Sunday, February 6, 2011

What matters most

What matters most in my life? in yours? Family? Health? Happiness? Satisfaction? Worthwhile work?
What if you and I lose everything even our health? What's left?
Job was a man who experienced a loss beyond what most men have lost - his children were killed, his possessions and wealth all gone and his health was affected with severe sores in his body.
On top of all this he had un-empathetic and non-understanding friends and wife.
What did he do? What was his response?
Strangely, his response recorded in Job13:15 was : Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.
The 'he' and 'him', Job was referring to was God. Job was saying: Though God kills me, I will still hope in Him.
What profound faith! Job's faith was that even if God took EVERYTHING from him including his life, he will still trust, hope, believe, remain faithful to Him.
Do we have this in us? Have we come to a point in our Christian faith that we can completely cast our ALL to Him who loves us deeply. Or is our faith still a 'vending-machine' faith where our relationship to our Lord and God is bless me, bless me, bless me ... or else...
God knows our hearts. Let us allow the Holy Spirit to change us from inside out to have this 'full surrender' faith like Job each and every day. That WHATEVER happens, we declare to all, both humans and non-humans, that God is my God.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

From D to C through steps of GRACE

We need to take up the shield of faith to quench the deadly darts of the evil one:
Dart 1: the spirit (demon) of doubt who makes you question God's Word and His goodness
Dart 2: the spirit of discouragement who makes you look at your problems rather than to God
Dart 3: the spirit of diversion who makes the wrong seems more attractive than the right.
Dart 4: the spirit of defeat who makes you feel like a failure so that you don't even try or trust God for victory
Dart 5: the spirit of delay who makes you put off doing something so that it never gets done especially in obeying God.

Our counter-offensive through the Holy Spirit for each of the darts.
Let us daily put on the Lord Jesus and His Spirit will give us :
1) Confidence (believe and trust) in God, His Word and His Goodness
2) Courage (encouraged and empowered with boldness) to see God bigger than anything or anyone else
3) Concentration (focus) on what God said and move forward in truth 
4) Conqueror's attitude ("we are more than conquerors through Christ") that to fail does not mean we are a failure
5) Control (by the Spirit) so that we are quick to obey and disciplined to live out our lives under Christ's Lordship