Only by God's Spirit can Things be Accomplished

Our God is concerned of His temple but this temple is not the physical temple that can be seen. In today’s context, this temple refers to the believer’s inner life. We are His temple and He dwells in our hearts.

Our temple in what God is most concerned of today. Today, what are we concerned of? Is it eternal matters or the Kingdom’s matter? Whose voice are you listening today? The voice from our own motives and ambition or the God in us.

No matter how short is the time we have believed in God or how small is our faith, God do look down on us. God is concerned of your life and our spirit. Even in the smallest things or tasks that you have obeyed God, he will definitely reward you. So when Haggai asked his people to build the house of the Lord, at the same time another prophet Zechariah was raised up too.

Even if we only have been assigned a small task by the God, He still values our submission. 

 So he said to me, “ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.

Zechariah 4:6

When the Isarelites first returned to build His kingdom, they faced various problems. First, the remnants that came back are very few. So they limited man power while the project ( to build the Temple ) is a massive one. At the same time, they also need to deal with the attacks of the enemy surrounding them. Therefore it seems to be an impossible task to finish the project.

Are we facing a similar situation now? In our lives and serving, we may face with the internal and external problems. At some point when we get so discouraged that we just want to give up or run away from the problem. If we are such problem today, let me tell you that our problem does not come from the challenges in the problem but because we are relying on the wrong thing. It is true that our problem is great, we have many issues to deal with. We get discouraged in our situation when we start seeing our own capability and start counting the resources we have. This is because we are depending on man’s strength and power. But God says that we must rely on His Spirit.

The next question is : How do I rely on His Spirit? Firstly, relying on His Spirit is believing His covenant. His covenant says that He is with us. God will not lead us into a situation whereby there is only a dead end or we go through the entire situation in pain only. On the contrary, God leads us into a situation whereby we have no choice to believe in Him in order to go through the problem. So when we believe, the peace and strength that follows suit comes from the Holy Spirit. Then God will reveal His perfect will to us and tell us how to make decisions and  arrange all things. Sometimes God’s perfect will is like a big picture while other times He reveals His will little by little and guides us through.

When we believe and obey, strength, wisdom and timely guidance will definitely be given to us in order for us to go through our struggles.

Are you disheartened and discouraged at the moment? May the word of God strengthened you. Do not rely on yourself but His Spirit.

Once again, God has spoken. In the midst of preparing for my finals, this message came forth and ease all the worries in me. Worries come from fear. And when you have worries, you seek human interventions. Looking at the amount of chapters I need to cover in less than 20 days time, I feel very disheartened knowing that it is an impossible task. I am very tempted to stay up whole night to revise and try to cover as much as I could. But I know, this is my way and not God’s way. With the clock ticking and fears that overwhelm me, I am very tempted to use my own solution.

But in today’s message, God asked us not to look and count our resources (in my case its the days to my finals) but rely on His Spirit. And the first step I need to do is to believe in what He says. I believe that God is with me in this struggle I am facing. I must keep restoring His truth. When I believe, naturally the Holy Spirit will guide me how to study effectively and teach me how to discern what is important and what is not. Things are easier said than done but action speaks louder than words. We will not experience His guidance just by listening or reading, we must take the step first: Believe in Him and Do His will.

ps: I can't seem to upload the video here but you can find it in the Life Church and Missions website. This post is translated from today's Everyday Emmanuel (06/03/2013)

Judging & Sinning

Everyone of us is a sinner with many different weaknesses. This is a plain truth that I know long ago. Yet, I couldn't help it that I often magnified those sins and weaknesses I see in those sharing the word or  just anyone that I think should be more spiritual than I do. Do not get me wrong, I am not expecting those people to be perfect and all holy moly. I just thought, they should behave more -decently or appropriately? I do not know the exact word for it. Maybe deep down inside me I just feel that they should be as close to being perfect and sinless as possible. I always wish to see perfection in them. I want to see them obeying the laws and every word. To set themselves as a good example for people like me. I expect a lot from those whom  I look up to. And each time I see their weaknesses, I judged. I feel bad after that but still can't seem to shake off those thoughts. 

I do not understand why God allow me to see them in their weaknesses. Isn't God afraid that they might stumble me with their actions? I could have taken it the wrong way- like perhaps, since God didn't discipline them and they are still doing very well in their lives, so I guess its okay to sin like that. I am not perfect. I sin everyday, I struggle daily with it. I fight, give up than gave in to my sins. Not exactly a good Christ ambassador and neither very glorifying as a child of God. I am very much confused at God. Is God closing an eye at their sins? 

No. My carnal eyes have asked me to see what all man sees. Man sees other's sin and judged. And when they share God's word, man disqualify them from sharing because of the sins they have committed whether in the past or present. But who are we to judge others when we are sinners ourselves? Please do not weigh the sins and justify it with our fallen mind and point fingers at those whom you think have committed a greater sin than you do, all these make no sense at all. There is no such thing as small sin or big sin. Stealing is not less sinful than committing murder or adultery. 

Our God is holy God, He does not tolerate sin. But He is also a merciful God and His grace far exceeds our sins. 

For sin shall no longer be your master,because you are not under the law,but under grace. 

Romans 6:14

Love covers all wrong 

Proverbs 10:12

I am sinning just like them but that didn't change God's love for me. He didn't disown me because of my weaknesses nor He is ashamed to call me His own. God still use me. Back to my question of being stumbled by them, no, I am not shaken at all. I didn't think its okay to sin. And other people's sin is not exactly my concern because I am not in any position to rebuke them. God will deal with them by Himself and I should keep my eyes on myself. Focus on my own repentance and stop judging.Most importantly, I realized that God allows me to see those weaknesses because He wants me to know that even with weaknesses one can still serve God. He doesn't demand perfection from us. Moreover, if the one sharing the word is "perfect" then those who are listening might feel inferior and  thinks that God only works in certain types of people- the educated, the rich, the beautiful, the intelligent, the sinless. If God had make it that way, then where do weak humans like me find comfort from? 

In conclusion we must learn to see how the love and grace of God is manifested in His servant and their weaknesses because 

this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. John 9:3

John 4:13-14

Jesus answered , “ Everyone who drinks this water will be thirst again, but those whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Jesus Christ is the spring of life, only He is able to quench the thirst of our spirit and satisfy it and to change every problem into blessings. The wellspring of Jesus is already in those who believe in Him. But the problem is do we allow the wellspring to flow continuously? What is this wellspring? This wellspring is like the Holy Spirit which needs to flow continuously. If it is stop ( stop hearing the word of God, the conviction of the Holy Spirit) we will eventually realize that our life would be dried up, we will feel as though we are lost. Our thoughts will also enter into disbelief, fearful, guilty, lacking, worried spirit and so on.

If a person does not allow the well spring to flow continuously, then Satan will come in to contaminate our thoughts, decision and etc then that person will start having doubts about his own identity. He will also misunderstand God’s words. When face with a problem, he will start to complain first and feel insecure. His spirit does not have the strength at all to face the daily challenges.

This is why sometimes believers feel fine for one minute then feel bad the next, or sometimes they  have the conviction but sometimes they don’t. This is because they do not maintain the continuous flow of the well spring.

To maintain the continuous flow, firstly, we must come before His throne of mercy with complete honesty. We should not hide ourselves. A lot of times, when we see our own weaknesses and sins, we feel extremely ashamed to face God followed by accusations, feeling guilty and unable to see His favour. Therefore, we are unable to come before God. When a person cannot face God, gradually he will develop misunderstanding in His words and later on he will be bounded by his own problems and does not have the strength to break free. What is the biggest area that Satan attacks in believer ? Satan makes us disobey God’s love in our relationship and His precious calling in us. So, do not be deceived by Satan. Our God is a merciful God, therefore He does not simply get angry even if He does His anger will not last. When we come before His throne of mercy with complete honesty, we will be able to hear His love and perfect will.

Secondly, in order to maintain the flow we must have confirmation. We must confirm that our lives belong to God, His love never changes, He will protect us and seek justice for us. When we have  a confirmed heart then only we are able to get rid of the fearful, worrisome and disbelief heart. Even though in our lives we  have struggles, hurts and conflicts but our God is the one who grants us peace. His peace is able to triumph over all the darkness. If we keep our fears within us then our decisions, view and thoughts will be shaken. But when we know God’s perfect timetable and His calling in us, then strength and courage will be upon us.

Thirdly, we must confirm the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we do not confirm God’s daily guidance in every of our matter we won’t be able to keep up with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit must first convict and guide us in the things we do. For example, if a person sees that the outcome of certain event is not very good and he starts to think of the solutions to solve it , then the power of the Holy Spirit cannot be shown fully. And in the end, it will only cause the person to be more stressed and disheartened. So do not rush before God but first we must confirm our blessed identity and His love for us and His calling in our lives. And use what we have confirmed to discover God’s perfect will in our problems and life. It is only through this that we can see the work of the Holy Spirit. This is what it meant by confirming the guidance of the Holy Spirit and continuously obey it.

So, the three points above is the mystery of maintaining the flow of the well spring. We have already have the eternal spring in our lives, when we drink from it we will never be thirsty anymore because we have tasted the love of Christ with His strength and victory. The most important thing is that we must allow the spring to flow continuously so that we can have joy and satisfaction forever. 

The Promise after Discipline

Our God is a Holy God, that's why He will definitely cleanse His people. Our God is also a merciful and loving God, therefore He will also save His people. When we (the people of God) sin, He will discipline us. His motive of disciplining us is to cleanse our hearts towards Him. Why does God allow the Israelites to be enslaved for 70 years, to endure all the oppression? Why is God so strict on His people? The holiness that God demands from His people is different from what the worldly people demands. Those people view holiness as good works, kindness, etc. But what God demands from His people is the same as what a husband demands from his wife -faithfulness. The same kind of faithfulness. God didn't only see the physical sin of His people but also their disbelief and unwillingness to rely on God ( they rely on the idols, the foreigners...). These are the sins of man and He is determined to remove it from them. 

When a person has the heart that purely loves God, he will posses all sorts of righteousness that far exceeds man's righteousness. However, when a man does not love God, he posses an evil heart.

So, God's discipline is a must. 

In the book of Jeremiah, God used the people of Babylon to discipline His people. In today's context, the Babylonians represent the powerful, wealthy, famous people in this world but they are only tools used by God. The people whom God loves is us, not those tools. So as soon as the heart of His people changes, He will punish the Babylonians ( the world). 

Jeremiah 50:18-20

18 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: 

 I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria. 

Both Babylon and Assyria were destroyed and this is the truth.

Most importantly, we shouldn't harbor any grudges toward the people who did wrong to us. God will definitely resolve it. 

Secondly, God said the He will bring His people back to their own pasture. 

19 But I will bring Israel back to their own pasture verse, and they will graze on Carmel and Bashan; their appetite will be satisfied. 

It means that God wants to use His words to satisfy us. When we love the world and disobey God, we actually never feel satisfied. We chase after the worldly things that would only end up increasing our burdens. We always demand others of their love because we don't feel satisfied. We might have even gained a lot but those needs and desires don't seem to be satisfied. The only way for man to be truly satisfied is to be close to God's word. When a man cannot be satisfied or contented with God's word and unable to find joy in it, he can never be satisfied. The truth is there is no other things that can satisfy us. When the hearts of those who have been disciplined change to loving God's word again, they are protected. 

Lastly, God says that the Israelites will not have any sins anymore. 

20 In those days, at that time,'' declares the LORD, 'search will be made for Israel's guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare. 

What does this mean? Does it mean that we will never sin anymore?or we can do everything rightly from now on? No. It means that the people of God has got a heart of repentance. Those who realized that they are sinning and repent are without any sins anymore. On the other hand, if we still think that we are not wrong, then the sin remains. All those who are in Christ, we know our sins and are willing to repent so God sees us as without sin. 

And may we all see His greater love in His discipline.

When I first heard the message on Monday, I was a bit afraid. I know I have drifted away from God again and did many things which I am not supposed to. I was scared at the thought of being disciplined by God and I know He must discipline me because He is a righteous God. But when I restored the truth in me, I remembered the Fatherly love He has for me. Just like my dad, no matter how many times I hurt him, he will still forgive me. He knows that I feel bad  for uttering those hurtful words. So, He will add insult to injury by punishing me and say more hurtful things to me.  And in this message, I know how important it is to repent before God. It seems like the most natural thing to do for Christians but yet at times after I repent, the guilt still lingers in me and I feel as though that its not good enough. True enough that at times, there would be some consequences from our actions. 

But now I know that God sees me as without sin and I am protected when I truly repent. And again, its not about our works- what we can do to undo the mistakes or made it up by doing something extra. It's not karma. I thank God for the gift of Holy Spirit that would naturally prompt me to repent each time I sin and made be sensitive to sin. We have the desire to draw closer to God just that our flesh will try every way to stop us. We may get tempted and went to love the world for awhile but His love will always bring us back to Him. Even though that it may be through discipline at times but His grace and love will be suffice for us to go through it. Most importantly, His promise to us never changes. 

1 Samuel 16:17

Today is the first day of my last block. It means that after this block I will be sitting for my finals. And if everything goes well, I'll be a second year student in May. Well, just a quick update, I finally pass my test for the very first time. I wasn't too happy with it at first, not because I am ungrateful of the result. It it definitely beyond what I can possibly achieve on my own. I was just annoyed that  I have been praying about it for quite some time and didn't seem to get any answers. So I couldn't enjoy the happiness and joy of passing for the first time. By right I should be happier than a lot of people since I have been failing since the beginning. Well, I might as well say it out what I have been confirming. I really wasn't sure what I am expecting from God in order for me to really be convicted and sure of what I am have been praying for the past one month. You see, I do feel sad about not passing the past tests, being the very few who has been consistent in failing isn't really a good feeling. Even though I have His word with me, I still feel miserable and inferior at times.  And trust me, its really a helpless feeling that you wouldn't understand unless you have been in my shoes before. I hate the feeling being affected by it when something comes up but feel absolutely assured when everything is well. I want to be consistent in feeling assured.

Then one day, it hit me that my self esteem and confidence shouldn't be proportional to how well I do in my tests. I am a child of God and there is nothing to be inferior of. I shouldn't be too bothered about what people say behind my back nor feel stupid because I am ignored in the group. God will raise me up one day in His time. I am a Christ ambassador and surely He will not let others look down on His child. As I confirm day after day, I begin to have a clearer picture. So now, I am taking the passing as a sign that I have been confirming the right thing all these while. I was the only one who is concerned about my results, God's concern is never about how well or bad    I do. His only concern is in my relationship with me. God won't love me more just because I do better nor love me less just because I did badly. When I get our relationship right, everything else goes right too. 

The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7

Last month, my sister moved to KL and I had mixed feelings about it. I was really uptight and worried because I feel that she is less independent, weaker, more emotional than I am. So, I thought I could prepare all the things I could for her. I thought I should help her get all the materials she might need for her course since she doesn't have a car here so transportation would be a problem. And I secretly prepared a friend for her just in case she needs help. I was more anxious and worried than her. 

Last two years when I was studying in PJ, I knew how inconvenient it was to have no transport. I know how it feels like to have meals all by yourself without any company. And how terrifying it is to be in a campus where you don't know anyone. The more I think of it, the scarier my imagination went. I thought since I went through all those situations that God put me in , I would be able to understand her needs therefore I should do what I can for her. I went overboard in my opinion. I got it all wrong. 

God didn't put me in those situations so that I can use my own experience to help her. God wants me to see how He has provided for me during those times. I remembered my first Physics lab, my friend and I didn't touch Physics since SPM so we are almost as good as clueless when it comes to the theory and all. I  was terrified at the thought of doing a Physics experiment after 2 years. God gave us so much grace that day, a lab assistant gave us the model that can be used straightaway (it was the sample used by the previous class). And we didn't have to set up anything, everyone has to look at ours so they could set up theirs. In that week itself, I had to go class alone and my fear turned to reality when we were asked to do a group discussion and I had no friends that time. God sent this course mate to ask to join them and from then on, I belonged to a group and we became good friends. And when I needed transport to class or to dinner, I have friends that I can ask for help. God prepared all these people around me to help me in times of need. God knows very well that I break down easily even at the smallest problem and how my fears empowered me sometimes. In the same way God has shown me His provisions, He will also do the same for my sister in His time and with His ways. Its time to let go and let God take charge and quit having unnecessary worries. In last week's sermon, it was mentioned that man loses peace because he fails to see that God is in control and that He allows the trials and situation we are in. And that was what I failed to see in the beginning - His provisions. 

God takes care of his own, even while they sleep Psalm 127:2

Blessed Birthday

It's my 21st birthday today. And this is the most blessed birthday. Twenty one years ago, on this day, a child of God was born.

In this birthday week, I did a continuous prayer from the week before on my studies. And I have decided that I will get baptized. It happened in one of those nights that I was doing my night prayer and the thought of baptism came up. So, I was thinking to myself, God has already showed me so many signs, things couldn't be more obvious. What stopped me from getting baptized was my mum. I know that she wouldn't agree on that. It's not because I am afraid that she would disown me. Its just that I don't want her to be unhappy. Things have just started going well and I don't want to spoil anything about it. And also, I am not convicted to get baptized, when I first accepted Christ, I did thought of it but because of my mum's on and off hints on her disapproval of  me getting baptized, somehow the subject just drop off. Last year, a group of Christian came to my house in PJ at one night and I did their survey and listened to what they have to say ( I just thought that I should help my dear Christians sisters and brothers since it was just answering some questions). One of them asked if I am baptized and said that if I am not, I won't be in heaven. Obviously, I was a little offended. I know I will be heaven if I die the next day without being baptized. I told him baptism is just a ritual and I even told him about the criminal next to Jesus ( he wasn't baptized and Jesus told him that he will see him in paradise). He quote some bible verses and said look there's water, be baptized and he literally pointed at the drain outside the house. It gave me all the more reason to not be baptized- its just the defiant spirit in me. Then recently, God gave me a lot of hints and the occasional pokes make me think about baptism again. First, I was asked if I want to get baptized by a church member. Second was I went to church with my dad when I was in Penang, I didn't want to follow him but somehow the Holy Spirit lead me there and the sermon was on baptism. The preacher ( who was my former form teacher ) said that baptism is not necessary for salvation but rather, salvation is necessary for baptism. And he mentioned that those who are not baptized are at most a spiritual baby. Even though God has make it so clear to me, I still don't feel convicted enough. I feel that if I decide to be baptized then it would be for wrong reasons because clearly, I do not want to remain as a spiritual baby and I am doing it just to shut people up. After praying a few times, I forgot completely about it. Then, my pastor out of the blues came to me and asked me to get baptized for a couple of times. That night, I remembered about baptism and told God that I want to be baptized. And I have peace.

In one of the message I received in my Emmanuel group, it says that when we are fighting a spiritual war, we must listen to our hearts, the Holy Spirit within us and not our minds. With our minds, we tend to analyze the situation, we weigh the pros and cons, we think of the possible outcomes and naturally fears come in as well. Most of the time, there isn't much thinking required and in my case, God's perfect will is already very obvious. If I would to continue analyzing it, gradually more ridiculous excuses will appear. Most importantly, people fall because they don't have a listening heart not because they are not pious enough. In everything that we do it is important to listen to our Lord first and its never about doing first.

ps: drafted this on my birthday last month. Will update my blog soon. Stay tune <3 nbsp="nbsp">

Hannah's prayer

Hi, I'm back after the long break from blogging. I am sorry if you have been waiting to hear from me. I am going to make a short post on the message I heard last month and I would like to share my joy and the truth I have received with you. 

God has put the most important plan in all our conditions 

Since we are called to be blessed, all our conditions in our lives are part of God's plan. Therefore, all our conditions are different and that also include our state of helplessness.  Firstly, God came to find us and to give us His covenant. In order to fulfill the covenant, God has given us different conditions or situations. So do not be despair, inferior nor proud because our conditions are given by God. The ultimate purpose is to fulfill His covenant.

On the contrary, if we strive hard to do something for God and end up getting accused then it is not right and its definitely not what God has intended for us.

Samuel 1:6-8 Satan uses our weaknesses, failures to attack us like how Hannah was attacked by her rival. Just like Hannah, all our conditions are good but because of the one and only weaknesses we have, we are unable to be set free.

The part of us that caused the most hurt in us actually has God's perfect plan. ( Samuel 1:10-11). Hannah made this prayer because she understands that she firstborn do not belong to her. A son was given to her not because she is good or kindhearted. But because Hannah has understood God's heart. She saw that the Israelite has sinned against God. She has understood God's will and was set free after that. Remember that the covenant comes before our conditions. First, we must adopt a thanksgiving/ grateful heart then we'll have a different perspective. Even if at times we do not understand His will, we must always be assured of His love for us. Our problems, situations and conditions are meant to be a source of blessings.

I

I am like Hannah. I have good conditions/qualities but by that I do not mean that I live a problem free life nor I am really wealthy and academically bright. I am from a middle class family, even though my parents are divorced  I give thanks that both of my parents are still alive and they really love me. I am not deprived of essential needs- I have enough to eat, a roof over my head, studying my dream course, attending a good church, enjoying brethren living and I have God always by my side.

 Just like Hannah, there is this one thing that has been bothering me. If you have been reading my blog, you'll know that I have been failing my tests and I failed my semester test again. I can give thanks for a lot of things that God has prepared for me, only when it comes to studies, I struggled to find reasons to give thanks for. When exam is near, I get uptight and all stressed out. It got worse during the last tests due to the accumulative fears and repeated failures. I have not mentioned before that I am a very slow learner. I take longer time to register the information that was fed to me than average human . Sometimes I feel like my brain just choose to shut down by itself. Its like I have no control over it. 

Anyway, back to the message. I heard this message on the first day of my test. And I can immediately relate. My repeated failure whether I want to acknowledge it or not, it bothers me especially when I have to prepare for the next test. 

Faith is build on repeated evidences, when you continually see how God leads you, you naturally grow stronger in faith. However, mine was a repeated failure. So it naturally freaks me out whenever I face a test. Satan comes and says, " Look , you have been failing again and again. Each time you think the next time is going to be different, you get the same old outcome.Your God failed you". Instead of growing in faith, mine shrunk bit by bit when exam is around the corner. I managed to shake off those thoughts at times but it never goes away completely. It whispers to me, interrupts my dreams, ruins my appetite, spoils my day, etc. The message make me realize that in my failure, God has a perfect plan for me. 

I am also an inferior person, I compare easily, I cry easily, I get  scared easily, I am over sensitive at times, I get discouraged easily, I have a long lists of weaknesses. 

What I fail in is my prayer.

 I realized that I give up too easily when I do not receive the answer, I become lazy to confirm the truth. So, I sort of did a half ass job when it comes to confirming and no surprise that I still have not receive the solid answer. 

I come to a conclusion:  I am specially made by God, carefully crafted with my weaknesses so that His great works can be done through me. My next step is to be diligent in prayer and hold on tightly to the covenant. The hardest part of confirming is being diligent. It requires a certain degree of self discipline. But once you get your gears running, prayer would be something you look forward to everyday. 

ps: As usual, I tried my best to translate it. May missed out some points. So, listen to the message if you have the time and don't forget about the Bible verses. God bless!