Today I woke up feeling quite ill. I had a difficult night, coughing and feeling feverish.
After seeing the doctor, we took the girls out for breakfast at my favourite restaurant near Bandar Baru Ampang. We had tea, bread and eggs while Tim called for pork noodles. Unknown to us when he gave them RM50 to pay for the noodles, they returned him the change with a fake RM10 in between the ringgit notes.
We found this out when buying chicken rice for Samuel. The sharp lady selling chicken rice felt the money and knew instantly that it was fake. It looked and felt different! On a closer look we could see that the counterfeit was quite obvious!
We immediately took it back to the shop selling pork noodles to ask for a new note. I really prayed hard because Tim can create quite a scene when he wants to as he has this naturally loud voice that can sound intimidating and quarrelsome when raised. My 2 girls (one of them a lawyer) went with him. I really did not want them to create a ruckus.
Thank God that they agreed to change the notes for him. In fact the second note was also fake! They did not leave until they got a genuine RM note!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Just in time
My eldest daughter came back from UK for her summer holidays. In the midst of her holidays she had to apply for her student visa for another year.
Last Friday, she was at the British High Commission from 5 am in the morning lining up to apply for her visa. Some parents had been queueing up since 4 am! At about 11 am I received a call from Tim asking for a letter from my bank confirming that I had enough money in the bank to sponsor her studies. Thank God that I worked in a bank and had many colleagues who were willing to help. We got the letter by 12.30 pm.
Later in the day she called me frantically asking me where her father was. Apparently, the British High Commission wanted an English translation of her birth certificate in order for them to be assured that she was a daughter! Tim had waited for 2 hours at the National Registration Office, Taman Maluri branch only to be told at the end of the long wait that they do not do translations and that he would have to go to Putrajaya instead!
She was practically frantic as the visa application for her Masters had to be submitted by the day itself otherwise payment of the visa fees (RM1,300) would have to be made all over again. Tim had switched off his phone as it was getting low in battery. He told me later that he had over 20 missed calls from our eldest daughter trying to find out the status of her documents. She was really in a state of panic! Based on the advice of her friend's mother, Tim went to Maju Junction branch of the IC department and managed to get the translated birth certificate.
I told my daughter "I am sitting in the office, I can't do anything about this. The only thing I can do is PRAY!" And pray I did! I went to the toilet and asked the Lord to intervene on my husband's and my daughter's behalf.
Shortly after that I found out that Tim had just made it with the translated documents in the nick of time...4.55 pm! Apparently he was given ticket no:145 to wait his turn to be served. When no one answered to ticket no:142, he quickly made his way to the counter and practically pleaded to be served! Thank God for answering prayers. All the documents needed to be submitted was submitted just before 5 pm (when the visa counter closed!)
God answers prayers!
Last Friday, she was at the British High Commission from 5 am in the morning lining up to apply for her visa. Some parents had been queueing up since 4 am! At about 11 am I received a call from Tim asking for a letter from my bank confirming that I had enough money in the bank to sponsor her studies. Thank God that I worked in a bank and had many colleagues who were willing to help. We got the letter by 12.30 pm.
Later in the day she called me frantically asking me where her father was. Apparently, the British High Commission wanted an English translation of her birth certificate in order for them to be assured that she was a daughter! Tim had waited for 2 hours at the National Registration Office, Taman Maluri branch only to be told at the end of the long wait that they do not do translations and that he would have to go to Putrajaya instead!
She was practically frantic as the visa application for her Masters had to be submitted by the day itself otherwise payment of the visa fees (RM1,300) would have to be made all over again. Tim had switched off his phone as it was getting low in battery. He told me later that he had over 20 missed calls from our eldest daughter trying to find out the status of her documents. She was really in a state of panic! Based on the advice of her friend's mother, Tim went to Maju Junction branch of the IC department and managed to get the translated birth certificate.
I told my daughter "I am sitting in the office, I can't do anything about this. The only thing I can do is PRAY!" And pray I did! I went to the toilet and asked the Lord to intervene on my husband's and my daughter's behalf.
Shortly after that I found out that Tim had just made it with the translated documents in the nick of time...4.55 pm! Apparently he was given ticket no:145 to wait his turn to be served. When no one answered to ticket no:142, he quickly made his way to the counter and practically pleaded to be served! Thank God for answering prayers. All the documents needed to be submitted was submitted just before 5 pm (when the visa counter closed!)
God answers prayers!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Angelina's healing
My sister was here last week with her daughter from England. Having settled down quite comfortably there and holding a good job as a speech therapist with a hospital in Darlington, her trips to Penang and KL were a yearly affair.
We were happy to hear that she was going to stay with us for 5 days in KL. There were a number of places she wanted to visit like the Science Center and the Elephant Sanctuary. We had the schedule all planned out.
The children were eager to see their English cousin, the precocious 10-year-old Angelina. Half English and half chinese, she charmed everyone she met with her grey eyes and fair skin. Not only was she the apple of my sister's eyes but also a joy and a delight to us as well.
Imagine our dissapointment when my sis told me that they might not be able to make it due to an ear infection. The ENT at Assunta recommended a course of antibiotics. If that failed, she would have to undergo an operation to drain out the fluid from her left ear.
When I heard the news, I immediately told my sister that I would pray for her healing.
The following morning while reading the Bible with Tim, I lifted her up to Jesus and prayed "Lord please heal Angelina of her ear infection. Render the operation unnecessary as we would like to see her in KL"
Praise God...a few days later my sis called to update on her condition. An operation was not needed as she was responding well to the medication!
We were able to take them to several places while they were in town and during our last trip to the Elephant Sanctuary, my sister commented that her hearing in the left ear is now completely normal! In fact,she even went down to the river to watch the baby elephants take their shower and had the honor of sitting on one of them when it was time to come out of the water! Was she thrilled to bits!
Thank you Jesus for your healing touch!
We were happy to hear that she was going to stay with us for 5 days in KL. There were a number of places she wanted to visit like the Science Center and the Elephant Sanctuary. We had the schedule all planned out.
The children were eager to see their English cousin, the precocious 10-year-old Angelina. Half English and half chinese, she charmed everyone she met with her grey eyes and fair skin. Not only was she the apple of my sister's eyes but also a joy and a delight to us as well.
Imagine our dissapointment when my sis told me that they might not be able to make it due to an ear infection. The ENT at Assunta recommended a course of antibiotics. If that failed, she would have to undergo an operation to drain out the fluid from her left ear.
When I heard the news, I immediately told my sister that I would pray for her healing.
The following morning while reading the Bible with Tim, I lifted her up to Jesus and prayed "Lord please heal Angelina of her ear infection. Render the operation unnecessary as we would like to see her in KL"
Praise God...a few days later my sis called to update on her condition. An operation was not needed as she was responding well to the medication!
We were able to take them to several places while they were in town and during our last trip to the Elephant Sanctuary, my sister commented that her hearing in the left ear is now completely normal! In fact,she even went down to the river to watch the baby elephants take their shower and had the honor of sitting on one of them when it was time to come out of the water! Was she thrilled to bits!
Thank you Jesus for your healing touch!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Unforgiveness - what to do
Prov 19:11 "Sensible people control their temper, they earn respect by overlooking wrongs"
Wow...isn't the Bible practical? Its the best psychology manual ever! In other words we should not react by getting angry. We should wait for the anger to settle down first otherwise we will end up making decisions which we will regret later. Very often I will get upset with my boss for hurting me with her words (this was in the beginning of my first few years working with her). I felt like throwing in my resignation letter after some very particularly hurtful episodes. Thank God I did not react or else a lot of my loved ones will be left without their monthly "income"!
I know of friends who felt like divorcing their husbands after a quarrel. Thank God they did not follow through the same but took time to pray and think things over.
We bring glory to our heavenly Father whenever we overlook hurts and forgive the sins done to us. To do so builds our character. When we forgive others, God forgives us and them too! God will bring us into a revelation of favor and blessing we have never known before! Indeed after forgiving my boss and eating the humble pie, our relationship is really good! Last year, the Lord blessed me with 6 months bonus...the highest ever!
Eph 4:26-27 "Don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil"
If we do get angry deal with it quickly. Allowing it to simmer and to carry on and on and fester in our hearts will give room to the enemy to attack us!
Here are the practical things to do when faced with anger and unforgiveness (they seem to be twins):
1. bless the people who have hurt us. Really shower them with blessings.
2. pray for them. Ask God to bless them and to show them favor in every way.
3. do good to them. Find opportunities to do good to them. Rom 12: 20-21 "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing so, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don't let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good"
I really believe that this applies to governments as well. If we feel that our government has ill-treated us and hurt us, perhaps its time to change our approach. Instead of cursing them, why not start to bless them and pray for them? Remember how a local church forgave those who tried to burn down their church recently...God blessed the church so much after that. Even the government gave them money to compensate them for the loss. VIPs visited their church and the word of God was preached. It turned out that they had been waiting for approval for their new building for some time. After the incident, the authorities quickly approved the application and they were able to move into their new premises!
FORGIVENESS LEADS US INTO THE BLESSING AND FAVOR OF GOD!
Wow...isn't the Bible practical? Its the best psychology manual ever! In other words we should not react by getting angry. We should wait for the anger to settle down first otherwise we will end up making decisions which we will regret later. Very often I will get upset with my boss for hurting me with her words (this was in the beginning of my first few years working with her). I felt like throwing in my resignation letter after some very particularly hurtful episodes. Thank God I did not react or else a lot of my loved ones will be left without their monthly "income"!
I know of friends who felt like divorcing their husbands after a quarrel. Thank God they did not follow through the same but took time to pray and think things over.
We bring glory to our heavenly Father whenever we overlook hurts and forgive the sins done to us. To do so builds our character. When we forgive others, God forgives us and them too! God will bring us into a revelation of favor and blessing we have never known before! Indeed after forgiving my boss and eating the humble pie, our relationship is really good! Last year, the Lord blessed me with 6 months bonus...the highest ever!
Eph 4:26-27 "Don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil"
If we do get angry deal with it quickly. Allowing it to simmer and to carry on and on and fester in our hearts will give room to the enemy to attack us!
Here are the practical things to do when faced with anger and unforgiveness (they seem to be twins):
1. bless the people who have hurt us. Really shower them with blessings.
2. pray for them. Ask God to bless them and to show them favor in every way.
3. do good to them. Find opportunities to do good to them. Rom 12: 20-21 "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing so, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don't let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good"
I really believe that this applies to governments as well. If we feel that our government has ill-treated us and hurt us, perhaps its time to change our approach. Instead of cursing them, why not start to bless them and pray for them? Remember how a local church forgave those who tried to burn down their church recently...God blessed the church so much after that. Even the government gave them money to compensate them for the loss. VIPs visited their church and the word of God was preached. It turned out that they had been waiting for approval for their new building for some time. After the incident, the authorities quickly approved the application and they were able to move into their new premises!
FORGIVENESS LEADS US INTO THE BLESSING AND FAVOR OF GOD!
Unforgiveness - the consequences
I read this wonderful article on "Forgiveness" by David Wilkerson. It is worth a posting on my blog!
I struggle very much with this issue of forgiveness myself. Usually people who hurt me with their words will be given the "cold treatment" i.e. I will avoid speaking to them until I get over the hurt. I will have to go to God in prayer again and again and ask Him to help me to truly forgive them from my heart. Often I will feel so far away from the Lord...even when the Lord had removed the hurt from my heart, I will still avoid talking to them for fear of being hurt again.
This short article written by David Wilkerson really ministered to me. Perhaps if I put into practice what is taught I will get over the hurt faster and respond differently in future.
Unforgiveness is a spiritual disease. In some cases it translates into physical ailments as well. My Aka in India, Pastor Lata shared about how her mother who was afflicted with cancer got healed after forgiving a relative whom she hated very much. She hated her so much that she told Aka that she would not want them at her funeral! After forgiving this person, her mother felt a release in her spirit and was healed of her cancer!
Paul writes in Rom 12:19 "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the scriptures say, "I will take revenge. I will pay them back" says the Lord".
There are 4 consequences of unforgiveness:
1. We will become guiltier than the person who hurt us.
2. God's mercy and grace towards us will be shut off. Things will begin to go wrong in our lives as we will be walking in disobedience. If we are facing one problem after another, perhaps it is time to search our hearts and ask the Lord to reveal any forgiveness in us.
3. We will be robbed of our peace and joy. The person who hurt us will seem to be the victor succeeding in inflicting in us a permanent wound. We will appear to be vexed and troubled. It would even seem like unforgiveness is tormenting us.
4. We will seem to be inflicted with thoughts of revenge against the person. In this manner, satan will be able to tempt us into deadlier sins and we could be led to commit sins.
How true! I have come across wives who hated their husbands so much that they will want to seek "revenge" by having affairs themselves. An elderly lady wrote about how the Lord brought her to hell where she met a woman who had killed her adulterous husband. Although she was a believer, she ended up in hell! I have come across people who had so much unforgiveness towards someone close to them that they will look for ways to "sabotage" that person!
Unforgiveness doesn't help us in anyway. We will always end up as LOSERS!
I struggle very much with this issue of forgiveness myself. Usually people who hurt me with their words will be given the "cold treatment" i.e. I will avoid speaking to them until I get over the hurt. I will have to go to God in prayer again and again and ask Him to help me to truly forgive them from my heart. Often I will feel so far away from the Lord...even when the Lord had removed the hurt from my heart, I will still avoid talking to them for fear of being hurt again.
This short article written by David Wilkerson really ministered to me. Perhaps if I put into practice what is taught I will get over the hurt faster and respond differently in future.
Unforgiveness is a spiritual disease. In some cases it translates into physical ailments as well. My Aka in India, Pastor Lata shared about how her mother who was afflicted with cancer got healed after forgiving a relative whom she hated very much. She hated her so much that she told Aka that she would not want them at her funeral! After forgiving this person, her mother felt a release in her spirit and was healed of her cancer!
Paul writes in Rom 12:19 "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the scriptures say, "I will take revenge. I will pay them back" says the Lord".
There are 4 consequences of unforgiveness:
1. We will become guiltier than the person who hurt us.
2. God's mercy and grace towards us will be shut off. Things will begin to go wrong in our lives as we will be walking in disobedience. If we are facing one problem after another, perhaps it is time to search our hearts and ask the Lord to reveal any forgiveness in us.
3. We will be robbed of our peace and joy. The person who hurt us will seem to be the victor succeeding in inflicting in us a permanent wound. We will appear to be vexed and troubled. It would even seem like unforgiveness is tormenting us.
4. We will seem to be inflicted with thoughts of revenge against the person. In this manner, satan will be able to tempt us into deadlier sins and we could be led to commit sins.
How true! I have come across wives who hated their husbands so much that they will want to seek "revenge" by having affairs themselves. An elderly lady wrote about how the Lord brought her to hell where she met a woman who had killed her adulterous husband. Although she was a believer, she ended up in hell! I have come across people who had so much unforgiveness towards someone close to them that they will look for ways to "sabotage" that person!
Unforgiveness doesn't help us in anyway. We will always end up as LOSERS!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain
The other day I met T at her beautiful home. She stays in a fabulous penthouse with ecletic furnishings. The walls were embedded with seashells, the sofas were plush sofas with soft fur drapes. The hanging lights were unique as they had veils over them. She obviously spent a lot of time making her home beautiful and elegant.
On the cabinets were photos of her children and her husband whom she loved very much. Yet sadly her home was an empty shell. She told me that she worked very hard to make her house a lovely home but her husband rarely came home and her daughters would go out for days without telling her where they going. She broke down and cried even while sharing about her family. Here was a lady who truly desired to build a family but was completely unappreciated by the very ones she loved.
There and then the Lord told me to tell her "Maybe its time to stop working but start resting"! I shared with her Ps 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted". I told her that unless she surrendered her family to Jesus her efforts to bring them home while be wasted. I told her to find rest from her hard work in God. Then Heb 4 came to me and I shared from Heb 4:9-10 and 14-16 how we can enter into the rest from our labors. "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world." v 9. Its time to stop working out things with our own strength but to start surrendering them to the Lord, be they relationships, work, careers, businesses, ministries, our children, our husbands.....
"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" v16
This is the way to rest from our struggles, our battles, our trials and our temptations, the way is through coming to the God in prayer! Simple but profound. It is an act of faith. "So then since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe" v14. I told her to surrender her husband and daughters to the Lord and let God take over the restoration/building of her relationships with them. I told her to stop worrying but to start asking the Lord for help!
Later after sharing with her the gospel, T prayed the sinner's prayer to accept Jesus into her heart.
On the cabinets were photos of her children and her husband whom she loved very much. Yet sadly her home was an empty shell. She told me that she worked very hard to make her house a lovely home but her husband rarely came home and her daughters would go out for days without telling her where they going. She broke down and cried even while sharing about her family. Here was a lady who truly desired to build a family but was completely unappreciated by the very ones she loved.
There and then the Lord told me to tell her "Maybe its time to stop working but start resting"! I shared with her Ps 127:1 "Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted". I told her that unless she surrendered her family to Jesus her efforts to bring them home while be wasted. I told her to find rest from her hard work in God. Then Heb 4 came to me and I shared from Heb 4:9-10 and 14-16 how we can enter into the rest from our labors. "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world." v 9. Its time to stop working out things with our own strength but to start surrendering them to the Lord, be they relationships, work, careers, businesses, ministries, our children, our husbands.....
"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most" v16
This is the way to rest from our struggles, our battles, our trials and our temptations, the way is through coming to the God in prayer! Simple but profound. It is an act of faith. "So then since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe" v14. I told her to surrender her husband and daughters to the Lord and let God take over the restoration/building of her relationships with them. I told her to stop worrying but to start asking the Lord for help!
Later after sharing with her the gospel, T prayed the sinner's prayer to accept Jesus into her heart.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Praying in Jesus name
There is power in praying in Jesus name!
John 14:13-14 says "You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can give glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it". I have often pondered over these verses...did Jesus literally meant anything? Will God answer me if I were to ask for the first prize in the lottery or millions of RM in my account?
I realize that Jesus had a conditon attached to praying in His name. The condition was that whatever we ask in His name had to bring glory to the Father. Further the prayer need had to be genuine/not selfish or to fulfil our lust so as to ensure that in the event we testify of it, God's glory will shine through.
Recently during our 4th cruise to Phuket and Langkawi, we stopped over at the famed underwater aquarium to view the myriad marine life, walruses, penguins, birds, starfishes, seahorses, jelly fishes, sharks, stingrays and other exotic sea creatures. It was at the entrance while buying tickets that Amanda discovered her IC missing (Malaysian IC holders qualify for a discount on the tickets). All through the aquarium visit she fretted and worried about the misplaced IC. I told her to give thanks and she got upset with me! She even called home and asked Jen to check her belongings for the missing IC. It could not be found.
The first thing she did upon stepping into the house after our holiday was to search through her bags, pockets and cabinets for the missing IC. When she still could not find it, we did the one thing we had not done earlier, we asked Tim to pray for it to be found. "In Jesus name, Amanda's IC will be found" Tim declared. Praise the Lord, in less than 5 minutes, she found it in the pocket of her pants which was just in the nick of time as it was about to be tossed into the washing machine!
On the same night itself, I realized that I had left a bag containing my facial cleansers and sandals on the double decker. I tried calling the bus company but they had closed for the day. I turned to Tim and said "Since you are so good in praying for things to be found, please pray for my bag to be returned to me". Shortly after he declared in Jesus name that my bag would be returned to me intact, the taxi man called me to inform me that he would be returning my bag to me in half and hour. I was shocked as firstly, I thought that I had left the bag on the bus and secondly, I had not written down my contact no. anywhere in the bag! He told me that he called Star cruise and got my contact. Praise the Lord for answering prayers uttered in His name.
I still have one more piece of cardigan which I left at Hard Rock Hotel Singapore (forgetful me). However they are already arranging to have it couriered to me!
On Friday when I got back to work, God gave me another opportunity to pray in His name. My good friend, K called me to ask for prayers. She said that her menses had spilled over into the usual no. of days and that it was a cause for concern for her. There and then over the phone I declared healing for her and prayed "I command the bleeding to stop in Jesus name." One day later she sms-ed me to thank me for praying...her bleeding had stopped!
John 14:13-14 says "You can ask for anything in my name and I will do it, so that the Son can give glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name and I will do it". I have often pondered over these verses...did Jesus literally meant anything? Will God answer me if I were to ask for the first prize in the lottery or millions of RM in my account?
I realize that Jesus had a conditon attached to praying in His name. The condition was that whatever we ask in His name had to bring glory to the Father. Further the prayer need had to be genuine/not selfish or to fulfil our lust so as to ensure that in the event we testify of it, God's glory will shine through.
Recently during our 4th cruise to Phuket and Langkawi, we stopped over at the famed underwater aquarium to view the myriad marine life, walruses, penguins, birds, starfishes, seahorses, jelly fishes, sharks, stingrays and other exotic sea creatures. It was at the entrance while buying tickets that Amanda discovered her IC missing (Malaysian IC holders qualify for a discount on the tickets). All through the aquarium visit she fretted and worried about the misplaced IC. I told her to give thanks and she got upset with me! She even called home and asked Jen to check her belongings for the missing IC. It could not be found.
The first thing she did upon stepping into the house after our holiday was to search through her bags, pockets and cabinets for the missing IC. When she still could not find it, we did the one thing we had not done earlier, we asked Tim to pray for it to be found. "In Jesus name, Amanda's IC will be found" Tim declared. Praise the Lord, in less than 5 minutes, she found it in the pocket of her pants which was just in the nick of time as it was about to be tossed into the washing machine!
On the same night itself, I realized that I had left a bag containing my facial cleansers and sandals on the double decker. I tried calling the bus company but they had closed for the day. I turned to Tim and said "Since you are so good in praying for things to be found, please pray for my bag to be returned to me". Shortly after he declared in Jesus name that my bag would be returned to me intact, the taxi man called me to inform me that he would be returning my bag to me in half and hour. I was shocked as firstly, I thought that I had left the bag on the bus and secondly, I had not written down my contact no. anywhere in the bag! He told me that he called Star cruise and got my contact. Praise the Lord for answering prayers uttered in His name.
I still have one more piece of cardigan which I left at Hard Rock Hotel Singapore (forgetful me). However they are already arranging to have it couriered to me!
On Friday when I got back to work, God gave me another opportunity to pray in His name. My good friend, K called me to ask for prayers. She said that her menses had spilled over into the usual no. of days and that it was a cause for concern for her. There and then over the phone I declared healing for her and prayed "I command the bleeding to stop in Jesus name." One day later she sms-ed me to thank me for praying...her bleeding had stopped!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Seeds on good soil - clinging to the word of God
Yesterday a sister called me complaining about someone close to her. She was angry and upset with the person and deeply hurt by his words. So upset was she that she said she did not want to have anything to him anymore. I counseled her to pray for him and forgive him.
This brings to mind Luke 8:15 on the good soil. A person with good soil condition "hear the word of God, cling to it". To cling to something is to "adhere as if glued firmly, to hold on tightly or tenaciously". One person in the Bible exemplified this strongly...Ruth in making the confession to Naomi "your people will be my people, your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried" clearly demonstrated how someone can cling tenaciously to something. Ruth, in leaving her country and obeying to the hilt all that Naomi asked her to do experienced a great blessing. Truly if she had not done what Naomi had told her to do, she might not have married Boaz and given birth to Jesse in order to be counted in the lineage of the Lord!
To cling to the Lord is to obey His commands. Deut 13:4 "Obey His commands, listen to His voice and cling to Him"
In the New Testament, to cling to the Lord is to abide in Him. The abiding life produces fruit. Echoing Luke 15 is John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing".
Truly to bear the fruit of lonsuffering and patience is to cling to Jesus so dearly, so closely, so tightly and tenaciously..... until we become like Him in every aspect!
"Lord grant my dear sister to truly forgive from the bottom of her heart. Give her the grace to pray for the person who had used harsh words on her and treated her badly. Grant her the grace and mercy to bless the person who had despitefully used her. Heal her every hurt. In Jesus Name. Amen."
This brings to mind Luke 8:15 on the good soil. A person with good soil condition "hear the word of God, cling to it". To cling to something is to "adhere as if glued firmly, to hold on tightly or tenaciously". One person in the Bible exemplified this strongly...Ruth in making the confession to Naomi "your people will be my people, your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die and there I will be buried" clearly demonstrated how someone can cling tenaciously to something. Ruth, in leaving her country and obeying to the hilt all that Naomi asked her to do experienced a great blessing. Truly if she had not done what Naomi had told her to do, she might not have married Boaz and given birth to Jesse in order to be counted in the lineage of the Lord!
To cling to the Lord is to obey His commands. Deut 13:4 "Obey His commands, listen to His voice and cling to Him"
In the New Testament, to cling to the Lord is to abide in Him. The abiding life produces fruit. Echoing Luke 15 is John 15:4-5 "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in Him, bears much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing".
Truly to bear the fruit of lonsuffering and patience is to cling to Jesus so dearly, so closely, so tightly and tenaciously..... until we become like Him in every aspect!
"Lord grant my dear sister to truly forgive from the bottom of her heart. Give her the grace to pray for the person who had used harsh words on her and treated her badly. Grant her the grace and mercy to bless the person who had despitefully used her. Heal her every hurt. In Jesus Name. Amen."
Too kind hearted and soft spoken
Recently a head hunter contacted me and asked me if I was keen to pursue another job. Although I was in two minds about it, she persuaded me to go for the interview as they were prepared to consider the pay that I wanted and the condition that I will not work on contract (HR people will tell you that when you touched 50 most organizations will put you on contract rather than permanent employment).
After the initial hesitation, I agreed to go. Although the first interview went well, the second set of people who saw me felt that I was not suitable because I was too soft spoken and kind hearted!
When I told my life group members about this they had a good laugh!
Are not these good qualities for an employee to have? I would have thought that these are good qualities for a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in the sight of the Lord.....
Just goes to show that the values of the Bible and the values of the world are like chalk and cheese!
Ps - By the way, I also told them that I relaxed by worshipping the Lord, praying and going to church!
After the initial hesitation, I agreed to go. Although the first interview went well, the second set of people who saw me felt that I was not suitable because I was too soft spoken and kind hearted!
When I told my life group members about this they had a good laugh!
Are not these good qualities for an employee to have? I would have thought that these are good qualities for a gentle and quiet spirit is precious in the sight of the Lord.....
Just goes to show that the values of the Bible and the values of the world are like chalk and cheese!
Ps - By the way, I also told them that I relaxed by worshipping the Lord, praying and going to church!
Seeds on good soil
This morning during prayer, I saw a vision of a farmer squatting down, tending to a growing plant. The plant was just sprouting green leaves and the branches were still weak and thin. I saw the farmer weeding the soil, removing little rocks and pulling up the thorns from the soil. I saw wild birds flying overhead trying to pull up the plant and have it for food. It was the farmer's diligence and hard work that protected the young plant and caused it to grow strong and healthy.
I guess God was answering my question concerning the soil of our hearts. As I meditated on Luke 8:15 I had asked the Lord whether the condition of the soil of our heart was something we were born with. After the vision, I realized that the soil can certainly change from that of a poor quality to that of a good quality.
This particular scripture in Luke 8:11-15 has been my meditation of late. This was partly due to a few conversions lately of people I know. God knows that I really desire to see them becoming disciples not just converts.
Disciples can only be made when the soil of their hearts are of a certain quality. Luke 8:15 describes the soil of their hearts "And the seeds that fell on good soil represent honest and good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it and patiently produce a huge harvest" I thank God that over the years, I have seen many with good soil coming to Jesus. They have grown in the Lord and impacted others with their faith. Some of these dear sisters have brought their entire families to the Lord, some are still work in progress. Once in a while some of them will call me and share the goodness of God in their lives. I rejoice to hear their many testimonies that will take more than one blog entries!
Anyway coming back to the vision, God gave me this understanding. The birds that attempt to pull out the growing plant represent the enemy who will try to take away the message of the gospel from our hearts. We have to chase the birds away by rebuking and taking authority over the spirit of unbelief, fear, idolatry, world religion, occult, mind control spirits, deception. Some prayer and fasting could also be involved.
The rocks represent the harshness, hardness and sufferings of life. Some people come to Jesus because they want something from him...perhaps a healing breakthrough, perhaps a financial need...one particular person I know wanted God to give her a quick fix i.e. to quickly fix her relationship with her husband. When the quick fix did not happen, she got dissapointed with God and turned her back to him.
The thorns represent the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. Believers who live from hand to mouth, who are loaded down with debts, who find it hard to give up the secret pleasures of gambling or illicit relationships will soon find the message of the gospel choked out of their lives. It takes patience and care to wait for these believers to humble themselves and share their problems with you. If they are not ready, they are not ready. However hard we pull at the thorns, the soil will not give it up. We just need to continue praying for them.
So are we born with a particular kind of soil or is the soil of our hearts a condition which can be changed vide prayers, cares, concern and constant follow up? I tend to believe that the condition of the soil is not "carved in stone" so to speak.
Through faithful prayers, diligent follow up, care, love and genuine concern, we can certainly trust God to change the soil from 'poor grade' to 'first grade'!
I guess God was answering my question concerning the soil of our hearts. As I meditated on Luke 8:15 I had asked the Lord whether the condition of the soil of our heart was something we were born with. After the vision, I realized that the soil can certainly change from that of a poor quality to that of a good quality.
This particular scripture in Luke 8:11-15 has been my meditation of late. This was partly due to a few conversions lately of people I know. God knows that I really desire to see them becoming disciples not just converts.
Disciples can only be made when the soil of their hearts are of a certain quality. Luke 8:15 describes the soil of their hearts "And the seeds that fell on good soil represent honest and good hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it and patiently produce a huge harvest" I thank God that over the years, I have seen many with good soil coming to Jesus. They have grown in the Lord and impacted others with their faith. Some of these dear sisters have brought their entire families to the Lord, some are still work in progress. Once in a while some of them will call me and share the goodness of God in their lives. I rejoice to hear their many testimonies that will take more than one blog entries!
Anyway coming back to the vision, God gave me this understanding. The birds that attempt to pull out the growing plant represent the enemy who will try to take away the message of the gospel from our hearts. We have to chase the birds away by rebuking and taking authority over the spirit of unbelief, fear, idolatry, world religion, occult, mind control spirits, deception. Some prayer and fasting could also be involved.
The rocks represent the harshness, hardness and sufferings of life. Some people come to Jesus because they want something from him...perhaps a healing breakthrough, perhaps a financial need...one particular person I know wanted God to give her a quick fix i.e. to quickly fix her relationship with her husband. When the quick fix did not happen, she got dissapointed with God and turned her back to him.
The thorns represent the cares, riches and pleasures of this life. Believers who live from hand to mouth, who are loaded down with debts, who find it hard to give up the secret pleasures of gambling or illicit relationships will soon find the message of the gospel choked out of their lives. It takes patience and care to wait for these believers to humble themselves and share their problems with you. If they are not ready, they are not ready. However hard we pull at the thorns, the soil will not give it up. We just need to continue praying for them.
So are we born with a particular kind of soil or is the soil of our hearts a condition which can be changed vide prayers, cares, concern and constant follow up? I tend to believe that the condition of the soil is not "carved in stone" so to speak.
Through faithful prayers, diligent follow up, care, love and genuine concern, we can certainly trust God to change the soil from 'poor grade' to 'first grade'!
Friday, April 15, 2011
A difficult time in the office
The other day I was just thinking of the amount of hours I spend at work. Almost 10 hours a day, meeting and interacting with the same group of people day after day. Imagine if you have been in the same working place for the past 22 years you would have spent more hours with your colleagues than your family members!
In order to endure the long hours in the office, we need to cultivate good and peaceable relationships with our bosses and colleagues. I have learnt from the last 5 years at my workplace that peaceable relationships take time to build. At times, key relationships can start off with a really sour note. However it is enough if we have godly confidence and quiet peace in our heart day after day. It will take us through every fiery trial, every injustice, every unkind word spoken and every wicked and malicious action engineered against us. How do we acquire that godly confidence and supreme peace in our hearts?
A dear brother, MH shared at our home fellowship meeting recently on the wickedness and ill-treatment he had been subjected to at his work place. The lady boss made fun of his size, his work, his performance and even the long hours he kept in the office. Even his work output (which was actually above average) was ridiculed and criticized. The boss was intent on finding fault with everything he did. The attacks were personal, malicious and delibrate. The purpose: to make him resign on his own accord. If he refuse to resign, they were bent on finding as many faults as they could to justify any termination after the probationary period.
I really want to thank the Lord for Sister A and her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. During the life group meeting the Lord led her to share with on Ps 27:1-6. The message really ministered to all of us, especially our dear brother who had tears in his eyes.
Some insights into this Ps.
1. When going through trouble, the first thing to do is not to focus on the trouble but to FOCUS ON THE LORD. Ps 27: 1. The Psalmist focussed on who God is to him. God is his light and his salvation. God is the strength of his life.
2. When going through trouble, it is OK TO ADMIT OUR FEARS TO THE LORD. Ps 27:2 "Whom shall I fear?" "Whom shall I be afraid?" Sister A encouraged our brother to bring his problems to the Lord in prayer. In doing so, we will experience great relief from stress.
3. When going through trouble, our physical strength can be sapped. We need to CHARGE UP OUR SPIRITUAL MAN BY FAITH. At times, it can be like we are facing a warfare in our minds. Verse 2 and 3 mentions about "enemies and foes, army and war" Our enemies in the office can sometimes be like a battalion, not just one person coming against us but 2 or more and they happen to be people in authority over us in the office! At times, it can even seem like everyone is ganged up against us. However we are to constantly meditate and declare God's word such as "MY HEART SHALL NOT FEAR"... "IN THIS I SHALL BE CONFIDENT" even though no deliverance has come to us yet.
4. When going through trouble, KEEP OUR HEARTS PURE BY SEEKING THE LORD DEEPLY AND INTENSELY. The Psalmist did not seek the defeat of his enemies in his prayers. Instead he sought to soak himself fully in the Lord. Verse 4 says that he sought the house of the Lord and the beauty of the Lord. He also sought the wisdom of the Lord by enquiring in His temple. Instead of praying "Lord get me out of my situation. Send burning coals on those who persecute me! Lord destroy them for my sake", he prayed for himself more than anything else. His prayers were for greater closeness with the Lord.... "Lord keep me close to you, let me seek your face, let me hear your voice, let me dwell in your presence"
5. When we do all the above, we will BE USHERED INTO GOD'S PRESENCE. We will be lifted high above our problems. A right attitude and a right response will come naturally to us without any struggle. Our brother shared with us on how in the past, he would try to apply secular principles to deal with his problems...(he tried to apply some principles such as "thick face and a black heart" which he learned from secular management books).....believe me, he says, none of all these principles taught by the so called management gurus work for me! Only God can help!
Precious lessons from God's word! May it help us find joy in our working place, godly confidence and supreme peace.
In order to endure the long hours in the office, we need to cultivate good and peaceable relationships with our bosses and colleagues. I have learnt from the last 5 years at my workplace that peaceable relationships take time to build. At times, key relationships can start off with a really sour note. However it is enough if we have godly confidence and quiet peace in our heart day after day. It will take us through every fiery trial, every injustice, every unkind word spoken and every wicked and malicious action engineered against us. How do we acquire that godly confidence and supreme peace in our hearts?
A dear brother, MH shared at our home fellowship meeting recently on the wickedness and ill-treatment he had been subjected to at his work place. The lady boss made fun of his size, his work, his performance and even the long hours he kept in the office. Even his work output (which was actually above average) was ridiculed and criticized. The boss was intent on finding fault with everything he did. The attacks were personal, malicious and delibrate. The purpose: to make him resign on his own accord. If he refuse to resign, they were bent on finding as many faults as they could to justify any termination after the probationary period.
I really want to thank the Lord for Sister A and her sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. During the life group meeting the Lord led her to share with on Ps 27:1-6. The message really ministered to all of us, especially our dear brother who had tears in his eyes.
Some insights into this Ps.
1. When going through trouble, the first thing to do is not to focus on the trouble but to FOCUS ON THE LORD. Ps 27: 1. The Psalmist focussed on who God is to him. God is his light and his salvation. God is the strength of his life.
2. When going through trouble, it is OK TO ADMIT OUR FEARS TO THE LORD. Ps 27:2 "Whom shall I fear?" "Whom shall I be afraid?" Sister A encouraged our brother to bring his problems to the Lord in prayer. In doing so, we will experience great relief from stress.
3. When going through trouble, our physical strength can be sapped. We need to CHARGE UP OUR SPIRITUAL MAN BY FAITH. At times, it can be like we are facing a warfare in our minds. Verse 2 and 3 mentions about "enemies and foes, army and war" Our enemies in the office can sometimes be like a battalion, not just one person coming against us but 2 or more and they happen to be people in authority over us in the office! At times, it can even seem like everyone is ganged up against us. However we are to constantly meditate and declare God's word such as "MY HEART SHALL NOT FEAR"... "IN THIS I SHALL BE CONFIDENT" even though no deliverance has come to us yet.
4. When going through trouble, KEEP OUR HEARTS PURE BY SEEKING THE LORD DEEPLY AND INTENSELY. The Psalmist did not seek the defeat of his enemies in his prayers. Instead he sought to soak himself fully in the Lord. Verse 4 says that he sought the house of the Lord and the beauty of the Lord. He also sought the wisdom of the Lord by enquiring in His temple. Instead of praying "Lord get me out of my situation. Send burning coals on those who persecute me! Lord destroy them for my sake", he prayed for himself more than anything else. His prayers were for greater closeness with the Lord.... "Lord keep me close to you, let me seek your face, let me hear your voice, let me dwell in your presence"
5. When we do all the above, we will BE USHERED INTO GOD'S PRESENCE. We will be lifted high above our problems. A right attitude and a right response will come naturally to us without any struggle. Our brother shared with us on how in the past, he would try to apply secular principles to deal with his problems...(he tried to apply some principles such as "thick face and a black heart" which he learned from secular management books).....believe me, he says, none of all these principles taught by the so called management gurus work for me! Only God can help!
Precious lessons from God's word! May it help us find joy in our working place, godly confidence and supreme peace.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Seeds among thorns - money problems
Financial cares is one category of thorns that can really choke out the word of God. More than 10 years ago, my husband and I reached out to a family with severe financial problems. Not only was the family deep in debt, the husband was borrowing heavily from loan sharks. We brought them to church and they accepted Christ. We gave them what we could afford. When the husband fled the home due to the harassment of the creditors, Tim had to confront a group of them who had come looking for him in the middle of the night.
Later we helped to partially sponsor him to join a Bible school in East Malaysia. The family left to join him soon after but they left behind their 12 year old son for us to take care. We agreed as he was taking a major government exam that year. After finishing his studies, the young man went off to join his family. Fast forward more than 10 years later, the young man visited us. We were surprised but happy to hear that he had graduated from a local University and was holding a steady job. He came to thank us for what we had done for him and his family during that difficult year.
When the sisters (all in their teens and extremely tall and good looking like their dad) visited us for CNY this year, I was saddened to hear about their father. Apparently the whole family was doing well for a time. The father started a new business which was doing well and they were attending a local church that gave to their financial needs.
Apparently the father did not change. The cares of this life, the riches and pleasures of wine, women and song overtook him and he began to indulge once again in his old habits of borrowing money from loan sharks. I was also shocked to learn from his wife that his habits had cost him his life!
Here was a man who was born again, went to Bible school, spoke in tongues and who had experienced a glorious deliverance under the ministry of a renowned Bible teacher, going back to the indulgences of his past life. Like a dog returning to his own vomit or a pig returning to the dirt of his pig-pen, I was saddened by the report received from his wife.
When the word of God falls among thorns which are the cares, riches and fleshly pleasures of this life, it will be choked out if we are not careful to weed them out. Having a consistent daily devotional life, attending church regularly and allowing others to sharpen us are essential activities that will help us keep our lives clear from the thorns.
If it can happen to this late brother, it can happen to me! That's why I need to to be ever vigilant to guard my heart from being choked by the cares/riches/pleasures of this life!
However I must say that I received tremendous encouragement from this precious family because I saw that all the 5 of them (mother, 3 daughters and the young man) were the good ground spoken off in Luke 8:15. Unlike their late father, they are still standing firm for Jesus despite the persecution from their father's family. I also understand from the mother that although financial problems are a major concern, they have refused to allow this particular thorn to choke the word of God in their lives!
Later we helped to partially sponsor him to join a Bible school in East Malaysia. The family left to join him soon after but they left behind their 12 year old son for us to take care. We agreed as he was taking a major government exam that year. After finishing his studies, the young man went off to join his family. Fast forward more than 10 years later, the young man visited us. We were surprised but happy to hear that he had graduated from a local University and was holding a steady job. He came to thank us for what we had done for him and his family during that difficult year.
When the sisters (all in their teens and extremely tall and good looking like their dad) visited us for CNY this year, I was saddened to hear about their father. Apparently the whole family was doing well for a time. The father started a new business which was doing well and they were attending a local church that gave to their financial needs.
Apparently the father did not change. The cares of this life, the riches and pleasures of wine, women and song overtook him and he began to indulge once again in his old habits of borrowing money from loan sharks. I was also shocked to learn from his wife that his habits had cost him his life!
Here was a man who was born again, went to Bible school, spoke in tongues and who had experienced a glorious deliverance under the ministry of a renowned Bible teacher, going back to the indulgences of his past life. Like a dog returning to his own vomit or a pig returning to the dirt of his pig-pen, I was saddened by the report received from his wife.
When the word of God falls among thorns which are the cares, riches and fleshly pleasures of this life, it will be choked out if we are not careful to weed them out. Having a consistent daily devotional life, attending church regularly and allowing others to sharpen us are essential activities that will help us keep our lives clear from the thorns.
If it can happen to this late brother, it can happen to me! That's why I need to to be ever vigilant to guard my heart from being choked by the cares/riches/pleasures of this life!
However I must say that I received tremendous encouragement from this precious family because I saw that all the 5 of them (mother, 3 daughters and the young man) were the good ground spoken off in Luke 8:15. Unlike their late father, they are still standing firm for Jesus despite the persecution from their father's family. I also understand from the mother that although financial problems are a major concern, they have refused to allow this particular thorn to choke the word of God in their lives!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Seeds that fell among thorns
I pondered over this type of ground in Luke 8:14 " The seeds that fell among thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity"
Sister A and family have been Christians for many years. They have been going from church to church expecting some breakthrough for their family in terms of health and finances. Each time they will go to the altar for prayer. Each time they will complain bitterly that despite so many people praying for them, their lives have not changed for the better. In fact they spoke to me once that even the unbelievers appear to have less problems than them. It was as though their problems were choking out God in their lives.
Yet another group of unbelievers who hear the word will politely decline Jesus because they feel that becoming Christians will restrict their freedom of partying, clubbing, splurging (spending money without having to account to anybody). They see Christianity as imposing on them a set of dos and donts which are uncool and which will make them lose their independance. Yet another group of young people said that they will resist God's call into full time ministry as they want to earn 'big money' and become millionaires at as young an age as possible!
The thorns of life are the "cares, riches and pleasures of this life". I have seen those struggling with the cares of life to know that the thorns can be hard to entangle. The thorns can be the struggles of putting food on the table, the problems in the family, the quarrels between husband and wife, the frustration of dealing with rebellious adult children, immorality in the family etc. Indeed if the thorns are not taken out one by one, the seeds will be choked and they will not be able to take deep roots in our hearts.
For these ones, my heart goes out to them...how would the Lord want me to help them? I pray for their heart to be open to share their problems to me, then I need God's loving wisdom to speak the word for their situation.I then seek God's help to help them bring their cares to the Lord one by one and let God unravel it for them.
As for those with riches and pleasures of life crowding out the message of life, I lay hands on them (especially my children) and ask God to show them that greater blessing and riches await them if they only know how to apply Matt 6:33 "Seek first and kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you"!
Sister A and family have been Christians for many years. They have been going from church to church expecting some breakthrough for their family in terms of health and finances. Each time they will go to the altar for prayer. Each time they will complain bitterly that despite so many people praying for them, their lives have not changed for the better. In fact they spoke to me once that even the unbelievers appear to have less problems than them. It was as though their problems were choking out God in their lives.
Yet another group of unbelievers who hear the word will politely decline Jesus because they feel that becoming Christians will restrict their freedom of partying, clubbing, splurging (spending money without having to account to anybody). They see Christianity as imposing on them a set of dos and donts which are uncool and which will make them lose their independance. Yet another group of young people said that they will resist God's call into full time ministry as they want to earn 'big money' and become millionaires at as young an age as possible!
The thorns of life are the "cares, riches and pleasures of this life". I have seen those struggling with the cares of life to know that the thorns can be hard to entangle. The thorns can be the struggles of putting food on the table, the problems in the family, the quarrels between husband and wife, the frustration of dealing with rebellious adult children, immorality in the family etc. Indeed if the thorns are not taken out one by one, the seeds will be choked and they will not be able to take deep roots in our hearts.
For these ones, my heart goes out to them...how would the Lord want me to help them? I pray for their heart to be open to share their problems to me, then I need God's loving wisdom to speak the word for their situation.I then seek God's help to help them bring their cares to the Lord one by one and let God unravel it for them.
As for those with riches and pleasures of life crowding out the message of life, I lay hands on them (especially my children) and ask God to show them that greater blessing and riches await them if they only know how to apply Matt 6:33 "Seek first and kingdom of God and all these things shall be added unto you"!
The seed on rocky soil
The other day, M a new believer told me that she was thinking of giving up the faith because the person who had influenced her to become a Christian had failed her.
That had me thinking about Luke 8:13 "The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation" M had received the gospel with joy. She shared testimonies of God's touch upon her life after each church service. During the second Sunday, she signed up for follow up class and on the third Sunday, she told me that she wanted to be baptized. So how did this confession of wanting to give up the faith came about?
I myself had this experience very early in my Christian walk. The first few months salvation experience were like honeymoon with the Lord. He was so real, His touch was so tangible and His word ministered to me daily. Then came one dark day, when all the wonderful feelings left me. I felt that God had deserted me. Suddenly He was not there anymore, He seemed to have hidden Himself behind a cloud. I felt abandoned and rejected by God. At that point in time, I doubted my salvation and the reality of God.
Then during a time of contemplative prayer, I saw what seemed like the vision of a giant eagle kicking out her young from the nest. The mother eagle watched her young one falling and falling...with one swoop she flew downwards and carried the young eagle on her wings back to the nest. One more time, she pushed the little one out of her nest...again and again she swooped down when the eaglet was falling midway. Then miraculously it happened, the young eagle suddenly unflapped her wings and began to discover that it could fly! I felt there and then that God was weaning me off feelings and teaching me that true faith is the unwavering trust in God no matter my feelings!
This, I discovered is the process of the testing of our faith! God allows it to enable us to build endurance and character. He stands from afar to see how we will respond to trial, testing and temptation. Like the children of Israel led out into the wilderness where they were tested with the lack of water, food and surrounded by their enemies, God sometimes watches and see what will come out of our mouth/what our attitude will be in the hardest of circumstances/situations.
Being a new Christian, my dear sister had not developed deep roots as yet. As for me I will do my part to buy her books for her to read, send scriptures to her on my mobile and prayed for her to be strong in the Lord. However eventually she would have to learn to flex the wings of faith that God had given her!
That had me thinking about Luke 8:13 "The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation" M had received the gospel with joy. She shared testimonies of God's touch upon her life after each church service. During the second Sunday, she signed up for follow up class and on the third Sunday, she told me that she wanted to be baptized. So how did this confession of wanting to give up the faith came about?
I myself had this experience very early in my Christian walk. The first few months salvation experience were like honeymoon with the Lord. He was so real, His touch was so tangible and His word ministered to me daily. Then came one dark day, when all the wonderful feelings left me. I felt that God had deserted me. Suddenly He was not there anymore, He seemed to have hidden Himself behind a cloud. I felt abandoned and rejected by God. At that point in time, I doubted my salvation and the reality of God.
Then during a time of contemplative prayer, I saw what seemed like the vision of a giant eagle kicking out her young from the nest. The mother eagle watched her young one falling and falling...with one swoop she flew downwards and carried the young eagle on her wings back to the nest. One more time, she pushed the little one out of her nest...again and again she swooped down when the eaglet was falling midway. Then miraculously it happened, the young eagle suddenly unflapped her wings and began to discover that it could fly! I felt there and then that God was weaning me off feelings and teaching me that true faith is the unwavering trust in God no matter my feelings!
This, I discovered is the process of the testing of our faith! God allows it to enable us to build endurance and character. He stands from afar to see how we will respond to trial, testing and temptation. Like the children of Israel led out into the wilderness where they were tested with the lack of water, food and surrounded by their enemies, God sometimes watches and see what will come out of our mouth/what our attitude will be in the hardest of circumstances/situations.
Being a new Christian, my dear sister had not developed deep roots as yet. As for me I will do my part to buy her books for her to read, send scriptures to her on my mobile and prayed for her to be strong in the Lord. However eventually she would have to learn to flex the wings of faith that God had given her!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The seeds that the devil takes away
At the request of our younger daughter, we agreed to allow her friend J to stay with us as he was from outstation. Both of them got a job with a popular downtown clothing store and the reason we allowed him to stay was because we wanted to reach out to him (I guess we wanted to see another conversion like in Paul's case, which will take another time to write). We also took pity on him as he was from the East Coast and for him to rent a room in KL and furnish it would have set him back by a month's pay at least. Since he came, we have fed him, washed his clothes, cooked for him, provided transport for him, taken him out for family meals etc. Once when he came back from work, he called me 'mummy' which was surprise for me! Now I feel that I have 2 sons in the house, instead of one!
Anyway the crunch time came when my daughter took him to a Chinese Christian Youth Outreach (he was from a Chinese medium school and more comfortable with Mandarin). When they came back from the meeting, I asked her whether he responded to the message. My daughter told me that many accepted the Lord during the meeting but not J. Reason: he was offended because according to him "Christians were converting the people".
No wonder Jesus said "Blessed is he who is not offended because of me". This young man missed a great blessing that day.
This incident brought to my mind the parable of the seed and the different type of ground. I find that sowing the seed of the gospel is relatively easy i.e. I give the tract or the church magazine, say a few words on the gospel and if the Lord open doors, take out the 4 Spiritual Laws and go through it cover to cover. It is the response of the person to whom the seed is sown that I have absolutely no control. Whilst Tim and I have had success with Paul who stayed with us for over a year, this young man seem to have a different response.
Luke 8:11 - 12 tells of one of the reason why the seed did not take root. "The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved." How is this so? I think it must be that the enemy has already got some sort of foothold in their lives to begin with. Perhaps its their background of idol worship, bondage, bad habits or recurrent sin or even a mind control spirit. Maybe its some kind of wrong teaching or indoctrination (like in my case - I was reading books on Tibetan Buddhism/occult/astral traveling). Perhaps its some unforgiveness, bitterness or resentment, hurt or grieve which arose as a result of altercation with Christians. For some young people, perhaps its their fear of parental objections.
The only way to deal with this is to bind the works of the enemy so that the enemy's foothold will be smashed, broken and cut down!
Lord we take authority over every work of the enemy in J and bind every spirit of doubt, fear or unbelief. We bind and break every bondage of the mind, every unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment, every past experience that is a stumbling block to J's salvation. Have mercy on him. In Jesus name. Amen!
Anyway the crunch time came when my daughter took him to a Chinese Christian Youth Outreach (he was from a Chinese medium school and more comfortable with Mandarin). When they came back from the meeting, I asked her whether he responded to the message. My daughter told me that many accepted the Lord during the meeting but not J. Reason: he was offended because according to him "Christians were converting the people".
No wonder Jesus said "Blessed is he who is not offended because of me". This young man missed a great blessing that day.
This incident brought to my mind the parable of the seed and the different type of ground. I find that sowing the seed of the gospel is relatively easy i.e. I give the tract or the church magazine, say a few words on the gospel and if the Lord open doors, take out the 4 Spiritual Laws and go through it cover to cover. It is the response of the person to whom the seed is sown that I have absolutely no control. Whilst Tim and I have had success with Paul who stayed with us for over a year, this young man seem to have a different response.
Luke 8:11 - 12 tells of one of the reason why the seed did not take root. "The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved." How is this so? I think it must be that the enemy has already got some sort of foothold in their lives to begin with. Perhaps its their background of idol worship, bondage, bad habits or recurrent sin or even a mind control spirit. Maybe its some kind of wrong teaching or indoctrination (like in my case - I was reading books on Tibetan Buddhism/occult/astral traveling). Perhaps its some unforgiveness, bitterness or resentment, hurt or grieve which arose as a result of altercation with Christians. For some young people, perhaps its their fear of parental objections.
The only way to deal with this is to bind the works of the enemy so that the enemy's foothold will be smashed, broken and cut down!
Lord we take authority over every work of the enemy in J and bind every spirit of doubt, fear or unbelief. We bind and break every bondage of the mind, every unforgiveness, bitterness and resentment, every past experience that is a stumbling block to J's salvation. Have mercy on him. In Jesus name. Amen!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Security alarm
One of the younger members in my life group, Sister S just recently acquired a dog for her household. When I took Aka Lata to visit her (Aka is my god sister from India and a woman of God) Sister S had to rein in the dog as he was barking fiercely at us. According to Sister S, the dog's keen sense of smell protected the family from strangers who will come knocking at their gates in the middle of the night. Sister S also told me that there being 5 girls in the family (mum who is bed ridden and 4 sisters who were still schooling) having a dog was a necessity as he could function like a security guard/alarm for the family.
I thought of my own house....big spacious open balcony with a huge sliding door that's always open to catch the wind, windows without bars, doors that open into the corridors of my apartment so that passers-by can look in and see what I am doing in the kitchen....God, do you think I need to get a dog or wire up my house with an alarm system?
Then the Lord showed me that I do have an alarm. In fact it is absolutely foolproof, the best there is that money cannot buy. It is the PRAYERS that I say for my children in the morning and at night when I lay hands on them and bless them. Since buying the book 'Praying for your adult children' and praying over the children prayer by prayer, I can sense a spiritual covering over the lives.
I believe that everytime I pray for my children, I switch on the best security alarm/system in the world for them and a wall of protection envelopes them. The glory and the presence of God surrounds them, shield them and protect them from every evil work.
PRAYER IS INDEED THE BEST SECURITY ALARM WE CAN EVER SWITCH ON FOR OUR CHILDREN!
I thought of my own house....big spacious open balcony with a huge sliding door that's always open to catch the wind, windows without bars, doors that open into the corridors of my apartment so that passers-by can look in and see what I am doing in the kitchen....God, do you think I need to get a dog or wire up my house with an alarm system?
Then the Lord showed me that I do have an alarm. In fact it is absolutely foolproof, the best there is that money cannot buy. It is the PRAYERS that I say for my children in the morning and at night when I lay hands on them and bless them. Since buying the book 'Praying for your adult children' and praying over the children prayer by prayer, I can sense a spiritual covering over the lives.
I believe that everytime I pray for my children, I switch on the best security alarm/system in the world for them and a wall of protection envelopes them. The glory and the presence of God surrounds them, shield them and protect them from every evil work.
PRAYER IS INDEED THE BEST SECURITY ALARM WE CAN EVER SWITCH ON FOR OUR CHILDREN!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sunday rest
Well I am really blessed today. My favorite baker, M came to church with her son! I had wanted to buy something from her yesterday but found out from her son that she was in Japan for a baking convention. There and then I invited the young man to bring his mother to church...imagine my surprise when I saw both of them in church the following day!
Today Tim and I read Mark 2 as our devotional and I was really struck by verse 27 when Jesus told the Pharisees off. They had become too legalistic and started questioning why the disciples were breaking the law by harvesting grain on Sabbath to eat. Jesus said something really profound "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people and not the people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath". I believe that Jesus is saying that we should not allow legalism to bind us to the extent that we forget to do good or to minister to the needs of others even on a day when we are supposed to be in church. I believe that what He is saying is that works of mercy and compassion are more important than the strict observance of the law.
Further He said this to me, "Everyday should be your Sabbath day of rest. How do you know when you are not resting? You know it when your heart is struggling, anxious and troubled. You know it when your mind is in turmoil and not at peace concerning the issues at hand."
Wow....today is Sunday, tomorrow is the start of another week. Am I at rest?
Today Tim and I read Mark 2 as our devotional and I was really struck by verse 27 when Jesus told the Pharisees off. They had become too legalistic and started questioning why the disciples were breaking the law by harvesting grain on Sabbath to eat. Jesus said something really profound "The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of the people and not the people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath". I believe that Jesus is saying that we should not allow legalism to bind us to the extent that we forget to do good or to minister to the needs of others even on a day when we are supposed to be in church. I believe that what He is saying is that works of mercy and compassion are more important than the strict observance of the law.
Further He said this to me, "Everyday should be your Sabbath day of rest. How do you know when you are not resting? You know it when your heart is struggling, anxious and troubled. You know it when your mind is in turmoil and not at peace concerning the issues at hand."
Wow....today is Sunday, tomorrow is the start of another week. Am I at rest?
Sabbath rest in my workplace
I struggle to give God the answer to the question "Are you at rest?" Actually to be in the Sabbath rest is more for my benefit than for God! To be truly rested in Christ is to allow God full liberty to meet my needs and not to get in His way! What do I need for my week ahead in the office? If I were to list down the things I need:
1. I need to struggle less and to yield to the Lord more.
2. I need wisdom in my work so that I can accomplish more in lesser time.
3. I need to be rid of frustration especially in dealing with slower staff.
4. I need to be less impatient with people.
5. I need to control my temper and not be sacarstic with people.
6. I need to stop being manipulative or to use my own efforts/words to get what I want.
7. I need to be more thankful for my work, my bosses, my colleagues and not be critical, judgmental or quick to find fault.
and the list goes on and on....
"To be observing the Sabbath rest is to let me take care of you!" Wow! Isn't that profound or what! The Lord led me to read Heb 4 on the rest of God.
Reading Heb 4, the word of God just came clearly to me:
1. The rest of God is gained by obedience to His quickened word.
Heb 4:11 "But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fail". It is so important to begin my day with the reading of God's word. The word of God will expose what is soulish vis-a-vis what is spiritual, it will expose all my innermost and desires. I cannot hide my actual intentions and motives when the word of God is read. Often, in the midst of reading, I will receive a quickened word that will apply for a particular situation I have been mulling over. In making up my mind to obey the word, I will immediately enter into the peace and the love of God. For e.g when I was frustrated with the many nasty emails sent to me by my boss in the first few years of working with her, the Lord began to speak to me to bless her and to humble myself by submitting to her even though I had many more years of experience than her. In making a decision to obey the quickened word, I began to change in my attitude towards her. I also stopped complaining about her! Our relationship has improved so much that she sends me festive greetings and often enquired about my welfare.
2. The rest of God is gained if we stop struggling and start trusting.
Heb 4:10 "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors." I find that the easiest way to strop struggling is to surrender my every problem in the office to the Lord. Not just the most difficult assignments or the humanly impossible deadlines but the sense of injustice I experience especially when it comes to rewards. How do you feel when you do so much work to find that your colleagues have written down your achievements as theirs when nary a finger had been lifted to help? How do you feel when others copy and paste certain sections of your KPI and take credit for it? I often prayed "Lord, give me justice concerning this issue. Let the boss of my boss know who is doing the work and who is not, who is taking credit for the achievements that are not theirs". Today when I look at my bonus I know that God has answered my prayers!
3. The rest of God is gained by not being obstinate and stubborn.
Sometimes its easy to argue God away. I guess this is what is meant by verse 7 "So God set another time to for entering his rest, and that time today....Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts." To keep on abiding in the rest of the God is to immediately obey Him when He speaks. It is not a delayed reaction, it is a reaction for today. It is not to give Him a whole list of "buts"...."but God she is like this", "but God it is very difficult to forgive" "but God after what I have gone through, its not easy", "but God it is easier said than done"....
4. To be in the rest of God is to tap into the abundance of His grace and mercy.
How can we ever survive without the grace and mercy of the Lord? How can we enter into that precious rest if we do not ask Him for help? Indeed the Lord understands our weaknesses for He faced all of the same testimes we do, yet He did not sin. So, to enter into that precious rest, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Heb 4:15-16)
How can I advice my dear sister who is facing financial problem to enter into God's rest? Her heart is full of worries, her body is sick and her mind is preoccupied with her problems. I realize this, the rest of God is to be won firstly in her mind and in the heart. When her worries cease and her mind is quiet, God will begin to take over and work out a solution for her!
1. I need to struggle less and to yield to the Lord more.
2. I need wisdom in my work so that I can accomplish more in lesser time.
3. I need to be rid of frustration especially in dealing with slower staff.
4. I need to be less impatient with people.
5. I need to control my temper and not be sacarstic with people.
6. I need to stop being manipulative or to use my own efforts/words to get what I want.
7. I need to be more thankful for my work, my bosses, my colleagues and not be critical, judgmental or quick to find fault.
and the list goes on and on....
"To be observing the Sabbath rest is to let me take care of you!" Wow! Isn't that profound or what! The Lord led me to read Heb 4 on the rest of God.
Reading Heb 4, the word of God just came clearly to me:
1. The rest of God is gained by obedience to His quickened word.
Heb 4:11 "But if we disobey God as the people of Israel did, we will fail". It is so important to begin my day with the reading of God's word. The word of God will expose what is soulish vis-a-vis what is spiritual, it will expose all my innermost and desires. I cannot hide my actual intentions and motives when the word of God is read. Often, in the midst of reading, I will receive a quickened word that will apply for a particular situation I have been mulling over. In making up my mind to obey the word, I will immediately enter into the peace and the love of God. For e.g when I was frustrated with the many nasty emails sent to me by my boss in the first few years of working with her, the Lord began to speak to me to bless her and to humble myself by submitting to her even though I had many more years of experience than her. In making a decision to obey the quickened word, I began to change in my attitude towards her. I also stopped complaining about her! Our relationship has improved so much that she sends me festive greetings and often enquired about my welfare.
2. The rest of God is gained if we stop struggling and start trusting.
Heb 4:10 "For all who have entered into God's rest have rested from their labors." I find that the easiest way to strop struggling is to surrender my every problem in the office to the Lord. Not just the most difficult assignments or the humanly impossible deadlines but the sense of injustice I experience especially when it comes to rewards. How do you feel when you do so much work to find that your colleagues have written down your achievements as theirs when nary a finger had been lifted to help? How do you feel when others copy and paste certain sections of your KPI and take credit for it? I often prayed "Lord, give me justice concerning this issue. Let the boss of my boss know who is doing the work and who is not, who is taking credit for the achievements that are not theirs". Today when I look at my bonus I know that God has answered my prayers!
3. The rest of God is gained by not being obstinate and stubborn.
Sometimes its easy to argue God away. I guess this is what is meant by verse 7 "So God set another time to for entering his rest, and that time today....Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts." To keep on abiding in the rest of the God is to immediately obey Him when He speaks. It is not a delayed reaction, it is a reaction for today. It is not to give Him a whole list of "buts"...."but God she is like this", "but God it is very difficult to forgive" "but God after what I have gone through, its not easy", "but God it is easier said than done"....
4. To be in the rest of God is to tap into the abundance of His grace and mercy.
How can we ever survive without the grace and mercy of the Lord? How can we enter into that precious rest if we do not ask Him for help? Indeed the Lord understands our weaknesses for He faced all of the same testimes we do, yet He did not sin. So, to enter into that precious rest, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most (Heb 4:15-16)
How can I advice my dear sister who is facing financial problem to enter into God's rest? Her heart is full of worries, her body is sick and her mind is preoccupied with her problems. I realize this, the rest of God is to be won firstly in her mind and in the heart. When her worries cease and her mind is quiet, God will begin to take over and work out a solution for her!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Monday minutes blues
Whenever my boss is on leave I have to sit in one of the loans committee meeting to take minutes as her replacement. The committee meeting is normally held on a Monday and I really had to prepare myself spiritually before stepping into the conference room. It is not something that I look forward to as the senior managers can be critical and make comments that can be offensive. At one time, the credit head called me to tell me that one of the minutes that I had to prepared was the worst he had ever read as it was full of mistakes! At another time, the Chairman caught me dozing off and said "Eh! You must write down the discussion as this is important". Was I embarrased! Often certain bosses like to point out English mistakes, word construction, grammar etc which really had me flabbergasted. Like I told my boss, I checked, I checked and I checked, yet I missed out the mistakes. The eyes play tricks especially when pages after pages before me are swimming with words!
So usually on the Mondays when I am supposed to sit in for my boss, I will really pray. Last night I knelt down and prayed. I woke up at 4 am this morning and prayed again. During lunch time, I found a quiet place to rest and committed my 2 pm meeting to the Lord in prayer. My prayer was the same "Lord let my minutes be approved without any mistakes being pointed out".
I really want to thank the Lord for answering my prayers. Sitting there with the senior bosses of the bank, I actually saw typo errors and mistakes in the first few pages of the minutes staring at me! I had expected someone to point it out to me but thank God no one did and today's minutes were approved without any comments.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus!
So usually on the Mondays when I am supposed to sit in for my boss, I will really pray. Last night I knelt down and prayed. I woke up at 4 am this morning and prayed again. During lunch time, I found a quiet place to rest and committed my 2 pm meeting to the Lord in prayer. My prayer was the same "Lord let my minutes be approved without any mistakes being pointed out".
I really want to thank the Lord for answering my prayers. Sitting there with the senior bosses of the bank, I actually saw typo errors and mistakes in the first few pages of the minutes staring at me! I had expected someone to point it out to me but thank God no one did and today's minutes were approved without any comments.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Jesus!
Friday, January 7, 2011
New Year Resolutions
Lord I pray you will help me to build my character this year:
Give me grace to replace pride with humility
Resentment has to be overcome so that I can be set free
Unbelief in my mind must be replaced by faith
Complaining must make way for praise.
Help me to make thanksgiving my daily confession
Love and forgiveness must cover all resentment
Lord please deal with all my wicked thoughts
Help me to dwell in Your embrace, my safe abode.
Gossip has to give way to encouragement
Selfishness has to be replaced by compassion
Help me not to make an outward show of deeds
My life must be a written epistle for all to read! Amen
Give me grace to replace pride with humility
Resentment has to be overcome so that I can be set free
Unbelief in my mind must be replaced by faith
Complaining must make way for praise.
Help me to make thanksgiving my daily confession
Love and forgiveness must cover all resentment
Lord please deal with all my wicked thoughts
Help me to dwell in Your embrace, my safe abode.
Gossip has to give way to encouragement
Selfishness has to be replaced by compassion
Help me not to make an outward show of deeds
My life must be a written epistle for all to read! Amen
Monday, January 3, 2011
About S
Yesterday during church service, Pastor showed a recent newspaper article containing the picture of a temple caretaker who reported the theft of some idols from his temple. Pastor said this "how can you trust in an idol who cannot even take care of itself"!
Unknown to Pastor, there was this Indian lady in the service who was a hindu (that's what she told me quite affirmatively) when I went over to talk to her after the service. When I asked her whether she was a first-timer, she told me that she had attended the recent Christmas celebration in church. Sis A then came over and told me that she had accepted Christ during the Christmas celebration on Dec 25 in church.
I decided to go over with her the 4 spiritual laws explaining to her that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life and that only He and He alone gives assurance of eternal life. I felt that I had explained the Gospel clearly and thoroughly to her. After reading the 4th law, I asked her whether she would like to say the sinner's prayer. I was surprised when she said this "I believe in Jesus, I believe in all the gods but I am a hindu". That's when I realized that for some people Jesus is just another 'idol' to be added to the many 'idols' worshipped by them on the altar!
Anyway I thanked the Lord for the opportunity to get to know S and to pray for her knee (she had an accident before and had trouble walking). I believe that God will begin to work in her heart and hope to see her again next week.
Unknown to Pastor, there was this Indian lady in the service who was a hindu (that's what she told me quite affirmatively) when I went over to talk to her after the service. When I asked her whether she was a first-timer, she told me that she had attended the recent Christmas celebration in church. Sis A then came over and told me that she had accepted Christ during the Christmas celebration on Dec 25 in church.
I decided to go over with her the 4 spiritual laws explaining to her that Jesus is the only way, the truth and the life and that only He and He alone gives assurance of eternal life. I felt that I had explained the Gospel clearly and thoroughly to her. After reading the 4th law, I asked her whether she would like to say the sinner's prayer. I was surprised when she said this "I believe in Jesus, I believe in all the gods but I am a hindu". That's when I realized that for some people Jesus is just another 'idol' to be added to the many 'idols' worshipped by them on the altar!
Anyway I thanked the Lord for the opportunity to get to know S and to pray for her knee (she had an accident before and had trouble walking). I believe that God will begin to work in her heart and hope to see her again next week.
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