Dear....
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an
hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
Matthew 24:44
Time
literally flies when you are up in a plane. For much as we are in
motion across space, the only thing that seems to move is the
agonizingly silent but steady
ticking of the second hand on one's timepiece. A sense of fear used to
hover over me in the past, for being up at high altitude, with no
control over one's fate, reminds one not just of of the brevity of life,
but our haplessness. But thanks be to God, He is Sovereign and I now
spend a useful part of my 13 hours in the
mechanical bird in conversation with our Lord?
And I was reminded
that every new day given to us must be used well to make ourselves ready
for His return or should we be called home. For there is eternity after
death.
They shall cast their silver in the streets, and their
gold shall be removed: their silver and their gold shall not be able to
deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord: they shall not satisfy
their souls, neither fill their bowels: because it is the stumbling
block of their iniquity.
Ezekiel 7:19
I used
to have a dear friend, in fact a very wealthy and powerful man. He came
out of the sub prime crisis relatively unscathed, but nay did he have a
proper night's sleep, worrying about which bank was secure for him to
place his monies.
Regrettably, all that hyper restlessness was to no avail, for he was laid to rest when our Lord called him
home.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow
shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is
the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:34
Is it not
just a refreshing thought, but a real liberating experience if we were
to accept that the day is beyond our finite abilities to cope, but the
grace of God is more than suffice to see us through? And not forgetting
that the day itself is a gift from God for we are but one breath away
from eternity.
The world looks at His provisions for the future, men and women of faith trust in God our Provider day by day.
As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
1 Peter 4:10
How
can we then not respond with a thankful heart, and be generous with the
generosity that comes entirely from our Lord? And should we not be
willing to share, for tomorrow might not come, and even if it does, God
will and has provided? And a thankful heart is the balm for a fearful
heart.
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15-16
Will
you be like Abel who gave the best of his first fruits to God, which
pleases our Heavenly Father. Or are you like Cain who gave to God from a
heart that has other priorities, and whose offerings displeased Him?
'...And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect....'
Genesis 4:4-5
Do
you have the desire, the determination and the diligence to seek Him
with your all, and to love others, not just in words but in
works, as much as yourself? And in doing so, God will imbue you with
that indescribable joy and peace every day of your life, that both Kings
and the common men seek, but never attained, for they seek all other
gods, but our Sovereign God.
'I am the Lord your God, Who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their
slaves. I have broken your yoke and made you walk upright.'
Leviticus 26:13
Much
as we all know that our Risen Christ has unlocked the prison gates of
sin and death that once encapsulated us the seeds of Adam, yet sadly,
many are afraid to step out.
Letting go and letting God is a step of
faith into the chasm of the unknown. Yet many disciples of Christ have
done that, because they know and trust Him.
And we have known and
believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1 John 4:16
And the key to a personal relationship with God is through the act of loving our neighbors, for God is love.
There
is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear
hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
1 John 4:18
In
giving, we receive. And what we dispense, be it monies, our talents or
time, we will more than get back, not in the myopic narrow concept of
more worldly riches. But rather, we will be blessed by the richness of a
life lived knowing and following Christ.
Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee,
and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.
Proverbs
30:8-9
And think about it. Extrapolated fear is what hovers over
most of us. Love is the antidote to the dispersing of this insidious
cloud that lead many to strive and strife with great angst, for the
fleeting joy, that the temporal riches of this world can provide.
Much
as love from us for our neighbors is often tentative and qualified and
mercurial, love from God our Father for us is unconditional.
As I
stand on the cusps of entering a new ministry tomorrow, a literal
promised land in the workplace, the 'giants' of fear and uncertainty
hovers over me. But I am reminded of the love of God for me and my
family, not just in the way He has provided for my daughter in her new
nesting place in London, but for us in Singapore. Last night, I was
parked at the highest level ( floor 12) in Shaw Center. And much as I
sensed the car was not right, it was only after leaving the car park
did I realize that my brakes were not
working too well.
It is not pure luck but rather by the grace of God that nothing untoward befell us as we drove downhill.
Every
day that God gives us, His grace is suffice. And every breathing moment
we have, we must be like Christ, for He is preparing us for His
kingdom. And knowing that His love for us is truly down to His knowing
every strand of our hair, we should let our hair down literally and
savor the new day He has blessed us with today, by honoring Him always.
Obedience today comes from us, conclusions today, tomorrow or never is His to determine.
'Let
him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with
his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that
needeth.'
Ephesians 4:28
God blesses
Eng hieang,
30th Sep 2012
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Heart to heart #38 Twister (17th Sep 2012)
Dear...
Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luke 22:69
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luke 22:31-32
As I read these verses, it never struck me till now that, is it not wonderful that we have Christ our Lord always praying for us. That by His covering grace, we will want to stay in His presence, much as the devil seeks to lure us back into the darkness. Abide in Christ and He will abide in us.
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Luke 22:34
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:9
Much as I consciously seek our Lord, I know in my imperfections, I have oft enough denied the Sovereignty of Christ, by letting pride take the higher honor during times of achievements, and in difficult times, allowing fear to hold court.
Yet God is good and I was reminded in the last sharing that only in abiding in Him, will we be fruitful, for He has provided. And when we enter the desert of our life, when we wilt under the harsh glare of an unforgiving world, are we not glad that Christ is the spring of life?
Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalms 77:20
And on this truth, my desire is for my daughter to come closer unto His presence during her stay in London. I have been looking at the Christian community in London. And God is good. He not just answers my prayers asked in His will by providing the right connections for her, but He had also 'opened' my eyes to the potential " false prophets," that one must be very mindful of. For cults and false teachers are amongst us in and outside the Christian community, and it is easy without the proper grounding in one's faith, to be entrapped, for evil works best, dressed in hazy grey.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
John 16:2-3
Compared to the high profile days of the '70s, when we had the Jonestown massacre ( http://www.culteducation.com/jonestown.html), cults seemed to have slipped off the mainstream consciousness. It is not that they no longer exist, but rather the deception is more sublime, much as the vice like grip they plan to have on their prey has never eased.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Ephesians 4:14
The Moonies, a derogatory term used by those who believe "the Unification Church" is a cult, (
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/unificat.htm)
was back in my radar screen when I read the news that her founder, Rev Sun Myung Moon had passed on.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6
A quick read on the web surprised me as to how far reaching the Moonies have weaved their web globally across the business, social and political spectrum. It is an organization that is actively promoting inter faith harmony, but is it an intentional effort to create a one world religious platform? Is it a potent mix of power, prestige and political expediency that has drawn both the rich, the powerful and the common men together?
Unification Church members believe that Jesus appeared to Mun Yong-myong (his birth name) when Moon was 15 on April 17, 1935, and asked him to accomplish the work left unfinished after his crucifixion.
What about Mitt Romney? The Mormons( Church of the latter Saints) have come a long way in American political life, from their early years of persecution. Would Christianity as we know it and believe is true, in a Romney presidency, be redefined the Mormon way, amongst whose beliefs is that God is man, and that there are more than one God? See report by BBC
( http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/beliefs/god_1.shtml)
But how can we be sure that we are right, and they are wrong?
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 17:17
In the Book of Genesis, Satan convinced Adam and Eve of his good intentions. Yesterday and even today, cults and deviationist from the Biblical truths proffer good intentions and peace and human rights. But their true self eventually surface, for like the devil, they cannot resist the lure of their own pride and greed, and what can be more narcissistic than worshipping oneself?
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:....And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.'
Ephesians 4:21,23
Delusions and deceit will continue to be propagated, for these are End Times intensified. The latest killing of the US ambassador in Libya is a further confirmation of the Arab Spring turned wintry. It will be a matter of time before the militants dominate the "recently freed nations from their past oligarchs" Libya, Egypt, Syria, setting the stage for a major Middle East conflict with Israel.
The financial markets are strong these few days because the world wants to believe the sweet nothings of more cheap monies, promised by the Federal Reserve Chairman, Bernanke, dancing in a duet of deceit with Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank President.
And interestingly, Draghi tinkers while Rome burns, his counterpart, Jose Barroso the European Commission President is quietly laying the groundwork for One Europe knowing full well that the problems will not go away with such easy solutions.
(http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/2438/barroso-calls-for-eu-federation-of-nation-states).
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:13
Discipleship in our journey from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ is key.
God has placed the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. He will send us as shepherds if we are willing. But the flock themselves must also be willing to be discipled. And it must start and continue with a deep desire to abide in Christ, in His Words, in His work.
'.... Who is devoted to fearing You.'
Psalm 119:38
Is Psalm 119:38 a question still lingering in your non God centered life or is it an active and conscientious action on your part to put God as Sovereign in your life?
And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21
God blesses
Eng hieang
(17th Sep 2012)
Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.
Luke 22:69
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Luke 22:31-32
As I read these verses, it never struck me till now that, is it not wonderful that we have Christ our Lord always praying for us. That by His covering grace, we will want to stay in His presence, much as the devil seeks to lure us back into the darkness. Abide in Christ and He will abide in us.
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.
Luke 22:34
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 14:9
Much as I consciously seek our Lord, I know in my imperfections, I have oft enough denied the Sovereignty of Christ, by letting pride take the higher honor during times of achievements, and in difficult times, allowing fear to hold court.
Yet God is good and I was reminded in the last sharing that only in abiding in Him, will we be fruitful, for He has provided. And when we enter the desert of our life, when we wilt under the harsh glare of an unforgiving world, are we not glad that Christ is the spring of life?
Thou leddest thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
Psalms 77:20
And on this truth, my desire is for my daughter to come closer unto His presence during her stay in London. I have been looking at the Christian community in London. And God is good. He not just answers my prayers asked in His will by providing the right connections for her, but He had also 'opened' my eyes to the potential " false prophets," that one must be very mindful of. For cults and false teachers are amongst us in and outside the Christian community, and it is easy without the proper grounding in one's faith, to be entrapped, for evil works best, dressed in hazy grey.
They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
John 16:2-3
Compared to the high profile days of the '70s, when we had the Jonestown massacre ( http://www.culteducation.com/jonestown.html), cults seemed to have slipped off the mainstream consciousness. It is not that they no longer exist, but rather the deception is more sublime, much as the vice like grip they plan to have on their prey has never eased.
That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
Ephesians 4:14
The Moonies, a derogatory term used by those who believe "the Unification Church" is a cult, (
http://www.rapidnet.com/~jbeard/bdm/Cults/unificat.htm)
was back in my radar screen when I read the news that her founder, Rev Sun Myung Moon had passed on.
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
Proverbs 30:5-6
A quick read on the web surprised me as to how far reaching the Moonies have weaved their web globally across the business, social and political spectrum. It is an organization that is actively promoting inter faith harmony, but is it an intentional effort to create a one world religious platform? Is it a potent mix of power, prestige and political expediency that has drawn both the rich, the powerful and the common men together?
Unification Church members believe that Jesus appeared to Mun Yong-myong (his birth name) when Moon was 15 on April 17, 1935, and asked him to accomplish the work left unfinished after his crucifixion.
What about Mitt Romney? The Mormons( Church of the latter Saints) have come a long way in American political life, from their early years of persecution. Would Christianity as we know it and believe is true, in a Romney presidency, be redefined the Mormon way, amongst whose beliefs is that God is man, and that there are more than one God? See report by BBC
( http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/mormon/beliefs/god_1.shtml)
But how can we be sure that we are right, and they are wrong?
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
John 17:17
In the Book of Genesis, Satan convinced Adam and Eve of his good intentions. Yesterday and even today, cults and deviationist from the Biblical truths proffer good intentions and peace and human rights. But their true self eventually surface, for like the devil, they cannot resist the lure of their own pride and greed, and what can be more narcissistic than worshipping oneself?
If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:....And be renewed in the spirit of your mind.'
Ephesians 4:21,23
Delusions and deceit will continue to be propagated, for these are End Times intensified. The latest killing of the US ambassador in Libya is a further confirmation of the Arab Spring turned wintry. It will be a matter of time before the militants dominate the "recently freed nations from their past oligarchs" Libya, Egypt, Syria, setting the stage for a major Middle East conflict with Israel.
The financial markets are strong these few days because the world wants to believe the sweet nothings of more cheap monies, promised by the Federal Reserve Chairman, Bernanke, dancing in a duet of deceit with Mario Draghi, the European Central Bank President.
And interestingly, Draghi tinkers while Rome burns, his counterpart, Jose Barroso the European Commission President is quietly laying the groundwork for One Europe knowing full well that the problems will not go away with such easy solutions.
(http://www.publicserviceeurope.com/article/2438/barroso-calls-for-eu-federation-of-nation-states).
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:16-17
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
John 16:13
Discipleship in our journey from believer to follower of our Lord Jesus Christ is key.
God has placed the Holy Spirit in the hearts of believers. He will send us as shepherds if we are willing. But the flock themselves must also be willing to be discipled. And it must start and continue with a deep desire to abide in Christ, in His Words, in His work.
'.... Who is devoted to fearing You.'
Psalm 119:38
Is Psalm 119:38 a question still lingering in your non God centered life or is it an active and conscientious action on your part to put God as Sovereign in your life?
And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21
God blesses
Eng hieang
(17th Sep 2012)
Monday, September 10, 2012
#37 Heart to heart The Inconvenient Truth (10th Sep 2012)
Dear...
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
"Boldness to live out our faith," this was the thought that our good Lord impressed upon my heart, last night for this next sharing. If it is from our Lord, He will affirm and lead and indeed He has. For this morning, the half day prayer retreat I attended amongst the men from the six ACS schools had one underlying theme, the infilling of the Holy Spirit and how emboldened spirit filled boys were used by our Lord to bring about a revival in Singapore back in the 1970s.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:31
'The Clock Tower Story: The beginnings of the charismatic renewals in Singapore"( Revised edition 2012 Published by the Trinity Theological College) is a concise record of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on some ACS students, and it's far reaching impact on the Christian community in Singapore.
For me, as an outsider, I was too young then(age 11), and from a mission school but not ACS, and a non believer to boot, to pay much attention to this phenomena, what the Straits Times then termed "students in hysteria."
But as an insider, By God's grace, having been involved in the ACS schools' prayer ministry these past decade, as well as in the men's ministry of my church, Wesley Methodist, which I only learned today was one of the key players in this God given revival of the 1970s, I get a sense that the pieces that our Sovereign God has placed through the years since are coalescing. And I count myself blessed to have not only a grandstand view, but be used by our Lord in His Sovereign plans.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
1 John 5:14-15
God is bringing a revival 40 years after His Spirit moved mightily upon Singapore back in 1972. In the past 12 years, He has from the faith of a sprinkling of men, brought forth a growing momentum of men coming together to pray. And not forgetting the steadfastness of our praying women, who have faithfully been praying much as the men were till the past decade, everywhere else but with our Lord.
And in the past 2 years, He has stirred a desire amongst the youths from the ACS schools to come together to pray.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
The world has descended upon our beloved nation. The richest nation in the world if measured by wealth per square meter. And this number will move even further up the gradient, not because we are Heaven on Earth, but rather a safe haven for flight capital.
Do pray for our leaders to be wise God's way and not be swayed by the world, which values self more than community, whose gods are sited on the altar of mammon.
Whose proponents are determined to paint our town lustful pink, with a heavy dash of greedy green. For we have expanded from the gay capital of Asia, to jostling for pole position in the leech like casino "laundromat," that the world increasingly look upon as their lifeline from economic stagnation. And with the surfeit of global personal wealth being washed ashore onto our little island, do pray for those with less, for erosion of purchasing power will push many below the poverty line.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
As people of faith, do we put God one side while we struggle to catch up with the Joneses?
Or do we strive to help the needy, not only the materially deprived, but the spiritually starved? But there is a much bigger consideration that demands our response now. Are we truly a disciple of Christ at heart? Will it be more than an inconvenience to be told the truth at the judgement seat of God that He does not know you?
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
Malachi 4:5
Could our children's generation be the last before Christ returns? None of us have a clue, but what is clear is that the increasing manifestation of evil and blatant disregard for God's commands, is fully matched by the intensifying shaking globally.
The fallout from the excesses of the dotcom boom led to the birth of excessive mortgages and the resultant subprime crisis. The world has not solved but merely defered the day of reckoning for her wholesale prostitution of Keynesian economics of spending excesses and instant gratification. Tokyo had the big March earthquake though it seems a monster size one is looming and possibly form a duet with the unusually active Mt Fuji.
California is it's twin and that is long overdue. But suppose it is New York( the financial hub of our Babylonian economy) or Washington ( the power seat of capitalistic greed) that gets hit by a trembler many times bigger than the rare foretaste we had a year back? The cloud of delusion enveloping a world in self denial will be blown off in a blink of an eyelid, and the world will be forced to recognize the "inconvenient truth." That is, we have in our profligate ways, spent away the wealth of our future generations. And worst, we have not invested wisely in the spiritual growth of ourselves and our loved ones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24quake.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www
http://rt.com/usa/news/tornado-hits-new-york-city-678/
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2 Thessalonians 2:13
What can we do when this tsunami of reality hits home? It is to buy gold as in us being refined and tested by the Spirit of God.
The time is short and you must be determined and disciplined in seeking and honoring the Lord our God with your all, while He still can be found. This scriptural grounding in Christlike response will anchor one well when His Spirit falls upon you the willing and ready to be sent forth in His service.
For truly Lord
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
And today, I am reminded by our Sovereign Lord that in seeking and honoring Him today, He will more than provide for not just today, but tomorrow, the day after and forever. And there is no necessity to extrapolate our fears into the future.
God blesses
Eng hieang
( 9th Sep 2012)
An afterthought
I am not sure about Abraham, but adaptable as I am, I do not like change. But this year, change seems to be a close neighbor of me, and much as it was disconcerting when in June, decisions at the twin fork of my long settled life had to be made, I know surrender of self to God's will is an act of obedience.
How time flies. It has been 3 months, and my daughter will soon be in London for law school next 3 years. And as for me, I am about to reconnect to the financial industry I love yet is well aware of an increasingly harsh environment. Fear does hover over one's psyche, much as I am well aware that both decisions are aligned to the will of our Sovereign God.
Today, I finally understood the truth of God's promise to the faithful. That His grace is sufficient for the day, much as the day is evil. And tomorrow, when that turns into today, His grace will be still be sufficient, if we are still alive!
Extrapolated fears. This is what haunts most of us. As seeds of the disobedient Adam, men continue to seek the fleeting reassurances of the worldly treasures that the devil proffers, not realizing that these will not gives us that inner peace and joy, that only God can provide.
And for many who pray, we are looking at God's provisions rather than trusting in Him our Provider. We impose our will upon Him for conclusions we desire, rather than letting go and letting Him.
Do go to the link and read this enlightening article "When God isn't answering prayers"
http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/when-god-isnt-answering-your-prayer-psalm-77/)
The response God desires from us is
1) to come unto His presence in repentance and be sanctified by His Spirit
'Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.' (Psalm 73:17)
2) to immerse ourselves in His Word, for the Word is God.
'... Nevertheless I am continually with You.' (Psalm 73:23)
3) to honor Him in our every moment today
'He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?'
( Micah 6:8)
And He will and has already taken care of our needs. And this is what has left me in awe of His love, for when I look back at the way things are nicely falling in place for both my daughter and myself, much as I know not what tomorrow holds, how can one continue to doubt the love and sovereignty of our Abba Father?
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Colossians 2:5-6
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
"Boldness to live out our faith," this was the thought that our good Lord impressed upon my heart, last night for this next sharing. If it is from our Lord, He will affirm and lead and indeed He has. For this morning, the half day prayer retreat I attended amongst the men from the six ACS schools had one underlying theme, the infilling of the Holy Spirit and how emboldened spirit filled boys were used by our Lord to bring about a revival in Singapore back in the 1970s.
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Acts 4:31
'The Clock Tower Story: The beginnings of the charismatic renewals in Singapore"( Revised edition 2012 Published by the Trinity Theological College) is a concise record of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on some ACS students, and it's far reaching impact on the Christian community in Singapore.
For me, as an outsider, I was too young then(age 11), and from a mission school but not ACS, and a non believer to boot, to pay much attention to this phenomena, what the Straits Times then termed "students in hysteria."
But as an insider, By God's grace, having been involved in the ACS schools' prayer ministry these past decade, as well as in the men's ministry of my church, Wesley Methodist, which I only learned today was one of the key players in this God given revival of the 1970s, I get a sense that the pieces that our Sovereign God has placed through the years since are coalescing. And I count myself blessed to have not only a grandstand view, but be used by our Lord in His Sovereign plans.
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
1 John 5:14-15
God is bringing a revival 40 years after His Spirit moved mightily upon Singapore back in 1972. In the past 12 years, He has from the faith of a sprinkling of men, brought forth a growing momentum of men coming together to pray. And not forgetting the steadfastness of our praying women, who have faithfully been praying much as the men were till the past decade, everywhere else but with our Lord.
And in the past 2 years, He has stirred a desire amongst the youths from the ACS schools to come together to pray.
For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
1 John 5:4-5
The world has descended upon our beloved nation. The richest nation in the world if measured by wealth per square meter. And this number will move even further up the gradient, not because we are Heaven on Earth, but rather a safe haven for flight capital.
Do pray for our leaders to be wise God's way and not be swayed by the world, which values self more than community, whose gods are sited on the altar of mammon.
Whose proponents are determined to paint our town lustful pink, with a heavy dash of greedy green. For we have expanded from the gay capital of Asia, to jostling for pole position in the leech like casino "laundromat," that the world increasingly look upon as their lifeline from economic stagnation. And with the surfeit of global personal wealth being washed ashore onto our little island, do pray for those with less, for erosion of purchasing power will push many below the poverty line.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6
As people of faith, do we put God one side while we struggle to catch up with the Joneses?
Or do we strive to help the needy, not only the materially deprived, but the spiritually starved? But there is a much bigger consideration that demands our response now. Are we truly a disciple of Christ at heart? Will it be more than an inconvenience to be told the truth at the judgement seat of God that He does not know you?
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet
before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord:
Malachi 4:5
Could our children's generation be the last before Christ returns? None of us have a clue, but what is clear is that the increasing manifestation of evil and blatant disregard for God's commands, is fully matched by the intensifying shaking globally.
The fallout from the excesses of the dotcom boom led to the birth of excessive mortgages and the resultant subprime crisis. The world has not solved but merely defered the day of reckoning for her wholesale prostitution of Keynesian economics of spending excesses and instant gratification. Tokyo had the big March earthquake though it seems a monster size one is looming and possibly form a duet with the unusually active Mt Fuji.
California is it's twin and that is long overdue. But suppose it is New York( the financial hub of our Babylonian economy) or Washington ( the power seat of capitalistic greed) that gets hit by a trembler many times bigger than the rare foretaste we had a year back? The cloud of delusion enveloping a world in self denial will be blown off in a blink of an eyelid, and the world will be forced to recognize the "inconvenient truth." That is, we have in our profligate ways, spent away the wealth of our future generations. And worst, we have not invested wisely in the spiritual growth of ourselves and our loved ones.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/24/us/24quake.html?pagewanted=all&_moc.semityn.www
http://rt.com/usa/news/tornado-hits-new-york-city-678/
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
2 Thessalonians 2:13
What can we do when this tsunami of reality hits home? It is to buy gold as in us being refined and tested by the Spirit of God.
The time is short and you must be determined and disciplined in seeking and honoring the Lord our God with your all, while He still can be found. This scriptural grounding in Christlike response will anchor one well when His Spirit falls upon you the willing and ready to be sent forth in His service.
For truly Lord
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
And today, I am reminded by our Sovereign Lord that in seeking and honoring Him today, He will more than provide for not just today, but tomorrow, the day after and forever. And there is no necessity to extrapolate our fears into the future.
God blesses
Eng hieang
( 9th Sep 2012)
An afterthought
I am not sure about Abraham, but adaptable as I am, I do not like change. But this year, change seems to be a close neighbor of me, and much as it was disconcerting when in June, decisions at the twin fork of my long settled life had to be made, I know surrender of self to God's will is an act of obedience.
How time flies. It has been 3 months, and my daughter will soon be in London for law school next 3 years. And as for me, I am about to reconnect to the financial industry I love yet is well aware of an increasingly harsh environment. Fear does hover over one's psyche, much as I am well aware that both decisions are aligned to the will of our Sovereign God.
Today, I finally understood the truth of God's promise to the faithful. That His grace is sufficient for the day, much as the day is evil. And tomorrow, when that turns into today, His grace will be still be sufficient, if we are still alive!
Extrapolated fears. This is what haunts most of us. As seeds of the disobedient Adam, men continue to seek the fleeting reassurances of the worldly treasures that the devil proffers, not realizing that these will not gives us that inner peace and joy, that only God can provide.
And for many who pray, we are looking at God's provisions rather than trusting in Him our Provider. We impose our will upon Him for conclusions we desire, rather than letting go and letting Him.
Do go to the link and read this enlightening article "When God isn't answering prayers"
http://discoveryseries.org/discovery-series/when-god-isnt-answering-your-prayer-psalm-77/)
The response God desires from us is
1) to come unto His presence in repentance and be sanctified by His Spirit
'Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.' (Psalm 73:17)
2) to immerse ourselves in His Word, for the Word is God.
'... Nevertheless I am continually with You.' (Psalm 73:23)
3) to honor Him in our every moment today
'He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth Jehovah require of thee, but to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God?'
( Micah 6:8)
And He will and has already taken care of our needs. And this is what has left me in awe of His love, for when I look back at the way things are nicely falling in place for both my daughter and myself, much as I know not what tomorrow holds, how can one continue to doubt the love and sovereignty of our Abba Father?
For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
Colossians 2:5-6
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