Blessings blown away?

“You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house...." Haggai 1:9

Have you been working hard and yet do not earn enough to support your family? Are you earning a decent amount of money but find yourself robbed by expenses that are out of your control? Do you see your blessings constantly being blown away?

The people of Judah certainly had those experiences. Even the ground they were growing their crops on was infertile. The dew was withheld from heaven such that their fields did not produce sufficient crops.

The Lord spoke through Haggai and told the people straight in their face, "...I blew (your blessings) away."

The reason was that the people had turned away from God and put their own interests first. God's temple was in ruin and all that the people cared for were building new houses for themselves.

Simply put, their priority was wrong!

I learned from this passage. I hope that you will too. Let's be determined to get our priority right - "Seek His Kingdom first and all these things (our needs and God's blessings) will be given to you as well." (Luke 12:31).

God bless.

Steven

Grateful to God

^"8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk ... he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ ... all the people .... were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."  Acts 3:8-10

The lame beggar begged for money and expected Peter and John to give him some. He definitely got more that he expected ... a miracle healing.

As soon as he was able to walk, he rejoiced, "walking and jumping and praising God." He forgot about the money that he had begged for. His attention wasn't on the money nor his handicap anymore.

His immediate and new focus then was on the One who healed him. Being grateful, not to Peter and John, but to the Almighty God, he went into the temple courts to praise Him. And praise God he did! 

The people heard him, they recognized that he was the lame beggar, but he was now walking and jumping - healed! They were amazed at his testimony that he was healed by God.

I am grateful to God for all that He has done for me and want to testify of His goodness too. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to give my testimony before my church's congregation last week.

Since I was saved more 40 years ago, God's protective hands were always upon me and my family. While I have had many blessings, I have also had many difficult storms in my life. I had to deal with many of life's problems, such as failing in business and having to deal with the resultant financial debt, enduring and waiting for healing of certain illnesses and the likes.

It is in those difficult moments that I find Abba Father faithful, real, loving and assuring. For each and every of those moments, He assured me through specific verses in the bible. They came alive to hold and help me through the dark hours. And praise and glory be to God, I came out of each of those situations stronger and more compassionate towards others.

I am grateful to my God for being faithful and true throughout my life. Those experiences allow me to help those who are also going through similar situations. I know that my God will help them and lead them to victory because He did it for me. He will always do so.

Hear how good God is.... 

Praise the Lord!

Steven

God, will You heal me?

Have you prayed to God to heal you of a particular illness? Or asked Him to heal someone who is sick?

I have experienced instances of immediate manifestation of miraculous healing. At other times, healing came days or even months later. 
Yet there were those times when healing doesn't come for a long, long time. The case of my cervical spondylosis is one of those. 

It has been 3 years since I was suddenly struck down with multiple nerve impingement due to a couple of cervical vertebrae collapsing. The pain was immense and eventually, I had to quit my job in order to recuperate from the side effects of the drug that was prescribed to me.

This month marks the 3rd year of suffering that condition.

By God's grace, I feel much better now, though I cannot say that I am completely healed of that condition. My neck reminds me frequently that if I did not stop punching the keyboard and take a rest, the pain will strike.

I believe that Abba Father heals and I prayed, pray and will continue to pray daily for my complete healing. There are many bible records about healing:

Matthew 9:35 ...
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 

Mark 1:40-42
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” ....  “I am willing,” Jesus said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed."

James 5:14-15 ...
^"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up."

It is clear to me that it is God's will to heal. Then why do I, and some people, not get healed after praying to Him?

Does that mean that the I have sinned? Or is it that I do not have enough faith?

Ps David Lim in his book, "Spiritual Gifts, A Fresh Look" teaches clearly on this subject:

"Healing is in three stages. First, we were healed at Calvary. Jesus paid the full price of our salvation, and for our wholeness. Second, we are being healed now. We are not in heaven yet where there shall be no more sickness. We live in a sinful world, full of disease, and we have a mortal body. God provides many means by which we appropriate our healing. Third, one day complete healing will be manifested for all. (Revelations 21:4 and 22:2).

It is God's will to heal unless He has a greater will in that immediate situation. If there is not yet healing, God is doing something greater for now. We may not even understand what it is or how God is being glorified. But we can put our trust in God's hands. He will cause all to glorify His name. He is sovereign!"

For me, this understanding is enough. I declare that I will leave my life completely in the sovereign hands of my Abba Father. He who loves me so much that He gave His only Son to come and die for me, will heal me in His time. And if He chooses to delay my healing, I know that it is for a greater glory for His Name.

I echo Paul's affirmation, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9

Abba Father, not my will but yours be done. Let me glorify you in all circumstances!

God bless.

Steven

The Same Vision Over Again!

Two years ago, I decided to use the hymn, "Be Thou My Vision" as the guiding theme for my sharing. As I was worshiping God at last Sunday's service, I was just thinking about a new theme for my blog sharing for the new year.

Just as I thought that my theme based on "Be Thou My Vision" had run its course, the worship leader sang the hymn.

Now this is unusual. Our church sings hymns only occasionally as contemporary songs are usually sung. But today, a number of hymns were sung.

Suddenly I realized that God was using the worship session to realign my theme for blog sharing .... letting God be my vision always!

Let me reproduce the hymn in full and let God speak to you too.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Let's realign our vision. Let's focus on God, let Him be our thoughts at all times!

God bless.

Steven 

Trusting in God's Will for us

  

"Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done, 

on earth as it is in heaven.." 

Matthew 6:9-10

Many Christians have a desire to seek God's will. While some don't know how to, there are those who know and yet may not accept His will finally.

Why wouldn't they? Interesting question.

In reflection, I realize that there were many times in my Christian life that I wanted something from God. Most of those were noble prayers, usually asking for the good of my loved ones, my wife, children, fellow Christians, the church and the like.

I would find a verse to support my asking. After all, I was taught to pray according to God's word, which is fundamentally right. However, many times I would "twist" God's word so that my requests would seem right, at least from a human perspective.

For example, I would pray earnestly for either myself or someone against sickness. Nothing wrong with that. But in my heart, I neglected the will of God in my prayer. I asked what I wanted and did not ask the Holy Spirit to help me to ask appropriately.

Paul had asked God three times to remove a thorn in his flesh. God didn't and Paul learned that God's grace is sufficient for him (2 Cor 12:8-10).

God is always good. Some point in time of my walk, the Holy Spirit instructed me that I must always consider God's will when I pray. Only then, He said, will my prayers be answered.

He is a Sovereign God after all. His thoughts are not my thoughts and His ways are always higher then my ways (Isa 59:8-10). I learned that as sincere and with as much faith as I could possibly have, if I did not ask according to God's Holy Purpose, that is, according to His perfect will, then I asked in vain. At most, I will get a second best from Him (His permissive will).

I was led to see how our Lord Jesus prayed.

In teaching His disciples (us!) to pray, the first phrase after exalting Abba Father, is "may Your Kingdom come and Your will be done ...."

Then in the Garden of Gethsemane,  Jesus cried out in agony knowing what He would be facing in a short time. But His cry was, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matt 26:39).

The Lord desired to be spared of the impending separation from God at His crucifixion. He knew that God would turn His face away from Him at that point in time. He asked God to spare Him. But being obedient, Jesus trusted His Father completely and subjected His desire to God's will instead.

In similar vein, Abraham, when asked to sacrifice Isaac could have questioned God. The conversation could have gone this way.

God: "Abraham, I want you to sacrifice Isaac to me."

Abraham: "God, are you sure? How can a loving God like You, who promised me that I will be the father of all nations, will not spare my one and only son? If he died, then how can You fulfill Your promise to me? This is not according to Your word. It cannot be You!"

But Abraham did not do that. He did not question God at all and completely obeyed Him. He knew that if God had promised Him, He will fulfill and so even if Isaac was killed, God would resurrect him so that His perfect will would be fulfilled. 

No wonder Abraham was deemed as a hero of faith!

So, I learned that to want to seek His will for me is not good enough. I need to dare to trust Him, that His ways are higher than my ways. This means that if He asked me to do something that I am uncomfortable to do, I will still obey so that His Holy purpose is fulfilled through my obedience.

Easier said than done!

For me, I am pushing myself to grow more intimate with Abba Father so that I can absolutely trust Him and obey even when the circumstances seem unfavorable in my human mind.

I want to learn to be more sensitive to the prompting and direction of the Holy Spirit. I want to ask God for courage and boldness to obey the Holy Spirit. Only then can I be in His perfect will. And His perfect will for me is always good - hallelujah!

For a start, I must pray, "Abba Father, teach me to pray according to Your will, not mine."

God bless.

Steven

Martha, Martha!

Busyness caught up with me over the last three months. House shifting is a major project and one of the top 10 stress factors in life. My family shifted into our new house just barely three months ago. There are still so many things to be done to turn the house into our home.

I was also busy with ministry work, tending to the sheep that the Lord has assigned me to. I was even busy with BSF homework, answering questions but knowing Him deeper in those answers I gave!

Those were the excuses that I had for not consistently sitting at the feet of the Lord over the last few months. I struggled to keep the sacred time daily. There were always some things that took my morning quiet time away. I could not be still before Him.

For the whole of last week, I asked Abba Father what to share on the blog today. I struggled with writing this post. I simply did not know what to share. I was suffering more than just a writer's block.

I thought hard but did not quite hear Him. Finally as I penned my thoughts, praying again before my fingers hit the keyboard, the Lord revealed that the state of my fellowship with Him was suffering.

"Martha, Martha" suddenly became a deafening roar! 

I am reminded of what the Lord said to Martha in Luke 10:42-43.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

How often we let the busyness of life take away the more important things in life - as the Lord puts it," few things are needed or indeed only one."

Lord, I repent. I do not want to allow busyness to become my spirituality. I want to be still and know You, Father.

As I keyed in the words of this blog, I ask for the Holy Spirit's help to consistently want to and to sit quietly at His feet. It is for my own good. His words refresh me, feed and nourish my hungry soul.

And He is faithful not to let my heart turn cold. Hence the urging to repent. Abba Father, thank you for your faithfulness and love.


To those who are reading this, don't do "Busyness As Usual".

God bless.

Steven

God wants us to enjoy worship

So far in the last month, the following names of God were discussed:

Jehovah Nissi - He is my Banner.
Jehovah Ezer - My very present Helper.
Jehovah Shalom - He is my Peace.
Jehovah Saboath - My Captain of Hosts.
Jehovah Jireh - He provides all my needs.
Jehovah Raah - He is my Good Shepherd.
Jehovah Rapha - My Healer.
Jehovah Shammah - My Father who is always there for me.

In this final posting on the Names of God, I am glad to learn that Abba Father wants me to enjoy my worship of Him.

As Jehovah Tsidkenu, He sees me as a righteous person through His Son (Jer 23:5-6). God is so holy that only those who are righteous can come before Him.

Because of sin, I can't go before God. But His love for me sent Jesus to the cross. By His death, He took my sins and imputed His righteousness to me.

From a condemned sinner to a sinner saved by grace, I can now go into God's presence boldly to worship Him. Praise the Lord.

He is also Jehovah Mekeddeshem, the Lord who sanctifies (Heb 13:12). There is a three-fold sanctification; upward, inward and outward.

I am being sanctified to have a intimate relation with my Creator. At the same time, my inner man is being sanctified so that I can give up my old self to be the person He wants me to be. And finally, I am being made to be more like Jesus Christ, His ultimate goal of reconciliation.

By being my Righteousness and Sanctifier, Abba Father allows me to go into His presence to enjoy worshiping Him.

Conclusion

God sets me apart for His purposes, that is, to touch our world. He gives us Purpose. His Names show His character and love for me.

Our greatest need is to focus on all God has done for us and to appropriate His blessings.

God bless.

Steven

God provides all my needs

Continuing on my series on the Names of God,  besides being my Divine Warrior, Abba Father delights to provide all my needs for my walk with Him.

Four of His Names show this conclusively - Jehovah Jireh, Raah, Rapha and Shammah.

He is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider.

This name was first used by Abraham when he was on the mountain to present Isaac as an offering to God. God asked Abraham to do so. He demanded it. Abraham obeyed. This account can be found in Gen 22:1-14.

Despite Isaac being the only legitimate son born to him at a very advanced age, Abraham had no qualms about obeying God. He probably reckoned that if God had promised to make him a father of all nations, He could take Isaac's life and still resurrect him. How great faith in God Abraham had! No wonder God was pleased with him.

Jehovah Jireh shows God's loving heart towards us. He used a ram to replace Isaac on the altar, just as Abraham was about to plunge his knife into him.

In the same way, Abba Father makes Jesus as our sacrificial replacement. We are the ones who ought to be killed but Jesus took our place.

He is indeed, Jehoval Jireh, my Provider.

He is also Jehovah Raah, my Shepherd.

Jesus leads us into peace and joy in fellowship with Abba Father, in His pasture with green grass and still waters. He protects and cares for us. We are like sheep, stubborn and must be led through dangerous valleys and from or predator. Read Psalm 23 to digest this. Also check out my sharing on Psalm 23 in this blog.

Next, He is Jehovah Rapha, my Healer.

This name was revealed at Marah (Exodus 15:22-27) where the Israelite's jubilation turned into frustration due to dehydration. The water at Marah was bitter. But bitter experiences in life test man's trust in God.

It was at Marah where God gave the condition that if His people were to obey Him, He will not bring about any of the dreaded diseases that plagued the Egyptians.

He heals not only physical ailments but also emotional and spiritual diseases. Call to Jehovah Rapha, He heals.

And finally, He is Jehovah Shammah, the Lord who is present with us.

Psalm 139:7-9 express this aptly .... Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? ... Indeed, the Lord is with me all the time and at all times. 

Knowing that He is with me always gives me confidence to trust Him regardless of how I feel. He never leaves me nor will he ever forsake me, He is my very present help in times of trouble.

My God is Jehovah Jireh, Raah, Rapha and Shammah. He provides all my needs for our walk with Him. Hallelujah!

God bless.

Steven

God is Our Divine Warrior

My church just completed a series to deeply know 10 names of Jehovah God. Yesterday, our pastor gave a concluding message, stringing up the 10 names into three areas which God stands in our life. It ministered to me so much that I decided to share it over the next three postings.

The first area in which Abba Father stands in our life is as the Divine Warrior who fights for us and gives us victory always. The following 4 names of Jehovah affirm this.

He is Jehovah Nissi, our banner. This name was first used when Moses ordered Joshua to battle the Amalekites (Ex 17:9-15). We all know the story - as long as Moses held up the staff in his hands, the Israelites were winning. And finally, the enemy was utterly defeated. Moses then raised an altar to worship God and he named it Jehovah Nissi, which means, the Lord is my banner. Indeed, our Abba Father gives us protection against all our enemies and gives us ultimate victory. He fights for us and gives us confidence.

Abba Father is also Jehovah Ezer. He is the Lord our Help. He is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble (Ps 46:1). In the battle with the Philistines (1 Sam 7:7-13), Samuel interceded for help for the Israelites. The Lord intervened. He thundered over them and caused the Philistines to panic. Israel totally defeated them. Samuel built an altar to thank God and named it Jehovah Ebenezer - The Lord is our help. Indeed, the Lord is for us, He will help us and gives us strength whenever we need it.

When Gideon saw God's face, he thought that he was going to die because no one who sees God can live (Judges 6:22-24). But God proclaimed peace upon Gideon and spared his life. Gideon built and altar and worship Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is Peace. Jesus is our peace in the midst of life's storms. There is no need for us to fear! So let His peace flow into our hearts. Paul exhorts us not to be anxious but instead to commit all things in prayer. The result is the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).

We are all familiar with the story of David killing Goliath with just a pebble (1 Sam 17:48-51). With Goliath dead, the Philistine army turned away and ran and were utterly defeated. David went into that battle proclaiming that it was the Lord who fought for him. He was his Divine Warrior (1 Sam 17:45-47). In fact, David was echoing Moses' declaration in Exodus 15:1-3 ... “The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. .....³ The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name."

Indeed, He is Jehovah Saboath - The Lord of Hosts, the Captain of the angelic army. David fought and defeated Goliath by this Name. The Lord fought for him! He will also fight for us and defeat the enemy. Jehovah Saboath is God's name for man's extremity. When we  are hard pressed, attacked and find no way of escape, The Lord of Hosts comes to rescue us as we put our faith in Him.

These 4 Names of God assure us that He is our Divine Warrior who will help us overcome our trials and enemies. Remember,  we are all more than conquerors! So claim on each of God's Names whenever we are in battle. He will surely come to our rescue and defeat the enemies for us. Hallelujah!

God bless.

Steven

God's goodness to me

Surely your goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever. 

Psalm 23:6

David ends this psalm by proclaiming God's goodness over himself, reflecting an unwavering faith in his relationship with Him.

Indeed, God's goodness and love will always be with those who have chosen to be His children. I have been in this relationship with  when I was 14, God has demonstrated, over and over again, His faithfulness, love and goodness to me through my life.

It was not that my life was plain sailing; storms were present to hone and build my character, shape my relationship and strengthen my faith. Over those times when I was feeling abandoned, His hands embraced me and lift me up.

I will proudly boast of His faithfulness, love and goodness, which have kept me strong as I struggled with life's challenges at home, at the workplace and even in church. Because of His great love, I am not consumed, His compassions never fail they are new every morning, hallelujah! (Lamentation 3:22-24).  

Let's read Psalm 23:6 again and chew on it. God's goodness and love will follow us all of our life. He said it, He will do it. So relax in Him and enjoy the relationship and fellowship with our loving Abba Father.

David's expression in Psalm 23 truly reflects the shepherd heart of God. We are Jesus' flock. He will do all to keep us protected, well -fed, well-rested so that we can enjoy the abundant life that He came to give. His love and goodness will pursue us all our days!

God bless.

Steven

Peace in Adversity

Psalm 23:5

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.

Do you ever wonder what this verse actually means and how it relates to a shepherd and his sheep? It seems to be out of place in this psalm. What was David thinking when he penned those words.

Shepherds generally do not eat at the table. They are out in the pasture with their sheep. Having a table represented feasting, not just eating. David was referring to the pleasure of a proper feast, such as those he had in his palace. 

Can one enjoy a proper meal, a feast, in the presence of his enemies?

Any one who can feast in the presence of adversity or enemy is surely blessed. Only one who has peace that surpass all human understanding can eat so comfortably.

David was able to do so because his trust was in his Shepherd. It was such a deep trust that he know that his life was safe in His hands, and so he can feast in their presence.

I experienced a little of what David experienced.

My family shifted house just last week. We are shifting house the second time in our last 30 years. House moving is a life-changing event that is among the top 10 stressors in life. We had to plan months ahead, execute it during the day of actual shifting and will be spending weeks or even months to settle down in the new environment. 

For us the, the added stressor was moving into a house that has not quite been completed; this means that we have to deal with the workers who are still doing the finishing touches.

To add to the  problem, on the second night in our new house and tired from the days of packing and unpacking, I reversed my wife's car out of the garage and crashed it into a stationary truck. The back window was completely smashed. The repair costs more than $1000!

Are my wife and I stressed? Absolutely.

But by the grace of God, I am so glad and even am amazed that the both of us are able to handle the stress very well; this is unusual. Despite all that has happened, we did not get angry, lose our heads, raise our voices nor quarrel. There were many instances and circumstances that we would have done so, normally.

I am amazed that instead, my wife and I spoke words of assurance to each other, encourage one another and keep each other's spirit going. She did not even get angry at me for smashing her car! Hallelujah!

And on the part of anointing his head with oil, David was referring to what shepherds usually do; they rub oil on the sheep's head to keep the flies from irritating them (flies like to lay their eggs on the furry head of the sheep but the sheep gets completely irritated by the buzzing of these flies).

In the same way, my Good Shepherd keeps the irritations of the world from me when He anoints me with the oil of the Holy Spirit. We can choose to reject or neglect this, but it will be to our own chagrin. If we welcome the Holy Spirit's anointing, our cup will surely overflows with the wine from heaven and we can enjoy our feast.

Indeed, the Lord is my Shepherd, He gives me such peace that I can even have a feast, complete with good wine, in the presence of adversities because He continually anoints me with the oil of the Holy Spirit.

Try it!

God bless.

Steven 

My Shepherd's rod and staff comfort me

"Even though I walk
    through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me."

 Psalm 23:4

The rod and staff are essential tools of work for every responsible shepherd. Without these two instruments, the flock will be severely in danger.

Straying is a common problem with sheep.  Sheep tend to lose focus on the shepherd and thus easily stray away from the flock. As they stray, he sheep easily wander on to dangerous grounds such as steep cliffs or where the predators are. If not rescued, the sheep may be killed.

An alert shepherd, besides leading the flock right up front, has to always look out for the wayward sheep. The shepherd will use his rod to hit that sheep as a form of discipline, to get it back on track. He is gentle but firm on the sheep but the rod is certainly used to get the stray sheep back on track.

The shepherd also uses his rod as an instrument of protection against the predators. They fight off wolves and other animals which are trying to make game of the sheep.

How I am like the wayward sheep sometimes. Unknowingly, or deliberately, I step out of God's plan for my life. If not for my Shepherd's rod of discipline, which may seem harsh to me at that point, I would have walked myself into danger. I am so glad His rod brings me back onto the even path and out of harm's way and that He uses it to protect me from my predators.

The staff, a rod with a crooked end, functions differently. Very often, a sheep strays on to a dangerous place, such a dangerous cliff. Those places may also pose a danger to the shepherd. So he reaches out to the entangled sheep with his staff, gently hooking the sheep with the crooked end and bringing the frightened sheep back to safety.

In the same way, I have experienced the gentle staff of my Shepherd, pulling me back from danger and setting me on safe grounds again. Oh, how re-assuring it is to feel the cuddling of His staff around me when I needed help. 

No wonder King David exclaimed that even as he walked through the darkest valley in his life, he had no fear, simply because he felt the comfort of the Shepherd's love and assurance, meaningfully expressed through the shepherd's rod and staff. David knew it well because he was a shepherd who cared for his sheep.

And I know too, because my Shepherd cares for me all the time.

Praise the Lord!

God bless.

Steven
 

The Shepherd's my guide

A shepherd will tell you that a sheep does not know that it has gone astray. Unguided, the sheep will merrily go where it wishes to go, and many times, to dangerous pathways.

The shepherd's most critical task is to lead his flock along the right paths. It is the shepherd's duty to make sure that he stays ahead of the flock to guide them so that they will follow his direction to stay on course.

Like sheep, I get lost along the way in life. For most of those times, I am unaware that I am lost, at least an the beginning. In fact, my very mortal nature pushes me to think that I am not lost, or if I finally admit that I am, it makes me think that I can find my way back to the right path.

Most of those times, I did not purposefully make an obvious major u-turn of my direction, which I can surely see. It is the simple straying, through a series of small and unseemly wrong steps that eventually sent me off course.

The sad truth is that in most of those times, I was unable to recover my path using my own knowledge and skill. I can only depend on my Shepherd to lead me to along the right paths.

David knew exactly what he was referring to when he penned Psalm 23:3b ...

"He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake."

I thank God that my Shepherd always gently guide me. However, I have to constantly warn myself that I can still get lost if I loose sight of Him.

To keep looking at my Shepherd, I must keep my quiet time and have periodic time out with Him. As long as I do so, I am able to focus on Jesus and hear what He has to tell me, and so, leading me on the right paths.

Despite having my daily quiet time, I find it most useful to have a periodic time out with Jesus. I would find a few hours off from the hustle bustle of daily life, go to a quiet place such as a park or by the sea, to seek His face. I learn to train my ears and heart to listen, instead of the usual asking in prayer.

My Shepherd never fails to lead and guide me to the right paths because of His name's sake. And all paths for His name's sake are good for me. Hallelujah!

I encourage you to spend regular quiet time and take periodic time off to seek His face. He will surely keep you walking in the right paths.

God bless.

Steven

Learning from shepherds

I have read and read out Psalm 23, perhaps, a thousand times. It is a frequent psalm to recite for a variety of occasions; when assurance is needed, to overcome fear, when one is down and struggling in life, at funerals etc.

I must confess that I seldom read it from a sheep's perspective.

I am reflecting the words of Psalm 23 again (with Swelyn Hughes' Everyday With Jesus daily study guide, but this time, as a sheep trying understand a shepherd's perspective. What does it really mean to say, "The Lord is my Shepherd?"

The implication of each verse suddenly becomes different. I begin to understand the heart of my good Shepherd so much more. Let me share my reflections on the first 3 verses this week.

Ps 23:1-3 (NIV) 

"The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul."

Sheep are timid animals that are completely dependent upon the shepherd. They must always be led to good pastures and clean waters because on their own, sheep are unable to tend to their own basic needs. They are totally helpless against predators and need the shepherd to protect them from all dangers.

When did David (the answer will also tell us why did he) write this psalm? Some commentators thought it was when he was being pursued by his own son, Absalom, others say that it was while he was in exile from King Saul, and still others say that it was when he was a lad shepherding Jesse's flock.

While there is no sure record as to when or under which of those circumstances David penned this psalm, we can be certain that he was in one of the most difficult moments of his life.

David was a shepherd for many years before he was anointed to become king. He had fought with a lion and/or bear to protect his flock from being attacked (1 Sam 17:34-35). David had a good shepherd's heart, one which made him willing to stand between the lion and his flock.

With this picture in mind, I begin to understand why David uttered, "The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack nothing."

He knew that the Lord is a good Shepherd who would risk His life to save him from his enemies who were out to kill him. He was on the run, living in caves and had no means to take care of his life, let alone his daily needs. But knowing that a good shepherd would protect his sheep absolutely, he knew deeply that he lacked nothing. His utterance was a declaration of the good Shepherd's absolute sacrificial love for him.

When David said, "He makes me lie down in green pastures," he remembered that his sheep, being extremely timid, cannot be made to lie down if they were not free from danger, irritations caused by flies and parasites and  hunger. The shepherd has to find the  pasture where these negative elements are absent. Only then will the sheep lie down on the pasture comfortably and eat as much as they needed to. David was in dire need. He remembered that his good Shepherd would provide for and protect him and hence he could "lie down" amidst the dangers he was facing.

Sheep need water, fresh clean water that is. But sheep are scared of fast-flowing waters and will only drink from a quiet pool. Hence, the good shepherd has to hunt for cisterns or wells in the area. He will then draw the water from these sources to quench the thirst of his flock. As the sheep drink, they are refreshed. David knew exactly what it meant when he wrote, "he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul" as he drew upon God's words of assurance.

For me, these 3 verses taught me the following:

1.  With Jesus as my Shepherd, I truly lack nothing for He completely cares for me. I must completely trust in His unfailing love.

2.  Only He can make me lie down to rest as He keeps me away from danger, removes the irritations from the "flies and parasites" and takes care of my needs. I must depend on Him for protection and provision. Completely trust Him because He cares absolutely for me.

3.  As He leads me to the "quiet waters" of His words, I must be determined to "drink" His word constantly for only then can my thirst can be quenched and my soul can be refreshed.

Truly He is my good Shepherd, and yours too.

God bless.

Steven 

God gives His children long life

In the last six months, I heard two reverend men of God quoting Psalm 90:10, as though to live to eighty years old was a blessing from God.

"Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away."

They were both genuine believers and are pastors. One of them asked his hearers to number their days since men can only live up to only seventy years. He is fifty eight years old and so he said that he was probably living in his last days.

I am so sad to hear this preaching, which to me, is not from God's heart although the words are found in the Scripture.

Let me explain by using various Scriptures that I found.

Firstly, it was Moses who said those words, as a prayer to God, in Psalm 90. In context, Moses confessed the sin of the Jews in disobeying God during the Exodus. And because of their faithlessness, God, in His anger, decreed that none of Jews who left Egypt who were above twenty years of age would be allowed to go into the promised land.

Numbers 14:22,23 (NIV) says, 

 ".... not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times — not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors."

  
Numbers 14:29,30 (NIV),

"In this wilderness your bodies will fall — every one of you twenty years old or .... Not one of you will enter the land  ... except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun." 

Let's work the numbers from these passages. 

The exodus lasted 40 years. The Jews count a generation as 40 years as well. So, the ages of those who left Egypt would comprise new born babies, to old men of 40 years or more. 

God punished their disobedience by not allowing those above 20 years old to enter into the promised land. So, those just above 20 years old would die within 40 years, making them 60 years old. Those who were 30 years old would die when they reached 70 years old, and for the "old men" who were 40 years old when they left Egypt, they would live till 80 years old, if they had not already succumb to the harsh desert environment. 

We can see that living to 70 or 80 years old is actually a curse for the disobedient Jews. 

Now, let's see what Moses wrote to the new generation just before they crossed over to the promised land. (Deuteronomy was written by Moses just before he died and probably about a year before the Jews possessed the new land.)  Deut 6:1,2 say,  
 

"These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the Lord your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life." 

It is obviously clear that the new generation who obey the Lord would "enjoy long life", much more that the 80 years. 

We ARE the new generation who believe in Jesus Christ who "came that they (we) may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10(NIV) 

Let's also look at Genesis 6:3 (NIV), 

'Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”'

 
Most, if not all, commentators say that this verse does not refer to the life of an individual but that of the human race, and specifically to the time God allowed the people of Noah's day to repent, we can take it to mean that our life is more than 80 years and perhaps up to 120 year. 

So, be assured that if we revere Abba Father and obey Him, He will keep His promise to let us enjoy long life. Let's stop claiming to live only to 70 or 80 years. 

Hallelujah! 

God bless. 

Steven





 

Hope in Him Gives Me Victory

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress; may the name of the God of Jacob protect you... Now this I know: The Lord gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. 

Psalm 20:1,6

Two weeks ago, I wrote that the Lord assured me of victory in my situation with regard to the authority with-holding approval for my house's reconstruction. He told me to "Stop trying and start trusting."

I did and Jehovah Nissi delivered victory as He promised. Hallelujah!

At the meeting with the Chief Engineer of the department two Wednesday ago, his officers not only retracted their earlier objection, they changed tack completely. They presented a proposal which was reasonable and acceptable to me and my project team.

After my agreement, we received the official approval last Thursday. The Lord delivered on His promise....as He always will. Praise the Lord!

I learned an important lesson. 

I must always commit my needs to Abba Father and not lean on my own understanding (Prov 3:5). His plan is always good for me (Jer 29:11). In all circumstance, I must hope in the Lord and He will renew my strength to soar on wings like eagles (Isa 40:31).

I have a warning though. When you declare your hope in God, Satan will give you distractions to draw you away from your hope. 

When you declare your hope in God, He may also give you an opportunity to proof that your hope is truly in Him.

I have learned that we can succeed only if we choose to believe and stay focused on our God. When we do that, God will deliver the victory to our hands. 

Victory has always been there - Christ won and Satan lost at Gethsemane. We must know assuredly that Christ's victory is sealed and irreversible! What prevents God from delivering that victory in our life is our disbelief, our lack of faith.

Let us not forfeit the victory by our lack of faith. Let us hope in the Lord and He will renew our strength, we will soar on wings like eagles ... for His glory.

The Lord is good all the time, praise God!

God bless.

Steven

 

Stop Trying, Start Trusting

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

Hebrews 11:1

During a corporate prayer meeting in church some weeks ago, my Senior Pastor turned from his seat in front of me and whispered to me. "I have a word from the Lord for you," he said, "stop trying and start trusting."

It was indeed a word from Abba Father as I have been seeking Him recently. He led me through another level of training as I dealt with some difficulties imposed by one of the government department regulating the reconstruction of my house. The objections were clearly unreasonable, so much so that even a senior person in the coordinating department told us so. He also taught us how to submit an appeal.

To deal with the matter, I immediately activated my human intelligence (so I thought I had), and listed out all the issues, including laws and by-laws to prove that the department concerned was being unreasonable. I leaned on my own understanding and intellect.

Instead of getting what I thought I could get by proper reasoning, I dug a deeper hole for myself. Needless to say, my "enemies" triumphed over me with more unreasonable objections.

Then the word of the Lord rang out in my spirit, "Stop trying, start trusting!"

I remembered how God delivered Joshua from the combined forces of the allied northern kingdoms (Joshua 11 NIV). The bible records that, "They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore." (Joshua 11:4) Israel was surely out numbered in men and horses, they were out "chariot-ed" and overwhelmed. 

But God was on their side. He had promised Israel the promised land and He will deliver!

"The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”" 

Joshua 11:6 NIV

Joshua simply trusted God. He trusted that the battle belonged to the Lord. God delivered as promised and all the enemies were slain.

Continuing with my own situation, I integrated this theology with my prayer to the Lord. I told the Lord that since He has told me to stop trying with my human means and to start trusting Him, I will. I commit the situation to Him and declared that I will wait upon Him and His intervention. 

Right on that day after I prayed, my project team received a call from the coordinating department at 5.50pm (no coincidence but a divine intervention) to arrange for a meeting to resolve the matter.

Hallelujah! 

However, Satan immediately went on the offensive. He appealed to my old man to "start preparing" for the meeting by thinking of all the possible arguments to overcome their objections. Then the Lord reminded me, "Stop trying, start trusting!, I will deliver the enemies to you. The battle belongs to Me." 

Hallelujah again! 

My meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday. I want to publicly declare my trust in the Lord to deliver the "enemies" to me. I want to declare that I trust Him in this battle. 

Indeed, the battle belongs to the Lord. 

God bless.

Steven

A Resistant Rebel

In the last fortnight, my contemplation pointed to one desire - to have a vibrant prayer life. From the teaching at the weekly Bible Study Fellowship, to reading Selwyn Hughes' devotional article and Ps Edmund Chan's "Growing Deep in God", the Holy Spirit prompted me vividly that I must grow in this practice.

I learned that in order to have a vibrant prayer life, I must be careful to deliberately give up any things that are vying for my time and interest. Such things take away my focus and energy to have a vibrant prayer life.

Amongst many of such distractions cited by Ps Edmund, an unyielded life is my problem. 

Not yielding to God is a deliberate act of rebellion. Selwyn Hughes put it aptly:

"The desire to resist God's rule and reign is deeply ingrained within each one of us ... The heart is indeed a resistant rebel." 

This is an issue of the fallen state of man. Satan has tricked too many of us, too often, to "do it my way" instead of yielding to God. 

Too often we trust our our capability to tackle a problem instead of first inquiring the Lord for His guidance. 

Too often we plan with our limited wisdom and then ask God to bless our imperfect plan.

What then is a yielded life?

As I search my heart for areas which I have not yielded to God, I realized an important truth; even if I have yielded 99% of myself to God, my life is unyielded. That remaining 1% simply makes my entire life unyielded.

That is why the very first message Jesus preached, when He begun His ministry, addressed the very issue. His message was simply, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Matthew 4:17b. He addressed the most fundamental issue of unyieldedness by providing the solution - repentance. It is the direct act of addressing the rebellion of man. 

Only if I repent before God then can I begin to live a life totally yielded to Him. Only then can I have a vibrant prayer life, that is, a life of constant and close fellowship with Abba Father. Only then is my life abundant!

God bless.


Steven

Drifting away?

We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. ² For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, ³ how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?   Hebrews 2:1-3a (NIV)

While seeking for God's directions on what to say in this post, the warning in Hebrews appeared twice to me this week. Fundamentally, I believe that when God shows me His words more than once, it is a strong message.

And what is stronger than a warning against drifting away from His truth?

The question that I mediated upon was what have I heard that God warns me not to drift away from? 

My learning is, it is the Gospel of salvation, given through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the heart of our Abba Father; that all men may be reconciled to Him and the only way is by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

The author of Hebrews calls us to "pay the most careful attention to the truth that we have heard so that we would not drift away". It was written to warn the second generation Hebrew believers against returning to Judaism. It is written to us to warn us of believing in false teachings and becoming religious.

And why and how could I, who already believed and accepted the Lord, drift away?

Firstly, I am conscious that paying attention is hard work. It requires deliberate effort pay attention. In today's context, the world offers so many distractions and so many diverse/false teachings. 

I consider the Internet as the new Tower of Babel - in it is knowledge infinite. The easy reference to the vast amount of knowledge is extremely dangerous. No matter how much collective wisdom are in it, this repository vies to be the greatest distraction for God's children.

Distractus, the Latin root word for distract simply means "to draw apart". The dictionary describes it as "to draw away the attention of a person from something."

So, if the pursuit of knowledge draws the our attention from God's truth, I will drift away!

I ask the Holy Spirit to help me heed Abba Father's warning; to help me to keep focus upon His truth by spending time reading and understanding His word. I ask for help to redeem my time so that I can grow deep in Him. I ask that He will also help other believers to do the same.

God bless.

Steven