Winning The Invisible War Part II

I know this is late. But hey, better late than never, eh?

This is a period of turmoil. The magma is brewing before the volcano erupts. The safety valve is dysfuntional, and the pressure is building up in the sealed pot. The matter is about to implode anytime, and when it will blow is up to anyone's guess. Only God knows the time, and the Time is nigh.

Winning the invisible war. M'sia is going through a period of spiritual warfare. How well we fight the war depend on how prepared we are. Are we loosening up? Are we compromising the truth for convenience? Our arrows to our bows are still abundant, our voices not hoarse from battlecries, much energy is still left in us, therefore, not until we are deprived of whatever resources we have, we shall not yield to the enemy. This is the begining of a new era. Let us take what is rightfully ours.

The series of Winning The Invisible War is not a peroration, it is an analytical view of massive flooding of our nation, the course of a revival. Like a magician, a sheet in placed over his forearm. When he pulls it away, a pigeon appears on his wrist. This is a transitional period, His hand is upon us.

Once again, this point is stressed: we do not choose to engage in a war. But in this turbulent period, war is already at hand. It's not a choice we undertake, it's an obligation we must not forsake for the furtherance of development, be it personal or at a national level. We may choose not to fight, but the barrage of offenses will not cease until we are whipped to our knees, begging for mercy, which will not be shown by the devil. The evil one feeds on our weaknesses, our falls. The weaker we are, the more triumphant it is.

The devil intends to destroy us via 3 networks: the world, the flesh, the devil itself.

Our world seems more corrupted that it is righteous. Each man is living for himself. Everything from the media, our speech, our actions, our thoughts, the business world, the business of politics, everything is being defiled. All works are tainted by misdemeanours. No one's right, and there isn't much we can do, except to minimise the damage. We put up a resistance against the evil one. We win battles, we lose some; the war is not won until the second coming of our Lord Saviour. The devil does not have a weak eye. It spots our weaknesses, and it only attacks our weak points. To fully and effectively repel its advances, we need to put on the full gamut of the holy armour. It's given freely to all, the choice to don this armour lays on our free will.

We are all God's children. Put the theories that say otherwise aside. Science must not contradict the Word, but merely a study to explain His creations. As demons are stationed in various arenas to tempt us, to influence us, to dictate us, so is the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit upon us wherever, whenever we are. We receive inputs from both sides, but our outputs come from ourselves. There may be times, however, we shut of input from one side. This happens when we're compromising the truth for convenience. Yes, the assumption that the input from the Righteous One is blocked is made here.

Worldy systems are made to demote God. The way of the world promotes self gratification and feeds the flesh. Our worldly lifestyle, philosophy, thinking and mindset is bent to fit our means. Are we so flexible, that our moral values can be so flawed. Where is our foundation? Where is our backbone? Where are our principles? Are we so spineless that we lean against any structure that provides temporary stability. Are we compromising the truth to our convenience? (Read 1 John 5:19 and John 13: 22)

In Ps Timothy's sermon, when we yield to the ways of this world, we start:

1. to be squeezed into its mold of thinking and philosophy. The world sells you the idea of a lifestyle it wants you to have.
2. to question God's word, His purpose and plan.
3. to gain approval from our peers, thus conforming to a certain lifestyle.
4. to treat Christianity as a religion i.e. Sunday (or Saturday) church attendance and tithes become a routine. We stop living the way of Christ.
5. set His agendas aside.

It's a dangerous territory we're venturing in. It's uncharted, unmapped. Let us give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we are always guided.

The next network: flesh. Read Galatians 5: 17.

Our Creator knows our carnal desires. He knows our tendency to sin. We harbour an evil capacity to sin against Him. It is not easy to reject our flesh.

He knows, so He provides a solution to every problem. He knows we need Him, so He is always there. He gives us peace against our inclination to sin. By giving in to our flesh, we begin to:

1. live independently from God
2. live for pleasure
3. choose with clear self agenda
4. sin and rebel against God

To receive Christ is not to stop sinning. We are imperfect beings. By submitting ourselves to Christ, we are putting our trust in Him to shape us, to allow Him to work in our lives, and in return, we subject ourselves to His works by repenting. To live for Christ is to gain the enmity of the world, the flesh, the devil. We do not have to be a pastor to be an ascetic. He calls for us to redeem the world, so we have to be placed in various work envinronments to spread His word.

Lastly, the devil as our oppressor. It delights at our falls. It clasps its deformed, malicious hands in glee when we commit mistakes. The devil works out schemes and plans to invade our spiritual life. Like an incoming wave, it splashes on us. Unlike a wave, it does not recede. It is like a creeper, once grounded, it sets it roots deeper into our spirituality. It gets harder to uproot the evil entities, the more we allow it to grow.

The levels of satanic invasion are these: spiritual negligence, willfull disobedience and lifestyle of rebellious actions.

1. Spiritual negligence starts with a mild attack e.g. mild bitterness, mild negative thoughts, mild indulgence. Little by little, it accentuates. Mild becomes occasional. The grip on reality slackens, and we begin to compromise the truth to satisfy our temptations. Once in a while, we convince ourselves it is alright to sin because we falsely remind ourselves we are still in control. The rot to decadence, thus begins. You feel the tustle, but with time, God's Holy Word is dismissed. Carelessness and compromise sinks in, like an anchor setting the vessel stationary.
2. Thence, willful disobedience becomes second life. There's no more clamouring between the good and bad. At this time, the evil one is gaining ground. We close our ears to the Holy Spirit. Now, the devil is on the passenger seat, navigating us. Frequent indulgence sets in. We begin to disobey without any sign of repentance. We start to resist God and His voice. We allow Satan a foothold to work in our lives. We are confused with right and wrong.
3. Outright indulgence commences. It's no longer a sin to lie, no longer a sin to live a life of corruption, no longer a sin to curse, no longer a sin to covet. Our rebellion (words, thoughts) is brought to the open. Satan has succesfully penetrated our defences, and its flag planted to signify its triumph. With this victory, Satan builds a new barrier, one that resists the Word of God. At this stage, we are conquered by the evil one, acting as a demonic stronghold. We give heed to demonic voices. We become evil people.

The question is this. Have you given ground to the enemy lately. Are you allowing it more space to work? Are you resisting the devil. Look at your life. What are your weak points. Is the devil winning the spiritual warfare. You can't win this war alone. As we speak, our Creator, the Forgiveness of Sins, is knocking at the door. He does not barge His way in. His knocks are soft, and His ways loving and brisk. Welcome Him into your life, and He will breathe new life in you. He will renew you. He will uproot the devil, and in replacement, plant the Holy Spirit in you. Let His face shine on you, let His hand move yours, let His love cleanse your sins. Read Deuteronomy 10: 12-13).

He does not ask much. He only wants to see your life lived according to His Word. This is a corrupted world we are living in. We can't live it with our own efforts.

The final words are these: if we're not doing the will of God, we might be, we may already be, doing the will of the devil. (2 Timothy 2: 26, 1 John 3: 8)

Winning The Invisible War Part I

References from this entry are from Ephesians 6: 10-20, NIV Life Application Study Bible and Ps Timothy's sermon. As a reminder, the notes I upload here are subject to my interpretation. If any questions should arise, please feel free to leave a comment. I missed this sermon by Ps Timothy, so this entry is made possible by Edwina's notes. Thanks Ed!

The first part encompasses the structure of methods that the enemy engages to overcome us, the second part deals with the networks that work under Satan's flagship. I hope the reading of this entry is as serious as the constant tapping my fingers are on the keyboard, as vigorous as how my mind is working, and as convicted as how the Holy Spirit is stirring my heart. Any light-mindedness, I urge to be extinguished for a while, lest the Word of God is looked upon with contempt. Spiritual warfare is real, and it's taking place every minute of the day. Let's start taking notice of its significance.

As a martial artist is taught of delivering deadly blows, evasive defence movements, increased efficacy of kicking styles, so is the demon schooled in elaborate methods to deceive and entrap us. Yes, it is not up to us to look for the devil; a hungry, blood-thirsty predator does not wait for its prey, rather it stalks its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. It knows our shames, our guilt, and intends to use them to its advantage. When the moment is right, it switches mode from being an observer to being an invader of our life, because we have unconsciously allowed it to. Our shambles, when not submitted to The Forgiver of Sins, are exploited by the evil one. That is where, instead of battling against the evil one, we find ourselves already enslaved by it.

The devil masters in 5 techniques of trap setting. Let's run this down point by point.

1. Devour. This is perhaps the main objective of the evil one. It wishes to destroy us. It wishes to run us over, to trample us like a mass of stampede whilst we lay helplessly on the ground. It wishes to devour our soul and spirit. And it does not stop until it has achieved its goal. It is, again, up to us to set a resistance against it. Be self-controlled and alert. We all have our weaknesses. None of our wall of defence is complete; there are weak points, cracks on it. The evil one is cunning, it strikes at our weak points. The Word of God asks for us to resist when there are times like these (1Peter 5: 8-9).

2. Wiles (Ephesians 6: 11). "The enemy watches, takes down notes, waits patiently, slowly but surely. His schemes are systematic, well thought out procedures and plans to entrap us". While we wile away our free time with idleness, the enemy is thinking of ways to expand its blackening, darkening territory within our faintly lighted body. We must not wait for it to strike. As the devil is under Satan's tutelage, we are under God's protection. The contours of our great foundation in Christ must not be upheaved. Daily devotions, prayers, fellowship with our brothers and sisters- these are vital steps towards creating a impervious lattice against contamination and corruption.

3. Devices (2 Corinthians 2: 11). Are we not aware of the enemy's schemes? Therefore, be vigilant. Honesty never fails. Compromise leads to lies. When we sit on the fence with our back facing the devil, it shall gag us, chain us up and blindfold us when we least expect it, and like a kidnapper, pulls us down to the abyss that we may never see light at the end of it. Unlike a kidnapper, it demands no ransom. It wants our soul and spirit. Are we focusing at the wrong goals? Take a moment to reflect. The armour of God consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footgear of readiness to spread His word, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of God (the Word of God). Put on the pieces of armour God has forged for us.

4. Foothold (Ephesians 4: 26-27). A foothold for the evil one is like an open door of a rich home to a burglar. The level of difficulty for the breach of our defences depends on how strong the resistance we put up. When we compromise, we have already faltered. When we put our trust in God, and heed his words, we are strong and unyielding to the enemy's attacks. If the enemy has set up camp within your territory, burn it with the Holy Spirit, lay siege upon it, flood and drown its occupants with the Word of God.

5. Opportune time (Luke 4: 13). Before you wave your flag of victory, take a step back and re-examine your losses. Yes, this time you have conquered the devil in His mighty name. It does not stop there. As long as we are alive, as long as we have breath in us, spiritual warfare does not end. As God does not give up on us, so will the devil continue his endless tirade towards destroying the bridge that connects us with God.

Let us continue the steadfast and faithful relationship with our Heavenly Father. Persistence and Patience.

Spiritual Warfare

A friend in need is a friend indeed; one of the few idioms that I learnt as a child. When I was stressed over a major exam, a friend flooded my message inbox with Bible verses and words of encouragement. I admit, I am ashamed of myself for not doing the same for her. I was riddled with personal problems a few weeks ago that I forgot that some of you had an even larger hurdle to cross. I wouldn't say I'm a lousy person, but as a friend, I concede that sometimes, there are much more I can/should do.

I have been taking notes regularly, but I couldn't seem to post them, not for technical reasons. This blog is not about me, it's about blessing others, for reasons only God would know. I wrestled with Him. I asked Him many questions. He answered me through these verses: Galatians 5: 7 and Luke 17: 10.

Attacks were coming from all directions, and I found myself caught in the crossfire. There were many issues I had to deal with. Actually, there was only one, but from that issue, sprung others that were unknown. I was, in one way, confused with all the input of details. I got out of it, and with it, gifts and endowment that brought much joy to my soul. I wanted to cry craven, but He did not give up on me. He used people close to me to reverberate His message. His message was trenchant and piercing, that I did not have much choice but to heed His words.

Admist the entire period, He was impressing me another connection; a dyadic. I realise, if I could decipher this miraculous code, it will stay with me forever. It would be perpetuating. I am not able to generate much thought into that yet, let's see how that goes. All in His time.

I missed the first part of last Sunday's message (Winning The Invisible Part I). I was in my hometown. Little did I know, that the message preached by a guest speaker in my family church carries a similar meaning to the one which was preached two days ago. Both speakers shared about spiritual warfare. Let me share with you the message spoken by Rev Peter Chin. I will follow it up with Ps Timothy's message in the next entry.

Be Filled With The Holy Spirit Ephesians 5-6

Being filled with Holy Spirit is a command, not a choice! This is evident in Ephesians 5: 18. We are rebelling against our Creator if we refuse to be filled. However, it is not by our efforts, but by God's grace we are filled. Therefore, pray persistently to be filled. Truly, He listens to our prayers. The weight of persistence is significant, and He does not take it lightly. This, in turn, is evident in Luke 18:6. The sin of omission is great, so let us not make the mistake of ignoring His Word. The Bible is not merely suited to our means; He demands absolute obedience, not a half-hearted one.

Now, what is the importance of the Holy Spirit? Why must we be filled?

Much is said about the devil. Many movies are made about them. Horror movies usually end with a triumphant note for the evil one. The most important lesson, perhaps, the only lesson, that is learnt from these movies is that we are continuosly being attacked by the devil. He does not let us off easy. The devil is like a roaring lion, ready to devour whenever an opportunity is given (1Peter 5: 8- 9). Warfare is real, and many of us are in bondage. Let us not fear the evil one, but to realise that they hold a certain degree of power of us, only if we allow it to. Let us also realise that God gives us authority over them.

We fight the war against the devil, to win the world for our Lord. This task is not impossible. But vital steps must be taken, His commands must be adhered to. Christians have to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The next question should be this: What are the requirements to be filled?

Complete commitment to our Lord and Saviour. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We can only be filled when we let go of ourselves and surrender the key to our body to Him. He is not a god of force, He knocks, but only enters when we open the door to welcome Him. The time for Him to fill us is only when we surrender truthfully to Him and Him alone. Think of it as a host-guest relationship. By surrendering, we are inviting the Holy Spirit to scrutinize our thoughts and personal memories. No details are spared, no embarrasing and detestable memories spared. The act of surrendering is parallel to our will to be changed.

Now, the filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one time experience. It is a continous process. The next question: How can we be continously filled?

Simple. How do you remember a fact? Continous enforcement. Keep searching, keep submitting. When you're constantly filled, you would want more. If you're passionate for God, why can't you weep, dance, shout and sing for God? Nonetheless, if you're not submitting yourself to God, you are not being filled even when you're singing or worshipping Him. Submission involves all areas of our lives. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, He is not only there when we're praying or in church. He is everywhere, and anytime of the day He is with us. He is with me when I'm watching a movie, He is with me when I'm typing this, He is looking at me when I'm kicking the ball. He hears me when I utter words abhorrent to His ears. There isn't any moment in our lives we can hide from Him. We never win a hide-and-seek game against Him.

The HS endows us with the spirit of adoration and appreciation. I believe when these virtues are present, there is a decresed tendency to complain and to murmur. On the contrary, we become more encouraging and humbly grateful. Prayers made in the spirit of murmuring is not condoned by Him, thence the absence of the manifestation of the HS. Pray with encouragement and the spirit of thanksgiving.

James 4:1-10

It's been a while since I posted an entry in this blog. A few reasons contribute to the hiatus, the main one being this: I can't seem to find the right words for my entries. Countless times I tried to tinker with the words and phrases to create the right post for the notes I took from sermons. Nothing seemed to come out right. I found out, a few days ago, that most of the things I have been blogging about dealt with personal struggles. While all the efforts I pour into my Christian life involves self improvement and strengthening personal ties with God, I realise my efforts emanate from self-centredness. The results were right, but my motives were wrong. God was trying to get His message across to have me realise what I finally realise. Perhaps, He stopped the flow to my writing so I could take time to re-examine myself. If that's the case, then my daily devotions and the sermons plus the ENLI sessions I have been attending are bearing fruit. Little by little, I'm seeing a clearer picture to what He is trying to draw in my head.

I made a promise to God that I would earnestly and steadfastly take notes from Sunday sermons, and to upload the notes into this blog. It is not an easy task. It is easy when the right words seem to come out of nowhere, and you find yourself typing at an unprecedented speed. You don't even know what the next words are, what the next sentence will be, but God provides, and funnily enough, everytime I read the entry, I find wonder in the fact that God moves my hands and thoughts as much as He stirs my heart. I willingly had this string tied to me, this responsibility, so I can experienced the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that my encounters with God are enriched. Like a kite, the strings provide me freedom , yet I would not stray away (Our Daily Bread, 16th June). The word of God is the string that ties me to Him.

Things happen for reasons that are unfathomable, at least to our finite mind. When we surrender absolute control to God, His answers start to kick in with such ease that made you wonder why did you not do it earlier. God wants humility from us. He does not need our expertise. He can easily pick another person to do a job for Him. Submit yourselves, then to God, only then He will answer. Submission to God comes with humility.

I was meditating on these verses- James 4: 1-10. Great verses. Last Friday, I went to Life Group at Timothy's place. Great session. There's a definite link between these two.

Let's start with the Life Group. The topic of discussion was Jesus Christ, God In Human Flesh. The topic is self explanatory. Throughout the discussion, we talked about what Christ did for us on the cross, how he came to forgive our sins and to purify us. And how He came to remove a barrier that is preventing us from sharing a personal relationship with the One who gave us life.

Then it hit me.

Forgiveness of sins. Why is it necessary. Why do we need God to forgive us? When we feel something is right, isn't that enough to give us the green light to go ahead with our plans? Do we need God to tell us what is right? Do we need Him to forgive us?

There's nothing much I can say to convince you otherwise if you harbour that notion. With knowledge, we have conscience. Conscience gives guilt. Sometimes you can handle it, sometimes you can forget about it, sometimes you don't and it starts haunting you. Guilt prevents you from moving further. Why else would it be that robbers and murderers can't turn over a new leaf, even when they have a genuine intention to do so. The devil is cunning, and deception is his masterplan towards every scheme. A murderer, for example, might accept it within himself that raping and murdering is part of him/her. A conjecture, but to me it's close to certainty. The point is, people find it hard to forgive themselves, so they "accept" themselves for who they are. It is not acceptance that we need, it's forgiveness that we need. And to receive forgiveness from One who is so great and powerful, it can't get any better than that.

Yet, forgiveness without submission is nothing. I would go back to my old ways if I merely ask for forgiveness without submitting myself. What is submission? From James 4: 1-10, the steps to submission is derived, so the whole definition of submission can be elucidated. They are:

(1) yield to His authority, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him.
(2) resist the devil. Don't allow Satan to entice and tempt you.
(3) lead a pure life, replace desire to sin with desire to experience God's purity
(4) don't be afraid to express heartfelt sorrow for your sins.
(5) humble yourself to God i.e. recognizing that our worth comes from God alone

* points excerpted from Life Application study Bible, NIV

As more events begin to unfold, we need to have every bit a clear motive in the methods in dealing with them. Are we motivated by anger, earthly desires, selfish ambition? Or are we motivated by righteousness, sincerity, mercy? When we pass critics to others, is the action tainted with envy? Or is it coloured by a deep consideration in mind to benefit the person at the receiving end?

Pentecostal Power

I spent the first few years of my Christian walk in a charismatic church. That was when I was 12. I switched to a traditional church (Lutheran) when I was 14-15. When I was 16, I tried out a new church which was quite far from home. The third church had a great atmosphere, the congregation shared a huge passion in serving God and to know more about Him. It was a great environment for me to grow. But I couldn't commit myself into attending a church that would be incovenient on both my mother's part and mine, plus the Youth Service every Saturday was from 12 pm till 5 pm. I continued my attendance in Lutheran, but that did not really get me anywhere, purely because I was at a stage in my life when I was just weird, and that traditional churches, if you're not mature enough to understand the approach to traditional worship, you would be lost. This is, of course, my personal view.

Then I went to college. I was 18. During my time in college, I attended City Revival and a Prebysterian church. Both were great, but SL and I chose City Revival, mainly because we love how the services are conducted. I continued attending City Revival till a few weeks ago, when I realised I needed fellowship. I prayed to God for an answer, and felt that SL and I would get more from attending ECF.

So far, I have been to 4 charismatic churches, and 2 traditional churches, so to speak. I'm discounting the fact that I have been to a Baptist church for a few months, which is also a charismatic church. For these enriching experiences, I can find no fault in either one denomination. The truth is, it all depends on what you place merit in. All denominations under the Protestant flag share a common message. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

I did my daily devotional this morning. God impressed on me a very interesting text :-

As believers in Jesus Christ, it’s vital for us to know God’s Word, the Bible. Our goal is not to accumulate knowledge but to internalize His Word so that we can be equipped in our walk of faith.
When we know God’s Word, it keeps our spiritual walk from slipping (Ps. 37:31). It satisfies the hunger of our souls (Jer. 15:16). And it is a key weapon in facing temptations and trials (Matt. 4:1-11; Eph. 6:10-18).
Let’s make it our aim to know the Word. Then, when facing life’s challenges, we can be ready for any situation (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
— Dennis Fisher (Our Daily Bread 22nd May 2008)

I went back to Ipoh last week, so I attended my family church (Lutheran New Life). The pastor shared a wonderful message about the Holy Spirit. His sermon was titled Pentescostal Power.

The Pentecost marks the first event of the manisfestation of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are often reminded we are the temple of God, that our body is where the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The perfect example to derive the existence of the Holy Spirit would be from the book of Acts chapter 2. God poured out His Holy Spirit, so that His believers could be filled with His power and serve the Lord in His glory. This event is vital to us. It draws the picture of God's intention for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that we are enpowered to serve Him.

We are bestowed upon us a brain and all its cognitive functions. Wisdom is given unto men, and with our human mind, we create understanding of words and speeches. We are capable of thinking. We are capable of manipulating facts. If we're cunning and scheming enough, we are capable of twisting the truth and bend it anyway we want it to. Such has been the advancement of the creation that the notion that we are God, we don't need God, forms in our finite mind. The more we have, the smarter we are, the higher we place ourselves above others, the more difficult it is to bow down and kneel on our knees to submit to God as our Lord and Master.

The Bible travelled through thick and thin to end in our hands. Whenever we are in doubt, we should always go back to basics- the Bible. Whatever we're going through and about to go through, we can find solace that God has been with people that had gone through the same difficulties we're going through now. There are infinite examples we can find in the Bible that speak great volumes about the mess we got ourselves into. It does not neccessarily need to be a mistrial or a mishap, we may be faced with questions that we can't answer, and where else to find better answers than from the Bible.

The Renaissance ended the age of ignorance, and sparked an era of inquisition and search for the truth. Gradually, science rise to the ranks and became a force to be reckoned with. How a device works, how our body works; all works are being answered by Science where the rule of physics must apply. Thenceforth begins a new understanding of the Bible. Dissastisfied with the miracalous stunts that were made possible by God, historians twisted biblical events to explain it in their manner. In their minds, they must be thinking, "what God can do must also apply to human laws". What is more miraculous is that people began to listen to half truths and half lies, when the ultimate truth is all in the Bible. For example, Moses and the rest of the Israelites were depicted to cross the Red Sea when there was a low tide, that the sea was never separated as to what was written in the Sciptures.

New teachings suggest that the manisfestation of the Holy Spirit is obsolete. In the modern age, technology rules and miracles are a thing of the past. Miracles were required in the past for breakthroughs, to get the word of God around. To get people to listen to Him. I'm very curious, if God could separate the Red Sea then, should it not also mean He can repeat the exact miracle now? Do we dare suggest that God has exhausted His power from creating miracles during biblical times that He cautioned Himself against doing anything of that sort again, lest He faces a depletion of power so ceasing to exist?

The world population of yesteryear was small. The world population is now nearing 7 billion. More and more deceptions are set by the evil one. Now is the time we need more miracles to happen.

We need reminders to bring us back to moments that made us who we are. Our first love with God reminds us how He first came into our lives. In the same way, the Pentecost (in Acts 2) reminds us that we need to keep in mind that it is God's intention for us to receive the Holy Spirit. Why do we put a lid on our treasure boxes when God wants them to be overfilled? God does not stop blessing us if we maintain our stance towards His unwavering love for us. We need to witness for Christ, and to manage that, we need to be enpowered and filled with the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit does not only belong to charismatic churches. Every believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can witness for the Lord. Now to the question, why do we need the Holy Spirit?

We have weaknesses. They need to be dealt. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, assisting us in making the right decisions, and help us find the right words when we're sharing the word of God. Without it, we feel restrained. Without it, I felt every choice would lead me to a dead end. Ignoring it, I feel losing a part of myself. If you yearn to be transformed, ask for the Holy Spirit earnestly, and wait patiently for Him to manifest.

Before the Pentecost, the apostles and believers and disciples of God were scattered. They believe in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and that He was sent by our Father God in Heaven. Still, they feared the authorities. Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Christ, they feared persecution and arrest. They hid, and kept to themselves the gospel.

After Pentecost, one day in a place, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" - Acts 2:3. Every individual in the setting was enpowered! With the enpowerment, they began to prophesy and share the word of God, no longer afraid of being imprisoned and whatever the authorities would throw at them.

In Matthew 28, Christ told his disciples first to make disciple of every nation, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1, Christ asked His disciples to wait patiently for the gift of the Holy Spirit, that when this gift is given unto us, we will become His witnesses.

The fire of the Holy Spirit indicates God's acceptance of our dedication to Him. In Leviticus, offerings were made to the Lord by fire, that He will aceept the offering. In 2 Chronicles 7:1, "fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the scarifices". The fire from God indicates God's acceptance of our dedications. Now, we are the temple of God. To dedicate yourself would mean to wait patiently for God to bestow upon us the gift of the Holy Spirit, that He has accepted our dedication.

God wants to enpower us, to dwell within us, so we can serve in His glory. Ask God to fill us!

Happy Mother's Day

I was feeling utterly melancholic this morning when I wished my mum "Happy Mother's Day", simply because it's the 4th year in a row that I'm not home for this very occasion. Then I went to ECF church and am now very much uplifted after their Mother's Day service.

Ps Timothy cleverly came up with 10 jobs a mother juggles at once, saying that if she gets paid for each of those jobs, she should be earning about $150,000 a month. LOL.

1) Housekeeper
2) Teacher
3) Counselor
4) Day Care Worker
5) Cleaner
6) Driver
7) Facility Manager
8) CEO
9) Accountant
10) Cook

I don't know how many of you can identify your mothers with those listed above but I can say that out of the 10, my mum is all but #4 because she has her own real job during the day =P And yeah I'm already so big I don't need day care la.

I'm sure we all take our mothers for granted so often that we constantly need someone else to remind us of how much they have sacrificed for us. How sad is that? I mean, it's always during that ONE miserable day of the year, Mother's Day, that we take the time to reminisce the wonderful things our mothers have done for us, then the next day we go back to being our selfish, insensitive, oblivious selves and not realize that our mothers have possibly the toughest jobs in the world.

For instance, I can be very impatient with my mother. You don't know the number of times I've snapped at her. WAYYYYY too many. In my mind it seems as though she enjoys getting on my nerves for the fun of it but in fact she's just overly concerned about my well-being. See? I'm aware of it. I just can't help acting that way.

I need to quit being such an idiot towards my mother! I think all of us do! Therefore let's start reminding ourselves about all the honourable things our mothers have done for/shown towards us:

1) Their never-ending love.
No matter how difficult I can be, my mum handles me with utmost patience... like how she was willing to take a week off work to accompany me to Chinese school when I was in Std 1 because I just REFUSED to go. In the end she knew I couldn't go to that school so she put her foot down and told my dad and grandpa, who were so adamant about getting me into a Chinese school heaven knows why, that I had to switch to another school. Well she got her way, I got my way, I was happy and I turned out to be more than just fine =)

2) Their willingness to sacrifice.
... from all the small teeny-weeny lil things like giving me the best part of the chicken meat to sacrificing many nights of sleep to take care of me when I was hospitalized.

3) They always believe in us.
My mum has never discouraged me in anything unless it's something bad or irrational =P I think the fact that I'm here doing what I'm doing - still striving and surviving - says it all. I've had numerous breakdowns in college and medical school because sometimes I feel it's just impossible to move forward, but besides God, I find solace in my mother, NOT because she tells me things I want to hear, but because knowing that she believes in me strengthens me to successfully fight the struggles within myself.

4) Their incredible energy.
I don't get how mothers have so much energy to get through each day. They can do almost ANYTHING! I know my mother is a superwoman because she has never ever said she was tired when I needed her.

5) Passing on of FAITH to children.
The best gift to children is faith but unfortunately I can't experience this because my mother has little faith herself. I guess in in a way she did play a part in my having faith in God through of all the events that have happened... but I'm still praying hard for her.

2 Timothy 1:5 says, "... when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also."

Timothy's mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois, were early Christian converts. They had communicated their strong Christian faith to Timothy, even though his father was probably not a believer. God doesn't want mothers to hide their light at home but to plant gospel seeds as families are fertile fields.

In my case, it's going to be the other way around! So please pray with me!

OK that's enough for now. Here's a video which I think is absolutely hilarious because IT IS SO MY MOTHER! And I'm sure most of your mothers are like that too. Enjoy!

- Swee Leen (copy & pasted from my own blog =P)

Polished

There are 2 things that make humans exceptionally special. We are created in His image, but the paradoxical truth is that none of us are the same, save the ultimate truth that we were all sculpted and shaped by the same hand. Each person has his/her own individualistic manner that runs down to speech, actions, movements etc etc. The way of the world, has however, twisted most truths that they cease to exist. Truths are being replaced by lies, and if we were to compromise the word of God, slowly but surely, the virtues that we're supposed to take heed to will be eroded.

I attended Campus Weekend at Eaglepoint Covenant Fellowship. During the session, I was offered a survey to discover more about my personality and interests. At the end of the survey I was given a list of possible jobs that would suit me. I studied every statement intently, and made sure the ticks that I stroked with my pen in each box were honest, lest I get a wrong set of recommended jobs for my personality. It wasn't the first time I participated in the activity. The job recommendations were vividly similar to the old ones I got the last time I did the survey. Carpenter, technician, farmer, biologist- these are the list of professions which suit my personality, doctor was not listed.

It's not how smart we are, it is how we are smart. I tried my hand in these surveys tons of times in the past. I have never gotten one that I truly wanted: doctor. I manipulated my answers, scrutinised my way of thinking for a few minutes to tune myself into a different person, so I can tick the boxes that would land me a job recommendation of a doctor.

The survey made me realise how silly I was. If it is meant to be, God will lead the direction and I would have to follow. This great object was given unto me, not by my means but through that of God. It has finally come to my senses it is not what I want, but what He wants. Surveys are a great method in knocking some ideas into our heads. Each tick to a statement, as easy as it is, had me discover an additional thing about myself. I was indifferent to the answers I got from the survey, perhaps God is testing my confidence. To question the accuracy of the survey is trivial; I am sure it does more good than harm.

Doing the survey was perhaps a little summary of what life is all about: discovering the purpose of life. The survey is deviced to provide possible answers, but our journey in life provide answers that we can't debunk. The ultimate truth I've learnt so far in life is the existence of God, what Jesus Christ did on the cross, and what happens in the afterlife. Edwina provided an answer that I have always struggled to find an answer to. The question: What is your number one priority in life? God? Yourself? Your family? Work? The answer was brisk, it made everything seem so simple and just: God is the centre of your priorities. In everything that you do, God should occupy centre stage. The centre stage being the driving force in your work, your family and yourself.

I received a timely reminder from obese a few days ago. Timely, because I have been in this situation before. Not once, but twice, I saw myself forming a tight bond with God, but the efforts were relinquished. I built 2 fires, one when I was 12, the other a few years back. I built those fires, but that's where I stopped. I was overjoyed with the fire I set that I frolicked around it, I danced and sang at the fire but I forgot to add more firewood to maintain it. Eventually, the passion disappeared. I had ample passion, but discipline was zilch. God impressed the importance of meditating on His word on numerous occasions, but I never cared to construe His messages.

Once bitten, twice shy. It was His mercy that allowed me to make another U-turn to return to His ways. This time, I know what I have to do. Passion is good, but without discipline, the former is not as strong as it should be. The marriage of passion and discipline, I hope, would warrant a more steady a steadfast faith I hold towards God.

It's almost impossible to come up with an excuse not to commit time to God daily. I'm still struggling to have a daily quiet time with God, I hope that with time, I'll be a much disciplined follower.

Anyway, check out the Our Daily Bread site for resources to keep up your faith with God. If you have internet where you're staying, I am totally recommending this site. Just search Our Daily Bread in Google and click on the first link. It's updated daily. You don't even have to flip the Bible to look for the verse of the day; it's readily available in the site. The importance of God's word is reflected in Luke chapter 4, where we read the temptation of Jesus. I believe our Christian walk is made formidable by the word of God and only through His word, we do not fall prey to the traps the evil one sets upon us. Notice how Jesus rebuked Satan by starting His statements with "It is written".

p.s. I'm still keeping the notes I copied from the talk by Ps Catharine on the 3rd of May (Campus Revival) I'm having trouble copying the notes into the blog, so please ask me for the notes if u feel like blogging about it, or if you missed out her sermon and would like to know more about the message.