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What is the voice that is making you feel orphaned from God's love? Guard yourself by seeking the protection and counselling of the Holy Spirit.
What is the voice that is making you feel orphaned from God's love? Guard yourself by seeking the protection and counselling of the Holy Spirit.
If even the righteous Job have to go through sufferings, how can we even question God about our sufferings with all our hidden sins? Rather than blaming God for the sufferings, thank Him for His sustaining grace.
Although Job was a righteous and blameless man, God allowed sufferings on him, so that he could see the full measure of God's grace. Job was fearful of God, and remained righteous because of his fear. Through his sufferings, Job saw that his salvation did not lie in his righteousness alone, but in the grace of God. Have you seen God's grace in your sufferings?
Sin is ever-present in man and allows evil to work in us. We cannot destroy sin, nor can we pay it back in kind - it is only Christ who pays it back in full for us. What we can do to is to seek repentance. In repenting, we do not just correct our wrongdoings, nor do we just seek to do good. Instead, we realise that we have already been redeemed, and in receiving God's grace and love, we learn to hate and reject sin.
How does Satan use suffering to damage our relationship with God? Satan wants to prove that our relationship with God is based only on material gifts, not on love. By blaming God for our sufferings, we affirm ourselves of God's abandonment and become food for Satan. In spite of all our weakness or limitations, we should still strive to use sufferings as a chance to know God's grace, and in doing so draw closer to God.
During suffering, how aware are we of the presence of God? How aware are we of the presence of evil? Satan is constantly seeking to weaken our relationship with God in our moments of pain and suffering through insinuations and accusations. Only through prayer, preparation and reflection can we guard ourselves against his deception.
Satan finds ways to accuse and insinuate us during our periods of suffering. Instead of relying on our own merits, we must learn to rely on the Spirit for strength. How does the Sprit work through the promise of God?
What is the voice that is making you feel orphaned from God's love? Guard yourself by seeking the protection and counselling of the Holy Spirit.
What is the one constant in the midst of our worldly achievements or sufferings? It is the grace of God. We see His grace when we are given recognition in the eyes of men; we also see His grace when we are given the strength of carry out His work, even when shunned by men. "You cannot be selective about the grace of God - if you choose the grace of God, you will not see the glory of His grace."
What is the one constant in the midst of our worldly achievements or sufferings? It is the grace of God. We see His grace when we are given recognition in the eyes of men; we also see His grace when we are given the strength of carry out His work, even when shunned by men. "You cannot be selective about the grace of God - if you choose the grace of God, you will not see the glory of His grace."
Why do we pray? It might be easy to pray when one is in a ‘spiritual' mood, but it is even more important to pray through our weaknesses and sufferings. We pray because of the promise of God, given to us through Romans 8 - for nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord. He has suffered for us, and will surely share in our sufferings, just as we will surely share in His comfort.
Are you aware of the spiritual reality in our era? Satan is constantly working to corrupt our hearts and draw us away from God. In this age of technology, it is easy to get caught in the flow of information and lose sight of what is truly important. Look past the veil of the world and become aware of the spiritual reality.
Our weaknesses, failures and successes - it all starts with grace. In our weakness, we look to God for strength; his grace is sufficient to carry us through. In our failure, we find redemption through grace, for He has already won the battle for us at the cross. In our success, we see His grace at work, and give thanks with humility.
“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt 6:33) Real success starts from within the spirit, when we tune our hearts to seek out the will of God. Only then can He work in us to carry out His good works. And how can works alone, without the spirit, ever be significant?
We are all given specific gifts by God according to our specific calling. It is in the trials of our lives that we discover and utilise the gifts given to us so that we come out of our old self and claim our purpose.
Which is more important to gaining a godly attitude: works, or faith? Work is a test - the test by which we nuture and strengthen our faith. For faith without works is dead. Yet it is not through works that we find salvation but through faith. As it is by grace that we have been saved, through faith. A godly attitude is seeded with faith and bears fruit to righteous works - our specialisations. So take joy in working for the glory of His kingdom.
What is the one constant in the midst of our worldly achievements or sufferings? It is the grace of God. We see His grace when we are given recognition in the eyes of men; we also see His grace when we are given the strength of carry out His work, even when shunned by men. "You cannot be selective about the grace of God - if you choose the grace of God, you will not see the glory of His grace."
Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.
Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.
Do you find it hard to pray in your daily living? Without seeing the impact of Satan's daily influences through the information we receive in this new age, it is difficult for us to be driven into prayers.
We need to have a violent faith that is up against Satan, the world and our sinful nature, in order to come out of typicality and advance God's kingdom.
For our prayers to reach the throne of God, we need to pray with the truth that stirs up a spiritual battle within us, so that we restore the right mentality and vigilance towards the works of the spiritual realm.
Our living and prayers should not be detached. Instead, it should be embedded onto everything that we do so that we can fall back onto the truth and guard our hearts in all areas of our lives.
Indeed God has called us to share His gospel, but are we able to do it consistently with a willing heart? On the flip side, it is in times of inability to preach willingly, that our experiences amplify God's power and grace more.
In the current era, it is getting increasingly tough to rest our hopes and desires on God because of the distractions and worldly culture surrounding us. Are we sensitive enough to realise how Satan is working in our hearts today?
In the current era, it is getting increasingly tough to rest our hopes and desires on God because of the distractions and worldly culture surrounding us. Are we sensitive enough to realise how Satan is working in our hearts today?
Delight in your struggles because it pushes us into a race that has to live each step by seeking God's will, when we are in brokenness.
In the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20), Jesus calls his disciples to "go and make disciples of all nations". As we run the Christian race, how are we to find our personal calling as part of this Great Commission? Especially, when circumstances get tough and we find ourselves lost, remember that Jesus is with us “always, to the very end of the age”. Pray to free our hearts, so that we can find our calling in the midst of these circumstances and through it, exalt God.
Why did the Lord wipe the world out in the time of Noah? It was because the corruption in the hearts of men that turned them away from God, got so great that there were only evil inclinations in their hearts. So, as we run the run the Christian race towards the end times, let us guard our hearts against the antichrist - for he is the one that brings this corruption back in its full measure.
What can we look to in our imperfections and weaknesses? Where do we get the strength to run the Christian race? How do we overcome temptation? We look to Jesus Christ on the cross. In His moment of apparent weakness, He shows His ultimate strength - He died on the cross to redeem us from our sins. He has never failed, and will never fail.
What does the cross symbolise? To the world, shame and suffering. To Christians, strength and glory. Christ took both, scorning the shame and enduring the suffering with joy, for the glory set before him. As Jesus did, so should we - to fix our eyes towards eternal glory while running the race set out for us.
In the current era, it is getting increasingly tough to rest our hopes and desires on God because of the distractions and worldly culture surrounding us. Are we sensitive enough to realise how Satan is working in our hearts today?
Never be afraid to make a choice that jeopardise your earthly benefits. for Christ. Believe that if it is for God, His promises will reveal clearer and clearer to you through your submission. His plans are greater than your plans. Losing World, Gaining Christ.
Never be afraid to make a choice that jeopardise your earthly benefits. for Christ. Believe that if it is for God, His promises will reveal clearer and clearer to you through your submission. His plans are greater than your plans. Losing World, Gaining Christ.
The world offers the promise of abundance, but these are empty promises and they ultimately lead to destruction. In the same way that the Lord rained fire and brimstone on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, He will come to pass judgement on those who put their faith in the world instead of in Him. Seek not the false riches of the world, which are lost in the blink of an eye. Instead, look toward the eternal glory of the Lord.
The promise of God is the only yet most fundamental foundation holding our relationship with God. It's not through our good conducts and obedience to the law that make us worthy of His promise. Instead, it's when we realise, and believe in God's promise that is freely given to us through His sovereign grace that leads us into submitting to Him, naturally, in all things.
We often proclaim "I believe in the promise of God!" without thinking deeper what we're actually looking forward to when we say this. At times, we believe that God will give us the result, relationship, the promotion etc that we think we need, and equate them to God's promise. But beyond what our human minds and eyes can imagine and see, God actually promises us more than these. God promises you HE Himself, in whom you can find all you everlasting purpose, joy and satisfaction.
In faith, everything that we do must come from what is within us. Thus, to set ourselves apart, the focus has to be our spirit. We need to restore the faith that continues to claim the complete gospel, the complete truth and the complete promise that God has given us.
When do you feel that you are worthy of praise? We may define being praiseworthy by our outward conditions and works, but God values the inner person more.
Never be afraid to make a choice that jeopardise your earthly benefits. for Christ. Believe that if it is for God, His promises will reveal clearer and clearer to you through your submission. His plans are greater than your plans. Losing World, Gaining Christ.
What sort of attitude should we adopt when approaching our daily work? Colossians 3:23-24 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” If we open our hearts to God, purpose and meaning can be found in even the most minute of acts. This is what Colossians asks of us - to devote all our heart towards fulfilling God's purpose in all that we do. With the assurance of an inheritance in both the heavenly and physical realms, Colossians urges us to serve Christ with a heart of faith and gratitude; in doing so, we will be able to do our best for the Lord.
"I have to do well to glorify God so I need to work hard" and "It is God's will so I don't need to work that hard" are common excuses used to fulfil own flesh / desired achievements, to be deemed successful. In fact, while thriving for achievements, we need to revere God, abide to His words and go back to His promises. Even it did not turn out as what you expected, never cease revering God as you never know what God has prepared of you. Christians are deemed successful not with our achievements, but having an assurance heart to live right before God with any achievements we get.
"I have to do well to glorify God so I need to work hard" and "It is God's will so I don't need to work that hard" are common excuses used to fulfil own flesh / desired achievements, to be deemed successful. In fact, while thriving for achievements, we need to revere God, abide to His words and go back to His promises. Even it did not turn out as what you expected, never cease revering God as you never know what God has prepared of you. Christians are deemed successful not with our achievements, but having an assurance heart to live right before God with any achievements we get.
We are the visible reflector of the invisible God's glorious attribute. The strength, wisdom and love of God is shown when we pray, internalise His truth and live by it. When we truly understand this, the spiritual sense in us will transcend our sins and weaknesses.
When we evangelise, we will be able to testify for God's glory through our lives. Our submission towards God as we reign the many circumstances portrays the sovereignty of our Father, above worldly successes.
Consistent Godly success is achieved through consistent dependency on God. This is the single underlying principle of David's successes in the book of Samuel. One cannot achieve consistent success by either depending on luck or relying on hard work alone. David's faith was always rooted on the Lord, regardless of whether he was up against lion and bear, Goliath and the Philistine army, or while he was on the run from King Saul. We can see David reaffirming his faith in the Lord in the book of Psalms. In our daily lives, let the basis of our hard work be rooted in genuine dependency on God. Keep our spiritual eyes open to find true purpose behind the work given to us by the Lord and be blessed with consistent success. 1 Samuel 17:37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine. Psalm 16:8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.
What are the yardsticks we use to measure Godly success? In the book of Samuel, one of the ways that we can measure David's is the way in which he wins the approval of God's people. In following the example of David, we should seek success that benefits not only ourselves but more importantly the people of God. Just like David, we should place our focus on caring for people, and put our faith in God when tackling tasks. 1 Samuel 18 5 Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul's officers as well. 6 When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres.
"I have to do well to glorify God so I need to work hard" and "It is God's will so I don't need to work that hard" are common excuses used to fulfil own flesh / desired achievements, to be deemed successful. In fact, while thriving for achievements, we need to revere God, abide to His words and go back to His promises. Even it did not turn out as what you expected, never cease revering God as you never know what God has prepared of you. Christians are deemed successful not with our achievements, but having an assurance heart to live right before God with any achievements we get.
The two ultimate and unseen evils are sin and flesh, and they are always working together to bring down a man. When you give in to sins, your flesh takes over and be the master of your inner person. Nothing in this world can set you free from the sin and flesh, but only the blood of Christ. Hence, we need to live through the HS to put our flesh to death. It is not by exercising your will, by having a renewed and recreated heart, which you achieve through prayers with a contrite heart after knowing how self-centred you are in wanting to satisfy your flesh.
Are our inner selves getting renewed day by day? Being conscious of our inner selves mean fixing our eyes not on what is seen, such as the momentary tasks and troubles of our lives, but on what is unseen - the deep love for God and the flourishing of our souls. To feed our inner selves, we should look past our feelings and sentiments and instead take guidance from the Spirit. We will know that our inner selves have grown if we see a change in our attitudes when we face the challenges of life. (2 Cor 4:16-18) Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
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