When you ask around, most people will say that they pray. When you ask them how they pray, and why they pray, some answers you'll get will probably be :
1. Because we're supposed to.
2. Habit / routine.
3. Because I need this or that / I'm praying for the well being of my family....etc
Some people will say : I don't pray. When you ask them why? They'll probably answer : because God already knows what I need.
So why do we pray? How do prayers impact the spiritual state, and how do prayers affect the physical state? It cannot be denied that when properly done, prayers are very powerful. But some prayers are a lot less effective than others. Why is that?
There are many different types of prayers. A few examples are :
1. Repetition. That's when a believer says the same set of prayers over and over again a few times a day without really understanding or pondering on the prayer or how the prayer affects his/her life. This is also known as chanting. This type of praying consists of chanting "Our Father in Heaven hallowed be thy name" without experiencing the spirit of sonship. They have said it so often that it has become another routine, simply words, without experiencing the joy and the awe of calling God, the alpha and the omega, our Father.
2. Coming to God as a supplicant. Please God please please please......give me this, help me with that. I need this so badly.......
3. Bargaining with God. Dear God, if you give me this, I'll light a candle and pray for 7 nights.......Dear God, if you stop this incident from happening, I'll fast for 2 days........
But how do we pray so that we can connect properly with God our Father? How do we pray so that we'll know His perfect will for us, and the road He has prepared for us? And how do we know whether we are on the correct path or not? And the ultimate question is, why do we pray since God has already prepared everything for us?
God prepares everything for us in the spiritual realm. It's already there for the taking. But we are physical beings. How do we know what God has prepared for us? And how do we receive what God has prepared for us?
So we pray. Prayer is the key that unlocks the spiritual for the physical. We can only 'see and hear' God when we pray. Prayers lift the veil from our eyes and allow the Holy Spirit within us to manifest and show us the way. To show His perfect will.
Be still when we pray. Let go of our worries and calm ourselves. Do not go into prayers with the 'Me' attitude. Ask not what He can do for us. Instead, reflect on our lives, on the way how God guides us in our life journey throughout. His role in our lives. In this, we can see that God has never left us and His great love for us. How He picks us up when we fall. The hope He gives us in our bleakest hours. Forgiveness again and again when we sin. How He breaks the chains of guilt that bind us. His protection. His presence when we rejoice. His hand in our everyday lives. The assurance of Emmanuel. When we are still and ponder on these, meditate on these, we are praying the type of prayers that connects us to God.
Thus, we communicate with God. If there are several paths in our lives to choose from, as we pray, we will gradually discover the right path to follow. When we choose the right path, things will move smoothly. God will send us helpers in the form of the people around us and opportunities to smooth the path. We will still face difficulties, but it will not be a dead knot. And the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galations 5: 22-23 ) will manifest in us, the peace and joy within the spirit. This is how we know we are following His perfect will for us. We will have peace and joy of the spirit even when we face challenges and hardships. If we rush headlong into something we want, be it a new job or a new relationship, and there are hindrances left and right, and in our heart and spirit, we feel frustrations, anger and deep doubt, go back to God. The high probability is that this is not the path God intended for us. Again, be still and pray. Ask God to show us the right path. This is how we test and approve His perfect will.
Again, ask not what He can do for us, but what we can do for Him. After we communicate with God, the Holy Spirit will make us naturally inclined and eager to share our experiences in God with others.
~To help them overcome their problems.
~To help them lift the veil from their eyes.
~To help them see God.
~To bring them to Jesus, and to be holy and blameless in Jesus.
~To let them understand that Jesus is the only answer to all problems.
Intercede for them in prayers. Evangelise to them. Bring them to the Gospel. Let them taste and see that the Lord is good, just as we ourselves have tasted. And thus, we walk with God.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. ( James 5:16 )
Rainbow as Sign
Monday, December 16, 2013
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Chastening
We humans are partial to habits. As we go through life, we tend to accumulate and collect a number of habits the way a miser collects money. Our habits range from fixed habits like brushing our teeth twice a day to bad habits like taking advantage of others.
We also have a habit of trying to solve our problems by using our own will and strength, or succumbing to depression because our problems seem never ending. I for one, throughout the years, have the habit of intolerance and impatience. My own will was very strong, and I was proud that I depended on no one. I was punctual to the dot, to the extent of being inflexible, and I had a habit of bottling up all my emotions. I presented a facade of strength and independence to the world, while losing sleep due to the bottled up turmoil within me, which also had its own habit of rearing its ugly head deep into the night.
Hence, when we come to God, we all needed to undergo sanctification. Without sanctification, we would not be able to let go of our habits. In the process of sanctification, we will have to go through godly training and chastisement. God trains us and chastises us out of love, because we are His children. When our birth parents chastise us, although most of the times its for our own good, there are times as well when they chastise us with their own motives in mind. But when God chastises us, it is solely for our own good.
Though we might feel at times, that our trials and tribulations are too much for us to bear, always know that we are undergoing godly training within God, and God will never train us beyond what we are able bear. God is with us, and has never left us. Whatever hardship and sorrow we undergo are all within His will. And from it, we gain godly righteousness and peace. We gain strength and wisdom from Him, and while His perfect will increases, our own will decreases. Only through Him, our bad habits which bind us most of our lives will diminish. We will have the peace of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do, whatever we face, wherever we are. We will have peace and joy as we go through even the most rigorous trials and tribulations in life. Our spirit will remain joyful and will not be affected by our external sufferings.
Do not fight against the training God provides for us. If we do, we will enter into a never ending cycle, which will repeat and repeat, each time worse than the previous, till we are chastened and humbled. Obey Him, accept the training, and move on to the next stage. For our spiritual state does indeed become stronger with each training we go through.
And if we are able to see God's hand in our sanctification process, we will not become discouraged. We will welcome His godly training and chastenings, for we know we are His children, and He cares for us.
If you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ( Hebrews 12:8 )
We also have a habit of trying to solve our problems by using our own will and strength, or succumbing to depression because our problems seem never ending. I for one, throughout the years, have the habit of intolerance and impatience. My own will was very strong, and I was proud that I depended on no one. I was punctual to the dot, to the extent of being inflexible, and I had a habit of bottling up all my emotions. I presented a facade of strength and independence to the world, while losing sleep due to the bottled up turmoil within me, which also had its own habit of rearing its ugly head deep into the night.
Hence, when we come to God, we all needed to undergo sanctification. Without sanctification, we would not be able to let go of our habits. In the process of sanctification, we will have to go through godly training and chastisement. God trains us and chastises us out of love, because we are His children. When our birth parents chastise us, although most of the times its for our own good, there are times as well when they chastise us with their own motives in mind. But when God chastises us, it is solely for our own good.
Though we might feel at times, that our trials and tribulations are too much for us to bear, always know that we are undergoing godly training within God, and God will never train us beyond what we are able bear. God is with us, and has never left us. Whatever hardship and sorrow we undergo are all within His will. And from it, we gain godly righteousness and peace. We gain strength and wisdom from Him, and while His perfect will increases, our own will decreases. Only through Him, our bad habits which bind us most of our lives will diminish. We will have the peace of the Holy Spirit in whatever we do, whatever we face, wherever we are. We will have peace and joy as we go through even the most rigorous trials and tribulations in life. Our spirit will remain joyful and will not be affected by our external sufferings.
Do not fight against the training God provides for us. If we do, we will enter into a never ending cycle, which will repeat and repeat, each time worse than the previous, till we are chastened and humbled. Obey Him, accept the training, and move on to the next stage. For our spiritual state does indeed become stronger with each training we go through.
And if we are able to see God's hand in our sanctification process, we will not become discouraged. We will welcome His godly training and chastenings, for we know we are His children, and He cares for us.
If you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. ( Hebrews 12:8 )
Monday, November 25, 2013
Absolutes
For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful.
He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
For born again Christians who are willing to trust, obey and submit to God, and who believe that Christ is the only answer to all problems :
~ Die and resurrect with Christ. Demolish all our old thinkings and rebuild a new belief system. It is the only way, because if we don't, our worldly spirit will always fight with the holy spirit. We will easily lose faith when we face problems, and we will choose the comfortable path to follow, the path of the world. When that happens, we only turn to God when we need Him to help us out of a scrape, but follow our own instincts and our own will most of the time. We can only follow the path of Christ if we are willing to give up our old selves, and wholeheartedly follow Him without turning back. For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
~Persevere throughout all hardships, don't give up as He never gives up on us, no matter how we stray. Return to Him with a contrite heart, and He will welcome us back with open arms as when a prodigal son returns to his father. Pray, pray and keep praying, and the holy spirit will give us strength to endure, and will guide us throughout our trials and tribulations. Use the hardships we go through as a testimony, as a way to help and encourage others. When we endure hardships and persecutions in His name and for the kingdom, when we use our experiences to glorify Him and minister others facing the same problems, we will inherit the crown. For if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, and deny the promptings of the Holy Spirit, when we lose faith at the fist sign of trouble, when we refuse to obey Him and persist on going our own merry way, we lose our crowns.
~But at the end of the day, even when we deny Him, even when we lose faith, even when we give up, even when we fail, even when we disappoint Him, He will still stand by us. He will still give us salvation. For He remains faithful. He cannot deny who He is. That is the absolute truth.
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful.
He cannot deny Himself.
2 Timothy 2:11-13
For born again Christians who are willing to trust, obey and submit to God, and who believe that Christ is the only answer to all problems :
~ Die and resurrect with Christ. Demolish all our old thinkings and rebuild a new belief system. It is the only way, because if we don't, our worldly spirit will always fight with the holy spirit. We will easily lose faith when we face problems, and we will choose the comfortable path to follow, the path of the world. When that happens, we only turn to God when we need Him to help us out of a scrape, but follow our own instincts and our own will most of the time. We can only follow the path of Christ if we are willing to give up our old selves, and wholeheartedly follow Him without turning back. For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him.
~Persevere throughout all hardships, don't give up as He never gives up on us, no matter how we stray. Return to Him with a contrite heart, and He will welcome us back with open arms as when a prodigal son returns to his father. Pray, pray and keep praying, and the holy spirit will give us strength to endure, and will guide us throughout our trials and tribulations. Use the hardships we go through as a testimony, as a way to help and encourage others. When we endure hardships and persecutions in His name and for the kingdom, when we use our experiences to glorify Him and minister others facing the same problems, we will inherit the crown. For if we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, and deny the promptings of the Holy Spirit, when we lose faith at the fist sign of trouble, when we refuse to obey Him and persist on going our own merry way, we lose our crowns.
~But at the end of the day, even when we deny Him, even when we lose faith, even when we give up, even when we fail, even when we disappoint Him, He will still stand by us. He will still give us salvation. For He remains faithful. He cannot deny who He is. That is the absolute truth.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Hope
As the branch of the foreign company Mister Caveman works in has just been established here for a year and a half, they did not enjoy any profits this year. So Mister Caveman and I did not expect a raise in his salary. But one of his co-workers, whose wife is expecting a baby, hoped for a raise as he did indeed strive to work hard for the past year to obtain that salary raise. So when the inevitable news came a couple of weeks ago, that there will be no raise, Mister Caveman took it with his customary caveman-like grunt and a shrug, while that co-worker was very disappointed. He even took an MC ( medical leave ) the following day, probably to nurse his anger and disappointment.
Hope. The definition of mundane hope is to wish for something and expect fulfilment.
It is something people strive for. It's about the efforts they put in so as to hope to achieve what they want. In the corporate world, they work hard with the hope of getting a higher salary. In the dating world, they buff up their self image with the hope of getting the partner they want. For students, they work hard and hope for good results. For parents, they exhaust their savings to place their children in expensive private schools or pricey colleges with the hope that their children's futures will be secure and bright. Childless couples go for fertility treatment with the hope of getting a child.
Hope. Often portrayed as a flickering candle. For a better tomorrow. Very often though, when we get what we hoped for, we often move on to a new hope. Mundane hope is temporary, and alters as our life situations alter. Mundane hope at times revolves around the will of a third person, usually a person of authority who has the power to dispense or withhold hope like a candy-vending machine.
What is eternal hope?
~~Eternal hope is the power within us when we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit.
~~Eternal hope is the assurance that God gives us.
~~Eternal hope is the hope in God.
God offers us the biggest hope when He called us to be His children. He will provide all that we need, hence we don't need to use our own will and strength to try to obtain the things we want. Our own strength is exhaustable. When we exhaust ourselves, we tend to give up, and mundane hope shatters. This is when we become depressed and feel hopeless. But when we put our hopes in God, we have the assurance that all will be well.
Everything has been predestined by God. If we don't get the expected raise, that's because God deems what we have right now is exactly the right amount for our conditions right now. if God doesn't give us children, then we raise spiritual children. Be the shepherd to those who need guidance. When we start to see the transformation in the lives of those we shepherd, the joy far surpasses the mundane things we hope for. For those facing marriage, do not hope for the perfect spouse or whether your spouse will be able make you happy. Marriage is not about ourselves. The hope of marriage is for the kingdom of God, to glorify God and for the couple to walk the same path towards the same goal, and towards the same inheritance God has prepared for us. Hence we become 'one heart one spirit'. We do not place our hopes in our spouses, with the hope that they'll obtain a successful career and bring more money home, with the hope that they'll remain hopelessly in love with us forever, or with the hope that they will change their attitudes or bad habits that irritate us. To focus on these will be like having a tunnel vision, the 'me, us, ourselves' concept.
We place our hopes in God. We trust that God will guide us in our respective roles as husbands or wives. We trust that God will tide us over when we land on a 'dry patch'. We will also be able to accept our spouse's irritating ways when we place our hopes in God. We will be able to change our mindsets as well, to love and to accept our spouses as they are, simply because we know that God loves them, faults and all. And despite the 'high regard' we usually have for ourselves, we are not that perfect either! God will sanctify our spouses as He sees fit, and sanctify us as well so that we will be able to grow closer together, understand and empathise with each other as we walk together.
Parents place their hopes on their children, and also hope that when they grow old, their children will take care of them. But when we place our hopes in God, we know that God will take care of us even if the children won't. Placing our hopes in God gives us an unshakable assurance, one that will not send us to the depths of despair when our mundane hopes are dashed. We know that no matter what happens, we are well take care of. This is a well-placed hope.
The hope God gives us makes our lives more meaningful. This hope is a 'hope of long-term basis'. This type of hope won't let us down, unlike the 'hope of short-term basis', which leaves us vulnerable to the disappointments in our lives, or the bleakness when mundane hope fails.
Romans 8:24 -- For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
Hope. The definition of mundane hope is to wish for something and expect fulfilment.
It is something people strive for. It's about the efforts they put in so as to hope to achieve what they want. In the corporate world, they work hard with the hope of getting a higher salary. In the dating world, they buff up their self image with the hope of getting the partner they want. For students, they work hard and hope for good results. For parents, they exhaust their savings to place their children in expensive private schools or pricey colleges with the hope that their children's futures will be secure and bright. Childless couples go for fertility treatment with the hope of getting a child.
Hope. Often portrayed as a flickering candle. For a better tomorrow. Very often though, when we get what we hoped for, we often move on to a new hope. Mundane hope is temporary, and alters as our life situations alter. Mundane hope at times revolves around the will of a third person, usually a person of authority who has the power to dispense or withhold hope like a candy-vending machine.
What is eternal hope?
~~Eternal hope is the power within us when we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit.
~~Eternal hope is the assurance that God gives us.
~~Eternal hope is the hope in God.
God offers us the biggest hope when He called us to be His children. He will provide all that we need, hence we don't need to use our own will and strength to try to obtain the things we want. Our own strength is exhaustable. When we exhaust ourselves, we tend to give up, and mundane hope shatters. This is when we become depressed and feel hopeless. But when we put our hopes in God, we have the assurance that all will be well.
Everything has been predestined by God. If we don't get the expected raise, that's because God deems what we have right now is exactly the right amount for our conditions right now. if God doesn't give us children, then we raise spiritual children. Be the shepherd to those who need guidance. When we start to see the transformation in the lives of those we shepherd, the joy far surpasses the mundane things we hope for. For those facing marriage, do not hope for the perfect spouse or whether your spouse will be able make you happy. Marriage is not about ourselves. The hope of marriage is for the kingdom of God, to glorify God and for the couple to walk the same path towards the same goal, and towards the same inheritance God has prepared for us. Hence we become 'one heart one spirit'. We do not place our hopes in our spouses, with the hope that they'll obtain a successful career and bring more money home, with the hope that they'll remain hopelessly in love with us forever, or with the hope that they will change their attitudes or bad habits that irritate us. To focus on these will be like having a tunnel vision, the 'me, us, ourselves' concept.
We place our hopes in God. We trust that God will guide us in our respective roles as husbands or wives. We trust that God will tide us over when we land on a 'dry patch'. We will also be able to accept our spouse's irritating ways when we place our hopes in God. We will be able to change our mindsets as well, to love and to accept our spouses as they are, simply because we know that God loves them, faults and all. And despite the 'high regard' we usually have for ourselves, we are not that perfect either! God will sanctify our spouses as He sees fit, and sanctify us as well so that we will be able to grow closer together, understand and empathise with each other as we walk together.
Parents place their hopes on their children, and also hope that when they grow old, their children will take care of them. But when we place our hopes in God, we know that God will take care of us even if the children won't. Placing our hopes in God gives us an unshakable assurance, one that will not send us to the depths of despair when our mundane hopes are dashed. We know that no matter what happens, we are well take care of. This is a well-placed hope.
The hope God gives us makes our lives more meaningful. This hope is a 'hope of long-term basis'. This type of hope won't let us down, unlike the 'hope of short-term basis', which leaves us vulnerable to the disappointments in our lives, or the bleakness when mundane hope fails.
Romans 8:24 -- For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees?
Monday, October 28, 2013
Feed the Spirit, Not the Flesh
Our pastor said on the pulpit yesterday : It is only when our spiritual state is fed and sated, that we can enjoy ourselves without fear of feeding the flesh.
I have a friend, a widow in her late 50's, retired and very rich. She loves to go for expensive holidays. Every year, she'll have at least 5 to 8 vacations overseas. Last year, she went to Turkey, The Balkans, England, China, Bali Indonesia just to name a few. I've lost track of the places she went this year, but I know she just came back from China last week, and will be going to Taiwan next week. I get tired just by thinking of her whirlwind vacations.
It's all very glamorous. But somehow, somewhere between England and China, the 'pearl' has lost its lustre. No, she didn't get bored, not yet anyway. But it suddenly dawned onto her that it's just another day, just another place to visit. Nothing to look forward to anymore. She just keeps on taking vacations, but it seems to me, empty vacations, not meaningful vacations. She no longer feels contentment. She just has to go everywhere around the world. It has become more like a goal, and vacations have become a religion to her. But again, no contentment. Her spirit is not at peace. Her home is like a hotel to her, a place to stay when she's........well, home.
~~When we enjoy ourselves, even with the simplest act of watching tv, if our spirit has not been fed with the Word, we will watch one programme after another, till past midnight at times, because we keep wanting more. Will we feel contented the next day? Probably not. We'll be too busy keeping sleep at bay during work hours, and get irritable when things go wrong. But when we reach home, we'll switch on the tv again, and the same cycle repeats itself.
~~When we indulge ourselves by playing computer games, if our spirit has not been fed, 1 hour of zapping aliens will turn into 5 hours of 'killing spree'. Will we be contented? Probably not, as our spirit will be in too much turmoil after all the zappings and killings for the past 5 hours. We'll probably take a short nap, and a quick bite after the nap. Then back to the computer again to repeat the zapping and killing process.
~~When we go shopping, if our spirit has not been fed, we'll end up overspending and falling into the 'impulse purchase' trap. Will we be contented with our purchases? Probably not, as we'll be too busy trying to balance our paychecks with our credit card payments! That is, till our next shopping spree, when we'll conveniently forget about our paychecks and credit card woes, because we need to pander to our 'wants'.
The list goes on. Alcohol, cigarettes. It's always the case of I'll just have one. And one will never stay one. Without a 'fed and sated' spirit in control, the flesh will rear its ugly head again and again, and in the end, we'll end up as addicts, hurting not just our spiritual state, but our physical state as well.
When our spirit is not fed with God's word, we will feed our flesh. When we feed our flesh, we step into an endless cycle. A sinister cycle. The flesh will never feel satisfied. We'll keep wanting more......and more.......and more.
Hence in a nutshell, feed our spirit, not our flesh. It's only safe for us to enjoy ourselves and indulge in our whims when our spirit is fed. For it's only when our spirit is fed that we'll be able to truly enjoy ourselves and feel genuine contentment.
And when our spirit is fed, we will never become addicts.
I have a friend, a widow in her late 50's, retired and very rich. She loves to go for expensive holidays. Every year, she'll have at least 5 to 8 vacations overseas. Last year, she went to Turkey, The Balkans, England, China, Bali Indonesia just to name a few. I've lost track of the places she went this year, but I know she just came back from China last week, and will be going to Taiwan next week. I get tired just by thinking of her whirlwind vacations.
It's all very glamorous. But somehow, somewhere between England and China, the 'pearl' has lost its lustre. No, she didn't get bored, not yet anyway. But it suddenly dawned onto her that it's just another day, just another place to visit. Nothing to look forward to anymore. She just keeps on taking vacations, but it seems to me, empty vacations, not meaningful vacations. She no longer feels contentment. She just has to go everywhere around the world. It has become more like a goal, and vacations have become a religion to her. But again, no contentment. Her spirit is not at peace. Her home is like a hotel to her, a place to stay when she's........well, home.
~~When we enjoy ourselves, even with the simplest act of watching tv, if our spirit has not been fed with the Word, we will watch one programme after another, till past midnight at times, because we keep wanting more. Will we feel contented the next day? Probably not. We'll be too busy keeping sleep at bay during work hours, and get irritable when things go wrong. But when we reach home, we'll switch on the tv again, and the same cycle repeats itself.
~~When we indulge ourselves by playing computer games, if our spirit has not been fed, 1 hour of zapping aliens will turn into 5 hours of 'killing spree'. Will we be contented? Probably not, as our spirit will be in too much turmoil after all the zappings and killings for the past 5 hours. We'll probably take a short nap, and a quick bite after the nap. Then back to the computer again to repeat the zapping and killing process.
~~When we go shopping, if our spirit has not been fed, we'll end up overspending and falling into the 'impulse purchase' trap. Will we be contented with our purchases? Probably not, as we'll be too busy trying to balance our paychecks with our credit card payments! That is, till our next shopping spree, when we'll conveniently forget about our paychecks and credit card woes, because we need to pander to our 'wants'.
The list goes on. Alcohol, cigarettes. It's always the case of I'll just have one. And one will never stay one. Without a 'fed and sated' spirit in control, the flesh will rear its ugly head again and again, and in the end, we'll end up as addicts, hurting not just our spiritual state, but our physical state as well.
When our spirit is not fed with God's word, we will feed our flesh. When we feed our flesh, we step into an endless cycle. A sinister cycle. The flesh will never feel satisfied. We'll keep wanting more......and more.......and more.
Hence in a nutshell, feed our spirit, not our flesh. It's only safe for us to enjoy ourselves and indulge in our whims when our spirit is fed. For it's only when our spirit is fed that we'll be able to truly enjoy ourselves and feel genuine contentment.
And when our spirit is fed, we will never become addicts.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Trinity God
A troubled girl came to church, and was comforted.
She brought her equally troubled brother to church, and he obeyed.
Their mother, who was at her wit's end, saw her transformed children and came to church. She believed.
The grandmother, seeing the Word of God transform the lives of her faithful daughter and her faithful grandchildren, came to church and accepted Christ.
The grandfather followed suit.
And the light came upon their family, banishing the darkness.
More of their family members followed.
By the Manifestation of Christ's Authority, the mother and her children have shown their family what being a Christian is truly about. They are now guided solely by the Conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their transformed lives in God have convinced their family that the Lord is indeed good. Hence the family gospelisation.
Being a Christian. What does it mean?
Being a Christian means to demolish our old mindsets. Die and resurrect with Christ and become born-again Christians. Model our lives after Jesus Christ. Let Him manifest His authority within us, in our homes, in our working fields, among friends, acquaintances and strangers. Let them see for themselves what being a Christian is like.
Being a Christian means not enforcing our own will in all situations. Wait for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and be guided solely by the Holy Spirit. We won't have any baggage chaining us down if we simply leave everything to the Holy Spirit.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity God. The only answer to all problems.
She brought her equally troubled brother to church, and he obeyed.
Their mother, who was at her wit's end, saw her transformed children and came to church. She believed.
The grandmother, seeing the Word of God transform the lives of her faithful daughter and her faithful grandchildren, came to church and accepted Christ.
The grandfather followed suit.
And the light came upon their family, banishing the darkness.
More of their family members followed.
By the Manifestation of Christ's Authority, the mother and her children have shown their family what being a Christian is truly about. They are now guided solely by the Conviction of the Holy Spirit. Their transformed lives in God have convinced their family that the Lord is indeed good. Hence the family gospelisation.
Being a Christian. What does it mean?
- Being a Christian does not mean we need to memorise biblical verses.
- Being a Christian does not mean we have to drag every Tom, Dick & Harry from the streets to evangelise to them.
- Being a Christian does not mean holding on to the law and judging people as sinners.
- Being a Christian does not mean going around with a holier-than-thou attitude.
Being a Christian means to demolish our old mindsets. Die and resurrect with Christ and become born-again Christians. Model our lives after Jesus Christ. Let Him manifest His authority within us, in our homes, in our working fields, among friends, acquaintances and strangers. Let them see for themselves what being a Christian is like.
Being a Christian means not enforcing our own will in all situations. Wait for the conviction of the Holy Spirit, and be guided solely by the Holy Spirit. We won't have any baggage chaining us down if we simply leave everything to the Holy Spirit.
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity God. The only answer to all problems.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Words of Anger
I have an unmarried friend in her late forties who is a self-professed independent singleton. She often says that married women often get stressed out by their husbands and children, resulting in premature ageing and illness. The way she carries herself is akin to a fundamentalist of the anti-marriage movement. Every single time, whenever her lady friends start a relationship or tie the knot, they become her target of sarcasm, barbs and thinly-veiled insults. She starts to gossip about their boyfriends, husbands or their overall relationship with the men in their lives.
I have been at the receiving end of her anger and sarcasm these past few years.
Before Mister Caveman came into my life, we have been close. Whenever she needed a helping hand, which was, and still is, very often ( though she's a self-professed independent singleton, she doesn't drive, can't handle a crisis and emotionally fragile ), my phone number was her 911. A band of us women ( married and otherwise ) rallied around her when she had a housing crisis in 2008. We also rallied around her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, which happily, she has recovered since. Despite criticising her friends' husbands as useless / jerks etc, the husbands were also there to lend a helping hand. She started to aim her barbs at me when I started a relationship with Mister Caveman. Even now, after a few years and after my marriage, the barbs and stings continue to come.
She started the barbs a few years ago with 'loaded' jokes, started circulating some gossip among mutual friends, tried to make me feel guilty for not being able to pander to her needs as often as she likes. She was offended that I didn't confide in her regarding my relationship ( but seeing how she made my other friends the butt of her gossip, would I dare to confide in her? ). The barbs and sarcasm came every now and then, even now. It got to the point that she told me sarcastically that I 'serve' my husband with such 'filial piety' last week. For that instant, I almost boiled over like boiling water.
Is it anger? Is it discontent? Is it jealousy? Is it the no-longer-so-frequent-use of her free taxi and driver ( aka my car and me ) that gives her cause to try to hurt me or to make me feel guilty for giving up my membership of the Sisterhood of Singletons?
There were times when throwing back darts of sarcasm with her face as my target was tantalising! Hurling back barbs that could hurt her also seems very tempting! But the Holy Spirit always stops me at the last moment. If I play tit for tat, not only it will make the situation worse, what can I gain by hurting her, except a moment's satisfaction, which will definitely be followed by guilt?
(Eph4: 26-27) In your anger, do not sin........Do not give Devil a foothold.
So in the end, I did nothing. I do not need to sink to her level to get back at her. Why should I get back at her anyway? It will only cause me more hurt and anger if I give in to my initial anger. In an afterthought, these barbs hurt her more than me, as she keeps spewing them out like venom. If we hold on to the very simple truth, that God is with us, and we are loved, words like these won't have the power to hurt us. If we don't give these words the power to enter our spirit and poison us, it will only remain words. Merely words.
And words don't hurt, unless you allow it to. But that doesn't mean we can't keep so-called friends like these at arm's length!
I have been at the receiving end of her anger and sarcasm these past few years.
Before Mister Caveman came into my life, we have been close. Whenever she needed a helping hand, which was, and still is, very often ( though she's a self-professed independent singleton, she doesn't drive, can't handle a crisis and emotionally fragile ), my phone number was her 911. A band of us women ( married and otherwise ) rallied around her when she had a housing crisis in 2008. We also rallied around her when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, which happily, she has recovered since. Despite criticising her friends' husbands as useless / jerks etc, the husbands were also there to lend a helping hand. She started to aim her barbs at me when I started a relationship with Mister Caveman. Even now, after a few years and after my marriage, the barbs and stings continue to come.
She started the barbs a few years ago with 'loaded' jokes, started circulating some gossip among mutual friends, tried to make me feel guilty for not being able to pander to her needs as often as she likes. She was offended that I didn't confide in her regarding my relationship ( but seeing how she made my other friends the butt of her gossip, would I dare to confide in her? ). The barbs and sarcasm came every now and then, even now. It got to the point that she told me sarcastically that I 'serve' my husband with such 'filial piety' last week. For that instant, I almost boiled over like boiling water.
Is it anger? Is it discontent? Is it jealousy? Is it the no-longer-so-frequent-use of her free taxi and driver ( aka my car and me ) that gives her cause to try to hurt me or to make me feel guilty for giving up my membership of the Sisterhood of Singletons?
There were times when throwing back darts of sarcasm with her face as my target was tantalising! Hurling back barbs that could hurt her also seems very tempting! But the Holy Spirit always stops me at the last moment. If I play tit for tat, not only it will make the situation worse, what can I gain by hurting her, except a moment's satisfaction, which will definitely be followed by guilt?
- Anger can lead us into saying things we do not mean, doing things we would not have done. And what we've said and done in anger could do irreparable harm.
- Anger is a tool that is used by the forces of darkness to destroy relationships, to cause unrest and spiritual turmoil.
- Anger camouflaged as jokes and sarcasm leads to bitterness of the spirit, or probably in this case, anger camouflaged as jokes and sarcasm is the result of bitterness of the spirit.
- Anger is an emotional trap that is easy to fall into.
- Anger is also an escape for those with emotional problems.
- Anger masks hurts, discontent, bitterness, jealousy, insecurity, fear and all other negative emotions which a person wants to hide from.
- Anger distorts reality, and closes the heart to the blessings God provide in abundance.
(Eph4: 26-27) In your anger, do not sin........Do not give Devil a foothold.
So in the end, I did nothing. I do not need to sink to her level to get back at her. Why should I get back at her anyway? It will only cause me more hurt and anger if I give in to my initial anger. In an afterthought, these barbs hurt her more than me, as she keeps spewing them out like venom. If we hold on to the very simple truth, that God is with us, and we are loved, words like these won't have the power to hurt us. If we don't give these words the power to enter our spirit and poison us, it will only remain words. Merely words.
And words don't hurt, unless you allow it to. But that doesn't mean we can't keep so-called friends like these at arm's length!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Law and Faith
Justification by faith. We are no longer bound by law but by faith and love. Simply by knowing this is a release in itself.
How many people are being bound by law? How many people are frustrated by the can do's and the cannot do's? Children are frustrated of being curbed of their natural curiosity by laws set by parents. Adults are constantly frustrated by laws set by their bosses, of being forced to surrender their 'family time' to be seen as assets to companies. We bind ourselves by laws set by ourselves to comport ourselves with decorum fit for public eyes.
People go to church because going to church has become a routine in their lives, as it is the law to go to church on the Sabbath day. People give tithes because they 'have' to give 10 percent of their earnings to the church. With this mindset, these people are still bound by the law. But when you are free from the law, and walk by faith and love, we realise that we go to church every Sunday, not because the law decrees it to be so, but because we hunger for God's guidance, and that we want to use the pulpit messages as a guide for the entire week yet to come. We have the heart to die and resurrect with Christ because of love and faith. Because we believe. We give tithes not because we have to, but because of God's blessing, and to be free from financial bondage. Money will have no power, or less power over us if we can give 10 percent of our income freely to God every month.
The law is a cold light with a hardness that glints like cold steel. Faith and love exude a warm, rosy glow. To be bound by the law is to be shackled like a slave. Like Hagar the slave woman and her child. The child of Sarah the free woman enjoys the covenant of God. We are the children of Sarah. Though we are the gentiles, the day we welcome the perfect God into our hearts and willing to live our lives for Him, we cease to become slaves. We cease to be bound by the law. We have become the descendants of Abraham. By faith and love, we are free.
But this freedom does not give us an excuse to indulge in excess. It does not give us license to pander to the longings of our earthly flesh. The Holy Spirit will constantly fight with our wants and longings. To give in would have been too easy. The temptations of the world are great. Temptations of the eye, temptations of the heart, temptations of riches and glory, temptations of power. The temptations to judge, to appear superior, to command. The temptations to turn to philosophy and self intelligence to solve our problems instead of turning to God. The Holy Spirit within us battles against these temptations. So if we let the Holy Spirit control us, we will free ourselves from the law that shackles us, and are able live a life that is guided solely by the Truth, and by faith and love.
And to live by the Holy Spirit, and by faith and love, we will enjoy the true assurance of being the children of God. We are truly free.
Pondering on Paul's letter to the Galatians.
How many people are being bound by law? How many people are frustrated by the can do's and the cannot do's? Children are frustrated of being curbed of their natural curiosity by laws set by parents. Adults are constantly frustrated by laws set by their bosses, of being forced to surrender their 'family time' to be seen as assets to companies. We bind ourselves by laws set by ourselves to comport ourselves with decorum fit for public eyes.
People go to church because going to church has become a routine in their lives, as it is the law to go to church on the Sabbath day. People give tithes because they 'have' to give 10 percent of their earnings to the church. With this mindset, these people are still bound by the law. But when you are free from the law, and walk by faith and love, we realise that we go to church every Sunday, not because the law decrees it to be so, but because we hunger for God's guidance, and that we want to use the pulpit messages as a guide for the entire week yet to come. We have the heart to die and resurrect with Christ because of love and faith. Because we believe. We give tithes not because we have to, but because of God's blessing, and to be free from financial bondage. Money will have no power, or less power over us if we can give 10 percent of our income freely to God every month.
The law is a cold light with a hardness that glints like cold steel. Faith and love exude a warm, rosy glow. To be bound by the law is to be shackled like a slave. Like Hagar the slave woman and her child. The child of Sarah the free woman enjoys the covenant of God. We are the children of Sarah. Though we are the gentiles, the day we welcome the perfect God into our hearts and willing to live our lives for Him, we cease to become slaves. We cease to be bound by the law. We have become the descendants of Abraham. By faith and love, we are free.
But this freedom does not give us an excuse to indulge in excess. It does not give us license to pander to the longings of our earthly flesh. The Holy Spirit will constantly fight with our wants and longings. To give in would have been too easy. The temptations of the world are great. Temptations of the eye, temptations of the heart, temptations of riches and glory, temptations of power. The temptations to judge, to appear superior, to command. The temptations to turn to philosophy and self intelligence to solve our problems instead of turning to God. The Holy Spirit within us battles against these temptations. So if we let the Holy Spirit control us, we will free ourselves from the law that shackles us, and are able live a life that is guided solely by the Truth, and by faith and love.
And to live by the Holy Spirit, and by faith and love, we will enjoy the true assurance of being the children of God. We are truly free.
Pondering on Paul's letter to the Galatians.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Post Church Camp Ponderings
I have spent these few days
pondering over some questions which were raised during church camp.
Firstly, love God……or fear
God?
I did some deep spirit
searching. Took my thoughts back to the past, and tried to give myself a clear
answer. Do I pray because I love God, or because I fear Him? And the answer
that came up is : in the past, I prayed because I fear the situation.
Which leads to another
question. What situation do I fear most? Is it death? Is it poverty? Yes, it is
death. I don’t fear my own death, which is inevitable. I fear the pain and
suffering that precedes my death. My deepest fear when I was much younger was
that death will take those I love and eventually leave me alone. And as the
years go by, one by one, my family members succumbed to death, and I was all
that is left of my immediate family by the age of 32. But though I was
spiritually slumbering and not aware of it then, I realize now that Holy Spirit
has helped me face that difficult time. And when I faced the situation, the
fear changed to acceptance, and acceptance changed to just another
circumstance. God willed it so, and I accepted it. And it was not so hard after
that.
Yes, I feared poverty. When
my finances went down, insomnia rate went up. I spent many sleepless nights
trying to figure out how to get out of the situation, and prayed to God to get
me out of this,
But after I came to my church CLCP back in Dec 2009, I started to slowly understand how God works. I
gradually learned, and am still learning, to trust and submit. I learn patience.
I’ve learned that my past achievements and failures were superficial and
unimportant.To know, test and confirm that God is with me, and being able to
see how God is working in me. And in turn, through me, let the Holy Spirit use my
experience, success and failures, happiness and heartaches, as a testimony to
help others in the same situation to overcome their obstacles. To have peace and joy in the
heart at all times and in all situation, and to give thanks to God. To be able
to accept and actually believe that problems are a blessing. This is success. But
I’m still a long way from it. I still possess the mentality of an escapist.
The hardships I faced before and after coming to this church, is to show me the
difference between human-driven solutions and God-driven solutions. About
holding on tightly to life’s steering wheel, and the relief that follows after
letting God take over the wheel.
So the answer to the initial
question is, no, I don’t fear God. Yes I love him. I pray because I want to get nearer to Him, to rouse my sometimes slumbering spirit, and not because of fear. But is there any reproach in
my spirit? Yes, sometimes. When my pride gets the better of me and drowns out
the voice of the Holy Spirit. When my grievances and hurts cause me to direct
my anger at God and the church. To be honest, there were a couple of times when
I seriously wanted to leave this church. But somehow at the last moment, I always end up back there.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Celebrating God
"Yay! Let's celebrate", went Mr. Caveman's text message.
I just realised that we do indeed say that a lot to each other. Let's celebrate. We do not wait for special occasions to celebrate. We just celebrated whatever we like and whenever we feel like it. We are not celebration nuts, nor are we people with lots of free time to spare. We are both busy people, especially Mr. Caveman who has to drive 1 hour to work everyday. Even I myself scarcely have enough time to sit down and watch TV.........which made me cancel my cable TV subscription, as I've been paying money for something I watch less than 2 hours per month!
Normally, busy people gets tired out in the evenings after work. When they return home from work, their affable personalities might take on the traits of a bear. Grouchy and growly. They might take out their day's frustrations on their spouses or children, or might feel silently resentful and bottle up their emotions. Their everyday routine moves in a circle. Stress tires them out, and when they return from work, it will spill over in their homes, thus getting irritated and at times, irrational. A busy woman might have to juggle career and housework and children. At times, being too busy, parents are not aware of what's going on in their children's life, and in turn, the children will feel neglected. That is when material goods will be used to assuage their feelings of guilt, and to appease their children.
So, why do 2 busy people celebrate? And keep celebrating?
Because we put God in the driver's seat, and let him take the steering wheel. With God to govern us and take charge, we just do whatever we have to do with a light heart. The mindset of working for God, and under God's guidance takes the stress away, and even when we are tired, we are tired in God's grace. Tired IN, not tired OF.
Some people use alcohol to numb their stress and cigarettes to relax. They look towards the future as a motivation to work. A future of comfort and luxury. Money enough to satisfy their family, enough to provide for their children. They will then consider their duties fulfilled. Though they might wear themselves down in the process, most will consider this to be worth their while.
Born-again Christians use the Word. They look towards the Kingdom, not to the worldly future, and use their present conditions to glorify God and do whatever He wants them to do. They derive strength from God's endless well of strength, and live for the present. They enjoy what God gives them everyday, and look forward to what God has in store for them tomorrow, be it grace or sanctification, which will be gladly accepted to strengthen the spirit.
We treasure our God-given relationship, and do our best to keep the atmosphere around us peaceful and happy. We walk where the Holy Spirit guides us, and when the Holy Spirit rejoices and prompts us to celebrate, we simply do so.
And so we celebrate. Not celebrating ourselves, but celebrating our lives in God. Because in God, everyday is a celebration.
I just realised that we do indeed say that a lot to each other. Let's celebrate. We do not wait for special occasions to celebrate. We just celebrated whatever we like and whenever we feel like it. We are not celebration nuts, nor are we people with lots of free time to spare. We are both busy people, especially Mr. Caveman who has to drive 1 hour to work everyday. Even I myself scarcely have enough time to sit down and watch TV.........which made me cancel my cable TV subscription, as I've been paying money for something I watch less than 2 hours per month!
Normally, busy people gets tired out in the evenings after work. When they return home from work, their affable personalities might take on the traits of a bear. Grouchy and growly. They might take out their day's frustrations on their spouses or children, or might feel silently resentful and bottle up their emotions. Their everyday routine moves in a circle. Stress tires them out, and when they return from work, it will spill over in their homes, thus getting irritated and at times, irrational. A busy woman might have to juggle career and housework and children. At times, being too busy, parents are not aware of what's going on in their children's life, and in turn, the children will feel neglected. That is when material goods will be used to assuage their feelings of guilt, and to appease their children.
So, why do 2 busy people celebrate? And keep celebrating?
Because we put God in the driver's seat, and let him take the steering wheel. With God to govern us and take charge, we just do whatever we have to do with a light heart. The mindset of working for God, and under God's guidance takes the stress away, and even when we are tired, we are tired in God's grace. Tired IN, not tired OF.
Some people use alcohol to numb their stress and cigarettes to relax. They look towards the future as a motivation to work. A future of comfort and luxury. Money enough to satisfy their family, enough to provide for their children. They will then consider their duties fulfilled. Though they might wear themselves down in the process, most will consider this to be worth their while.
Born-again Christians use the Word. They look towards the Kingdom, not to the worldly future, and use their present conditions to glorify God and do whatever He wants them to do. They derive strength from God's endless well of strength, and live for the present. They enjoy what God gives them everyday, and look forward to what God has in store for them tomorrow, be it grace or sanctification, which will be gladly accepted to strengthen the spirit.
We treasure our God-given relationship, and do our best to keep the atmosphere around us peaceful and happy. We walk where the Holy Spirit guides us, and when the Holy Spirit rejoices and prompts us to celebrate, we simply do so.
And so we celebrate. Not celebrating ourselves, but celebrating our lives in God. Because in God, everyday is a celebration.
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