My tummy’s call

I heard my stomach growl
A shot of pain struck my head
My legs could only crawl
I didn’t know where I was going
But I  kept moving on.

I reached a place where I could sit
And gobbled up all the food I could get.
And then I looked at my belly and said,

“You’re way too cruel man
You shouldn’t have treated me like that
Just to fulfill your hungry demands”

That’s when I heard my digestive tunes,
Tell the truth in full command.

“We saw what you did to your soul
When everything was in your control.
No food, No water.
And the pain you caused her.

You dumped her place with filth and foul matter
She struggled for air,
And sobbed lonely tears of despair
You froze her senses,
Just to fulfilled your immature pretenses,

A careless prayer was all you mumbled,
A perverse swear and a powerful grumble,
An arrogant mind.
And a trend in fashion.
A worthless ambition.
A Godless destination.

Now you complain,
That life’s a strain.
You’re totally depressed
And fuming out your stress

Every where you turn,
Your dreams have all been burned.
And then you point on HIGH,
Shouting, “WHERE’S MY REPLY ?”

I wonder if you are crazy;
You know that you have to eat,
when you’re head goes dizzy.
Don’t you know WHERE TO GO?
When your life’s all messy ?

Jesus is your Saviour
Only He gives life to your soul
Surrender to Him
And give Him total control

He knows the secret
And the guilt within
Yet, HIS LOVE is too powerful
To stay away from your sin

What He did on that Cross,
You thought was great history
But if you accept, believe and confess
Baby, It’ll change your destiny.”

Before I could burp,
I bowed my head to say;
I’m sorry,
I promise that its with You, Jesus that I will forever stay.

Are you in power ?

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them. – Proverbs 3:27

I read this portion and thought to myself, “Okay! I’ll feed the hungry and dress the poor once my cash gets fat” and then I said to myself, “Better than that! if I become a CEO, I’ll start this really big charity and be merciful to all, ‘coz that’s what this verse is all about….when I’m in power I’ll do good”

After a while, the goody good righteous thoughts took back seat and my imagination took me for a ride on a flashy white merc which would definitely be my first indulgence if I ever get some heavy cash.

I smiled to myself and eventually, captain imagination descended to planet earth and I realized that I was sitting inside a crowded public transport bus traveling back home after work.

A middle aged lady entered the bus, she looked like she had a bad day at work. She climbed in and leaned on the supporting pole beside me and asked if I could hold her bag. I took her bag and looked up to have a closer look , her haggard and fatigued face was trying to tell that she would collapse any moment  . I could almost hear the cells in her body scream in pain.

I did something silly after that, I looked at her abdomen, to see if she was pregnant. Ok! I was safe, she was not a senior citizen, and not an expectant mother;  so even if I don’t give her a place , no one would call me heartless.

Suddenly I remembered the verse that I just read,

” Do not withhold good from those who deserve it
when it’s in your power to help them. – Proverbs 3:27 “

My  Master was just about to teach me a great lesson.

Power is not what I imagined to be, not that high throne with a crown on my head.

In this case, the power was my physical strength, and the seat that I was happily seated was the good that I could do. And the drained out woman was certainly someone who deserved my comfortable seat that was in my power to give.

Many times we attribute power to possessions and position. These are the things that we tend to acquire because of power.This is not power by itself. Power is the innate potential God has placed within each of us, which He enables us to use, groom and build upon. Hold on to your power, not the things that come as a result of power.

Jesus held on to His power and authority as the Son of God but used it for the salvation of mankind. The only difference was that; in this case, we never deserved it. Yet He did good.

The power in you is unique, special and is very important for those around you.Use your power to empower , encourage and withhold not good from those who deserve it. Sometimes, those who really deserve good may not  be the exact kind you have in mind. Take a moment to look intently and identify opportunities to be a blessing.

As for the lady, I gave her my seat. She was extremely happy to sit  and dozed off to sleep instantly.Man!! she was really tired.

And I stood there leaning on the pole, smiling to myself  thinking about my fancy white merc. 🙂

My Wish-list for "My Master’s Voice"

My Master’s Voice is 1 year and 7 months old. I did’nt have a plan or a goal when I started blogging,as a matter of fact I did not even intend to write consistently. But each time I birthed a piece,a satisfaction filled my heart and it was for this fulfillment that I came back again and again and continued writing.

I have written when I was angry, sad, grateful,happy, sick, hungry, excited, lonely, sleepy, grumpy…..and each entry has a behind the scenes story to tell.

However, the most powerful creative force was the Word of God. I’ve tried hard, and most of the times in vain, to try and convey the power of God’s Word through my stuff, but somehow I have always fallen short.

I’ve had few loyal visitors to my place(mainly because they had no choice!!!! coz’ I wud bombard their mailbox 🙂 ), some encouraged me directly and many indirectly. I am thankful to all.And even to all those readers who probably landed here by mistake.Because when I go through the analytics statistics, it kinda feels nice when I see occasional traffic from different places.

I realize that I am a terrible amateur and am working everyday to improve the clarity and completeness of my content.But when it comes to being used by God, talent and skill takes second place. His call and anointing is primary.And I am praying and believing for more strength and power in this direction.Please pray for me.

I don’t know if My Master’s Voice has helped anyone, but it sure has helped me. I have learned to listen more deeply to His voice and by recording the lessons learnt, I have a constant check on my spiritual life.My walk with my Master has truly become more meaningful.

I have been praying about a few new things that I want to venture into, and I want to share my wish-list with you.

1)Poetry – Lyrics.
2)Short Stories – Contemporary with a biblical backdrop.
3)Series on Proverbs.
4)Short interviews.
5)Tough issues such as Addiction,Abuse,Sex, Addiction, Pornography, etc.
6)Topical Studies.

God has given me a career to take care, and I am also juggling with higher studies.Seriously, I don’t have the luxury of time.But there’s one thing that I am counting on and that is God’s heart. The more I stay connected, the more easily will the thoughts and words flow.That way, I wont have to spend much time thinking about content,coz’ I have the Source.

I have a long way to go. And I do have dreams, but they’re totally insignificant in the light of His desires. Its a privilege by itself, just to be able to live for God.

A small piece of advice before I finish, if you have something like a talent that you want to use for God, just go ahead and use it, don’t wait for a stage, and don’t expect that people would appreciate you and support all your efforts.

Ask God for the resources and find comfort in His Word.You may not be in the top list right away, but that is no reason to give up. Perseverance is the key.Be consistent, and always keep a check on your motives. Doing right things with wrong motives won’t help you qualify God’s standards. Be sensitive to the stirs of the Holy Spirit and obey without restraint.Keep your instruments consecrated. Ask for criticisms and accept them.

Make a discerning decision about whom you want to have as an inspiration, and imitate some of their good practices.

And always remember that in all the talents that you exhibit, don’t build your image, rather build the Kingdom of God.The driving force behind all your endeavors must be, “He must become greater and I must become less important” – John 3:30

Sorry for becoming preachy!!, I am just trying to be mindful of your blessing [Galatians 6:10].

Believe that you’ll thoughtfully pray for me.

Drop in a message!

Be Blessed. Be a Blessing!!

Love,
Callie

On who’s side are you leaning on..?

The kernel thought for this entry is from the book”Be a people person – By John C.Maxwell”.I’ve added a few modifications and some emphasis, the colored lines are those picked verbatim from the book.

Is there a challenge set before you to face ?
Is trouble holding you hostage ?
Is there a huge army waiting to wage a war against you ?
Are you endeavoring with all your might for a breakthrough ?

You are God’s anointed and you operate in the strength and power of God.You have seen God’s hands work miraculous wonders through you and in you, and when you remind yourself of your past victories, you begin to believe more stronger that you’ll see success this time as well.

A great confidence booster is a personal victory list of past successes and achievements. This is a biblical concept which we can learn from two Bible characters who practiced this: Samson and David.

Both of them were very successful in the things that they were doing.Samson defeated the Philistines in all his encounters and David proved himself to be a brave shepherd.

But note what their success did to them.

In Judges 16:20 we read: “And she[Delilah] said, ‘The Philistines are upon you, Samson!’And he awoke from his sleep and said,’I will go out as at other times and shake myself free.’But he did not know that the Lord had departed from him.’

Now let’s read about David in 1 Samuel 17:37: “And David said,’The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’ And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and may the Lord be with you.”

The strong similarities between these two men were that

• They were both chosen, ordained and anointed by God.
• They both were leaders of Israel at a time when Israel was battling against the Philistines.

But it was something about what their successes did to them that made Samson a loser and David a victorious king.

Samson wanted to please himself, he used the resources given by God to fulfill his lust and his own desires.

When a new challenge was set before him , he was so alienated from God that he was on the lap of Delilah. He lived life in the flesh, depending on his own strength, and the evidence of his past successes when he was going into battle.He felt no need to rely upon God and therefore chose the road to ultimate defeat.

His desire was not to please God with what was given to him rather to use it for his own benefit.

Unlike Samson, David desired to please God.When the challenge to defeat Goliath was set before him, he proclaimed his victory list by giving God the glory.He knew that, left to his own resources, he was already defeated.So he called upon the Lord and went to battle with divine help.The rest is history.

For David, this episode with Goliath was the beginning of his leadership.It was the incident that brought him to a position where God could greatly use him.

We need to be victorious in everything we do and every battle we face.That’s God’s desire too. God gives us a few victories to see what we are doing with it.If we are using every promotion, every new blessing and every level up for His honor. He will give us a victory that will put us in a position where He can use us mightily and honor us greatly.

But if we’re going to use your successes on yourself, we’ll have to live a long mediocre life satisfying our ego by talking about our past.

Its time we ask ourselves,

What have we done with our past successes ?

Have our successes made us so self seeking that we are now resting on Delilah’s lap ?

Do we remember that we see success only by His strength, and no one is self-made ?

How do we chose to face the challenge set before us today ?

Have we realized our inadequacy ?

Let us move forward, face the challenge, fight the battle for His glory by relying on His strength. Then we’ll always be on the winning side.

The REAL REASON

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:8-9

I usually remind myself of this promise whenever I go through a period of confusion or disappointment. When there’s nothing worthwhile on the surface and when I am experiencing a season of fruitless labor, it is encouraging to dwell on the thought that God is working on the background preparing something that I could even never dare to ask.

I say this , I sing this , I pray this , I believe this and I feel a lot better.

Recently, I was very happy about the way things were taking shape in my life and felt pampered by God. Eventually, God brought this verse back to my memory.And I learnt a very valuable lesson.

When God gives us something , it is natural to believe that what we have received is an answer to our prayer to fulfill the longing of our heart.

But there is lot more to it.

God’s thoughts are higher not only when you are waiting.Maybe your prayer is answered, but God’s not finished yet. The apparent purposes of God are not His implied purposes. Certainly, your desires are important to God ; but only if they are in line with His.God’s Word accomplishes only that which He pleases and purposes and it shall prosper in the thing for which He has sent it.

God had a beautiful vision in His mind for mankind, when He created Adam and Eve .He blessed them with all the good things that He created and gave them complete power and dominion. If they would have lived for God’s desires, the world would have never seen decay.

But because they became victims to fulfill their own desires, they disobeyed God and subject the entire human race under curse and destruction.

In the same way we try to draw selfish plans, centered around our own lives out of the resources that He has graciously given out of His love for us.

Maybe God has given us a gift in the form of a job, a fulfilled desire, a relationship or a breakthrough.Praising God and testifying about His goodness is not enough.

Are we waiting in His presence, asking Him what He wants us to do with the gifts He’s given us ? Are we ready to surrender our short term immature desires for the long lasting powerful desires of our Creator God ?

Our responsibility as God’s children is not only to desire, believe and receive; But also to pray , understand and be willing to surrender our lives to what our Father wants to do through the many good things that HE has given us.

When I was praying for answers, my intentions were way too lower than the purposes in Your mind. Lord,now you have answered in a way good enough to excite me. But Lord,I want to know what’s Your plan for things that You’ve given me. Teach me to use them in accordance to Your thoughts.Because Your ways are Higher and Your thoughts are Greater.Master, help me find the REAL REASON.

faithful servant

Not another option

Lord I don’t want many open doors

My life is Your breath in action

And it is Your will that I adore

When I look inside to feel

The deep desires in me

Roaring emotions slowly fade

And only the gentle sound of Your heartbeat remains.

Trying to focus,

And struggling to find.

The reason for my life.

Lord, what were your thoughts for me ?

When I was nowhere else but in Your mind.

Your perfect Life

Teaches me how to live and walk

Your selfless Death

Makes me wonder

Why did you care about me so much at all?

Your resurrection my King

Proves your power and dominion

Above all that I behold in awe.

Life goes on here for few years alone.

The rest I spend in an eternity

Irresistible though unknown

With arms open wide

Master you are waiting for me.

To show me my mansion

And Your Glory to reveal

When you behold me in your arms

I want you to say

“Well done faithful servant

You’ve always known my heart

And obeyed my voice

Even through troubled paths”

In this life Father

My strength will always fail.

Oh Lord, My Master

Let your Grace alone prevail.

Are you losing it right ?

One king never stood for God, the other king was blameless in his ways and followed God’s ways that he even dedicated all the gold and silver vessels to the temple of God. Yet both had to face losses.

One king was looted and the other king suffered loss because he had to pay a huge bribe.

King Rehoboam had an idolatrous life and kingdom.In the fifth year of his reign all the huge treasures in his box was looted away by the Egyptian king Shishak.Rehoboam lost all the wealth of his treasury and assigned bronze shields to replace the stolen gold shields. He never really accomplished anything.His was a fruitless, empty reign.

1 Kings 14:26-27

²⁶ He carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. ²⁷ So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned these to the commanders of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace

King Asa’ s life was very different.He put away the male cult prostitutes, removed the idols made by his predecessors Solomon, Rehoboam and Abijam.He even removed Maacah(his mother) from being the queen mother because she had an image made for the goddess Asherah.Asa’s heart was blameless and followed the ways of the Lord.

But he too had to part away with all the wealth of his treasuries.He was put in a position where he had to give away all his gold and silver as a bribe to the king of Syria to lure him to severe ties with Asa’s persistent troublemaker – king Baasha who captured the city of Ramah in Judah and deployed his troops there.Having received these expensive gifts,the king of Syria makes a treaty with Asa.Baasha seeing the threat posed by the armies of Syria, withdrew his forces from Ramah.

1 Kings 15:18,21-22

¹⁸ Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the LORD’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.

²¹ When Baasha heard this, he stopped building Ramah and withdrew to Tirzah. ²² Then King Asa issued an order to all Judah—no one was exempt—and they carried away from Ramah the stones and timber Baasha had been using there. With them King Asa built up Geba in Benjamin, and also Mizpah.

King Asa reigned securely for 41 years and built the towns of Geba and Mizpah.

Children of God are sometimes led through losses. Financial losses, loss of relationships, loss of honor,loss of health,loss of dreams and sometimes you could even lose very dear and precious things to your heart that you once dedicated to God.

There are times that strike like it did for king Asa where we have to lose and let go of our prized possessions.

But if we are like Asa, passionate about God’s commandments, following His ways never compromising with the world,and holding firm to God’s Word then even things which seem like a huge loss would result as a blessing in disguise.God uses our losses to weaken our enemy and strengthen our hands to build higher grounds and scale higher peaks.

But there is a question that we need to ask ourselves and an evaluation that we need to make.

Have we placed God as our priority and given Him the rightful place in our lives that we can be 100% sure that He will compensate our loses ?

or like Rehoboam, we in our own compromising lives,have made many ‘functional gods’ for ourselves and allowed the devil to steal, kill and destroy and eat up our potential ?

And are we now living in a false sense of honor by making bronze shields for ourselves and living out of the nourishment of our own egos and arrogance?

Being a child of God does not guarantee you a no loss life.Sometimes you may see the same losses as everybody else,and sometimes even more.

I don’t understand how God works but I do know that He works for good. Just remember if you are hidden in Christ, He has already covered up for you. He is a God of compensation.

But before we claim His promise we need to ask the Holy Spirit to confirm our condition. We need to make sure that we only have God in our altar and nobody or nothing else. We should allow the High Priest to evaluate our status and surrender to His voice when He convicts us.

We can then be sure that the Christ our Lord would lead us not just to build Geba and Mizpah but the Kingdom of God itself.

Are you losing it right ?

A difficult prayer

(An unorganized random thought)

I think that the greatest satisfaction, one can get in life is to know that you are fulfilling the purposes of God. Though God gets those lives submitted to Him to complete His perfect intentions, somehow the assurance that we are doing God’s purposes occur to us very rarely. Atleast that’s how it has been for me.

We were not created just to exist. God said that He had plans for us before creating us therefore HE created us only because HE had a reason for that.God has an assignment that He intends to finish through us.

The design of our character, our family circumstances, our finances, our resources, our skills,our friends and personality have been greatly influenced by the plans God has for your life.Plans for your life and plans for theirs.

So if you are looking at somebody else and wondering why you are not having theirs or wondering why they are not having yours, it is simply because our purposes are different.

I think that one of the deceitful strategies of the devil is to make you feel that what you have is no good.To make you feel that your talents, and resources can in no way help you accomplish anything.We therefore get distracted looking at others and instead of using our precious times with the Master, to get closer to His purposes, we pray hard asking for something that we have modeled based on somebody else’s life and then attach a meaningless. “if it is your will” tag at the end of it.

God is not bothered about the words, it is the attitude and the heart that matters to Him.

The purposes of God is a complicated thing for me. The apparent purposes are not the implied purposes.Though I long every day to just a get a glimpse of what is in His mind, I guess I still have a very long way to go. However I wont give up.

I believe that God is more eager than me to tell me the things in His mind. But HE knows that I wont understand it, in my present state. So He works on my heart everyday neither slumbering nor sleeping, striving hard to saturate my mind and heart and entire being with His attitude and mind so that I can begin to understand the real purposes of God.

So instead of praying to hear God give his mission statement for me. I need to pray to make me more like Him everyday.

A difficult prayer indeed.

Do you have an answer ?

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Colossians 4:5-7

When we read the newspaper everyday, (I’m learning the habit with a lot of effort). We see different things and glimpse at different worlds. The law made, the law implemented, the law broken we get to read everything in there.

But do we have a Bible based Christian opinion about the things we read in the paper and exposed in the media ?

When two large democracies come together for a strategic partnership, God had the major say in it. Did we, the laborers in the kingdom seek to find out what it is ?

When war causalities rise in different parts of the world, and innocent civilians are killed, Do we spend time with God’s word to find out what is God’s answer to the pain ? No, we read and proclaim Psalm 91 for our protection.

When new tax , education and other civilian laws are being made, do we look for any precedences in God’s Word ? or is our response to it based on majority popular opinion ?

When we read about the decriminalization of homosexuality in India, did we just raise our eyebrows and say, “These are the last days!!” or did we find out why God despises it and what is God’s gracious response to them ?

When we read about the Naxal elements isolating certain zones under terror. Did we try to peek into their hearts with the help of the Holy Spirit to understand the reason for their frustration ?

Our eyes readily move, through every bit of the juicy rumours and gossips of the showbiz industry, but after reading and enjoying the whole of it, we make this face and become super righteous judges saying, “These people are living for their own lustful desires!! SHAME ON THEM “

Does it make sense when I say that we need to wait on God to ask Him to show us how to intercede for them ?

I believe that every Christian should have strong Bible Based opinions on every political ,economical ,social and cultural issue. This is a great tool for evangelism.

(I really don’t qualify to talk about effective evangelism because I haven’t yet led anyone to the Lord completely, but I am convinced in the truth of what I am saying)

It is easy to start a conversation from the day’s headlines.When we talk to outsiders , unbelievers, are we taking enough effort to work on our conversations to lead them to an understanding of God’s stand on the world He created?

Do we have an answer for everyone ?

When we do, we can lead them to the love of Christ.

Aspiring to read the Newspaper with the Bible in my heart and intercede for the horrifying reality that we live in.

The Master Delayed

There are a few strands of silver on my head (I never obeyed my mother when when it came to gulping jumbo tea mugs!!). I think its that……or maybe the fact that I am now a graduate who is very conveniently ‘occupied’.I don’t really know what…..but there’s something on my face right now, that makes people think that I can help them make decisions.

Appearances can be deceptive, and so is mine. My mind is always in a state of creative chaos, and before I make a decision, huge tornadoes take over my thinking faculties.

But I have a faithful Master. The slightest disturbance will bend me, but the even the greatest crisis can’t break me. His Grace has always been sufficient.

I had an opportunity to speak to a younger girl, a few weeks ago. She was in a fix about her college education. She had decided to discontinue due to family circumstances, and really didn’t know what to do next.

She thought I can help her and came to me for some advice.She came up with her problems, and within a few hours, she left my room with a solution.

A few days later, I was in a faith crisis. My prayers were reduced to silent sighs because my heart was filled with so many questions that I could never dare to ask.Doubts certainly make you sink, but they sure can’t drive the Master away and my faithful Master came to my rescue.

He made me to recall the counsel that I had given the girl a few days back.The thoughts that were in my head that day rang back.

First, I listened to her situation.As I did so, I started taking mental notes of her limitations.Her personality faults, Her financial constraints, her lack of exposure, her family burdens and all the other things that have made her life so hard.

Second, I started looking around for the various options available for a person of her age and background.

Third, I began to map the options available to the limitations in her life. In another sense, I gave her a solution carved from within the painful circumstances in her own life. She had only this much, so this is all that she can expect for her life.This was my attitude.My solution.

My conscience knew that my solution would not give her the best life,however she could begin to see something immediately. I was more concerned about how fast she can settle in life, than how best she can settle in her life.

Fortunately, my Master’s mind is so profound and honorable than my short sight and tunnel vision.

The human mind, is always looking at the finite. Looking for answers within boundaries.But God does not work within our boundaries. He does not give us an answer from our limitations. Rather He works to transform our disadvantages to our greatest assets.

There is something beautiful and perfect in God’s design for each of His children. But we mess up allowing the adversary to eat up our potential and sap our energy.Then we allow cobwebs, boulders, thorns and weeds in our beautiful garden. Now, we get on our knees and ask God to help us bring forth a few wild berries, because we believe that that is all we are capable of producing now.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. John 15:16 [NIV]

But it was the Master who planted the garden.Only He knows the harvest you are capable of producing. Just because you asked, he wont give you just the few wild berries. He’ll remove every weed, every rock and thorny bush and push you out of your boundaries and extend your borders and bring forth the huge harvest that He intended.

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.” Isaiah 54:2 [NIV]

Nothing in the hands of the Master is ordinary material.

“So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time he will lift you up in honor. ” 1 Peter 5:6 [NLT]

Waiting times, are not just times when your faith grows and your intimacy with God intensifies.But while you are waiting, it means God is working. He is working on your character, on your family, on your future,on your finances, on the wounds of the past, on the consequences of your wrong choices…….

He is working on His Masterpiece.

While He is working, it is a lot more easier when you are praising instead of grumbling, learning instead of idling, repenting instead of resisting and depending on the Master instead of running after the demands of the world.

“ Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. ” 1 Thess 5:18 [Amp]

At the end of it, you’re not going to get what you asked for, but something more than your imagination.

” I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.”
Psalm 40:1 [NIV]

Do you want a quick fix in your life ?

Or

Do you want the real Masterpiece in you to be revealed ?

WORSHIP , WORK and WAIT.

P.S : You sure are worried about the girl I counseled. God didn’t leave her to the mercy of my pathetic counsel. 🙂 He was her counselor, He intervened in her finances and led her to do a great course beyond all her perceived limitations.