Dear....
Are most of us guilty of blasphemy? For by the manner we conduct our lives, we are implying that God is not real. He is at best one of the many comfort points or idols we look to in our times of specific wants, to be left on the shelf of neglect once these wants are met.
Many years back, in the early days of my seeking to live as a follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, there was one night in my quiet time, I felt a sense of doubt as to the very existence of God. That same night, I awoke with a startle and much as I spontaneously shouted aloud the words ' away with you Satan,' I had a glimpse of a cobra. Was it a dream, a figment of my imagination or it was my own moment of doubt that had allowed a spiritual onslaught on my being?
Interestingly, the next morning, as I spend time reading the Daily Bread, I was reminded that the previous evening's reading that I had half disinterestedly picked through, was on 'doubting God.'
Fast forward to June 2010, as some might recall in my moment of weakness, I asked to take a break not just only from serving God, but from Him, and inexplicably I found myself entering a period of spiritual depression. But by His grace, God not only lifted the oppression of the devil upon my very being, but brought me forth to a new maturity in my journey with Him, which led to my penning the series "In Spirit and truth."
'Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape....'
John 5:37
If you are skeptical of what is shared so far, it is understandable, for we are looking from our own finite understanding. But it is good to take time in the presence of our Sovereign Lord, and He will lift the veil upon your heart and you will be edified by His sanctifying grace, much as you will be keenly cognitive of the delusions of the fallen prince of the air.
God is Spirit. Only in taking time in His Words( for the Word is God), in a time of prayers( for prayers is about communion in His presence), in His works( for God is love, and we will experience the empowerment of the Holy Spirit when we do His will and share love), and always with a thankful heart. For a grateful heart allows us to look from God's perspective, and enables us to be used by Him wonderfully in His purpose.
'....the Word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.'
Luke 3:2
John the Baptist was called into ministry in the quietness of the harsh desert, as was a long line of prophets. I am reminded that the same applies to almost all of us. It is often in the difficult circumstances, the desert of our lives, that our hearts not just sense the presence of our omnipresent Father in Heaven, but are more willing to respond to His leading.
God is more than a figment of one's imagination. He lives and you will know Him, and enjoy His grace this very moment if you are willing to let go and let Him. For in drawing near to God, He draws near to you.
'He( ie Jesus) said to them, "Come and see. " They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day...'
John 1:39
As I prepare to close these thoughts, I received news of a very dear brother in Christ who has taken ill. As a man blessed to know God, the question that came to my heart was "not why did it happen to a man who seeks after the Lord?" but rather, "have I been faithful enough to be able to discern the will of God for my friend, for God will answer the prayers and supplications asked in His will?' In all circumstances, God is Sovereign and His plans are good for the faithful. Will we be willing to move as He leads?'
'The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.'
Psalm 121:7-8
It is easier to accept the goodness of God in our happy circumstances. But in the midst of the storms in our lives, is Psalm 121:7-8 a fallacy?
I was glad when they said to me. "Let us go into the house of the Lord."
Psalm 122:1
We look at the temporal, God is preparing us for eternity.
God blesses
Eng Hieang
11th Feb 2012
Running the race #31 Show me God!!(20Feb2009)
Dear…
'As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy form.'
Psalm 17:15
How many of us can truly state categorically that we come out of our nightly slumber all raring to start anew in this newly minted fresh day? And even fewer will likely end the day at peace, with nary a few needing valium induced sleep.
I must admit that I find it impossible to be at peace, without time with God, but would that not make God no different from the other paraphernalia of solace that many seek in this troubled world? Be it meditation, yoga, spa, valium and whatever seems to give us that temporary respite.
To each his or her own might be the dictum, and it should be, for one should not impose one's faith on others. But share, we can and let me try to expound a little more on why for me and for many other believers in our Sovereign Lord, God is truly the only source of comfort and grace.
'Yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless Jehovah, Who hath given me counsel; Yea, my heart instructeth me in the night seasons. I have set Jehovah always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall dwell in safety. For Thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol..'
Psalms 16:7-9
A short article I read in the Daily Bread this morning gave me an insight which I was fleetingly aware, but never paid much attention to. King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, made his most correct decision in his sleep, when God spoke to his heart, and from his humble and contrite heart, Solomon asked not for riches or power, but for wisdom from God to be a good steward of the Kingdom that King David his father had bequeathed to him, as commanded by God.
The best decision in my life was also from the heart, but it was when I was wide awake at 1 a.m in Bangkok, when the Lord uplifted my heart, that one cannot but be repentant and be willing to acknowledge His Sovereignty and translate that into a desire to seek Him always.
'And I will give them an heart to know Me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto Me with their whole heart.'
Jeremiah 24:7
But coming back to slumberland, while I did have a sprinkling of dreams or visions in my past slumbers, where truly I believe the Lord spoke clearly to me, but my recent experiences was a little different. My recent heart to heart experience (early Sep 2008) was more of a strong prompting that moves from the heart to an immediate thought in the mind as He awakens me in the few minutes preceding the beginning of dawn.
And as shared with some on this mailing, the prompting was to pay down debt and to buy physical gold, and though I ignored God more than a few times, for it goes again my rational logic, one must pay attention to a persistent call.
'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables…'
2 Timothy 4:3-4
"Show me the money" is a common retort for those who are skeptical of a commercial proposition. But sadly, this also permeates the lives of many both in and out of church, be it in times of great wealth creation or like now, in times of deep economic crisis.
A reallocation of God's material provisions to the faithful is occurring, as End Times intensifies, and where God will not just provide for the faithful, but will give more than suffice to allow the faithful to do His work amongst the many whose shaken lives will make them more willing to embrace God's love at work through us all.
'In his days, Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely, and this is his name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.'
Jeremiah 23:6
But to express that I will have knowledge as to where is best to position one's God provided resources to obtain the best financial returns or that I have the inside feel as to how best to extract that material blessings that God is supposedly to freely give to all who us who ask, is at best a misrepresentation of the will of God, and in Chinese mythical belief, would likely qualify me to go through the 7 or whatever is the numerical levels of torture before one finally end up in the hot cauldron of Hell. Not too sure about the levels but I would dread having to account to the Lord our God for my misdemeanors.
If we have forgotten the name of our God,or stretched out our hands to a strange god; shall not God search this out? For He knoweth the secrets of the heart…'
Psalms 44:20-21
"Show me a miracle" might be the criteria many indicate as a prerequsiite before they will be willing to consider the Sovereignty of God. The Israelites of Moses time were treated to a series of miracles, culminating in the parting of the Red Sea, yet, before long, their interests soon digress, and they rather exchange worship for God for a golden bull instead.
Is it because men find themselves easily distracted by the wiles of the devil or worse, they rather play god and arbiter themselves. Men, by virtue of eating the fruit of knowledge, find it difficult to want to let go and let God, for submissiveness run against their intellect, or more their sinful desire to play god.
'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up.'
James 4:10
A humble and contrite heart is the canvass upon which the Spirit of God will shine upon. Humbling is painful, but gainful for to be otherwise is to be like the devil, a prideful, deceitful and unrepentant fallen angel.
The devil as personified by pointed ears and a swishing tail, not many might have seen in real life, but the devil is in you, and the devil is on full display through you, if we continue to live a life that personifies the evil of this present world.
What about God? How can we show you the awesome God, that even men who are closest to Him can never see except from a sheltered distance and a covered veil, no one will live if He sees God.
'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid…'
John 14:27
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.'
Psalms 46:10-11
To introduce God, we have to first know Him. And much as the world uses its senses, God speaks to our heart and when He does, we will know His very presence. That inner peace and joy is a constant companion for those who are truly desirous of seeking God and obeying His will. I cannot show you God, but I know He is in me. But by my very living, I can be used by God to show all His very likeness.
But is that good enough for those who still insist that God must come down to their level?
'…am I now trying to win the approval of men or of God?'
Galatians 1:10
'Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them which are circumcised with the uncircumcised…..for all the house of Israel are uncircumcised in the heart.'
Jeremiah 9:25-26
Today, more than ever, many are going to church because they have been told that God will forgive and God will provide bountiful blessings, if we just asked. God has indeed already forgiven us our sins, but it does not mean that we can revert back to our old sinful ways. Forgiveness is given, but accountability for our sins still has to be made or more correctly, our hearts still need be to be transformed, and without some pain, there will be no gain, for then will one truly move from mouthing repentance to a truly heartfelt repentance. Is the corporate leadership of the world truly repentant? Lets hope so for then can healing truly begin.
'…The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build….'
Nehemiah 2:20
As a believer, I know that God will honor His promise to redistribute the provisions to the faithful. But it is not to be taken as a reward on earth for our reward is in eternity in Heaven. But rather, the provisions will be there for us to be used to release others from the bondage of the devil and to allow them to see the love of God in action.
Is it correct then to continue to do nothing but continue to pray that the provisions will come to us before we can moved hearts?
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.'
1 John 2:15
The provisions are already there for many of us, for the Lord our God has sheltered and provided. But it is not the provisions, but the Provider whom we must look to. And rather than worrying about showing the unbelieving proof of God's existence or even God Himself, would it not be better to show the way to the presence of God by obeying wholeheartedly the path He has shown us, which is
'For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.'
1 Peter 2:15
'But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, that I am the Lord which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.'
Jeremiah 9:24
'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith…'
2 Timothy 4:7
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(14 Feb 09)
An after note
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In Bangkok, where I have just returned from, this verse I read in my quiet time there, reminded me of the one and only time when I "saw" God, and even then, it was in my sleep.
"And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the East, and His voice was like a noise of many waters and the earth shined with His glory……So the Spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court, and behold the glory of the Lord filled the house. And I heard Him speaking unto me out of the house…''
Ezekiel 432-6
But I have "seen" God many times since then, in His Words, in His way, in circumstances. And a song I sang in church last Sunday reminded me and all about "seeing" God
Part of the song goes as follows
"..And I will run to You. To Your Words of truth. Not by might, not by power, But by the Spirit of God. Yes, I will run the race, till I see Your face. O, let me live in the glory of Your grace"
(Words and Music by Darlene Zschech)
I might not see God till He takes me to eternity, but His Spirit truly resides in us who believed and the Spirit will lead us, as the verse says below
'You,however are controlled not by the sinful nature, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you…'
Romans 8:9
And let me end by not making a prediction, but by stating what I truly believe the Lord had put in my heart on the way back on the plane yesterday,
That be forewarned, the stirrings of trouble in Eastern Europe will get worse if men not repent and let go of their own selfishness, as is already happening with the way the Western European banks are pulling the carpet from under the Eastern European brothers. The contagion has truly moved from the still unrepentant and deceitful land of the free, America to the still selfish Old World. Would it then move on to the rest of us including Asia?
'…God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him for HE care for you.'
1 Peter 5:5-7
Who are we to make God our equal??
'What is man that You are mindful of him. But the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a litter lower than the angels. And You have crowned him with glory and honour'
Psalms 8:3-6
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