A season of sudden losses

I lost a favourite cousin, and a boss; my colleagues and church friends lost their mothers; my pastor loses his friend; my friend loses his job. Positions that seem so secure, tumble down overnight. Seemingly simple decisions can result in serious consequences; we have only seconds to change our minds. God's prompting comes and goes in a flash, and obedience must be immediate. Ignoring it results in pain, and a long way round to recovery to our previous, blessed state. In this season, going with the flow is not wise. My prayer is that I can respond quickly, and correctly, in this season of sudden change. And not be afraid to stand against the tide.

Mary

Mary... six years with us... and now this...  

All because of a missing M$200...

My heart says She is innocent.

My head says There is no way she is. The one straight line leads to her.

Heartbreak.

I was heartbroken for 10 days. 10 days of feeling extremely tired. Could hardly eat a thing.

In many ways, Mary stepped into the role that my mother left when she died. Mary loved being with us, the house was filled with her love. The house was clean, orderly; she cooked, washed and ironed for us. She went to the market, ensured our physical needs were met. She was our nurturer.

In turn, she had the master bedroom (my brother & I were very comfortable in our own rooms & felt no need to change), was free to put whatever she wanted into it; It had multiple handphones, bundles of clothes, shoes, purses. She was a hoarder, like my mother. Every few months, she sent a box of clothes and other stuff home. Even as she worked here, she also nurtured her family.

But, there was a subtle change in her behaviour. She became more & more acquisitive. She hoarded more and more things. She wanted everything. Sometimes she just assumed certain things were hers. It was like the spirit of greed had taken hold of her.

And then, one fateful day, 5 Dec, I left my ringgit on my bedside table after counting it -- something I never do is to leave my purse exposed. But I did it that day, feeling the spirit of God leading me to do so and I also had a sense of complacency that it would be fine. Little did I know...

In Johor Bahru, at the end of the shopping day where I paid by credit cards, I decided to pay by cash. I was stunned there was so little ringgit left. After examining all the possibilities, there could be only one conclusion.

During a practical ministry session yesterday, we were to discern by the Spirit of God the fiery darts that were lodged in us. My partner saw a “box” around my head, and a metal shaft through my heart. By faith, she removed both. I went to a Christmas party, feeling like a zombie. There was barely any energy.

This morning, my energy returned. My wound healed. At breakfast, Mary announced that she would resign. The cutting off of the tie between us restored my energy, I believe.

In two days, she goes. She was a part of our lives for six years. We will miss her, buzzing around, doing the housework. She was a good worker. We will miss her love & care for us...All because of a missing M$200, our lives change.

Receiving healing

Thinking over what I've written yesterday, I'm reminded of an incident years ago, when as a young Christian, it was prophesied that I had the gift of healing.

I can still remember the day when another person, who'd also had the reputation for having the gift of healing, wasn't too comfortable with having some "competition." Fixing her eyes on me, she demanded that I pray for  her ankle, which she'd sprained sometime before. Not knowing any better, and thinking it's probably no harm to pray, I prayed something simple. Nothing happened, of course.

God doesn't respond to prideful, demanding people who try to make His servants, theirs. 

Subsequently, I've prayed occasionally for others -- backs have healed, infected ears have healed. 

I just let God do what He wants to do, whenever. He is my Prince of Peace. 

Sealed with gratitude

After having lived for more than half a century, I guess I can draw some conclusions from my observations of life and people.

What I have noticed is that grateful people are more blessed than those who have an attitude of entitlement. Grateful people, I've noticed, receive more from the Lord; they are happier, healthier, wealthier, and more successful than those who don't seem to think they should thank anyone for anything. Grateful people have a lot more friends. When they pursue God, they receive blessing upon blessing; breakthrough upon breakthrough.

Every blessing they receive, they keep. What is their secret?

It's an attitude of gratitude -- to God, who blesses them, and to the person whom God uses to bless them. Gratitude acts as a spiritual seal that keeps the blessing intact.

Those with an attitude of entitlement use people for what they can induce out of them. They can be charming, persuasive, entertaining, professing friendship. Once their goal is achieved, they disappear.

But they struggle in life. They may work hard, but their sweat and toil produce weeds. They receive the promise of blessings, but the promises disappear like snowflakes in the sun. Money comes -- and goes just as quickly. They change friends as quickly as they change clothes. They demand "more, more, more" -- for what you give is never enough, and it feels like you're pouring your strength into a black hole. Nothing comes back, and you feel weak, drained and used.

But, God is good. He has made provision in His word. He has said, in Matthew 10:13-14, that if you give your blessing of peace, and the people are unworthy, let your peace return to you. In other words, you can call back your blessing. Every spiritual blessing you've blessed another with in prayer -- including peace, rest, love, joy, provision -- and which is not received with gratitude, you can call back.

Anyone who asks you for prayer is actually asking for your strength. When you give your strength, and you're taken for granted, you may feel empty and used. In fact, soft-hearted and compassionate intercessors are often victimised this way. "You're an intercessor right? so it's your duty to intercede for me! Why should I thank you? You're only doing your job!" Subtly, the person who demands prayer takes the place of God, who is the sole authority to decide whom should be prayed for by you. After all, He knows who the intercessors are, and He is the one who distributes the prayer assignments.

If you have been used by those with an attitude of entitlement, do Matthew 10. Call back your blessings. Do it. And your strength will return to you; your empty soul will be full again, to overflowing. Your joy will return. Your courage, dignity and self-respect will come back. Blessing upon blessing! Even as you've given, you'll receive and more beside!

God is good. He knows that His workers are like guileless sheep, and will be used and abused by others, whether knowingly or unknowingly. He has made provision in His word to ensure we remain full, even to overflowing, continuing to do His work with joy.

God is really, really good.

How well do you know Me?

Here's a personal story shared by Judy Franklin, staff of Bethel Church, Redding, California.

One day, the Lord spoke to me. He simply said, "Ronald Reagan" (our president at the time). And that's all He said. I waited but He said nothing else.

So I said, "Yes, he's our president."

Then God said, "You can read about him every day."

"Yes, I can read about him in magazines and books," I replied.

He said, "You can hear about him every day."

Well of course, I thought, I could hear about him on the television, radio, or even in conversations with people who are discussing him or what he's doing.


He went on, "And you are affected by what he does."

"Oh yes, he signs bills and laws that do affect my life."

Then He asked, "How well do you know him?"

Wow! I was brought up short. I didn't know Ronald Reagan at all. I only knew about him.

The Lord said, "You can read about Me every day."

I responded, "Yes, in the Bible and different books."

He said, "You can hear about Me every day."

And I said, "Yes, on the television, radio, and at church."

Then the Lord said, "You are affected by what I do."

"Oh yes." I knew where this was going.

Finally, the Lord asked, "How well do you know Me?"

John 15:15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

The vision

A young man came. "I have a vision," he said. He spoke in other tongues. The vision spread, others spoke in tongues. Drunk with power, their plans & programmes, they fought for pre-eminence. Instead of visions, delusions. The vision faded. The young men went the way of the world.

10 more years. Another young man came. "I have a vision," he said. He spoke in other tongues; dreamt dreams, saw visions, healed the sick. Drunk with power, he fought for pre-eminence & sought to be served. Instead of visions, delusions. The vision faded. He went the way of the world. Meanwhile, the older men waited.

10 more years. Yet another young man comes. "I have a vision," he said. "Teach me."

Maybe. Maybe this time...the vision just might come to pass.

Singapore's General Elections 2011

Today, I was looking for a guide for Christians who wanted to pray for our General Elections, which will occur next Saturday, 7 May. To my surprise, I didn't find any. 

With the help of a UK website, I came up with some prompters.  Here goes:

1.     Pray that all the political parties consider how Singapore can become a fairer and more compassionate society.

2.     Pray for producers and editors of the various media -- radio, TV, the Internet as well as newspapers -- to be discerning and fair; that those involved in reporting during this election campaign communicate in unbiased and accurate ways; that blogs and other internet communications will be used responsibly.

3.     Pray that candidates put their message across with clarity and integrity, and that the issues raised will be those that are on God’s heart.

4.     Pray for Christian believers in positions of authority within the political parties to be strong in the Lord and guided by His goodness and wisdom.

5.     Pray that Christian candidates will be bold and eloquent in how they respond to issues and questions that have important moral and ethical implications.

6.     Ask God to restrain those who hold extreme or offensive views.

7.     Remember the candidates standing in your constituency, asking God to bless and guide them.

8.     Ask God to inspire local churches and individual Christians to pray for party leaders and other candidates.

9.     Ask God to guide Singaporeans to vote only for those who represent His heart.

10.  Pray that people will come out and use their vote, that only God’s choice will be elected, for peace and for righteousness to prevail in our country.

After the battle

After a spiritual battle, one needs to remain alert. Like in human battles, the powers of darkness try to consolidate, then subtly try to strike back through our weaknesses, and our strengths.

After our overnight prayer last week, I sensed that Yes, the enemy was striking back. The strategy always, is to call out to God and ask for His help.

In this case, He told us last night to confess our weaknesses -- and our strengths -- to Him, and ask Him to protect us in these areas.

Why our strengths? Because the strategy of the evil one is to push the strengths to an extreme till it becomes a weakness. For instance, someone who's a natural extrovert but can't stop talking, and becomes a bore; or, an introvert who keeps on processing her thoughts -- but never shares her deep insights that can help others.

And so we confessed, for ourselves and on behalf of our team. And He extended His mantle of protection over us. Praise God!

What God loves...

God loves it when His children are together, enjoying each other's company. God loves it when we seek Him and seek to understand Him, however imperfectly. God loves to show us new things about Himself. He loves to surprise us. He loves to show His love to us. God laughs with us, cries with us, jokes with us. He corrects us, but with love. He can be strict, but He is also kind. He is generous with His time, His resources and yes, His love.

He is also Truth. All who seek Truth -- and will settle for nothing less than the Truth -- will find Him.

So, so blessed

It has been warfare ever since I sensed the Lord's leading to come up with the Prayer Evangelism course, with my friend Hope doing the main curriculum.

I had two nasty encounters. The first nasty encounter started a month before the launch of the course and continued for some weeks before I realised this wasn't just human. It was spiritual. I asked for extra intercession, I confronted the source of the problem repeatedly before he stopped.

The second nasty encounter came at the end of the course.

But God, as usual, had prepared me beforehand. He had me read a book called "Don't forgive too soon -- Extending the two hands that heal" by the Linns. It was the best exposition on what Jesus meant by "turning the other cheek" that I had ever come across. In short, it was about extending two hands to the oppressor -- "one hand taking from him what is not his due, the other slowly calming him as we do this."

It was about learning who we are, standing up for what is right for ourselves and (if possible) enabling the oppressor to come to his senses, and so reclaim his humanity. In other words, Christians are not to be doormats when bullied -- but rather, do what is right in such a way as to deliver the bully from his bullying, if possible.

The second encounter came end-April. I won't go into details, but basically, not only I, but the church, was insulted by the remark of the 4-star hotel staff I was negotiating with.

I was so angry I complained through the hotel website. No response. I wrote to the General Manager. No response.

But -- God already knew.

I had arranged for dinner with an old friend just a day after I had posted the letter to the GM, and she had mentioned in passing that she knew the top people of the Singapore organisation that this hotel belongs to. Recalling that conversation, I asked her for the contact, and she immediately gave me his credentials and his email.

That Sunday, during our team prayer time, God manifested Himself in a deep, special way. We were silent in His presence. Then, He said: "Those who honor me I will honor" (1 Sam 2:30). It was a prophetic word of what He was doing behind the scenes.

First, because of the nasty encounter with the first hotel, I had to find another. Within a few days, I got in touch with another four-star hotel who gave me much better rates, and first-class service.

Second, the top guy of the organisation that the first hotel belonged to, called two days later, apologising for the lateness of his response, as he had been abroad. He got things cracking. Yesterday, the hotel manager came, and she assigned my account to a much more experienced staff. We cleared the air and we are free to move on.

Third, I had some niggling concerns in my mind, that I had not shared with anybody. The same night, my concerns were allayed by a person sent from HIM. My mind is now at rest.

God knows... everything. And I feel so, so blessed.

My conclusion:

When we do God's will, Satan hates it. The Prayer Evangelism course teaches us from the Word --- contrary to what most Christians believe -- how effortless it is to witness to others. It was non-threatening and enjoyable to both the Christian and non-Christian involved! We all had a breakthrough in that course.

The one thing Satan hates is the truth being taught and put into practice. He did all he could to harrass and torment me. But God knows... everything.

As those experienced in spiritual warfare knows, if you battle with God's weapons including prayer, worship, Word, wisdom, the fellowship and the intercession of others, you'll break through and experience His abundance of blessings. At the end of the battle, God rewards you. He affirms, through various means, natural and spiritual, that you're on the right track. He loves saying "You're doing good!"

After all, He's our Father, and He's perfect in all His ways.

If we obey, we can rest

The first four chapters of Hebrews is all about rest. Here's what the writer of Hebrews says:

God is on the throne... so rest.

Salvation is ours to recieve... so rest.

Jesus is the firstborn among many... we are his brothers and sisters... we all share one Father... so rest.

Our heavenly eldest brother has tasted death for all of us, and through death, destroyed the one with the power of death, the devil... so rest.

He has made propititation for all our sins, and because He shared in our humanity, He can help us when we're tempted... so rest.

Whenever we hear His voice, and decide not to harden our hearts and go our own way, but obey what He says... we can rest.

We are NOT to be like the Israelites, who for instance, entered the Promised Land, but did not completely obey His command to eliminate ALL their enemies. They only eliminated some. As it is said, a partial obedience is no obedience at all. In the end, God let the alien tribes stay to harrass them from generation to generation -- they had no peace from their enemies, which God had originally promised them, because they had not fulfilled their part of their bargain. The core issue, says the Hebrews writer, was that when they heard God's commands and promises, they did not believe Him, and so did not completely obey. The result was -- no rest.

9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God,
10 for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.

Let us obey the living and active word of God. He knows our hearts, He knows what is best for us, so listen to Him. And so enter -- into His Sabbath rest.

Jesus' use of exaggeration

Jesus often used exaggeration to illustrate a point. The literary term for this method is hyperbole, which Wiki defines as "a rhetorical device in which statements are exaggerated. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally."

Wikipedia knows it. Some of us readers may know it. But the disciples often miss the point.

One example: To illustrate the seriousness of the hour, Jesus says in Luke 22:

35 "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, "No, nothing."

36 And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.

The disciples' response:

38 They said, "Lord, look, here are two swords." And He said to them, "It is enough." (i.e. they didn't get it, so He dismisses the issue. But, as we are later to find out, they still didn't get it.)

Change scene to Gethsemane, where Judas comes with people to arrest Him. The disciples, armed and ready for action, said:

49 "Lord, shall we strike with the sword ?"

50 And one of them struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his right ear.

51 But Jesus answered and said, "Stop ! No more of this." And He touched his ear and healed him.

They just didn't get it. He was using hyperbole, exaggeration, to illustrate the seriousness of the the times. But His disciples took it literally, and He had to intervene and heal the poor man whose ear was cut off. (Btw, there's hope for all of us here. We may make our mistakes, but our Lord is sovereign, and can cover our mistakes. Note though, that the man's ear was healed -- not replaced).

I feel sorry for those poor, earnest souls in China and elsewhere, who took the Lord's words literally and plucked out their eye, or cut off their hand, because they thought they were obeying His commands. May we pray that we have wisdom and discernment in reading His Word, that we may apply it judiciously.

When we read the Word -- the whole Word, from cover to cover, and within context -- have in the back of our minds that God is Love, and Love isn't destructive. Love heals, and Love warns, in order that we may avoid destruction. Let us interpret His Word accordingly, and if anything sounds unloving, leave that on the shelf until He reveals more in time.

Life or death

Luke 20

17 But Jesus looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written : 'THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone'?

18 "Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces ; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust."

I'm reminded of the first two stones that Man rejected: the ten commandments written by "the finger of God". The first set that God gave him, Moses smashed when he saw the Israelites committing idolatry. The second set, presented to the repentant Israelites, were preserved -- although now lost forever, as far as we know.

These commandments written on stone were mean to preserve life; broken, they cost life -- souls shatter slowly to pieces as they break these commands. Later, Jesus comes -- the chief cornerstone, the one who would fulfill all the commandments, and who would exemplify them, not break them. He lived a wholesome, sinless life, a perfect life, so that death had no hold on Him. Mission accomplished -- to die on the cross to pay for all our sins -- He ascended to Heaven and now awaits a time when He would come again.

The chief cornerstone, the one who embodies the two slabs of stone that were given to the Israelites, and ultimately to the world was, like the first two stones, continually rejected up to now. Acceptance of Him and loving obedience to what He taught would bring life, and life in abundance. Rejection of Him and all he stands for meant a slow shattering of soul, and ultimately, a hell of never-ending brokenness, despair, dissatisfaction, regret -- the list goes on and on.

(Anti-Christ cults teach a systematic breaking of the ten commandments as an initiation rite -- the powers of darkness know that this would result in systematic shattering of the integrity of the spirit-soul-body which gives them greater and greater access to the person's soul, to wreak further havoc in the person's life and those around him/her. Other cults teach a breaking of one or two commandments, but that one or two is deadly enough already to create a big divide within the soul that allows access to the powers of darkness. But it's not only the cults. Society teaches the breaking of commandments as normal and even "hip" and "cool". That's why it's not just enough to call yourself a Christian, you need to know the true Jesus Christ Himself and follow Him, else you'll be led down a very precipitous path.)

Jesus wanted reconciliation; Man, however, has the freedom to reject or accept Him. Many reject Him, and continue to do so to their own peril.

Jesus has said that Narrow is the way, and few find it. He knew right from the start. He knew.

For those of us who are Christ-followers, who truly know Him (there are many who know only ABOUT Him -- to their own peril), our call is to watch and pray, and reach out in love to those who desperately need Him and are open to our hand of help.

If you're reading this and you want to know the Lord Jesus Christ -- pray the following prayer, and mean it:

"Dear Jesus, if you are who you say you are -- the Saviour of the World, Lord of Lords and King of Kings -- please show yourself real to me. I want to know the Truth about who You are. Amen." Note the day and time of your prayer, and watch what happens next.

Another WWJD moment

Yesterday, while waiting for a friend at Starbucks, City Hall, a tall, clean-cut stranger approached me. He was neatly dressed and spoke Mandarin at first before I asked him to switch to English. He asked: "Can I borrow your handphone?"

He explained he was waiting for a friend who was 30 mins late, and wanted to contact her. As he spoke, I had to make a judgement call whether to trust my personal mobile to a 20-something mainland Chinese stranger. Hmmm.

He showed me a paper with a local number. Ok, that's legit. At least he wasn't trying to make an overseas call with my mobile. So, I dialed, and when his friend answered, I handed it to him. While they chatted in Mandarin, my friend arrived.

"He's borrowing my mobile," I explained. Immediately, she frowned and was suspicious. In the meantime, this foreigner obviously had problems explaining where he was. So, long story short, I took over the phone and told the girl on the other end how to get to Starbucks, City Hall.

The girl seemed to get my directions quickly and we hang up. My friend relaxed, realising that the stranger wasn't trying to pull a fast one and the two of us went off to dinner. And as far as we know, there was a happy ending for the stranger and his friend too.

I wonder though... my mobile was one of those free ones given whenever subscribers renewed their subscription. Would I have lent it if it was an I-phone, or a Nexus?

Hmmm...

A WWJD moment

Tonight, as I was travelling home by the North-East Line which is generally fairly full at 6 pm, I had a WWJD moment. It was just one of those things where you (or maybe it's just me) had to decide "What Would Jesus Do"?

As usual, all the seats were taken, standing room only until after about three stops, a seat became available. It was next to a man who looked rather unattractive. I won't elaborate here.

Two pretty ladies in 4-inch heels were standing next to the vacant seat. I could see the man looking at them. They ignored him. Everyone else didn't seem to want the seat either.

"WWJD"? I asked myself (actually the answer was obvious). So, overcoming my reluctance, I sat beside him. And honestly, it wasn't that bad. He was just...unattractive.

PRAYER:

So thank you God, for gently stretching my comfort zone. I won't sit beside someone with bad hygiene though -- I do have my limits.

Brainwashing the woman

In my search for meaning in life, a cult, a semi-cult, and the occult -- one after another -- came to tempt me. When one failed to recruit me, another came to take its place. Satan has a whole range of fake spiritualities for those who are spiritually minded. I tested them all, and rejected them all, in my search for truth.

In the end, through a spiritual crisis, I cried out to Jesus and He sent down the Holy Spirit. When the Spirit fell on me, the Bible came to life and I devoured every page.

Twenty-two years later, as I re-read it, I marvel again at the truths it contains. The Word of God makes the best sense of life. When we interpret life through the paradigm of the Word, things fall into place.

Now, at the beginning the year, I start at Genesis. And in Genesis 3, we see when all our problems began.

I notice the woman is alone -- or if Adam was with her, he was strangely silent and passive. Snake was cunning. He took God's instructions and reinterpreted it to her until she was convinced it made sense and Snake was right. This is perhaps the first recorded instance of brainwashing.

The woman's paradigm changed: at first, she thought God was good. Now, God is selfish, and with-holding good from her. With a change in mind, came a change in direction. She took the fruit, and ate.

Snake is still active in the world today, in thousands of different forms. But his aim is still the same: to brainwash mankind to take the fruit, and eat.

When I was browsing the Web, I came across the forum, Internet Love Scams. And in it, I read the real-life stories of many women, looking for love, who fell for Snake's charms instead.

The stories are similar: they are lonely -- many recently widowed or divorced, looking for a relationship with a good man. Some of their friends have even met their husbands online, so they go into the world of online dating, full of hope. And they meet their "ideal man" -- romantic, loving, endearing, good-looking, rich -- but is always in one crisis after another, where for some reason the man can't get a hold of his money, but always needs the woman's money to help him out. And of course, the man says he would pay her back. But of course, the woman never gets her money back...

Some are tempted by their "ideal man" to engage in internet sex. After all, aren't they "in love", and aren't they going to marry some day? And when they discover that their "ideal man" never existed, the photo they saw in the online dating profile was stolen from a modelling agency, and that they've been led to believe a web of lies, they are shamed, shattered, afraid to tell their family and friends.

They've lost their money (this may include cars, houses, jobs in their all-consuming desire to please their internet "husband), their time, their trust -- even their trust in themselves -- and some even lost whatever sexual wholeness they had.

(Because I'm in the inner healing and deliverance ministry, I know that those who engaged in internet sex have become heavily demonised as well. All the symptoms they described are that of people who've invited the demonic into their life.)

And the only way they can get their healing is to confess their shame, and sometimes their sin, in the anonymity of an internet forum where they are comforted by many others who have also fallen in a similar way.

The woman -- alone and unprotected -- in a pattern as old as mankind itself, meets the Snake, and falls for his charms. To her utter shame and dishonour.

But God is always in the redemptive business. As I read the forum, I'm amazed at the love and comfort these victims offer one another. When my counsellor friend asked me why I liked the site, I said: "Because it's full of love."

The woman falls. But the love and support of others heals and redeems her. And behind all that, the love of God.

When we are mocked

Hear the insulting words of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, to Hezekiah, king of Judah:

¹⁰ "Say to Hezekiah king of Judah: Do not let the god you depend on deceive you when he says, 'Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria.' ¹¹ Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?" (Boldface mine).

As the self-confident king of Assyria boasted and bragged of his conquests, I wonder how Hezekiah felt: probably downcast, discouraged, and yes, intimidated. Sennacherib's might was known to all. And tiny Judah was no match.

What Hezekiah did next, is worth emulating: He marched to God, spreading out the insulting letter from Sennacherib before Him, saying: "Look, God, this is what Your (and my) enemy says: Are you going to stand for it?" (My paraphrase).

But for my readers who desire greater accuracy, let's go back to the bible, which quotes Hezekiah saying:

¹⁶ "O LORD Almighty, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. ¹⁷ Give ear, O LORD, and hear; open your eyes, O LORD, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to insult the living God.

¹⁸ "It is true, O LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. ¹⁹ They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. ²⁰Now, O LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O LORD, are God."

If there's one prayer that God answers, it's impassioned, heartfelt, honest prayer. I can't imagine Hezekiah going up to Him in some kind of groveling manner. Instead, I see Hezekiah going up to God, angry, shaking Assyria's threatening letter before Him, and pointing out that it's not only insulting to Hezekiah, but also to God. And ending with an impassioned plea for God to deliver Judah from the hands of insolent Assyria.

And, of course, God answers.

When we are real with Him, He answers.

Be content

I became a leader quite young in the faith. A year after I received Christ, I started a prayer group which in hindsight, taught me spiritual warfare. Extremely inexperienced as a leader, yet aware of the dramatic entrance of the Lord and His Holy Spirit into my life, the gifts of the Spirit were very much in action (See 1 Cor 14).

An episode stands clearly in my mind. In my group, as there are in many groups, was a control freak. He sought to take control whenever I was leading, and yet, when asked to lead, he would decline. In one of those tussles, a vision flashed across my mind.

Instead of the chairs that we were sitting on (we were seated in a circle), we were seated on thrones. We were all seated in the heavenlies, on thrones. And the rebellious one, had vacated his throne to bait me to leave mine, so that he could take my place -- while his own seat remained empty, vacant, powerless.

Such is the power of discontent. God had given him his place of ministry, where he could minister in the gifts given to him, and where he could excel. But he sought my place of leadership, thinking it was better than his.

In a flash, I knew what to do -- to stand my ground (as in Ephesians 6). I remained calm, seated in the heavenlies, in the place God had given me.

He, on the other hand, had episode after episode of mental and spiritual torment. Such is the power of discontent.

The group eventually dissolved and we went our separate ways. Prompted by the Lord, he wrote me a letter asking for my forgiveness some years later. Of course, I forgave him. We were all immature, anyway. But the group was invaluable in teaching me lessons of spiritual warfare which I would later apply when the Lord called me into full-time minstry.

I'm not sure why I'm writing this. Perhaps someone needs to read it.

Blessings, all.

Be strong, be alert

"With this in mind, be alert" Ephesians 6:18

We are a country that's always on the alert. Our train stations repeatedly play gory scenes of the Mumbai train bombing, to warn our commuters that there are people who mean evil to us, not good. We have police officers patrolling in groups of four, questioning lone men of their intentions. We are always updated on the latest terrorist captured, or killed.

In the natural, so in the spiritual. Are we on the alert, or are we asleep?

Are we aware that our struggle isn't so much in the natural, but in the spiritual?

Most important, are we strong in the Lord? Paul knows what being strong in the Lord is all about, and he enumerates seven points (Eph 6: 10-18):

1. Are we walking in truth? We can't be strong if we're living a lie, if our walk doesn't match our talk. If we're living a lie -- a life that lacks integrity -- that's a pretty big hole in the armour.

2. Are we walking in His righteousness, or self-righteousness? As the saying goes, Pride comes before a Fall. It's hard to define what walking in His righteousness is all about, but part of it is knowing that we aren't right all the time, and being open to correction. It's trusting Him to come through for us, when we are being attacked. Or gently stating our point of view when challenged, not taking things personally. Else, we may win the battle yet lose the war. Self-righteousness does that.

3. Do we have peace in our hearts? Are we at peace with God, with others, with ourselves? Are we willing to make peace with all parties, including ourselves?

4. Do we trust God? Do we trust Him to guide us to work things out, or do we strive to handle things ourselves because we doubt He's ever going to come through for us?

I have found that the more I strive to work things out, the worse things become. So I'm learning to let go and allow Him to guide.

5. Are we assured of our salvation? In other words, are we assured that we belong to Him? If you aren't, ask Him to come through for you in this area.

6. Do we know the Word of God? Have we read through the whole bible in context, from cover to cover? If you haven't, that's another big hole in the armour. You will be defenseless against the lies that come your way.

7. Do you have a prayerful heart? Do you lift up in prayer everything, big and small, to the Lord? Or do you believe He's too busy to be bothered with your prayers? That's another lie from the pit.

May all of us who know Him be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Tithe to avoid the curse?

"Everything is cursed!" declared this controversial preacher. "From Gen 3, we know that the ground is cursed! Trees grow from the ground, from which we make paper, and money comes in paper form! So, your money is cursed! Your salary is cursed!"

(However, his illustration doesn't quite fit, as our money is now plastic. Nevertheless, I shall continue his illustration).

"The only way to turn the curse into a blessing is to tithe! If you give your 10 per cent to the Lord, the 90 per cent of your salary will be blessed!" he finished dramatically.

After hearing all that, I decided to use Bible Gateway to look up passages on the tithe.

The first instruction on the tithe comes form Lev 27:30:

A tithe of everything from the land...belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

That's pretty clear. Ten per cent of what we earn belongs to Him. No argument about that.

But God doesn't need the tithe -- He owns everything! What's the tithe for?

In Deuteronomy, we learn more: The Israelites are instructed to bring the tithe "to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name", and

There, in the presence of the LORD your God,
you and your families shall eat (the tithe)
and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to,
because the LORD your God has blessed you. (Dt 12:7)

First, the tithe is a reminder that God is the source of all our material blessings. We are to rejoice that He has blessed and provided for us. We are to have an attitude of gratitude.

Second, it's a reminder to learn to "revere the Lord your God always" Dt 14:23.

Third, the Israelites are to share their tithe with their family, their servants "and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own".

Our present-day Levites would be those who have given up secular employment to serve Him in the church and in the mission field. This includes the church secretary, the administrator, the pastor preaching from the pulpit, and the missionary way out there.

Dt 14:28 expands the list of beneficiaries of the tithe to include the aliens, the fatherless and the widows -- all those who are marginalised in society.

We are to provide for them, "so that they may come and eat and be satisfied," so that the LORD "your God may bless you in all the work of your hands".

It's pretty clear. If you use your ten per cent to bless the Church as well as those who are marginalised in society, God Himself will bless you.

So, don't tithe out of fear, an emotion which the controversial preacher seems to be inspiring. Tithe out of love and obedience to God.