Year: 2016 (Page 3 of 7)

Sermon : Wandering in the Wilderness

October 5, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 2 Comments

sand-dunes-691431_1280

Introduction – I had just started working and was looking forward to building a career in the secular world. I was 24 at that time. About a year into my job, I started developing a pain at the back of my left leg, which kept getting progressively worse. Pain killers helped to take the pain away, but once they were stopped, the pain came back with greater discomfort. Eventually, my parents had me examined by a Surgeon. After checking me out, he asked me to be warded in hospital immediately since I had a problem on my spine.

Thus began a very distressing period of my life.

Quote : God’s strength

October 3, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

blog-2

Quote : Prosper In All You Do

October 1, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

blog

Preaching Illustration : One Day At A Time

September 24, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

daily-prayers-1461030_1280

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth”. (Proverbs 27:1)

A highly successful country songwriter by the name of Marijohn Wilkin drifted away from her faith after finding success. At a time of crisis and personal desperation, as the story goes, she stopped at a church for some counselling and prayer. The young Minister who was on duty had apparently asked her during the conversation, whether she had ever considered being thankful to God for her problems. As she went home and pondered over that statement, she began to play her piano and the words of a song came to her. Needing some help to complete the lyrics that she had written down, she approached Kris Kristofferson (of Why Me Lord fame) who helped her with some of the remaining words. The completed song goes like this.

God Can ‘Lift Up Your Head’ (Devotional)

September 14, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

sun-1654458_1920

“You are a shield around me, O Lord; You bestow glory on me and lift up my head”. (Psalm 3:3)

Too often at social meetings, worship meetings and at hospitals, I see people with their heads hanging low, bowed down by the burdens they are carrying. Some of them may have no one to talk to, while others show no hope in their eyes. They are desperately looking for answers. Many more have resigned themselves to the challenges they are battling with.

What about you? Is your head bowed down today because of a burden you are carrying? Are you desperate for God to come through? For Him to ‘lift up your head’?

Illustration : Are we Living or Dying?

September 10, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 0 Comments

png-1247796_1280

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV)

As Christians we are recipients of Divine life that is both eternal and abundant. Isn’t it strange therefore as to how often we speak about death in our vocabulary?

For instance, when our job or boss is giving us a tough time, we may say, “my job is killing me’ or ’my boss is killing me’. When our feet are tired, we say, ’my feet are killing me’. If we are desperate to share a story with someone, we may say, ’ My, I was dying to tell you this’ or ’I was dying to meet you’! When someone says something that is right to the point, we say,’you are dead right’. On the contrary, when someone says something inaccurate, we say, ’you’re dead wrong’, and if someone is a constant failure, we may call him ’a dead loss’!! When we say or do something that is embarrassing, we say, ’I could have died then and there’, or when someone shares a story that is difficult to believe, we ask, ’are you dead sure’? Many times I have heard people who are angry or upset say, ’not over my dead body’!!

The Preaching Platform – 1st Anniversary

September 3, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 3 Comments

0a31c70461aed72e5ce1b3bc5ee88e44

Praise be to our God!

2 days ago, on 1^st September, we completed our first Anniversary of the online ministry of ‘The Preaching Platform’. I well remember the day this ministry was launched 1 year ago by Pastor Dishan Wickramaratne, the Senior Pastor of the Peoples Church (Assembly of God).

As we look back over 1 year of God’s faithfulness, we thank Him for the way He has blessed our efforts and for the lives He has touched through this ministry. The sermons and devotionals on the blog have had 10391 page views in 142 countries over the past year, besides the views on Facebook and Twitter.

Devotional : Building a City on Prayer – Part 3

August 25, 2016 / Palitha Jayasooriya / 4 Comments

Photo Credit – Gary Patton – Courtesy of flickr

So far in this series, we have discussed the following prayer strategies of Nehemiah.

He prayed fervently
He focused on the greatness of the One he was praying to
He prayed for favor
He prayed the promises of God
He prayed against resistance
He prayed for strength
He personalized his prayers

Many years ago, the music band Starship recorded a hit song called ‘We built this city on rock ‘n roll’. However, Nehemiah built the walls of Jerusalem on prayer, and through the guidance, wisdom and courage he received as a result of his prayers.