Daily Bible Reading
John 9:13-25
13 They brought to the Pharisees him that aforetime was blind.
14 And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.
15 Then again the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. He said unto them, He put clay upon mine eyes, and I washed, and do see.
16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God, because he keepeth not the sabbath day. Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them.
17 They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight.
19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see?
20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind:
21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself.
22 These words spake his parents, because they feared the Jews: for the Jews had agreed already, that if any man did confess that he was Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue.
23 Therefore said his parents, He is of age; ask him.
24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner.
25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see.
1 John 1:5-10
5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Job 9:1-20
1 Then Job answered and said,
2 I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?
3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.
4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
5 Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.
6 Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.
7 Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
8 Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
9 Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.
10 Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.
11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
12 Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
13 If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
14 How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?
15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.
16 If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.
17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.
18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.
19 If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
20 If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.
Ezekiel 24
1 Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day.
3 And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
4 Gather the pieces thereof into it, even every good piece, the thigh, and the shoulder; fill it with the choice bones.
5 Take the choice of the flock, and burn also the bones under it, and make it boil well, and let them seethe the bones of it therein.
6 Wherefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city, to the pot whose scum is therein, and whose scum is not gone out of it! bring it out piece by piece; let no lot fall upon it.
7 For her blood is in the midst of her; she set it upon the top of a rock; she poured it not upon the ground, to cover it with dust;
8 That it might cause fury to come up to take vengeance; I have set her blood upon the top of a rock, that it should not be covered.
9 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Woe to the bloody city! I will even make the pile for fire great.
10 Heap on wood, kindle the fire, consume the flesh, and spice it well, and let the bones be burned.
11 Then set it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it may be hot, and may burn, and that the filthiness of it may be molten in it, that the scum of it may be consumed.
12 She hath wearied herself with lies, and her great scum went not forth out of her: her scum shall be in the fire.
13 In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.
14 I the Lord have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will not go back, neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord God.
15 Also the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
16 Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
17 Forbear to cry, make no mourning for the dead, bind the tire of thine head upon thee, and put on thy shoes upon thy feet, and cover not thy lips, and eat not the bread of men.
18 So I spake unto the people in the morning: and at even my wife died; and I did in the morning as I was commanded.
19 And the people said unto me, Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us, that thou doest so?
20 Then I answered them, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
21 Speak unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and that which your soul pitieth; and your sons and your daughters whom ye have left shall fall by the sword.
22 And ye shall do as I have done: ye shall not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.
23 And your tires shall be upon your heads, and your shoes upon your feet: ye shall not mourn nor weep; but ye shall pine away for your iniquities, and mourn one toward another.
24 Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign: according to all that he hath done shall ye do: and when this cometh, ye shall know that I am the Lord God.
25 Also, thou son of man, shall it not be in the day when I take from them their strength, the joy of their glory, the desire of their eyes, and that whereupon they set their minds, their sons and their daughters,
26 That he that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause thee to hear it with thine ears?
27 In that day shall thy mouth be opened to him which is escaped, and thou shalt speak, and be no more dumb: and thou shalt be a sign unto them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
Ezekiel 25
1 The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, set thy face against the Ammonites, and prophesy against them;
3 And say unto the Ammonites, Hear the word of the Lord God; Thus saith the Lord God; Because thou saidst, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
4 Behold, therefore I will deliver thee to the men of the east for a possession, and they shall set their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings in thee: they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall drink thy milk.
5 And I will make Rabbah a stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couching place for flocks: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
6 For thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and stamped with the feet, and rejoiced in heart with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
7 Behold, therefore I will stretch out mine hand upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to the heathen; and I will cut thee off from the people, and I will cause thee to perish out of the countries: I will destroy thee; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.
8 Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Moab and Seir do say, Behold, the house of Judah is like unto all the heathen;
9 Therefore, behold, I will open the side of Moab from the cities, from his cities which are on his frontiers, the glory of the country, Bethjeshimoth, Baalmeon, and Kiriathaim,
10 Unto the men of the east with the Ammonites, and will give them in possession, that the Ammonites may not be remembered among the nations.
11 And I will execute judgments upon Moab; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
12 Thus saith the Lord God; Because that Edom hath dealt against the house of Judah by taking vengeance, and hath greatly offended, and revenged himself upon them;
13 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; I will also stretch out mine hand upon Edom, and will cut off man and beast from it; and I will make it desolate from Teman; and they of Dedan shall fall by the sword.
14 And I will lay my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel: and they shall do in Edom according to mine anger and according to my fury; and they shall know my vengeance, saith the Lord God.
15 Thus saith the Lord God; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred;
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will stretch out mine hand upon the Philistines, and I will cut off the Cherethims, and destroy the remnant of the sea coast.
17 And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them.
Ezekiel 26
1 And it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the first day of the month, that the word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, Aha, she is broken that was the gates of the people: she is turned unto me: I shall be replenished, now she is laid waste:
3 Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up.
4 And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock.
5 It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations.
6 And her daughters which are in the field shall be slain by the sword; and they shall know that I am the Lord.
7 For thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much people.
8 He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field: and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee.
9 And he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his axes he shall break down thy towers.
10 By reason of the abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee: thy walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach.
11 With the hoofs of his horses shall he tread down all thy streets: he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy strong garrisons shall go down to the ground.
12 And they shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy merchandise: and they shall break down thy walls, and destroy thy pleasant houses: and they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water.
13 And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
14 And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
15 Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus; Shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?
16 Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay away their robes, and put off their broidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit upon the ground, and shall tremble at every moment, and be astonished at thee.
17 And they shall take up a lamentation for thee, and say to thee, How art thou destroyed, that wast inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, which wast strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, which cause their terror to be on all that haunt it!
18 Now shall the isles tremble in the day of thy fall; yea, the isles that are in the sea shall be troubled at thy departure.
19 For thus saith the Lord God; When I shall make thee a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee;
20 When I shall bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
21 I will make thee a terror, and thou shalt be no more: though thou be sought for, yet shalt thou never be found again, saith the Lord God.
Daily Devotion
The Lord My God
I was born into a Hindu family and was raised with strong belief in Hinduism. However, I had the privilege of attending a school run by Christian missionaries. That introduced Christianity to me. My journey with Jesus began in 3rd grade when one of my teachers organized Bible story classes. She gave me my very first copy of the New Testament Bible along with a picture of Jesus. She also taught me a small prayer. I started reading the Bible eagerly, seeking to learn more about Jesus and faithfully prayed every day. All of this was done in secret as my parents being Hindus would oppose my faith in Jesus. I had my hidden prayer life. As a 10-year-old, I just tried to live by the principles in the Bible to the best of my understanding.
My parents loved me, but I grew up in an environment where there were constant arguments, discord, struggles and stress. We had to deal with many financial crises. Jesus provided the peace and comfort I desperately needed during those times. I realized that when I prayed, He answered my prayers, often granting not just what I wanted or needed but even what I desired in my heart. I understood that there is a living God who listened to my prayers, fulfilled my desires, and saw me through every challenge. My faith in Jesus grew stronger and stronger.
Despite being taken to temples and participating in religious ceremonies, as part of our family routine, my secret Christian life continued to thrive. I grew up in the love and comfort of Jesus, who became my closest friend and Father. He imparted the knowledge and wisdom I needed as I navigated life’s challenges, especially during the financial struggles my family faced. I grew up hearing the voice of the Lord.
Another significant turning point occurred when I was in my 11th grade. I was invited to a prayer meeting at my schoolmate’s house. I witnessed the gifts of the Spirit: tongues and interpretations for the 1st time. Prophecies were proclaimed, with laying on of hands, over each attendee. When it was my turn, these were the words prophesied over me in my native language. I heard them loud and clear.
Pray my daughter, pray! I listen to your prayers. I will come down for your prayers. I will make your eyes see. You will come very very close to me.
I will never forget these words, as they have remained a constant reminder of the Lord’s promises to me. As I grew older, I realized that the ministries that the Lord has blessed me with, align perfectly with these promises. It became evident to me that my mission is to pray! The Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to actively support the Prayer Ministry, at our church and in other Global Prayer Network online platforms. We have witnessed many miracles and praise reports in this ministry. Many families have been blessed. Numerous individuals participating in the prayer meetings hosted in our house have testified that it is a house of prayer and healing. The rest of the prophecy, including the Lord listening to my prayers, the promise of spiritual gifts and a close spiritual walk with Him, have all unfolded throughout my life.
As I read through the Old Testament books during my college days, I was struck by passages emphasizing that there is only one God. This revelation challenged me, as I was still participating in the Hindu practice of praying to numerous idols, while maintaining my secret Christian life. I desired a deeper understanding of this truth. I had the zeal and hunger to know about the Lord. With no one to teach or explain the scriptures to me, I relied on fervent prayers, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the meaning and depth of the verses. I would pray to open my eyes to see what He is revealing, open my ears to hear to His voice, open up my mind to understand the spiritual meaning. I realized that Jesus was speaking to me through the Bible. The Lord guided me through His Word. The book of Psalms brought me comfort and hope during challenging times. David’s psalms resonated with my experiences and created a deeper, more intimate relationship with Jesus. I finished reading the whole Bible by myself for the 1st time, when I was 20. The Word of God instilled in me the fear, honor, and reverence He deserved. That same year, I started going to church with my college prayer-cellmates. I was baptized and received the infilling of the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in tongues! Such an incredible and unforgettable experience!
I am grateful that as a young believer, I attended church alone without my family. Often times, I would attend church services alone without anyone accompanying me. But now, our entire family attends church together, contributing to areas where we could be of service. My husband also coming from a Hindu family has been baptized in Jesus’ name. All my children have been filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Psalm 23, David writes, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.’ This promise has been fulfilled in my life, and I am confident it will continue for all my generations to come. My journey as a first-generation Christian has allowed me to experience the promise of salvation not only for myself but also for my family and my future generations. That is the greatest blessing a 1st generation Christian can get! Thank you, Jesus!
We have faced significant health challenges in our family, particularly with our daughter, who experienced seizures from a young age. My son was born with a hole in his heart and has undergone open heart surgery as an 18-month-old baby. As a family, we have faced many trials and tribulations throughout our Christian walk. But we have come out of each one of them victorious, as we have the GREATEST PARTNER of all, the Lord Jesus Christ! Since the time I gave myself to Jesus, till now, I have been blessed beyond measure in every aspect of my life. Not because I needed those blessings, not because I wanted them, not because I desired or deserved them, but for His NAME’S sake. Coming as a Hindu convert, I have faced rejection and ridicule because of choosing Jesus as my Savior. He has allowed my life to be a testimony in front of all of them and to many others. I chose the Lord’s side, and He DID NOT fail me, for HE IS ALWAYS ALWAYS GOOD!
~Yoga Raj