My dear friend, God has promised in Isaiah 60:18 that “No longer will violence be heard in your land nor ruin or destruction within your borders but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise.” God will keep you away from violence and destruction, and He will protect you with salvation and fill your spirit with praise. Salvation is the greatest gift we can receive because it makes us children of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, which washes us from sin. Living as God’s child itself is praise. Trusting God for our salvation and for the blessings of our future is also praise. Even when we have nothing, when surrounded by destruction and violence, if we say, “Lord, I trust You that You will take me through, You will make Your goodness pass before me,” and that becomes our praise. Jehoshaphat trusted God in the midst of enemies coming against him, and when God spoke through a prophet that He would give the enemies into his hand, Jehoshaphat first organised a praise band before organising his army. They sang “God is good; His mercies endure forever,” and God Himself fought the battle. The enemies fought among themselves, and without a sword being raised, God gave victory. That is salvation.

Salvation is not something we earn through our own acts. It has already been completed by Jesus on the cross. God came as man in Jesus, holy as God, the seed of God, not man’s seed, and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 9:22 says, “Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins,” so the pure blood of Jesus had to be shed for the forgiveness of all humanity. Today, when we repent and ask Jesus to forgive our sins and cleanse us, His blood mysteriously and supernaturally washes us. He removes sin and the very nature of sin so that we do not return to it again. The world says commit sin and keep coming back for forgiveness, but that is not salvation. When Jesus cleanses you, it is for eternal life, and you live a righteous life following Him. Living in this righteousness is what brings praise to God. This is the grace He is offering you today.

Here is a beautiful testimony of Pankaj Topo. He had no relationship with Jesus when he moved to Ranchi to prepare for government exams. After failing repeatedly, he fell into alcoholism and remained addicted for four years. During this time, he began to suffer epileptic attacks, though there was no medical history of the condition. The doctors told him he would need five years of medicine and could not travel alone. It was at this difficult point in his life that a Jesus Calls Prayer Tower opened in Ranchi. A friend invited him to the prayer tower and to a youth meeting. Though he went reluctantly, the Holy Spirit touched him powerfully. He quit drinking, cut off his old friendships, surrounded himself with godly friends, and began reading the Bible. In 2014, when I went to Ranchi to conduct a large Prayer Festival, Pankaj volunteered at the meeting. As we prayed, God’s healing power came upon him, and the epilepsy left him completely. Doctors later confirmed that he was fully well. That same year, God blessed him with a government job in the railways in Calcutta. Soon after, he married Manisha, who also had a government job. Together, they joined the Family Blessing Plan of Jesus Calls. Within just six months, Manisha was transferred to Calcutta as well, and God blessed them with a beautiful daughter, Ann, who became a Young Partner. For eight years, they lived in a rented house. One day, Pankaj heard me share that when you build God’s house, He will build yours. They faithfully gave their offering towards the building of a Jesus Calls Prayer Tower. In 2023, God honoured their faith and blessed them with their own house in Calcutta. Today, they are joyfully living in the home that the Lord has given them. What a great joy! God will build your life, too, when you give yourself to Him.

PRAYER: 
Dear Father, I thank You for the promise of salvation and the gift of being Your child through the blood of Jesus. Thank You for protecting me from destruction and filling my heart with praise. Lord Jesus, I trust in the work of the cross, and I surrender my life fully to You. Wash me clean with Your precious blood, remove every stain of sin, and give me the grace to live a righteous life that glorifies Your name. When battles surround me, remind me to praise You and trust in Your victory. Build my life as I build my faith in You, and let my heart always declare, “God is good and His mercies endure forever.” In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.