Psalm 90
1. Prioritize worship - acknowledge His Lordship
2. Pursue reconciliation - appreciate His discipline
3. Persist in prayer - appropriate His promises
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Practise the Presence of God
Practising the Presence of God so that you can sense His Presence daily.
1. Purposeful inclusion of God in all daily activities -
deliberate act of conversing and acknowledging God in all your activities each day e.g. "Lord as I read this book/watch this movie/play this game, keep my mind clean from any unholy influence."; "Lord thanks for helping me in this task/assignment/work that I had completed" etc.
2. Praying in the Spirit using tongues daily -
deliberate act of choosing to converse with God in tongues, growing and feeding the inner spirit man.
3. Prayerfully listening to God daily - deliberate act of stopping to be quiet and listening to God's reply to your prayers or to your praise.
1. Purposeful inclusion of God in all daily activities -
deliberate act of conversing and acknowledging God in all your activities each day e.g. "Lord as I read this book/watch this movie/play this game, keep my mind clean from any unholy influence."; "Lord thanks for helping me in this task/assignment/work that I had completed" etc.
2. Praying in the Spirit using tongues daily -
deliberate act of choosing to converse with God in tongues, growing and feeding the inner spirit man.
3. Prayerfully listening to God daily - deliberate act of stopping to be quiet and listening to God's reply to your prayers or to your praise.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Muses from the Word
Lust of the flesh = passion
Lust of the eyes = possession
Pride of life = position
F ace your struggles
A dmit your failures
I n the spiritual realm, pray and move
T rust the Holy Spirit
H old on to the Holy Spirit
The first 3 commandments of God:
1st commandment deals with disbelief
2nd commandment deals with distortion
3rd commandment deals with disrespect
The natural man is analogous to a dead TV (not plugged in, no power)
The born-again man is analogous to a live TV (plugged in with power but antenna not tuned)
The spiritual man is analogous to a live TV with the antenna tuned to God's frequency
God's History in the Bible:
Gen 1&2 - God creates and establishes His authority over all and a special relationship with man
Gen 3 - Man rebels against God's authority and rejects this special relationship
Gen 4 to Rev 22 - God moves through history to reestablish His authority and relationship with man
With God's help;
we can change our behaviour - (what we do) - our actions
we can change our character - (how we think) - our attitudes
we can accept our personality - (who we are)
Beware the Christian 'mask' - the veil that fakes our faith
1. Righteousness without godliness ( acts without attitudes)
2. Knowledge without application (describing without doing)
3. Relationship without fellowship ( position without practice)
To declare the gospel, we need
1. courage
2. clarity
3. confidence
Lust of the eyes = possession
Pride of life = position
F ace your struggles
A dmit your failures
I n the spiritual realm, pray and move
T rust the Holy Spirit
H old on to the Holy Spirit
The first 3 commandments of God:
1st commandment deals with disbelief
2nd commandment deals with distortion
3rd commandment deals with disrespect
The natural man is analogous to a dead TV (not plugged in, no power)
The born-again man is analogous to a live TV (plugged in with power but antenna not tuned)
The spiritual man is analogous to a live TV with the antenna tuned to God's frequency
God's History in the Bible:
Gen 1&2 - God creates and establishes His authority over all and a special relationship with man
Gen 3 - Man rebels against God's authority and rejects this special relationship
Gen 4 to Rev 22 - God moves through history to reestablish His authority and relationship with man
With God's help;
we can change our behaviour - (what we do) - our actions
we can change our character - (how we think) - our attitudes
we can accept our personality - (who we are)
Beware the Christian 'mask' - the veil that fakes our faith
1. Righteousness without godliness ( acts without attitudes)
2. Knowledge without application (describing without doing)
3. Relationship without fellowship ( position without practice)
To declare the gospel, we need
1. courage
2. clarity
3. confidence
Monday, February 25, 2008
Christ-consciousness vs self-consciousness
Gen 1: 26-28
In the garden before the fall, man was NOT self-conscious but once Adam and Eve sinned, self-conscious came in (bringing fear, self-doubt, insecurity, embarrassment and shame)
We need NOT be self-conscious now as through the Cross, Jesus has defeated sin and set us free to be Christ-conscious.
Only 3 things necessary for us to be conscious of everyday:
1. Conscious of our relationship with God
2. Conscious of our relationship with others
3. Conscious of our purpose and function
(our purpose is to be fruitful and multiply – ie to win others and disciple them) –Purpose is common to all of us
(our function is different and temporal – each of us have different functions in the Kingdom of God – our jobs and ministries will differ so as the Body of Christ will be built up as each function is working in harmony)
How to be Christ-conscious and not self-conscious
1. Remember we are in Christ – our identity (who we are) is because of who Christ is. We need not feel inferior or act superior as we are what we are in Christ and in Christ alone.
2. Use the Word of God – know it, confess it and share it
3. Meet with God daily – in the garden, God met with Adam twice a day – in the cool of the day (morning and evening) – praise and pray
We are set free from the lie, deceit and bondage of self-consciousness to a life of liberty in Christ-consciousness. Let us press on and not listen to the enemy but claim and proclaim this truth daily.
In the garden before the fall, man was NOT self-conscious but once Adam and Eve sinned, self-conscious came in (bringing fear, self-doubt, insecurity, embarrassment and shame)
We need NOT be self-conscious now as through the Cross, Jesus has defeated sin and set us free to be Christ-conscious.
Only 3 things necessary for us to be conscious of everyday:
1. Conscious of our relationship with God
2. Conscious of our relationship with others
3. Conscious of our purpose and function
(our purpose is to be fruitful and multiply – ie to win others and disciple them) –Purpose is common to all of us
(our function is different and temporal – each of us have different functions in the Kingdom of God – our jobs and ministries will differ so as the Body of Christ will be built up as each function is working in harmony)
How to be Christ-conscious and not self-conscious
1. Remember we are in Christ – our identity (who we are) is because of who Christ is. We need not feel inferior or act superior as we are what we are in Christ and in Christ alone.
2. Use the Word of God – know it, confess it and share it
3. Meet with God daily – in the garden, God met with Adam twice a day – in the cool of the day (morning and evening) – praise and pray
We are set free from the lie, deceit and bondage of self-consciousness to a life of liberty in Christ-consciousness. Let us press on and not listen to the enemy but claim and proclaim this truth daily.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
The 10 Expressions of God's Name in Psalm 23
YHWH - Yahweh – “I am” = The LORD -- Jehovah
PS 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
PS 23:2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
PS 23:3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
PS 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
PS 23:5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
PS 23:6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(KJV) The LORD [is] my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou [art] with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
1. Jehovah Ra’ah (the Lord my Shepherd) v1 – action: FOLLOW HIM
The shepherd is concerned for the sheep and cares for them.
a. Sheep needs to eat grass themselves – the shepherd does not feed them!
b. Sheep needs to follow and keep in the path of the shepherd (staff – to keep in line, rod – to protect)
(difference between goats and sheep – goats are driven but sheep are led)
c. Sheep needs to submit – for shearing and for sacrifice
d. Sheep begets sheep
2. Jehovah Jireh (the Lord my Provider) v2a – action: TRUST HIM
the shepherd knows where the best pasture is and where there are poisonous weeds
3. Jehovah Shalom (the Lord my Peace) v2b – action: REST IN HIM
we have peace with God through Christ and now daily we can have peace of God
4. Jehovah Rapha (the Lord my Healer) v3a – action: ASK HIM IN FAITH
disease starts from dis-ease in our soul(mind, emotions) – healing comes from the Holy Spirit through our spirits to our souls and bodies
5. Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord my Righteousness) v3b – action: WALK WITH HIM
We have nothing good in ourselves (beware of self-righteous attitude). Let us live in His righteousness (our position in Christ) and live by His righteousness (our practical outworking of our position)
6. Jehovah Shammah (the Lord my Present Help) v4 – action: BE BOLD IN HIM
Do not fear, His Presence is near! Let us practise living in the present in His presence.
(talk to him wherever, whenever; praise him often; keep short a/cs with God)
7. Jehovah Nissi (the Lord my Banner) v5a – action: ENJOY HIM
I feast with God as the enemy looks on. His Banner over me is LOVE.
8. Jehovah Meqadashkem (the Lord my Sanctifier) v5b– action: BE HOLY LIKE HIM
To anoint one’s head and pour wine in a cup are signs of hospitality and friendship.
the oil and wine speaks of the Holy Spirit given to us to have overflowing joy, setting us apart for holy living. We are sanctified to serve.
9. Jehovah Cha’nan (kawnan=favours) (the Lord my Grace) v6a – action: LIVE IN HIS GRACE
Goodness = getting from God what we do not deserve – LIFE
Mercy = NOT getting from God what we do deserve – DEATH
will follow me = we are saved by grace through faith and we live by grace through faith
10. Jehovah Adonai (the LORD my Lord) v6b – action: SURRENDER TO HIM
He is the Master of the house and I will serve Him as a servant (bond slave – willingly having my ear pierced (Ex 21:6) to be a servant for life)
He is also my Father and I willingly serve Him as a son out of love and gratitude (cf. the prodigal son’s elder brother)
What is our response to all these 10 expressions of God’s character?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
God is our ALL-Sufficiency
The Sabbath is made for man and not man for the Sabbath - this speaks of the fact that God created this holy day that we may set time and space for Him to realise that He is sufficient for all things in our lives.
Let us be careful where we go, what we do and what we say on the Sabbath.
Our KPI (Kingdom Progressive Index) for Sabbath-keeping is to know that it is a time to:
1. Draw near to Him and rest in His sufficiency so that our devotional life will move from duty to delight
2. Get right with Him and return to His saving grace so that our relational life will move from community to family
3. Stand up for Him and recognise His sovereignty so that our vocational life will move from work to calling
Let us be careful where we go, what we do and what we say on the Sabbath.
Our KPI (Kingdom Progressive Index) for Sabbath-keeping is to know that it is a time to:
1. Draw near to Him and rest in His sufficiency so that our devotional life will move from duty to delight
2. Get right with Him and return to His saving grace so that our relational life will move from community to family
3. Stand up for Him and recognise His sovereignty so that our vocational life will move from work to calling
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Miktam Psalm
Recently I have been reading Psalm 16 which is classified as a miktam. A miktam is an inscription or engraving and there are only 6 of these miktam psalms.
This 'golden' psalm is to be 'worn' as an engraving on our hearts that we may not forget to trust in the Lord in whose presence we have fullness of joy.
This presence we will know if we set the Lord continually to be in front of us as we follow Him.
This 'golden' psalm is to be 'worn' as an engraving on our hearts that we may not forget to trust in the Lord in whose presence we have fullness of joy.
This presence we will know if we set the Lord continually to be in front of us as we follow Him.
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