What’s in your hands?

by Ps. Stephen Samuel | Jun 9, 2020 | Feed on the Word

A few days ago as I was sitting alone with the Lord in my living room, when I heard this voice asking me “ What is in your hands ? “ 

As I searched the word I found that God had asked the same question to Moses ‘What is in your hands?’ 

God called Moses in a season where it must have felt like he was living a dead-end life. Behind him was a bitter past and a big mistake he had committed. He had behind him a season, where he was left to the mercy of strangers at the bank of river Nile, with no assurance of reaching shore or surviving. His childhood was marred by the physical absence of his biological parents, growing up to know he was a stutterer and adding insult to injury, he ended up losing it all in one impassioned moment to become a murderer and fugitive.

A helpless childhood, a stuttering, stammering Hebrew juvenile in the pharaoh’s palace; a failure as Israel’s defender, a murderer, a fugitive and a stranger. This is who Moses was when God called him to deliver a bunch of grumpy and disobedient people from the hand of the mighty Pharaoh. This torrid past and life experiences now determined how he felt about himself as he got a glimpse of the Almighty Lord. But God asks him a question. ‘What is in your hands?’

The LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
Exodus 4:2

This is the same question Jesus asked his disciples when they had to feed 5000. Often, we can allow our past and our circumstances to determine how we feel and forget to focus on what we carry. The little we carry is what God needs to divide the red sea. The rod that looks insignificant is the rod that brought God’s people to God’s promise. As new covenant believers, we have Jesus as our rod. He is the authority that we have! He was the stone that was rejected but is now the chief corner stone. So as the Lord asked me what do I have, my answer was Jesus! 

No matter what we loose and no matter how badly we mess up remember it’s Jesus who is our constant. It is in Him that we have our being and it is in Him that we will have our new beginnings and restoration. As we lift up the name of Jesus, our constant in the midst of the confusion and the loss, I can assure you that God’s limitless power will overtake all our limitations. Our constant, Jesus is not only a restorer but also a redeemer. And redemption means restoration as if it was never ever lost!!! 

So what is in my hands, today and forever, is Jesus.

The more I lift Him up, the more I am secure.

The more I lift Him up, the more I experience His redemption power in impossible situations.

Our blog for this week was written by our dear Dr Stephen Samuel, a senior leader of the House of Healing Ministries.

Covenant Relationships

by Ps. Stephen Samuel | May 12, 2020 | Feed on the Word

The God who said in the garden of Eden that it’s not good for man to be alone, is also the God of the Trinity. God’s plan for mankind was kick started by the beautiful union of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. He then created another relationship-Adam and Eve. This shows us that He is a God who works through relationships. And it is relationships that are the most potent and the most abused domain of the Kingdom of God. 

We see from the scripture that on one hand, there was a Jonathan who was willing to lay himself down for David and on the other was a Saul plotting the downfall of David. So how do we choose kingdom relationships? 

First of all, we need to look for the Jonathans who are willing to lay themselves down for you to grow in your walk with God. The Bible does talk about giving preference to one another .

Romans 12:10 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor.

Look for people who prefer your progress above all. When we read the story of David & Jonathan, we see an incident where they hug each other and weep (1 Samuel 20:41).  Their relationship was more than just acquaintances. It was a covenant relationship.  A covenant relationship should not be only ministerial but also personal. Jesus set the example for the same. He was deeply involved in their personal lives.  He washed the feet of His disciples and even used His supernatural powers by taking a coin out of a fish’s mouth to feed His companions.

Secondly, we have to come to a point and evaluate ourselves. Ask ourselves, “what’s the basis of my covenant relationships?”  Is it gossip, backbiting or slander? You are in for a cycle that spins you round and round but takes you nowhere. Rather, is your covenant relationship rooted in long suffering, sacrifice, service and love? Then you are in for a relationship that will create history.

People often ask me how I manage my professional, personal & ministry life. It is challenging to be an honorable husband, father, cancer researcher, while also being a shepherd and a spiritual father to many. The answer is simple – covenant relationships! I have a team of members who are a laid down bunch of Jonathans around me and my wife, who serve us personally as well as in our ministry, so that we can run the affairs of our home and church smoothly. 

Do you want to have such covenant relationships? 

Feel free to comment below or email us so we can guide you. To end with let me leave you with this key – “The most successful relationships are formed by the most forgiving people.”

The posture of our hearts determines the posture of our lives

by Ps. Stephen Samuel | Apr 28, 2020 | Feed on the Word

Our lives are like a funnel. Unless the funnel is positioned correctly, we can’t receive everything we need from the source! 

I grew up in a locality where we would often go to the ration shop to buy our monthly rice & sugar from the government. While standing in the queue, I would observe the shopkeeper pour oil/kerosene into the containers that the customers had brought with them. I have very strong memories of watching so much oil go waste because the customer would not position the funnel right as the shopkeeper pours out the oil !

Your heart and your attitude is your funnel to correctly channel the anointing you are called to carry. Which means preaching, teaching & prophesying, the ministry itself, is not the big deal. What truly matters is the funnel, i.e., your heart and your attitude behind the anointing. And submission is key to maintaining this funnel.

In 1st Samuel chapter 1, Samuel called a Saul, who deemed himself unfit to become the king of Israel. Yet as we move on, we see in chapter 13, Samuel had asked Saul to wait for him before offering the sacrifices to God but Saul did not. And here came the response from the Lord “I will appoint a man after my own heart.” God is looking for people who are after His heart and not after their own!! And God’s heart is linked to His leaders. Samuel was God’s chosen leader. He deemed it key for Saul to chase after His heart by submitting and leaning into Samuel. And this is not without ground. Samuel was a man who grew up inside the temple in the presence of God from the age of 3!

We are all called to be bearers of the Kingdom of God. So let’s all keep an eye on our funnels, positioning it correctly and avoid wasting the anointing that God is pouring out. Let’s all learn to submit and lean on the leaders and shepherds that God has placed in our lives for correction and guidance.