He leads me …

Anjali Kumar is a Brooklyn-born, first-generation Indian American author, attorney, advisor, and speaker.

Not long after her daughter was born, Anjali thought that she needed to have some of the answers to life’s important questions for Zia. So she set out to find God.

When Anjali began her spiritual journey to find God, she decided to avoid the obvious places like the larger religions and look into the spiritual fringe of mediums, faith healers and godmen. Because of her school and home background she had a fairly open mind, which turned out to be just as well. Anjali’s journey took her to a witch's potluck dinner at a LGBT Center, and she later drank volcanic water with a shaman in Peru. She also chanted for hours in a sweat lodge on the beaches of Mexico, and worked with a tequila-drinking medium to summon the dead.

During this time Anjali decided to see a faith healer in Brazil. In the weeks leading up to her trip she mentioned to a few people what she was doing and offered to carry three wishes for them down to the psychic. She explained that anyone going to see the medium could act as a proxy for others which would save everyone from making the trip.

Friends told friends and soon Anjali’s in box overflowed. She was rather overwhelmed, but when she looked more closely she found that there were three things that they all had in common.

Almost every single person first asked for good health. Then they asked for happiness and then finally for love. The interesting thing was that the person on the train, the guy at the coffee shop, the lawyer down the hall, the Jew, the atheist, the Muslim, the devout Catholic -- all asked for essentially the same three things.

To summarise, the good health was for themselves and their families.

The happiness was the kind of happiness that could sustain us, even if we were to lose absolutely everything else.

The love they all asked for romantic love with the soul mate, like we read about in classic romantic novels. It was to be the kind of love that would stay with us until the end of our days.

These values seem perfectly reasonable, but do they measure up from a Christian point of view?

It is a basic human desire to be healthy – both physically and mentally. If our physical and mental health is not 100% we want that fixed so that we can function properly.

However, from a Christian perspective we do not grow as an individual without challenges in life. Those times when life is not going well and we have to work out the best way to deal with the problem. It is when we have to face with issues and then deal with them that we develop character and that is exactly what God wants as He helps us bit by bit to become like Jesus.

When the Lord said that we should love our neighbour as ourselves, He was looking at us developing communities where we look after one another. Everyone has different skills and abilities to contribute to the overall benefit of everyone. How better to do this than when someone is not able to help themselves out of a tough situation? The interesting thing is that the person that helps someone else often gains too. Studies have shown that those who volunteer to help others often develop self-esteem, confidence, and feelings of self-worth as a result. This is exactly what the Lord is looking for (Hebrews 6:10; Luke 6:38; Proverbs 11:25; Romans 12:9-13; Ephesians 2:10; Matthew 25:40; 1Peter 4:10).[1]

The type of happiness that would sustain us regardless of what else was happening looks to be an unachievable dream. Yet psychologists tell us that we can do things in our lives to help us get there.

The first thing that research shows us is that people derive more satisfaction from experiential purchases than material purchases. This means that our experiences are more likely to provide longer lasting happiness than buying more possessions. We have already seen the advantage to our wellbeing as a result of volunteering, but there are other things too.

Express gratitude - Appreciating what we have and thinking positively are closely connected to sustainable happiness. Expressing gratitude not only improves us mentally, but positively impacts people around us making life nicer for everyone. Just the way God would want it. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18; 1 Timothy 4:4-5; 2Corinthians 4:15; Colossians 1:12; Colossians 2:6-7; Colossians 3:15; Colossians 4:2; Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 7:17; Psalm 9:1-2;

Foster authentic connections - Genuine friendships, and finding solidarity with others are vital for our happiness. These kinds of relationships develop a sense of belonging, exactly as God intended (Colossians 3:9-14; John 15:16-17; 1Corinthians 16:15-16; Romans 12:7-21; Proverbs 3:27-30; Ephesians 4:1-2, 16: 1Peter 4:8-9), and can increase our lifespan and safeguard us against disease as well.

Live with purpose - Prioritising what really matters to us and living consistently with those values. This sense of purpose suggests being a part of something bigger than ourselves. This can give us direction, determination and motivate us to run the race of life (Romans 12:7-21; Hebrews 12:1; 2Timothy 4:7; Galatians 5:7; Isaiah 40:31; James 1:12; Matthew 24:13). This then stimulates true happiness.[2]

The kind of committed, deep lasting love that we would have with a soul mate is something we all long for. Most of us are aware that Jesus spelt out what was most important to God when He said in Matthew 22: 37-40, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (NLT)

According to the Expositor's Greek Testament, Jesus is referring to supreme, devoted love to God and the phrase referring to our heart, soul, and mind means all that is within us. The Expositor's Greek Testament then says that the second commandment is to be treated with the same seriousness as the first.

This is a work in progress for most Christians. After all how do you give God a hug? Yet the Lord is looking for the close relationship that we would have with that special person in our lives. Like sharing with Him how beautiful a waterfall is, or how amazing it feels to have passed our exams. He wants us to be so close to Him that we share all our secrets too. After all He already knows about them.

How do we love our neighbours? We love them as much as we love ourselves. This appears to be a major commitment overload. But Jesus puts it like this – ‘Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets’ Matthew 7:12 (NLT). Phew, this is much more achievable.

So to sum up, it looks like the Lord has created us with three key desires that He then uses in our lives for our personal benefit both in the here and now, and ultimately in eternity.

He works with our desire for good health to develop our character.

He uses our desire for happiness to develop the right attitudes about ourselves and others.

He takes our desire for love to develop in us a special love relationship with Him and respect and support for others.

What an awesome God.

[1] 15 Unexpected Benefits of Volunteering That Will Inspire You by Joanne Fritz, https://www.thebalancesmb.com/unexpected-benefits-of-volunteering-4132453

[2] Ways to sustain happiness. https://www.psychologies.co.uk/ways-sustain-happinessAs Christians we know that we must have faith in God, but do we know what this means? Most of us are familiar with the Bible definition which reads -

 Now faith means putting our full confidence in the things we hope for, it means being certain of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (PHILLIPS)

 But what does this mean?

 What do we hope for? We hope that God is everything that the Bible says He is. That He is The Truth (John 14:6) and that He honours all His promises. (2 Corinthians 1:20), especially His promises of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10: Luke 2:11), and eternal life (John 17:2-3).

 The second part of this definition says that we are confident of our faith in the invisible God, and all that He stands for. Our confidence is what is not seen by anyone. What is seen is the end result. It could a progressive improvement in our attitudes to life and how we behave. As a result people realise the changes have occurred on account of our faith in a life changing God.

 Faith is also active as we are looking to God for the answer to our prayers. We may also get a conviction or peace that our prayers will be answered, which then gives us the added faith and confidence to start thanking the Lord for what He is doing. This is the journey of faith until the prayer is fulfilled.

 This is the way that it is meant to be. The Bible tell us in Hebrews 11:6 - it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. (NLT)

 The result as Paul told the Corinthians, is that in our Christian journey we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

 Faith is trust, assurance and confidence in the Godhead (our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit) as they bit by bit make us more Christ like. Living faith is not just believing that God exists. It shows in our service and obedience to the Lord in response to all that He has done for us.

 This too is the correct biblical response. As James 2:24, 26 says - So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. (NLT)

 Where does faith come from?

 Faith is not automatically a part of us at birth. Faith comes from God.  As 2 Peter 1:1 says -

 The faith I speak of is the kind that Jesus Christ our God and Saviour gives to us. How precious it is, and how just and good he is to give this same faith to each of us. (TLB)

 God gives it to us as we start seeking Him as non-believers. Romans 10:17 tells us -

 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ (NLT)

 It started when someone told us about Jesus Christ and all He has done to save us. We listened, and progressively we began to understand that we could receive God’s gift of salvation. The more we heard about Jesus and what He said and did, the more we opened up to wanting what He had to offer. Eventually we reached a point where, by faith in response to what we had heard, we spontaneously asked that Jesus would come into our lives, and be our Lord.

 Part of this is due to the new gift of faith that we received and the rest is due to the power of the Word of God. This is what brings the conviction that we cannot truly succeed in life without the Lord’s help.

 With my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. Isaiah 55:11 (NLT)

 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. Hebrews 4:12 (NLT)

 This is why sermons became a foundational part of church services. The spoken Word of God has supernatural power to convict the lives of the Christian listeners. It is then over to them to respond in faith to what the Word has said.

 General Faith

 We do not have to be Christians to have faith. When we go to the doctor we have faith that they will be able to treat us, so that our problem will go away. When we get our car serviced, we have faith that the work will be done thoroughly, and for a reasonable price.

 The difference with this faith is that we are relying on a human outcome. Can we guarantee that the doctor will provide a means of healing us? No. Can we guarantee that the mechanic will fix the car properly? No..

 It is so different with God. As it says in Numbers 23:19 -

 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? (NLT)

 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 18:30 (NLT)

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

 This is why we can have confidence with our faith in the Lord. As we progress in our Christian walk – through the good and not so good - we experience God working in our lives. As we do, we find that He is just as the Bible says He is, and that as a result we can trust Him completely.

 So let us put our trust in the One who really deserves it. Let us go to our Heavenly Father with confidence and faith, and offer Him our worries and burdens, along with our praise and thanksgiving.[1]

[1] Parts of this blog have come from –

What Is Faith? Jim Haeffele, https://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/faith/what-is-faith/

How Does the Bible Define Faith? Faith is the fuel of the Christian life Mary Fairchild, https://www.learnreligions.com/what-is-the-meaning-of-faith-700722

What Is Faith and Where Does It Come From? Bibles for America, https://blog.biblesforamerica.org/what-is-faith/

What Is Faith and Why Is it Important? Carrie Lowrance Crosswalk Contributor, https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-is-faith.html