As I was speaking with a young man and talking about life and relationships, the topic of emotions and money came up.
Emotions
Most of the time we let our negative emotions have a upper hand in our lives. What do I mean by that? I mean, we let our negative emotions rule our decisions. E.g. We don't feel like going to church and so we choose to sleep in and then go out later to do our own thing. Or we feel very upset and we choose to let it out in the facebook and let all our "friends" read it. In doing such things that are governed by our negative emotions we reap what we act out. We missed our the precious opportunity that week to worship God with His people and be refreshed and strengthened. We showed our friends our lack of self control and allow the enemy to take advantage of that to draw precious friendships away from us.
Mature and responsible people are able to manage their emotions well. The fact is that we will all experience negative emotions BUT mature people knows how to handle them well. They do not let their emotions rule their life. They let their inner being rule their life. They live responsibly no matter how they feel. They choose to love even when they don't feel loving. They choose to give thanks even when they feel like things are not going well with them. This is faith in God. This is being mature. And in families, fathers and mothers must live responsibly to love and build their partner and children.
Marriages break down when a partner does not know how to handle their negative emotions. In their frustrations they speak words that ought not be spoken. In their impatience they release their anger on their partner and hurt them and their relationships.
A key to successful marriage is the ability to handle negative emotions wisely and lovingly.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Money
Money is also one of the main causes for relationships to break down.
A mature person knows how to manage money. It doesn't matter how much or how little money they have. A mature person can live a wholesome life even if he doesn't have "lots" of money. On the other hand an immature person will be destroyed by money. In fact if they have lots of money that they can't control, it will control and destroy them.
A test of your level of maturity, the level of your wisdom and strength is your ability to live a wholesome life with whatever amount of money you have.
If God cannot trust you to handle money, He cannot trust you to handle His sheep (precious people that He loves) and His true riches.
Luke 16:10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?
Conclusion
All of us need success in these 2 vital areas - emotions and money.
May the Lord grant us the grace and wisdom to have victory in these realms.
May we also be open to learn from one another so that we can grow and be mature in these 2 areas. AMEN!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Being a threat to the enemy
In Ep 6 we are exhorted to put on the WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil.
The first 5 chapters tells us Christians how rich we have become because of Christ and what He has accomplished for us. But in order for us to possess all the rich inheritance, the glorious calling and the exceedingly great power we must put on the whole armour. Putting on the armour is putting on the life of Christ. It is to embrace fully by faith the life of Christ in us. It is to live a lifestyle of a devoted, Spirit filled disciple of Jesus Christ, full of His grace and truth.
The first part of the armour is for defence. It is for the Christian soldier's well being. Without it he will be an easy target of the devil. He would be hurt, wounded, paralysed and weak.
The Belt of Truth - if a believer lives in lies, he is already under the power of the Liar and the father of lies.
The Breastplate of righteousness - if the believer is living a selfish life in sin, he is already being bound by the enemy
The shoes of the Gospel of peace - if the believer does not have peace with God and with people and is not a peacemaker he can easily be the cause of strife and contention
The helmet of salvation -if the the believer is unsure of his salvation, living in fear and doubts, then how can he share with conviction the Gospel of salvation to others?
The shield of faith - if the believer is fearful of the disasters, crimes, diseases and accidents around him how can he have the faith to overcome the enemy.
So you can see that the above armoury are for the well being of the soldier. Only when these defense armoury are securely put on can the soldier move on to use the sword and prayer to destroy the works of the devil.
The sword of the spirit which is the word of God is our offensive weapon. Imagine a soldier (in those days they have no guns) without a sword. He has no weapon to kill his enemy even if he has the opportunity to do it. Jesus drew out His sword to destroy the devils' temptation. Do you know the word well enough? Have you put the word in use before and experienced it to be powerful? Have you sharpened your sword? Have you laid up the word in your heart? If you have not then you are no threat to the enemy.
Only when we have the full armour on can we pray effective prayer, powerful prayer and enemy destroying prayers.
And only then can we advance the gospel.
The final goal, the utmost in God's heart is for the gospel to be preached far and wide with love and great power, setting captives free; plundering hell and populating heaven! That's what our KING OF GLORY and Commander in chief wants His army to accomplished.
Let's put on the whole armour and rise up to be God's victorious army, a mighty force that the devil will have to flee from!
Ep 6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints ---19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
The first 5 chapters tells us Christians how rich we have become because of Christ and what He has accomplished for us. But in order for us to possess all the rich inheritance, the glorious calling and the exceedingly great power we must put on the whole armour. Putting on the armour is putting on the life of Christ. It is to embrace fully by faith the life of Christ in us. It is to live a lifestyle of a devoted, Spirit filled disciple of Jesus Christ, full of His grace and truth.
The first part of the armour is for defence. It is for the Christian soldier's well being. Without it he will be an easy target of the devil. He would be hurt, wounded, paralysed and weak.
The Belt of Truth - if a believer lives in lies, he is already under the power of the Liar and the father of lies.
The Breastplate of righteousness - if the believer is living a selfish life in sin, he is already being bound by the enemy
The shoes of the Gospel of peace - if the believer does not have peace with God and with people and is not a peacemaker he can easily be the cause of strife and contention
The helmet of salvation -if the the believer is unsure of his salvation, living in fear and doubts, then how can he share with conviction the Gospel of salvation to others?
The shield of faith - if the believer is fearful of the disasters, crimes, diseases and accidents around him how can he have the faith to overcome the enemy.
So you can see that the above armoury are for the well being of the soldier. Only when these defense armoury are securely put on can the soldier move on to use the sword and prayer to destroy the works of the devil.
The sword of the spirit which is the word of God is our offensive weapon. Imagine a soldier (in those days they have no guns) without a sword. He has no weapon to kill his enemy even if he has the opportunity to do it. Jesus drew out His sword to destroy the devils' temptation. Do you know the word well enough? Have you put the word in use before and experienced it to be powerful? Have you sharpened your sword? Have you laid up the word in your heart? If you have not then you are no threat to the enemy.
Only when we have the full armour on can we pray effective prayer, powerful prayer and enemy destroying prayers.
And only then can we advance the gospel.
The final goal, the utmost in God's heart is for the gospel to be preached far and wide with love and great power, setting captives free; plundering hell and populating heaven! That's what our KING OF GLORY and Commander in chief wants His army to accomplished.
Let's put on the whole armour and rise up to be God's victorious army, a mighty force that the devil will have to flee from!
Ep 6: 10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints ---19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Lord is faithful to save!
The Lord will reveal Himself to those who have yet to know Him. He will save them. He will shepherd them.
Is 65:1
"I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, 'Here I am, here I am,'
To a nation that was not called by My name.
John 10:16
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Our hearts are grieved by the news of the many suicidal cases in our country. I’m sure many of us are praying to the Lord to have mercy on the many young people who are so lost, so confused, so broken, so wounded that they might take the road towards suicide.
We as a church prayed that these cases will be reduced and that many would turn to the Lord and that many Christians will arise and sow love to people around us who are desperate for real love. The Lord reminded me that He will save in Is 65:1 and John 10:16.
And so we prayed for the lost according to His promise. We ask the Lord to reveal Himself, His great love and truth to them. We asked that those who are lost will hear His voice and will find Him and be saved!
When we pray this prayer, we are praying God’s will because he promised He will do it.
Let’s pray fervently for this to happen. Also let us pray that God will use us, His church. Let’s pray that we, His church will be yielded to Him to be His body, His hands, His feet and His mouth to speak His love, to touch lives and share His grace with them. Let’s arise and shine. Let’s be His light and His salt in this world that the Lord has called us to serve.
Is 65:1
"I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, 'Here I am, here I am,'
To a nation that was not called by My name.
John 10:16
And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
Our hearts are grieved by the news of the many suicidal cases in our country. I’m sure many of us are praying to the Lord to have mercy on the many young people who are so lost, so confused, so broken, so wounded that they might take the road towards suicide.
We as a church prayed that these cases will be reduced and that many would turn to the Lord and that many Christians will arise and sow love to people around us who are desperate for real love. The Lord reminded me that He will save in Is 65:1 and John 10:16.
And so we prayed for the lost according to His promise. We ask the Lord to reveal Himself, His great love and truth to them. We asked that those who are lost will hear His voice and will find Him and be saved!
When we pray this prayer, we are praying God’s will because he promised He will do it.
Let’s pray fervently for this to happen. Also let us pray that God will use us, His church. Let’s pray that we, His church will be yielded to Him to be His body, His hands, His feet and His mouth to speak His love, to touch lives and share His grace with them. Let’s arise and shine. Let’s be His light and His salt in this world that the Lord has called us to serve.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Lord remembers all your labour of love
Heb 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
If we have experienced being taken for granted we know that it is hurtful and it is a form of injustice. Heb 6:10 says that God is not unjust. Every work that we do in His name and for His people is appreciated by God. He will not forget it. In fact He will reward us for it. In Mark 9:41 we read Jesus saying, For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
We human beings have many faults and we often don’t see and appreciate work that has been done in His name and for His people. I for one is guilty of it. If you have in anyway felt unappreciated for the ministries you are doing in HGC, I ask for your forgiveness and I pray that you will kindly accept my apologies. I pray that you will be rewarded by the Lord greatly for all your labour of love for Him.
My prayer for you is in Ps 20
3 May He remember all your offerings, (every service done to Him and for Him, every giving, every prayer of intercession, everycare shown)
And accept your burnt sacrifice.(every willing sacrifices) Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
It is really wonderful to serve HIM!
He is wonderfully good and HE HAS ALREADY BLESSED US ALL SO GREATLY IN ALL THAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US!
WE WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR HIS AGAPE LOVE FOR US IN CHRIST!
With every breath that I have I want to serve YOU LORD! AMEN!
If we have experienced being taken for granted we know that it is hurtful and it is a form of injustice. Heb 6:10 says that God is not unjust. Every work that we do in His name and for His people is appreciated by God. He will not forget it. In fact He will reward us for it. In Mark 9:41 we read Jesus saying, For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink in My name, because you belong to Christ, assuredly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.
We human beings have many faults and we often don’t see and appreciate work that has been done in His name and for His people. I for one is guilty of it. If you have in anyway felt unappreciated for the ministries you are doing in HGC, I ask for your forgiveness and I pray that you will kindly accept my apologies. I pray that you will be rewarded by the Lord greatly for all your labour of love for Him.
My prayer for you is in Ps 20
3 May He remember all your offerings, (every service done to Him and for Him, every giving, every prayer of intercession, everycare shown)
And accept your burnt sacrifice.(every willing sacrifices) Selah
4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
It is really wonderful to serve HIM!
He is wonderfully good and HE HAS ALREADY BLESSED US ALL SO GREATLY IN ALL THAT JESUS HAS DONE FOR US!
WE WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR HIS AGAPE LOVE FOR US IN CHRIST!
With every breath that I have I want to serve YOU LORD! AMEN!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Set the LORD always before you
The Psalmist says that he will not be shaken if the LORD is at his right hand. How can the Lord be at his right hand? He did ONE THING - he has set the LORD always before him. To set the LORD always before him is to BE AWARE OF HIS PRESENCE WITH YOU ALWAYS. Indeed He has promised that HE will never leave you nor forsake you.
Ps 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
(Psa 16:8 GNB) I am always aware of the LORD's presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.
I have been saying that whatever the Lord wants us to do He has first done it for us or has first given it to us.
We love because HE first loved us.
We can come to HIM because HE first came to us.
Now I can set the Lord always before me because HE has first set me before Him. Heb 12:2 says that we are the joy that HE set before Him. He is willing to go to the cross for us whom He has set before Himself.
Heb 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let us set HIM before our eyes! He is our SHELTER AND STRENGTH! He is our SHEPHERD AND SAVIOUR! He is our SUN AND SHIELD! If He is at our right hand we will not be shaken!
How do we set HIM always before us?
By constantly fixing our focus on His Word.
His Word and Him is ONE!
Watch your focus when you face a "challenging" circumstance.
E.g. you have just been asked to do more than what you can "comfortably" handle. You feel "stressed". Negative and even fearful thoughts come to you. What do you do?
You begin to look to Him instead of to yourself or at the problems.
You can remember His promise. You can confess, "Lord You are with me, You are my help, You are a shield of favour around me. You are blessing me!" and so forth.
I have seen an immediate change and a note of victory begin to ring!
Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (the Word) and you will be saved, helped, delivered, strengthened and blessed!
The more of His Word you lay up in your heart, the easier it is for you to set Him always before you. Beware of the many things, voices, pictures and images that the enemy wants to fill your heart, mind and imagination. Lay up His Word in your heart so that in whatever situations or challenges you are in, His Word can rise up from your heart and be your guide, your wisdom, your strength, your shield aand your life!
Set HIM always before you.
He has set you before HIMSELF!
Let this be our prayer to the Lord, "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal upon Thine arm" Songs 8:6
Ps 16:8 I have set the LORD always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
(Psa 16:8 GNB) I am always aware of the LORD's presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me.
I have been saying that whatever the Lord wants us to do He has first done it for us or has first given it to us.
We love because HE first loved us.
We can come to HIM because HE first came to us.
Now I can set the Lord always before me because HE has first set me before Him. Heb 12:2 says that we are the joy that HE set before Him. He is willing to go to the cross for us whom He has set before Himself.
Heb 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Let us set HIM before our eyes! He is our SHELTER AND STRENGTH! He is our SHEPHERD AND SAVIOUR! He is our SUN AND SHIELD! If He is at our right hand we will not be shaken!
How do we set HIM always before us?
By constantly fixing our focus on His Word.
His Word and Him is ONE!
Watch your focus when you face a "challenging" circumstance.
E.g. you have just been asked to do more than what you can "comfortably" handle. You feel "stressed". Negative and even fearful thoughts come to you. What do you do?
You begin to look to Him instead of to yourself or at the problems.
You can remember His promise. You can confess, "Lord You are with me, You are my help, You are a shield of favour around me. You are blessing me!" and so forth.
I have seen an immediate change and a note of victory begin to ring!
Believe in your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (the Word) and you will be saved, helped, delivered, strengthened and blessed!
The more of His Word you lay up in your heart, the easier it is for you to set Him always before you. Beware of the many things, voices, pictures and images that the enemy wants to fill your heart, mind and imagination. Lay up His Word in your heart so that in whatever situations or challenges you are in, His Word can rise up from your heart and be your guide, your wisdom, your strength, your shield aand your life!
Set HIM always before you.
He has set you before HIMSELF!
Let this be our prayer to the Lord, "Set me as a seal upon Thine heart, as a seal upon Thine arm" Songs 8:6
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