Reading God's word is just like installing an antivirus on your computer.
New computers may come with no antivirus or with limited antivirus. In the same way, when we come into the world, we might not have the knowledge of the Word of God (the Word of God is always with and around us) or we might have it (though in a limited way) while we were growing up in a Christian family.
However, there are always people who wants to wreck havoc in our lives and create viruses. And new viruses are added each day. In the spiritual realm, satan does that. While some links, softwares and pirated warez looks tempting and nice, it has an army of viruses waiting behind to do the damage it has been programmed for.
It is thus crucial that we find the right antivirus and that's not the end; we need ensure it is updated so when a new virus tries to enter our system, we can nip it in its bud and/or clean it. God gives this antivirus and it's His word and it's free. No need for annual subscription to renew license, it's free.
Do you have the right antivirus software and are you updating it to deal with new challenges? If not, it's little wonder that damage is sometimes done and systems can halt and jam and even die.
And even though you do not have antivirus, are on a much limited antivirus, have not updated it and/or have been infected, there's nothing that God's antivirus cannot rectify and it's never too late to install the right one and update it to God's antivirus.
Satan longs to disarm us of God's antivirus or to have us stop updating it as he throws old tricks (new packaging) at us.
God's Word is a gateway which prevents unnecessary infection, and even though infection has taken place, He can rectify it because the Programmer created you and gave the antivirus; His word.
No wonder it's called B.I.B.L.E: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17 NKJV)
The thief does not come except to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that
they may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10 NKJV)
"John 10:10
also reminds us of how much God treasures His creation, in that Christ
came so that man might experience abundant life."
THE TRIALS
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2 NIV)
PLAYGROUND OR BATTLEFIELD?
The
verse says "whenever" not "if" we face trials. There is a certainty
there is trials. As Christ followers, we need realize that this abundant
life is lived in a real world filled with pain, rejection, and failure.
Therefore, experiencing the abundant life God intends for us does not
mean that our lives will be problem-free. On the contrary... the
abundant life is the experience of God's love, forgiveness, peace and
power in the midst of those problems. So it's not surprising, as to
some, that it's a battlefield everyone of us, pre-believers included,
need go through. The only difference is which kingdom are you in and who
is your general leading you? It's a battlefield, not a playground.
WHERE TO BEGIN: THE SOURCE
And
for those struggling with self esteem, like me, the reminder is that
the biblical concept of it is not that one feel worthy or good but that
of an accurate perception of ourselves based on God's truth. There's no
need to prove ourselves. "We must understand this hunger for self worth
is God-given and can only be satisfied by Him. Our self worth is not
dependent on our ability to earn the fickle acceptance of people but
rather it's true source is the love and acceptance of God. He created
us. He alone knows how to fulfill all of our needs".
Go to the source.
Article inspired by "The Search for Significance" by Robert S. McGee
Our Daily Bread today reminds us of the age old strategy of Satan which is still at work today, rather successfully at times; setting himself against everything God is and says. "(The) problem is that we, like Adam and Eve, believe Satan’s lies. And when we do, our loyalty (and faith) to God is compromised. Then our enemy slithers off to his next assignment, leaving us alone to face our regrets and the realization that his lies have seduced us away from our truest and dearest Friend. Who have you been listening to lately?". What are some lies you are falling prey to recently?
Last Thursday, I was to share in chapel at work; the first chapel for the year. Though I had been nervous about sharing, I thank God for bringing me to the topic and for even blessing me myself with the sharing... God was placing something in my heart towards the end of 2009 and was affirming it through my sharing. I hope to also share this with you and hope it will bless your heart.
New Year, New Hopes I love new years, partly because it is a time I can draw the old year to a close, keep the sweet memories and let go of the pains. On the other hand, new years will usually bring hope; hope that things could perhaps be better.
New years have traditionally been a time for me to reflect upon the past year and how things have been. At the end of 2009, I participated in my first watch night service. Not knowing what to expect, I went to the service all excited and left it being all awed by what God has done in my life, not only in 2009 but also in the years preceding it from the time I came back to Him. It became very clear to me how God has placed me in a rehabilitation programme and helping me to rebuild my life.
So as 2010 starts, God continues to drive home this point as I saw how real He is in my life. Sure, it has not been smooth sailing all the way, but only thing I realised is that God has never left me and has helped me to weather through it all.
As I was preparing for the chapel sharing, I prayed and asked God to guide me to what He wanted me to share. Following my reflection at the watch night service, quiet time and also at the first department devotion for the year, He brought me to Luke 6:46-49 and spoke about building our lives.
Luke 6:46-49 (NIV) The Wise and Foolish Builders 46"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete."
2010 has started and while many of us try to set things right for the new year and make resolutions, let me ask:
How would you like to build your life this year? All of us are building our lives all the time, so how would you like to build it this year?
From the parable of the wise and foolish builder, we can see similarities between building a house and building our lives.
Lesson 1: The Master Plan
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Just as a house require a master plan, so do our lives. What's your master plan? Do you believe that God has His plans for you.
In Genesis 15, we see how God made a covenant with Abraham for offspring as many as the stars and to give his offspring the promised land. God has His plans for Abraham to be made into a "great nation" and that He will bless him and make his name great and he will be a blessing to many (Gen 12:2-3). That came to pass as his descendants grew and how Christ also came from his lineage. God has His plans for Abraham, as He did with Moses, Jacob, Joshua, David, Paul and so on and He has His plans for you.
Are You Happy? I recall 5 years back my life was in a low period; everything from work, friendship, family was falling apart. But interestingly, God began to draw me back to Him during this period and ministered to me time and again in various circumstances from Jer 29:11. The verse appeared again and again and even appeared on my current workstation when I reported to work.
Over the span of 5 years, God brought me back to church, brought me to my current workplace, put me into ministry as well as restored relationships and granted me with new relationships. Just last week, a day before chapel, an insurance agent came to me on the streets and asked me "are you happy with your life?" and I found myself responding to myself in my heart "yes"... I have come to realise how I am not only happy but joyful how life has changed from the time I came back to walk with the Lord, and to see how every step of the way He had blessed me and blessed others through me.
Believe it or not, I have come to realised how God has brought me...
... spiritual and emotional restoration through Riverlife, as I began to learn about His word and was ministered to by His word as I listened and applied it to my life;
... emotional restoration and restoration to my confidence through my current workplace as He gave me good genuine colleagues, used my skills and blessed me in my work ministry;
... spiritual and character growth through the cell ministry which He has called me to, as I learned to rely on Him and do His will. Not only have I grew spiritually the most during these years of ministry, I have also come to encounter God as real, and
... emotional and character growth through the restoration of relationships, granting and blessings of relationships in my life.
God had His plans for me and while at many times I could not understand why certain things had to happen, on hindsight, it made perfect sense. There were just too many "coincidences" that happened in my life that I know God is watching over me and guiding me.
And the latest "coincidence" is when different ones of you shared with me how the Lord spoke to you through the verses cards I have given out at the beginning of the year; different verses for different ones of you. And I thank God for that.
So will you let the master builder, who knows the plan, build your life or will you want to build your life according to your fancy? The Lord has His plans for your life.
Lesson 2: Strength to Build the House
Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Genesis 15:1 (NV) "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. "
Hebrews 13:5-6 (NIV) "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." So we say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"
Life is full of trials and whoever did say that a Christian's life is smooth sailing? The truth of it is, trials will still come and the only difference is that we have a God who IS with us through the storms; we have "Immanuel" ("God with us"), one who we can rely on for strength.
At the watch night service, I have come to realised how God has brought me through the various trials of my life; trials which I had thought I would not survive; trials which made me break down and questioned God how long He would allow me to go through it.
At the end of 2009, I have come to see how God has given me to strength every step of the way... to forgive others (something which had gripped and tormented me for years in 2005), pull through in ministry and in facing challenges in relationships in my life. Particularly in ministry, at the moment when I was the lowest, God sent me Isa 41:10 and assured me through various other scriptures that He will send help. It's funny how sometimes verses jumps out at you when you least expected it and it is the same with the verses which spoke to me. For weeks and months, friends have been encouraging me with verses but it was not until a colleague opened his diary to write something that the verse Isa 41:10 just popped out to me at that point in time and ministered to my heart. As I continued to hanged on, God continued to assure me through various other verses in my quiet time which spoke to my heart and gave me strength.
As I stood on the stage with the cell at the end of Kent and Elly's wedding last week, I have come to see how the cell has grown and I can only thank God for giving me the strength to pull through it all and to be able to see what I see today.
Are you building your life with your own strength? God reminds us that He is God Almighty and that He will not leave us. Why build your life yourself when the master builder can give you strength; strength to overcome challenges?
Lesson 3: The foundation that has the power to hold it all together
Acts 4:11 (NKJV) This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone'
The cornerstone (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in construction, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
In the same way, the Holy Spirit in you not only will help you to overcome challenges but also will help you to achieve with power from God.
In Acts 3-4:22, we saw how both Peter and John were empowered by God and what the power from God can do. The power from God brings...
... salvation - "But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand...Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:4, 12)
... healing - "It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed" (Acts 4:10)
... courage and wisdom - "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13)
God has blessed me with much throughout the last few years, in work, relationship or ministry and its amazing to see how when we work with God, things get achieved. At work, I always get amazed whenever I submit my monthly reports and to see how much has been achieved. I know deep in my heart that it is by the grace of God that my work ministry is taking off so well, something beyond my imagination. In the same way, at the watch night, I have come to realise what God has done through this cell and the various life transformations that have taken place. Again I realised that it is really by the grace of God that these transformations are possible because I would not have been able to effect these transformation without God's power. In the same way, I see God's power at work in my family as He continue to draw my family, one-by-one back to Him. Even my mum, whom I have been praying for her to come back to God has, unexpectedly, agreed to go back to church last year.
Lesson 4: The importance of upkeeping the house and having the right occupants
Matthew 12: 43-45 (NIV) 43"When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation."
How would you like to build your life this year? Would you like this to be a year when you draw even closer to the Almighty God, trusting and entrusting your life to the Master builder? Will you be a wise builder and build your life on Him, His word and His will for you?
For different ones of us, we are at different stages. For some of you, you might be needing to come back to the Lord and trusting that He has His plans for you, plans to prosper you and not the harm you, plans to give you hope and a future... for some of you, you might need to learn to rely on God's strength, especially when everything else is not working in your strength... for some of you it might be to hold on to God for His spirit to empower you and yet for some, it is to learn to upkeep our lives and have the right occupant, the Holy Spirit, on our lives. Whatever the stage, I invite you to just say a prayer for yourself and entrust yourself into God's hands...
What are you building your life on?
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow I don't know about tomorrow I just live from day to day I don't borrow from its sunshine For its skies may turn to gray
I don't worry o'er the future For I know what Jesus said And today I'll walk beside Him For He knows what is ahead
Chorus Many things about tomorrow I don't seem to understand But I know who holds tomorrow And I know who holds my hand
I don't know about tomorrow It may bring me poverty But the one who feeds the sparrow Is the one who stands by me
And the path that be my portion May be through the flame or flood But His presence goes before me And I'm covered with His blood
Thanks for all your sharing yesterday and for blessing me. Personally, it has been really wonderful seeing God at work throughout the whole week even at cell. And it was also great singing and worshipping the Lord in both English and Mandarin :D
有一位神
一切歌颂赞美
Spirit Touch Your Church
I thank God for showing an object lesson on John 15 as I went about the past week. Sometime during midweek, I had just suddenly felt so tired and weary with ministry that I wanted to give up. I had been holding on and trusting in the Lord for working in everyone and every aspect of cell. And I can see Him work. Frankly, I can see the purpose God has for this cell taking shape but then I was really getting all weary; I asked if I am indeed bearing fruit or if someone else would do a better job. I got so tired I told God I had wanted to call it quits (one more time).
But God sent me people and verses to encourage and also circumstance to make me reflect upon it. He sent me Min Qin to remind me with Jeremiah 29:11 which appeared when I was called back to the Lord after years of backsliding. Do I believe in God's plans for me? Yes! Then, God brought Psalm 1 on Wednesday evening about the tree planted by streams of water and even on Thursday during corporate devotion, reminding me about being staying with the streams of water to be nourished. It seems that I was reminded that, just as trees have seasons, so will my life, but whatever happens, the streams of water is still there to not only sustain me but also nourish me. When I think back, God had been faithful in my ministry and has helped me through.
Then a volunteer came to meet me and we started talking about our spiritual walk. I thank God for bringing a volunteer to come to visit on Thursday and how we talked about our spiritual walk. I thank God for using me to encourage this volunteer and for also using him to show me about remaining in God's word. It was really evident that God used the session because I can tell He is present whenever conversations just flowed and I become amazed at the things I say; things that in the end also blessed me. Though I had not been prepared for the talk, God had helped me share about my own walk and how I had come to see God's word as powerful and also ministering, always at the right time. This young volunteer had shared how he is not part of any church (though he is looking) and how he is inspired by praise and worship music but finds reading the bible rather a chore. He was taught by someone that as long he prays, it will be OK. But I felt a prompting to share with him how I too had struggle to read the bible but over the past 3 years, God had spoken through His word far too many times and soon it became cool to read His word because I had wanted to know what He had to say about certain things in my life and also to get to know Him better. And as I shared, stories of several people like Horatio Spafford, John Newton and Eric Liddell (as portrayed in the movie "Chariots of Fire") came to mind. I personally did not know how blessed he was but I personally was blessed through the words that God had gave me and spoken through my mouth.
Then I shared that earlier on in the week, I was affected when I saw a leader of the Lord, a pastor, reacting in an ungracious manner. I had really been very disappointed by the whole incident. Though I do not know this pastor or work with him, I was frankly affected and decided to write him an email on Monday. I prayed to God that I would type the email with the focus to edify than to vent my anger. I thank God things worked out well and for helping me as I penned the email. Frankly, I had not expected the pastor to respond but he did and emailed to apologise. At the end, I was glad things turned out well and was resolved but most importantly, my disappointment went away because the pastor had humbly acknowledged his mistake. I myself can sometimes be ungracious and this seems to be a reminder that I needed to also remain in God's ways; asking "What Would Jesus Do?" more often to keep myself in check.
I thank God for showing me, before cell started, that what has happened throughout the week, has showed me what it means to "remain in Him" (John 15:4) i.e. to remain in His WILL for me and my ministry and his WORK of reaching out to people, to remain in His WAY from my reflection on the disappointment with the pastor, to remain in His WORD from my reflection on my talk with the young volunteer, to remain in His WORSHIP even through the darkest of moments, remembering His faithfulness, grace, love, hope and promise.
As Jesus said in John 15:4 "Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.", I thank Joyce for sharing the analogy of the Velcro... that one its own, it proves to be useless but when stuck onto another piece, it can hold things together.
Yes another analogy is that of the "cut-flower Christian" as mentioned in Our Daily Bread:
Cut-Flower Christians
I enjoy buying or receiving a fresh bouquet of cut flowers. After admiring and smelling them, I waste no time getting them into water. Even though fresh and beautiful when I get them, their days are numbered. Because they've been severed from their life-source, they will soon wither and die. I know that one day I will have to throw them away.
Author Lloyd Ogilvie sees in this a picture of the Christian whose spiritual vitality has faded and shriveled. Such a person has become a "cut-flower Christian." Jesus used a similar illustration about a vine and its branches to describe our relationship to Him. Just as a branch can't bear fruit by itself, He explained, we can't bear spiritual fruit unless we abide in Him, the true vine (John 15:4).
If a branch could speak, it wouldn't apologize for its need to depend on the vine for bearing fruit. It would say instead, "For this I was made!" Jesus knew we were made for dependence on Him, our life-source—no apology needed! In fact, such dependence is the only way to avoid becoming a "cut-flower Christian."
Let's embrace His declaration, "Without Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). As we depend on Him, we will bear much fruit—and for this we were made. —Joanie Yoder — Joanie Yoder Closer yet I'd cling, dear Savior, You're the all-sufficient Vine; You alone can make me fruitful, Blessed source of strength divine. —Bosch Fellowship with Christ is the secret of fruitfulness.
Are you a Velcro on your own? Are you a cut-flower Christian? Are you separated from your life-source? The great thing about God is that it is never too late to turn back... remain in His will, His WORK of reaching out to people, His WAY in our daily living, His WORD to guide us in living and living righteously (Ps 119:105 - Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path), His WORSHIP even through the darkest of moments, remembering His faithfulness, grace, love, hope and promise.
Cell Discussion: Israel in the Wilderness: Faith Hi everyone, thanks for your sharing today. I had been blessed by your sharing of verses which has ministered to you during times of trials. I hope you will remember these verses as they have spoken to you in the past and keep them close to your hearts. Anyway, I hope to share some of my personal takeaways from my preparation for cell last night.
An Object Lesson on Faith In fact, I thank God for bringing us through the cell. Frankly, before cell, I was totally clueless how to facilitate cell last night. I had been going through a tough week dealing with negative emotions and thoughts which had been affecting my self-esteem but then soon, God helped me realise one thing; that He had brought me through an object lesson about faith this whole week.
I have also been "plagued" by self-esteem issues and always tend to feel inferior and have all kinds of negative thoughts about myself and my abilities. I doubt myself constantly. And even though I am still face these issues now, but then the main difference, as I have come to realise, is how I am responding more in faith now. In the past, I would have been very devastated whenever this happens and sometimes it can really spiral downwards. But God has brought transformation to my life through the past few months and years that I am now able to cope with these thoughts and feelings.
Oooo, I have to admit it had been a horribly draining week but then by the end of it, I have come to realise how, despite being still affected by these feelings, I am able to overcome it because I held on to God in faith. I have faith in God because I had seen how He has shown me grace and brought me back from backsliding, how He has brought me through trials, how He has guided me through ministry (both my cell and work ministry), how He has changed my life and I also remember the promises I have received from Him through His word. And I hold dearly to God, responding in my mind "God, no matter what the circumstances, I am holding on to You and Your promises to me, knowing that You will bring me through."
On Faith & Deeds Anyway, even though I realised how God had brought me through an object lesson in faith, I was still totally clueless as to how to facilitate cell. So yesterday morning, as I made my way to work, I prayed to God to show me how to facilitate cell. As I opened the bible to do my quiet time, I opened to James 2 (the reading for the day) and the heading read "Genuine Faith" (James 2:14-26). I read the chapter which spoke about faith without deeds is dead. Even though I understood that the sermon last Sunday was on faith, somehow the link was not evident. I was sensing being led to use this verse as the opening for cell discussion and I remember thinking to myself "God, this verse does not really link to what we are talking about, but I will have faith and trust in You. I will use this verse, trusting You will use it to minister and open the discussion."
The Confusion Begins: In Deed or Not In Deed? The worst thing came when I arrived at work and as I accessed the Our Daily Bread website, the devotion shown was for the day before (since it is a day before in the states), on "Whom Will You Trust?". It is no doubt on faith but then the devotion made me more confused. Just this morning, I had read from James 2:26 that faith without deeds is dead. And now, the devotion has a verse from Ephesians 2:8-9 which says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." So what, is works necessary? I became very very confused.
Then, I thank God for giving me time to discuss the topic briefly with Min Qin over the phone during lunch and as we discussed, God brought me to 2 Peter 1:3-11 (NIV):
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
And he also brought me to Philippians 3:8-11 (NIV):
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
2 Sides of Faith: Saving Faith And everything was beginning to click together, including a deeper understanding of what Elder Freddy mentioned on Sunday about the 2 sides of faith. It became clear to me that, on one hand, faith as in Hebrews 11:1 says that "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Just as we have accepted by faith about God and what He done on the cross for our salvation, so we accept by faith Christ as Saviour and Lord of our lives and so do we accept by faith that at the end of the journey, we are assured of where we will go. This is the saving faith. And this was mentioned in Ephesians 2, that we are saved by God's grace and not because of what we have done. In fact, I have recently read a devotional which says that the "God of Christianity never claims to be fair". Yup, you heard it right. Andy Stanley mentioned in the devotional that "A truly fair God would give you exactly what you deserve and nothing more... He decided not to give us what we deserve-that's mercy. In addition, God decided to give us exactly what we don't deserve-we call that grace". So it is no doubt that we are saved by grace and it is through faith in Christ that we are saved.
2 Sides of Faith: Faithfulness But then Elder Freddy also spoke about faithfulness. And it is more about how we "run the race". In 2 Peter 1, Peter wrote to give guidance to growing Christians and asked to "make every effort to add to your faith..." So there is faith but then there is more after that... It seems that it is a process that as we profess our faith in Christ Jesus, it is not complete. We are to continue the process of being more Christ-like so we do not become ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8) and becoming more like him in his death, (2 Peter 1:10) pure, holy and blameless but yet obedient to God. So it speaks of the process. So, is process more important or the destination? Well, both!
And Elder Freddy Boey has clearly given the analogy of running in the Olympics to show how we are to live as Christians and as children of God:
Just as it is by invitation to join the Olympics, so are we also invited into God's family by His grace.
Just as it runners represent not themselves in the Olympics but their countries, so are we to represent God in the race, knowing His identity and reflecting it.
Just as the runners having to keep their eyes on the prize, so are we to run the race with faith, fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2), to run the good race, in a way to win the prize (1 Cor 9:24) and receive the crown of righteousness (2 Tim 4:7-8).
Elder Freddy Boey has further mentioned that faith is the way of the church. It is the way of life for Christians.
How Do We Keep the Faith? There are giants that keeps faith away from us, just as the giants has kept the Israelite from possessing the promised land from God and they had been sidelined for close to 40 years, wandering in the wilderness. In the same way, there are giants which would keep faith away from us e.g. fear, wrong teachings, persecution, losing focus and being swallowed up by the world and/or succumbing to our sinful nature etc. What are some of the "giants" in your life which is keeping you from being faithful?
In keeping the faith, different of you have shared how you have kept the faith. For me, it was the promise which I had received from God and subsequently being affirmed through His Word (1 Chronicles 12 and Zechariah 2) when I was doing cell planning. For some, it is in keeping with Godly counsel while for some, it is prayer and for some, it is the Word of the Lord which has encouraged you in your darkest moments and in trials. From Psalm 23, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Tim 2:4-7, Matt 6:5-7, Matt 6:25-34, Matt 14:25-33 and to Psalm 46:10, all these verses spoke to different ones of you during difficult times. Remember how the Lord has brought you out of the pits. Finally for some, it is a strong conviction in your life that God is always with us and will deliver us. Just as in Matthew 14:33, the people in the boat saw what Jesus did and came to worship God when they came to realise truly He is the son of God. So we need to first know who our God is and trust that His ways are not our ways (Isa 55:8) and that He knows best and is almighty to save.
So at the end of the day, we start the race and will end the race with faith, but we are also reminded to run the race with faith. Both the process and the destination are important. Just as it is useless to just stay put at the starting line, knowing that the finishing line and the prize is on the other end. But unless we start running and run according to the rules, it will be a futile race... True, we have been saved by grace and we have faith in our salvation, but just as James 2:26 reminds "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead". The deeds of becoming more Christ-like and adding to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love are equally as important.
God has been faithful to us so how will you respond in faith?
Prompted to Cover Faith I had been preparing for cell discussion this week and even though I had missed the first sermon on "Enduring Faith" but instead attended the second service on "Power of the Blood", I just felt prompted to cover on the topic of faith this week. The topic kept appearing throughout the week - at my department devotion, corporate devotion and also through what happened this week in ministry, witnessing faith in action.
What is Faith? And so, I began to reflect upon faith in my own walk. I can hear myself asking "So, what is faith? What's the big deal about it?" In fact, faith is a very common topic in the Christian walk and I was thinking that it would be timely for us to take a closer look at it; examining it more carefully.
What have we learnt about faith in our walk with the Lord? I have come a long way in my ministry, starting from just an ordinary cell member to being God's servant in cell ministry and having to learn to rely on Him, learning how His grace is sufficient for me and how He is in control when I let Him.
Here are some thoughts on faith, as shared by some of you during cell discussion and also some things I have come to realise over the years, walking with God:
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of the unseen (Hebrews 11:1);
Faith does not commensurate with the number of years we have been a Christian; it is possible for a Christian young in faith to have more faith than a Christian of many years;
Strong faith becomes easier to exercise and more evident during trials;
Trials, Faith & Joy In James 1:2-4 (NIV), it is said: 2. Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3. because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
When I saw these verses for the first time, I asked myself, "how can it be that one can consider it joy when facing trials? It must be crazy!" I remember during my personal and spiritual break earlier this year, I was reading from Acts and was amazed at how despite being persecuted, Paul still stood by his faith, strongly. I remember telling myself "what strong faith! I wonder why he has such strong faith?"But slowly, I have come to understand the verses as I reflect upon how God has helped me through the tough times; times which left me on my knees praying while everything was crumbling down, times which, on hindsight, helped molded me to be the way I am now. I have slowly come to appreciate the flip side of trials, even though, yes, I have to agree that it is tough.
Why Trials? Bob Sorge describes perseverance and endurance as faith sustained over time in the midst of pressure and crisis. So that naturally leads me to ask: Why trials?
Trials Bring Us Back to God - When I think about it, the first thing I have come to realise is that trials sometimes happen to bring us back to God.
For me, life was going relatively smoothly for me. Though I was brought up as a Christian, I began to drift away from God because I felt that this was a part of my life which was not important at all since there were no big trials in my life... With success in most things I do, I became more self-sufficient until something hit me real heard. Then suddenly, I was facing career, relationship, friendship problems all at the same time. I had nowhere to turn and then God brought me a friend, who I had lost touch with for a long time, to come into my life. This friend eventually brought me back to Him. I still recall when I messaged another friend on the first Sunday I came to Riverlife, my friend replied "it took a trial for God to bring you back to Him". So take heed that sometimes, trials is a signal to go back to God.
Trials Help Us to Rely on God - Then, I began to see how trials also help us to rely on God. Indeed, if we believe that God is the Great Almighty, the one who created everything and gave life, then why are we sometimes reluctant to let go and let God? I am very familiar with this because sometimes, when facing problems, I tend to say to God "God, I know you are big but then let me deal with this problem myself because I believe I can do it". But then, when we accepted Christ and made Him our saviour and Lord, isn't He also Lord over all, including our trials? Do we just treat Him as only a saviour or do we take the whole package and accept Him as Lord of our lives as well, trusting that He has His plans for us, plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11)?
I recall how stepping up into ministry had been one of the biggest trial for me and I had to rely on God. I recall the days when I cried about things, about how hopeless things felt, about how lousy I felt about myself because of all that is happening. I had no where to turn to and had to look up. Today, as I look back at the tough times and see how God had blessed my hands in ministry and how things started to take a turn when I stopped trying and prayed and commit it into His hands, I praise God for being there.A friend has ever shared that she had once had to deal with worry when she did not hear from her husband, who went to work overseas, for 2 whole weeks. She tried reaching him but to no avail. But yet, she could not do anything else except to pray. In the end, thank God, her husband returned the next day. It's true that sometimes, there is nothing else we can do but to look to God.
I have once received a SMS that went "when facing problems, do not say 'Oh God, we have a big problem' but instead 'Problem, we have a big God!'" Believe it and proclaim it!
Trials Brings Growth - Yet another thing I have realised about trials is that it brings growth. I am reminded how we are all "Work in Progress" and how trials provide the opportunity to mature and even critically think about what could be better in life. Ultimately, it is about growing to become the person God wants us to be.
James reminded that "perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". Through trial and perseverance, we will grow and mature to be complete and not lacking anything. In the same way, I have come to see how much I have grown as a person over the past few years as I continue to walk with the Lord; how He continued to challenged me to live a life that would honour Him. I have come to slowly overcome many problems previously faced, including my introvertedness and I have to admit that stepping up in ministry has challenged me to a higher standard of living a God-honouring life.
I always believe that Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God. And part of that relationship with God is first reconciling with God and then walking righteously with Him. I have learnt how God is more concerned with who we become and how we walk with Him more than anything else because "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam 16:7b).It is not the outward person but the real person He is concerned with.
Trials Help Us Bless Others - Yet another thing I have come to realise is how trials are also intended for us to bless others. Several times, I saw how God has used my past experiences to help me understand others and minister to them. Though some of these past experiences were painful, God nonetheless helped me to address some of these through the sermons and NLE. As was as if I was put through a rehabilitation programme. Then God used me to minister to others. Through my past experiences, I got to be able to share with others how I have been through similar struggles and how, with God, I had been able to overcome it.
Trials Build Faith and More Faith - Lastly, trials builds more faith. When we overcome a trial with God, it helps us build more faith in Him to overcome future trials. Just as Jason has shared, we have sometimes come to realise how God is bigger than anyone or anything else when we just be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).
And I just realised that the cell had a similar discussion of trial here: how trials bring people closer back to God, how trials prepare one for ministry, how trials indicate the devil is trying to put a stop to you responding to God's call and how trials may also indicate something is spiritually not right.
Trails are here to stay It's interesting how some of us sometimes feel awkward that as Christians, we face trials too. But trials are certain to stay in our lives because James 1:2 says "whenever you face trials of many kinds" not "if you face trials of many kinds". Trials are certain and it is not surprising that Christians face trials. But what is different is that, as children of God, we are certain that God is with us and in control as long as we seek Him and His will. He will bring us through it all.
Still Hide me now Under your wings Cover me within your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with you above the storm Father you are king over the flood I will be still and know you are God
Find rest my soul In Christ alone Know his power In quietness and trust
How do we build faith? I have thought through it and at the end of the day, the way which has worked for me is to (i) know God, (ii) see God at work in our lives and (iii) living daily with God; having the Holy Spirit with us. We need to know who God is, how real He is and live each day with Him.
It seems that to grow in faith, we need to know God's character, who He is and how He sees us. We need to know who we are in God's eyes and how much He cares for us and wants the best for us before we can grow faith and trust in Him. After all, isn't that how we grow trust and faith in others? We need to be more "God-aware", knowing how real He is in our lives, watching over and blessing us, through daily thanksgiving. Finally, we need to live God-honouring and righteous lives, having the Holy Spirit with us. As we continue to walk closely with God, we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His prompting. Luke 8:22-25 tells us how Jesus calms the storm. Jesus had told his disciple to go to the other side of the lake. As they sailed, Jesus feel asleep and a storm came. The disciples panicked and When the storm came, the woke Him up, only to have Jesus asking them about their faith. Indeed sometimes, we can be like the disciples; despite having Jesus on board, they had little faith. It would be different when we know who is in the boat with us and know who He is and how He has seen us through our days.
As we wrapped up cell, I sensed that as we shared about our past struggles and how God brought us through it all, we are reminded how we all stand as testimonies of how God has worked in our lives, including how God even sent timely word to us during those tough times to comfort us and assure us, be it through Our Daily Bread, the bible or even through a bible verse in a colleague's diary. Many of you shared how this happened many times for you and indeed God sees you in your trials. He knows and comforts.
The Choice If you want to build faith, build a relationship with God. If you have yet to do so with Him, do so today. Faith is a choice; when trials come, do not look around but look up.
Hello everyone, sharing some notes I compiled from a staff devotion which we had recently :D hope it blesses you.
The start of unforgiveness is usually anger and while anger is a feeling we will struggle with at times, we are reminded how we should deal with anger: love. I admit that it is not easy (because I struggle with it too). Here's a little summary of what we discussed and what I sensed from the Lord as we were discussing earlier:
(a) Recognise that you are loved by God Christ has loved the world before we loved Him and has died on the cross for our sin, extending His love to us even before we have asked for it, so we may have life:
1 John 4:19 - 19. We love because he first loved us.
(b) Acknowledge your anger and not sin:
Genesis 4:6-7 - 6. Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7. If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Ephesians 4: 26-27 - 26. "In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27. and do not give the devil a foothold.
The word of God says that when we are angry, sin is crouching at the door. So it is not so much whether we have anger but what we do about it: not sinning when we are angry and not letting the sun go down while we are still angry because it gives the devil a foothold to destroy relationships in the body of Christ.
(c) Extend love (because we are commanded to do so):
1 John 4:20-21 -
20. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
John 21: 15-17 -
15. When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."
16. Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep."
17. The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
Matthew 22:37-40 -
37.Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38. This is the first and greatest commandment. 39. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
I was recently preparing for cell and reading John 21 on Jesus forgiving Peter (after Peter denied Christ 3 times) and how he has asked Peter 3 times if he love Jesus. But Jesus' answer interesting turns the focus onto His flock; His lambs and sheeps. It seems to be saying that If you love God, you will love His people. Just as Matthew 22:37-40 reminds us that the 10 commandments can be summarised into 2 greatest commandments (Commands 1-4 on loving God and Commands 5-10 on loving His people). Recognise that God wants us to love one another, despite how sometimes it can be so so difficult.
(d) Forgive Yourself I have come to learn that sometimes we have feelings about feelings i.e. sometimes we feel anger over other people and yet feel horrible about our anger for that person. And sometimes, we can end up feeling horrible about ourselves. For me, there was a period of time I felt so disappointed with myself for constantly grieving God time after time I could not forgive myself. As a result, I felt unworthy of God and distant myself from Him. But recognise that God loves you and forgives you because He died for your sin. A heart of repentance is what He seeks and He forgives, so forgive yourself. Sy Rogers has once put it somewhat in this manner... God did not love you and die on the cross for you only to have you distancing yourself away from Him, He wants to draw you to Him and wash away your sins by bearing it for you.
A good example is that of Peter and Judas. In Matthew 26:69 - 27:5, we read about how Peter disowned Jesus 3 times and how Judas hung himself. Jesus subsequently forgives Peter in John 21 and Peter becomes the rock on which Christ built His church (Matt 16:18) but for Judas, he hung himself.
Awesome God Our God is an awesome God, He reigns from heaven above, With wisdom power and love, Our God is an awesome God!
Our God is an Awesome God Just finished devotion this morning and want to share a little testimony. Through this morning's devotion, I have come to see how God is in control and how He is real, speaks, affirms and ministers. The last time I experienced this so strongly was at a missions trip in China and it was real exhilarating and exciting to see how God works; how nothing is impossible for Him as He brings together people and circumstances to work according to His will and to also minister to people; it's just awesome, amazing and exciting to see God work!
Do We Set Aside or Do We Find Time for God? Our Tuesday devotions at work has not been very regular recently and sessions have been canceled simply because people were "too busy". Frankly, I get really affected and disappointed each time the devotion is canceled because it is just painful to see us forgoing time with God simply because we are too busy. But then reflecting back, this spiritual warfare is real and even I myself also struggle with trying to "squeeze out" time to be with the Lord.
God Uses Ministers through all Sharing Anyway, today, there was to be devotion and looking at how everyone is busy, I was really not confident devotion will go on. But then, I decided to assume it will go on as usual and I contemplated whether I should lead since the last session (which was supposed to be led by me) was canceled and the next person who is to lead today might not even know she is leading today. I decided to lead but then somehow later at work, I just felt led to ask the person whether she is ready to lead devotion today, considering that I have no voice left. To my surprise, she agreed and within 5 minutes, she put together something to share. By the end of the devotion, it became very clear how God had worked through today's devotion; it's amazing how:
... devotion was not canceled and my colleague agreed to lead devotion despite the short notice
... everyone joined in for devotion today
... God ministered through her sharing of her testimony about how God had guided her in a recent decision about her flat. In short, she made a decision about her flat but did not feel at peace with the decision. She sought the Lord's will through prayer and through many incidents, affirmation by others, she felt led to change her decision. Eventually, she decided to change her decision but then a contract had been signed with HDB. But God opened a way for her to retract her decision with HDB and now she is at peace with the decision. From this, she shared about how sometimes we think we know best and insists on our plans when God knows His plans for us and will provide for us; how stubborn we can sometimes be and end up not wanting to choose the path God has for us.
... God used the sharing to also minister to another colleague who later shared that he was facing some issues with regards to his flat too and how the sharing affirmed him
... I initially felt bad about asking my colleague to lead the devotion at the last minute because I was not feeling very well but later was so glad that God has used the session to teach and minister
... how God had led me to read from Matthew 6:25-34 in the morning on my way to work, which seems to be a timely reminder about how God knows what we need and will provide.I was thinking of reading from another devotional but then realised that I have left the devotional material in office and so, read this devotion instead, not knowing that it was a timely reminder that was shared at the closing of the devotion.
After devotion, I was reflecting on how I can align myself to God's will for my lives and came to the following conclusion. We need to
believe that God has His plans for us and
we need to stay connected to God e.g. through quiet time, prayers, reading His word and supplementing it with devotional materials and
be open and willing to listen to Him when He does lead.
believe that God can work through you and use you to spiritually impact others
Matthew 6:26- Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:30- If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Matthew 6:31-33- 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Think...
On a scale of 1-10, where do you rate your belief that God, as Jeremiah 29:11 states, has His plans for you; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future?
In this world of connectivity through handphones, internet, email, instant messengers, how is your connectivity to God? How can you connect better with God?
How open and willing are you in hearing from God? What is your definition of hearing from God? How have God spoken to you in the past? How can you be more God-aware?
Do you believe that God can work through you and use you to spiritually impact others and to draw them close to Him?
Riverlife's Theme for 2008 Over the beginning couple of weekends of Jan, Rev. shared how He sensed that the theme for Riverlife for 2008 is about trusting God for unprecedented growth and as such, the church will need to strengthen its core. He shared from Isaiah 54:2:
"Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."
Indeed, it seems to me that the purpose of Riverlife Church is becoming clearer as God continues to work through the church in reaching out to people and helping them to restore their relationship with God. Riverlife is becoming an outreaching church mainly because of the effort of many to live out the Great Commission as Matthew 28:19-20 reminds us:
19. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Focusing on God It is about life transformation, repentance of hearts and restoration of relationship with God, not numbers. And we should thank God that last year saw close to 1000 spiritual decisions being made. I believe that God has His purpose for Riverlife and even for our cell and as long as we keep our focus on God correct, living out the Great Commandments (as Leviticus 26:3-6 and Deuteronomy 28:2-6 reminds us) and Great Commission, He will be with us always.
Mark 12:28-31: 28. One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"29. "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31. The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."
Christ was teaching us the principle behind the Law and had not come to abolish the Law. God is consistent and continue to remind us to walk right with Him so as to be able to enjoy communion with Him. Jesus has come to be a model and to also fulfill the Law so we can no longer carry our burden of sin and approach the throne of God, because Jesus has borne it all.
Matthew 5: 17-20: 17. "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus Be the Center
Jesus, be the centre Be my source, be my light Jesus
Jesus, be the centre Be my hope, be my song Jesus
(Chorus) Be the fire in my heart Be the wind in these sails Be the reason that I live Jesus, Jesus
Jesus, be my vision Be my path, be my guide Jesus
God's Purpose for the Cell Over the past few months, I have been praying for God to show me the purpose for our cell and it is just amazing how one thing happens after another, affirming the purpose of God for this cell; to be reaching out to the spiritually needy, particularly the backslided, broken and misled. And it is amazing how God continues to affirm the calling and bless the cell despite of my many inadequacies. He continues to affirm me throughout last year despite many times I was on the verge of letting go. But He never forsake and He continues to minister through my quiet time, the pulpit, songs, circumstances (and even spoke when a colleague opened his diary and there was Isaiah 41:9-10 which ministered to me deeply) and people (including people He has sent to minister to). Then, when I became all tired and was becoming rather willful, He spoke in a voice which was unmistakably His and in that encounter He asked "why do you not trust me?". He continued to minister and even through sending a brother-in-christ to confront me about some of my spiritual decisions I was about to make, making me realise that preparation is underway.
Blessings and Trials As I read Isaiah 54 this week, it became clear to me that we NEED to strengthen our core, both at the cell level and at the church and as a body of Christ. Because we are fighting spiritual warfare and we need to be equipped for the warfare; because we are snatching souls from the devil and he will do all he can to thwart the plan God has to further His kingdom.
Isaiah 54: The Future Glory of Zion
1 "Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labor; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband," says the LORD.
2 "Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.
3 For you will spread out to the right and to the left; your descendants will dispossess nations and settle in their desolate cities.
4 "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.
5 For your Maker is your husband— the LORD Almighty is his name— the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth.
6 The LORD will call you back as if you were a wife deserted and distressed in spirit— a wife who married young, only to be rejected," says your God.
7 "For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back.
8 In a surge of anger I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you," says the LORD your Redeemer.
9 "To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.
10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed," says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
11 "O afflicted city, lashed by storms and not comforted, I will build you with stones of turquoise, your foundations with sapphires.
12 I will make your battlements of rubies, your gates of sparkling jewels, and all your walls of precious stones.
13 All your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace.
14 In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you.
15 If anyone does attack you, it will not be my doing; whoever attacks you will surrender to you.
16 "See, it is I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer to work havoc;
17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.
Isaiah 54 tells us of the future glory of Zion. Indeed, if we look through Isaiah 54, we see:
God promises forgiveness (v 4-10) despite our faithlessness sometimes
God promises blessings (v 11-14)
God promises deliverance from trials (v15, 17)
But amidst all these promises, in Isaiah 54:2, He tell us to enlarge the place of our tents and stretch our tent curtains wide, not to hold back, strengthen the stakes and lengthen the cords. We need to be outreaching as commanded in the Great Commission. We need to bring many into God's kingdom. But before that, we need to prepare ourselves as God prepares us too, as He had created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon fit for its work.
We need to be mindful of spiritual attacks and trials. Frankly, no one likes trials but then as we were sharing last week, trials, for many people, also took on different meanings. For me, though I do not enjoy trials, upon reflection:
Trials brings people closer of back to God - It was a crisis I was facing which brought me back from the wilderness after having backslided for 15 years. It was getting to a stage I could no longer deal with the challenges I had on hand and God came to rescue me.
Trials prepares one for ministry -Indeed, God is the one who created the blacksmith who "fans the coals into flames" so that a weapon can be made, one which is fit for its work. And it became clear to me how indeed the many challenges faced last year, some which brokened me, may have helped build me perhaps for my ministry. Over the months, I have also seen how God has His plans for using me and my previous bad experiences (which was eventually addressed two years later) to understand and minister to others in the same position.
Trials indicate that the devil is trying to put a stop to you responding to God's calling - This became especially clear to me that it could have been spiritual attack which had caused me to be downcasted late last year. Almost all at once, I had to deal with work stress, my dad's uncertain medical condition, my leg pain and also ministry challenges. But thank God everything is starting to brighten up, including my leg, which has been aching for months and my dad's health is getting better and in fact, he is being discharged from quite a bit of his medical follow-ups (he used to be like a full-time patient, going for medical follow-ups many times a month, for his heart, eye, diabetes, high blood pressure, ENT, kidney etc). Work and ministry is also picking up.
Trials may also point out that something may not be spiritually right - thus making us susceptible to attacks by the devil.
Strengthening the Core - Putting on the Armour of God
Hence, we are told to put on the armour of God to protect us from attacks from the devil.
Ephesians 6:10-18: 10. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15. and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
We need to cover one another spiritually (including our leaders in the church) and grow in the Lord. We need to know the Word of God, know the truth, be righteous, be always ready to allow God to work through us as we minister to others, have faith, put on our salvation (purchased with the blood of Christ) as our crown and pray.
Let's just continue to grow spiritually, put on the armour of God and also cover one another spiritually.
