The Kingdom of God is demonstrated with Power

This verse appeared to me twice today as I was viewing some miracles videos conducted by some of the true followers of Christ.

1 Corithians 4:20 - "For the kingdom of God is demonstrated not in idle talk but with power."

I'm still not sure what God is trying to tell me but through my instinct, He is telling me to talk the walk as the kingdom of God requires action to demonstrate its power. 
This couldn't be wrong anymore as I have held myself from praying and blessing others, thinking that this might be a bit crazy doing this in an islamic state. There could be certian level of danger for being accused of spreading gospels to the muslims. 

But that reminds me again that if God has asked of something from us, He will make it happened no matter what. Which means victory is in God's hand and none of us should worry abou the consequences as God is the Author of all things. 

Why Speaking and Praying in Tongues?

In Acts 2, there is an account about Jesus' disciples receiving the tongues of fire as the Spirit enabled them during the day of the Pentecost.

The disciples started to speak in they very own tongues covering each native languages. People made out of Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, Cretans and Arabs, all of them were amazed by the languages used to declare the wonders of God.

Why praying in tongues? Essentially, this is God's way of ministering to His people. We often magnify our shortcomings in terms of language when we attempt to minister to others. Language seems to be the road block in communication. But God doesn't see this as a show-stopper. He can still use us to speak His word. He is able to convey the message through tongues. Remember, God doesn't work our ways, because He is the Way. 

Wait no longer, let us start to speak and pray more in tongues !

Discerning God's will to pray and heal.

How do you know who to pray for standing in the midst of teh crowd?
The best way that the street evangelist Todd White claims is to pray to the Father every single morning with this prayer.

Lord Father, I don't' want to see people through my eyes but Yours. 
I want to see people through the hearts of heaven. 
-Todd White - 

As we pray, God moves

I am contemplating whether to publish this entry but I think I should. This entry has something to do with faith and trusting God. Though this might seems small in the eyes of many but I believe God is hearing every single urgent prayer from us when we pray out loud to Him.

On the wheel I was fetching WK as we were on our way to attend Adam's performance. As an early warning given out by Terry, he claimed that there will be traffic congestion around the destination we were heading to. Along with the text, he attached a notice of warning to the audience outside the hall that the ushers hold the rights to refuse the late comers. Little did we know how bad the traffic would be, I started to launch myself into prayer. 

I was thanking God for the traffic and asking Him to make the traffic smooth so that we could reach there on time. Judging from the normal condition, a Sunday afternoon is the peak among all the time for the slow traffic. But the weird thing as I was praying along, the cars were moving despite the numbers and they are moving in a relatively normal driving speed. 

Just as we would about to reach Straits Quay, we were held up by a traffic light. I thought we were not able to make it since there was only 10 minutes more before the show starts. The light turned green and off I sped toward our destination. In my mind that time, I was estimating how much time I should take to find a car park space since there were separate events going on within that parameters. But some how my instinct was telling me that I should go for the nearer car park block. 

The queue for the car park was quite fine but we know that it's not easy to get one as others were waiting for their turn to park. My instinct worked again and I drove way up to several floors instead of waiting at the lower level waiting for outgoing cars to move. Immediate turn after I have made my climb, I saw an empty space. Straight away i maneuvered my car to that empty and I was done parking. 

The time was still ticking, we need to find out way to the PAC. Believe it or not, my instinct just worked perfectly fine yesterday. None of the ways that I have made had actually failed me. I made all the right turning and finally we managed to reach the door step 2 minutes before the door was shut for performance to commence. 

At that moment, I couldn't stop thanking God because I believe He has shown me the way. I know I have good memory but from time to time I failed to recall what I have remembered. We might not realise that God works in small little things. It is not the point anymore to see whether things can be accomplished but I do see God moving as we pray. 

Prophecy on my ministry

It's our Arise and Build pledge day tomorrow. In cell group, we were asked to pray for the person next to us and it was a great privilege that LJ was my prayer partner.

He started to prophesy into my life. He first sensed a great struggle in me, a wall that I have not fully brought down. Yes indeed I have been wrestling with myself, I turn away from God when I faced problem. I always have this confidence that I can deal with the problem myself but rarely I present the problems before God.

It's so hard in me, like a metal that's extremely solid to be broken down. It requires more than a tool that is able to thoroughly break the inner core of the"hard rock" inside me. The "hard rock" is referring to the stronghold that is preventing me for allowing God to work in me.

As the prophecy continues, LJ told me that God will continue to break me until the very core of my inner pride and flesh are broken. Suddenly I just felt that God was spoken directly to me like a prodigal son. I have been far from being in the presence of God and God is trying to seek access into my life again. And I never thought it would come this way.

LJ also told me that my ministry will only start after my stronghold and inner core is broken. To allow this process to accelerate, I would have to allow God to intervene into my personal matter. So it's more to God's way now than mine. 

God I don't know whether this is real but I will mark your words today. Come and change me as I need your presence to lead me to my destiny and ministry. Sorry for always turning away from you, however I expect a great encounter with you in time to come.

A Thousand Years

In love with this song I am. With a rather simple chords, I have already played over 20 times and sung it like 30 times and it is still stuck in my head.

Though I have not really noticed this song before Phoebe Tan recited it in our annual church camp last year. A catchy song with great meaning. It reminds me about the Lord Jesus, who really loved us that he has died waiting for us to reconcile with Him. Like a song dedicated to Him, I will keep singing.

YouTube Link to the song:

"A Thousand Years"

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave?
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall?
But watching you stand alone,
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow.

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What's standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this

One step closer

[Chorus:]
I have died every day waiting for you
Darling, don't be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I'll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years

                                            I'll love you for a thousand more 

Fairness and Justice II

Why are there always different groups of people who are trying to stir racial sentiments against our fellow Jewish friends? Even the World Wars started out of jealousy for a single race that the Lord favours over many others. This leads many to think that whether God is really fair in his treatment to all mankind, or it's only the Jews, His chosen crowd. 

Reading 2 Chronicles 34-36 gives me the impression that God favours not only the Jews but those who are obedient to Him. It's written that King Necho of Egypt delivered a message to King Josiah telling him to stay away from the battle of Carchemish. The message is heavy and it sets as a warning to King Josiah that if he doesn't stay away from it, he will be harmed.

King Necho told King Josiah the following statement.
"God told me to hurry. Stop opposing God, who is with me, or else he will destroy you."

Most of us would have the idea that the Lord will still be with Josiah as he has done good things in the eyes of the Lord. Surely as the Lord lives, he will not be harmed. However, the story doesn't turn out this way. He was injured and died shortly after his warriors brought his out from his chariots. 

To side track the discussion here a bit, the moral we learn here is, we should not only be obedient to God but to have a certain level of prudence towards the decrees given by Him. It's good to take extra miles but when God has given you the precise instruction to follow, not more not less, and He really means it sometimes to save us from unnecessary troubles. Josiah is one good example and only one disobedience and lack of prudence, caused his life. But this is not the point of our discussion today. 

Let us look back to what God has given to King Necho. The Egyptian king, descendant of an evil ruler who once destroyed by the Lord during Moses' time, was given authority by the Lord in the battle of Carchemish to destroy a nation that's detestable to the Lord. From what I observe, God is still a loving God. His wrath is there when sin presents. But if one turns away from sin and obey Him, He will in turn pour blessings. 

Another great example is seen in 2 Chronicles 36: 22-23, where God used King Cyrus of Persia to free His people from the exile caused by the Babylonian upon the downfall of the lands of Israel and Judah. God literally moved King Cyrus to do what He has commanded. And yet, Persia is not a chosen nation by the Lord but God used them in His plan. 

There is no reason for us to be jealous about how God has shown His favours on others. His ultimate goal is to prepare us so that we could co-exist among ourselves one day in Heaven. His love is enough to fill our needs that no other things can. And He is expecting us to do the same to show our love to others as well. So the next time when the evil thought comes back on you to question on the inbalance treatment of God to certain people, think of this - How fair God the Father treated His own begotten Son that He sent Him all the way from Heaven to Earth, to die for you and me and not the other way round? 

God, I just want to praise you forever for this simple reason.

Fairness and Justice

I always wonder why justice doesn't prevail just as we expected the law would uphold it. And as I have been praying long enough to realise that it actually spells out clearly on the matter of justice we observe on Earth.

Jesus spoke to the crowd in John 18: 36 that “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.” 

God's kingdom is a perfect place with hope and love. The place that He claims as Earth doesn't have such attributes as it's only a temporary place human will dwell under the rule of the prince of darkness. This is why we don't really see justice prevail, or sometimes only for a few rare cases under God's intervention. 

Hence we have to see further than we could, measuring the sight of God carrying His very presence within us. Then only we know that it is the end result that we would want to see - justice done to the demonic ruler for his act of evil to God and mankind.

God's Power Overcomes Problems

Don't be discouraged when trouble comes. We have a mighty force that is stronger than any object and living things within the universe. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. The Creator Himself that rules over the universe and every single thing that lives within it.

The story is told of King Hezekiah of Judah that faced invasion from Sennacherib King of Assyria. Instead of ringing the bell of emergency, he said and did the following to his military personnel.

2 Chronicles 32:6-8
 He appointed military officers over the people and assembled them before him in the square at the city gate and encouraged them with these words: ⁷ “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. ⁸ With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said.

It doesn't take much to change the condition as God is able. The turning point revolves around His word and it is so powerful that none of the physical object or other form of comfort would be able prepare the armed forces to be combat ready as claimed in the scripture. And not forgotten about our own identity as the children of God will help us to know that we are always on the site of victory as God is always with us.

Grandps hospitalised - A call for God's work

Today I received a message from my mom telling me that my grandpa is hospitalised. I really scared myself to death. Grandpa's heart is weakening and the cardiologist is suggesting for an implanted mechanism to help grandpa's heart to pump.

Praise God that all he felt is tired and nothing else. He could even joke with me asking when I am getting a girlfriend to pave my marriage life. Lying on a bed but still my grandpa still thought of my future. Sometimes, I do think that I am too selfish to even share my love to him. He will keep reminding me about my childhood times and indeed it is reminiscent.

I will continue to pray for grandpa, hoping for an opportunity to share gospel with him. I  believe this is a good chance as well since I have experienced the faithfulness of God today. I never knew that this girl of whom i have known for only 3 days would join me for dinner. I know God has plan for her but for a guy to ask her out personally will definitely scare her away. But praise God, she decided to come without any hesitation. We are one step closer in bringing her to know Christ.

Now I realise that I can indeed multitask when the spirit is with me. I sincerely pray that the Spirit will take charge now in His plan that He has laid before me. Direct me to do the right thing and travel with me to where I go.