your spiritual life?
3. What decisions and steps will you take today to take care of your personal spiritual growth?

Application
I will meditate upon God’s Word consistently and memorize the promises. And I will not rush to make decisions, particularly when things seems difficult and gloomy, but will wait upon the Lord and yield to His Word.