Good day, Mdm!
I didn't plan for this sharing.. However, as I was reading this book "The Power of Right Believing", I came across this section which I thought is interesting and thought I should just slip it in before taking the flight tonight.
Here's the extracts:
The Enemy's Strategy
The enemy knows that if he can control your thought life, he can manipulate your emotions and feelings. For instance, if he can make you entertain thoughts of guilt, failure and defeat, you will begin to feel lousy about yourself, physically weak and even depressed.
Our emotions are flags that indicate to us what our thoughts are. Thank God for emotions. They tell us if something is terribly wrong with our thoughts. Many of us are not cognizant when our thinking slides down a slippery slope to fear, doubt, pessimism, and anxiety. However, God has designed us in such a way that we can quickly recognize our thinking through our emotions.
Try this: whenever you begin to sense negative emotions like fear, worry, guilt and anger, stop and ask yourself, "What am I thinking?"
Your emotions follow quickly at the heels of your thoughts. If your thoughts are negative, you will naturally produce negative emotions. Conversely, if your thoughts are positive in Christ, you will produce positive emotions.
That is why there is a battle for your mind. The devil wants to keep your thoughts negative so that he can keep you defeated. He is a master of mind games and he doesn't play fair. When he first tempted Adam & Eve in the garden, he made them doubt God's motives, by lying to them and insinuating that God was deliberately withholding something good from them. He made God appear stingy, when in reality God was protecting them.
The devil's strategy hasn't changed - he is still using lies, accusations, guilt and condemnation to ensnare believers today and to make them doubt God's perfect love, forgiveness and super-abounding grace.
Many years ago, when I was fairly new in the ministry, together with another pastor, I prayed for a lady who was oppressed by the devil. She was not a believer. While we were praying for her, all of a sudden the woman growled menacingly in a deep male voice, "I want her mind!" Whoa! It was the first time I had prayed for a demon-possessed person and the demon actually spoke back! I remember it vividly till this day. Well, we prayed for her and cast the demon out of her.
Now, please don't worry, as a believer in Jesus, you can never be possessed by the devil. He can oppress you mentally. But he can never possess you. I shared my experience with this woman to unveil to you the enemy's strategy. He wants your mind! He wants to keep your mind negative, oppressed, depressed and pessimistic. He wants you to remain in wrong belief, knowing that as long as you continue to believe wrong, you will continue to live wrong. There is a battle for your mind and we win it through the power of right believing.
The Bible says "He (Jesus) who is in you is greater than he (satan) who is in this world." Amen!
Hope you are blessed by this extracts. Most probably, we will discuss more on the topic of spiritual warfare when I return from my trip.
For now, Grace and peace be with you always!
Shalom,
Bro
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Week 36: Noah:The Real Story & The Finished Work (Supplement)
Good day, Mdm!
Here's the video excerpts which I thought are interesting. Be open & receive:
Noah: The Real Story
The Finished Work
May these videos bring forth a glimpse of the revelation of God's love that He has for us all this while. Amen!
Shalom
Bro
Here's the video excerpts which I thought are interesting. Be open & receive:
Noah: The Real Story
The Finished Work
May these videos bring forth a glimpse of the revelation of God's love that He has for us all this while. Amen!
Shalom
Bro
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Week 36: Peace Paid For
Good day, Mdm!
Last week, we talk about Hebrew alefbet (which is the origin of all language). We even look into the names of Abraham & Sarah in Hebrew origin and see how God has breath "grace" into their names. In fact, the Old Testament of the Bible was written in Hebrew.
The Bible we read today are a translation from the original Hebrew. To some extent, the meaning after the translation may not have expressed fully to what it is intended as precise as it is in its original language.Therefore, when we want a more definite and deeper understanding behind the inspirations and writings of the Old Testament, it only make sense for us to examine the Hebrew texts as it was originally written. Likewise, the New Testament which was written in Greek can only be fully comprehend when we examine these texts in Greek.
Remember some time back, we look at the word "heal" in Hebrew? "Heal" in Hebrew is "rapha" (Pronounce: rah-fah).
This is how it look like in Hebrew character : רָפָא
Like chinese characters, Hebrew characters are read from right to left.The word "heal" consist of 3 characters in Hebrew.
"Resh" רָ picture of head; meaning first, beginning
"Pey" פָ picture of mouth; meaning speak
"Alef" א picture of Ox head; meaning strong, leader, sacrifice, God
So "heal" in Hebrew has to do with "first from our head, speaking of the sacrifice" and we know from the well-known verse "By His stripes, we are healed." Therefore, from a spiritual point of view, to receive healing, we need to confess the healing verses in the Bible and always proclaim the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and His finished work. Amen!
The root word for "rapha" is "raphah" רָפָה
"Resh" רָ picture of head; meaning first, beginning
"Pey" פָ picture of mouth; meaning speak
"Hey" ה picture of man with hand raised; meaning look, reveal, breath, grace!
And if you assemble these characters, it look like this "first from our head, speaking of [God] grace!" The interesting thing is "raphah" רָפָה in English is the word "relax."
In other words, "healing" has something to do with "relax." Make sense? When a person is sick, you would normally advise the person to rest more, relax and don't work so hard! (Please do not misunderstand that I am promoting laziness; The Bible says "if any man would not work, neither should he eat.." The "relax" here refers to taking rest from toils & torments resulting from issues of life. Jesus said " Peace... let not your heart be troubled..")
In Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know I am God." The words "Be still" in Hebrew is the word "raphah" or "relax". So it read like this " Relax, and know I am God."
So far so good? Can you see the richness in these translation? The beauty and infallible truths of God's Word. Hallelujah!
Let look at another word "Peace". In Hebrew is "Shalom" which mean "completeness, wholeness, health, peace, soundness, prosperity, perfectness, rest, harmony." So, in the origin language, "peace" is more than just simply peace, it is a complete peace. It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony in Hebrew.
Interestingly, the root word for "shalom" is "shulam" and it mean "fully paid."
Let's go to John 20:19-20
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,[c] for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Notice the disciples were fearful and hide themselves. Lord Jesus came and stood in the midst. The first thing He said to them is "Peace" or "Shalom" in Hebrew. And then, He showed them His hands and His side.
Now, let's think for a moment.... God resurrected Jesus on the third day from death. We agree that God is all powerful. But, if He is so powerful, why would He want to leave the nail prints alone? Can't our almighty God capable of restoring the entire body of Jesus, including the nail prints?
As much as the nail prints represent the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, most importantly it mean that our sins have been paid for. Our peace has been paid for! Amen! That's why Jesus said to his disciples in the midst of their fear "Peace" / "Shalom", followed by showing His nail prints, symbolizing the peace He gave has been paid for by Him being crucified at the cross. Hallelujah!
Hope you have enjoyed this revelation of truth as much as I do. Today, we can have the peace of God is on the basis it has been paid for. That's why in Hebrew, the word "peace" or "shalom" come from the root word "shulam" or "paid for". Praise be to our Lord, Jesus!
As I'll be travelling for the next few weeks, I'll stop writing the weekly sharing during this period. We will continue when I come back from the trip.
Grace and peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Last week, we talk about Hebrew alefbet (which is the origin of all language). We even look into the names of Abraham & Sarah in Hebrew origin and see how God has breath "grace" into their names. In fact, the Old Testament of the Bible was written in Hebrew.
The Bible we read today are a translation from the original Hebrew. To some extent, the meaning after the translation may not have expressed fully to what it is intended as precise as it is in its original language.Therefore, when we want a more definite and deeper understanding behind the inspirations and writings of the Old Testament, it only make sense for us to examine the Hebrew texts as it was originally written. Likewise, the New Testament which was written in Greek can only be fully comprehend when we examine these texts in Greek.
Remember some time back, we look at the word "heal" in Hebrew? "Heal" in Hebrew is "rapha" (Pronounce: rah-fah).
This is how it look like in Hebrew character : רָפָא
Like chinese characters, Hebrew characters are read from right to left.The word "heal" consist of 3 characters in Hebrew.
"Resh" רָ picture of head; meaning first, beginning
"Pey" פָ picture of mouth; meaning speak
"Alef" א picture of Ox head; meaning strong, leader, sacrifice, God
So "heal" in Hebrew has to do with "first from our head, speaking of the sacrifice" and we know from the well-known verse "By His stripes, we are healed." Therefore, from a spiritual point of view, to receive healing, we need to confess the healing verses in the Bible and always proclaim the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus and His finished work. Amen!
The root word for "rapha" is "raphah" רָפָה
"Resh" רָ picture of head; meaning first, beginning
"Pey" פָ picture of mouth; meaning speak
"Hey" ה picture of man with hand raised; meaning look, reveal, breath, grace!
And if you assemble these characters, it look like this "first from our head, speaking of [God] grace!" The interesting thing is "raphah" רָפָה in English is the word "relax."
In other words, "healing" has something to do with "relax." Make sense? When a person is sick, you would normally advise the person to rest more, relax and don't work so hard! (Please do not misunderstand that I am promoting laziness; The Bible says "if any man would not work, neither should he eat.." The "relax" here refers to taking rest from toils & torments resulting from issues of life. Jesus said " Peace... let not your heart be troubled..")
In Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know I am God." The words "Be still" in Hebrew is the word "raphah" or "relax". So it read like this " Relax, and know I am God."
So far so good? Can you see the richness in these translation? The beauty and infallible truths of God's Word. Hallelujah!
Let look at another word "Peace". In Hebrew is "Shalom" which mean "completeness, wholeness, health, peace, soundness, prosperity, perfectness, rest, harmony." So, in the origin language, "peace" is more than just simply peace, it is a complete peace. It is a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, well being and harmony in Hebrew.
Interestingly, the root word for "shalom" is "shulam" and it mean "fully paid."
Let's go to John 20:19-20
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled,[c] for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Notice the disciples were fearful and hide themselves. Lord Jesus came and stood in the midst. The first thing He said to them is "Peace" or "Shalom" in Hebrew. And then, He showed them His hands and His side.
 |
| Thomas, who simply could not believe that Christ had risen from the dead, touched the wound in Christ's side himself |
As much as the nail prints represent the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, most importantly it mean that our sins have been paid for. Our peace has been paid for! Amen! That's why Jesus said to his disciples in the midst of their fear "Peace" / "Shalom", followed by showing His nail prints, symbolizing the peace He gave has been paid for by Him being crucified at the cross. Hallelujah!
Hope you have enjoyed this revelation of truth as much as I do. Today, we can have the peace of God is on the basis it has been paid for. That's why in Hebrew, the word "peace" or "shalom" come from the root word "shulam" or "paid for". Praise be to our Lord, Jesus!
As I'll be travelling for the next few weeks, I'll stop writing the weekly sharing during this period. We will continue when I come back from the trip.
Grace and peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Week 35: Abraham & Sarah
Good day!
Last week, we spoke about "resting" on Jesus and His finished work. We also talk about the importance of names in the Bible. In fact, when we examine the name "Noah", it reveal the word "rest" in Hebrew. Today, we will look at the name Abraham & Sarah. But, before we do that, let's have some understanding of ABC.
When we say ABC, we are referring to the English alphabet. In Hebrew, the alphabet is known as "alefbet". To be exact, the English alphabets are derived from Greek which in turn derive from Hebrew.
The word "alphabet" comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, namely Alpha (A) and Beta (B). Likewise, the Hebrew "alefbet" comes from the first two letters of Hebrew alphabet. "Alef" אַ which is the first letter and "Bet" בְ the second letter.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Week 34: Rest in His Finished Work
Good day, Mdm!
For the past few weeks, we have been talking about the resurrection, His blood, God's love, our standing with God, etc.... All these laid the foundation for us as a believer of Christ.
Now, let's take a step back and look at the Bible now... What do you see? Well, we can say that we see the Bible divided into two testament, the old (before the birth of Christ) and the new (after Christ was born). What else? The Bible is God's Word; The Bible was written by men collectively over a span of hundreds of years, yet these collection were divinely inspired. It is the best-seller of all time, better than Harry Potter! It has to be, isn't it? A book published by God!
You may ask:"What's your point, bro?" Well, look at the Bible again. Do you see God's love in this book? Make no mistake, God is holy, yet He choose to reveal Himself as love. He love us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us!
Do you see His plan? His plan to save human race from sin. Do you see His will? Why is He going through so much trouble to redeem us? So that we will continue to be in bondage, in darkness, in sickness and deterioriate in life? Of course, not! His will is that we can rule and reign in life!
His love, His plan, His will are all written in this book called "Bible." Once we look at this Book from God's perspective, we can then understand what the Bible is all about.
Actually, it is very simple. The Bible is all about believing His Word. Simply believe His love for us, His plan for us, His will for us. Amen! And when we believe, we "rest". Huh? Yes, we "rest" in His finished work.
In Mat 11:28, Jesus said:" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...."
I like the "The Message" version.. Let's take a look from Mat 11:28-30
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Notice this phrase "unforced rhythms of grace". Unforced mean effortless. Grace has a rhythms and is effortless.
Do you know the first time the word "grace" is mentioned in the Bible is in Gen 6:8. This is also known as the Law of First Mentioned.
The Law of First Mentioned simply mean when a word or subject is first mentioned in the Bible, that word or subject has significant meaning and revelation to it.
In Gen 6:8, it says "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Ok, on the surface, it seem like there isn't anything much revealed about the word "grace" other than this person called "Noah."
But, keep in mind, especially whenever you are reading the Bible.. There is nothing insignificance in the Bible, not even names or numbers. Remember, every word written in the Bible are God inspired. Nothing is redundance in the Bible. God would not want to waste our time reading rubbish. Everything written in the Bible has meaning.
So, grace has something to do with Noah. And we know Noah is a person. But, do we know the meaning of his name "Noah"? Ahhhh... are you seeing it now?
If you look up the word "Noah" in Hebrew (Old Testament was written in Hebrew; so we look up the Hebrew meaning for Noah) it mean "rest, comfort".
Bingo! Grace has something to do with "rest". Now go back to Mat 11:28-30
Jesus said :" ... I'll show you how to take a real rest.... unforced rhythms of grace...I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."
Jesus is the source for grace and He want us to "rest" in Him. It will be a life free and light as long as we are in His company!
Let's take another passage and understand God's will for us... The familiar passage Psalms 23
1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
[Remark: If the Lord is our Shepherd, then we are Christ-focus and not self-focus.]
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
[Remarks: lie down speaks of "rest"]
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
[Remarks: The gift of righteousness, not self-righteousness.]
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
[Remarks: We are never alone in our trials if there is any.]
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with [a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
[Remarks: God want us to feast despite the presence of our enemies]
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.
[Remarks: That's God's will for us!]
All in all, it is clear God want us to be restful. If today we have a toxic emotion (eg fear, guilt, condemned, bitterness, worries,etc), it mean that there is something amiss in our thinking and that thinking is a result of wrong believing.
God want us to be at rest, peaceful and flow in the unforced rhythms of grace. Before Jesus left the disciples to go to the cross, He said:" Peace, I leave with you. My peace, I give to you..." He did not say:" Fear, I leave with you. My fear, I give to you..."
While the devil comes to steal, kill & destroy, our Lord Jesus is here to give us life and more abundantly. Amen! If we confess "Aiya, I fear I may fail the test." " I hate talking to that selfish man." " I feel so guilty I didn't help that old lady." The devil has just successfully "steal" us from God. If God is love today, what make the devil? Devil is hatred. The devil hate men, that's why he wants to kill & destroy! But, he can only destroy us as much as we are drawn to him.
But, fear not! Today, Jesus is seated in the heavenly place, far above principalities, power and the rulers of darkness. The Bible says "As He is, so are we in this world!" Not "As He is, so are we in heaven."
So, instead of confessing the negatives... start confessing God's word. If you are fearful, ask yourself is Jesus fearful now? No. As He is not fearful, so are we in this world! Amen!
Whatever we apply from what we have been discussing... be it taking holy communion, confessing the Word of God or speaking in tongue, all these has to do with "resting" in our Lord, Jesus and His finished work.
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
For the past few weeks, we have been talking about the resurrection, His blood, God's love, our standing with God, etc.... All these laid the foundation for us as a believer of Christ.
Now, let's take a step back and look at the Bible now... What do you see? Well, we can say that we see the Bible divided into two testament, the old (before the birth of Christ) and the new (after Christ was born). What else? The Bible is God's Word; The Bible was written by men collectively over a span of hundreds of years, yet these collection were divinely inspired. It is the best-seller of all time, better than Harry Potter! It has to be, isn't it? A book published by God!
You may ask:"What's your point, bro?" Well, look at the Bible again. Do you see God's love in this book? Make no mistake, God is holy, yet He choose to reveal Himself as love. He love us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us!
Do you see His plan? His plan to save human race from sin. Do you see His will? Why is He going through so much trouble to redeem us? So that we will continue to be in bondage, in darkness, in sickness and deterioriate in life? Of course, not! His will is that we can rule and reign in life!
His love, His plan, His will are all written in this book called "Bible." Once we look at this Book from God's perspective, we can then understand what the Bible is all about.
Actually, it is very simple. The Bible is all about believing His Word. Simply believe His love for us, His plan for us, His will for us. Amen! And when we believe, we "rest". Huh? Yes, we "rest" in His finished work.
In Mat 11:28, Jesus said:" Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest...."
I like the "The Message" version.. Let's take a look from Mat 11:28-30
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Notice this phrase "unforced rhythms of grace". Unforced mean effortless. Grace has a rhythms and is effortless.
Do you know the first time the word "grace" is mentioned in the Bible is in Gen 6:8. This is also known as the Law of First Mentioned.
The Law of First Mentioned simply mean when a word or subject is first mentioned in the Bible, that word or subject has significant meaning and revelation to it.
In Gen 6:8, it says "But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Ok, on the surface, it seem like there isn't anything much revealed about the word "grace" other than this person called "Noah."
But, keep in mind, especially whenever you are reading the Bible.. There is nothing insignificance in the Bible, not even names or numbers. Remember, every word written in the Bible are God inspired. Nothing is redundance in the Bible. God would not want to waste our time reading rubbish. Everything written in the Bible has meaning.
So, grace has something to do with Noah. And we know Noah is a person. But, do we know the meaning of his name "Noah"? Ahhhh... are you seeing it now?
If you look up the word "Noah" in Hebrew (Old Testament was written in Hebrew; so we look up the Hebrew meaning for Noah) it mean "rest, comfort".
Bingo! Grace has something to do with "rest". Now go back to Mat 11:28-30
Jesus said :" ... I'll show you how to take a real rest.... unforced rhythms of grace...I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."
Jesus is the source for grace and He want us to "rest" in Him. It will be a life free and light as long as we are in His company!
Let's take another passage and understand God's will for us... The familiar passage Psalms 23
1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
[Remark: If the Lord is our Shepherd, then we are Christ-focus and not self-focus.]
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
[Remarks: lie down speaks of "rest"]
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
[Remarks: The gift of righteousness, not self-righteousness.]
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
[Remarks: We are never alone in our trials if there is any.]
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with [a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
[Remarks: God want us to feast despite the presence of our enemies]
6 Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.
[Remarks: That's God's will for us!]
All in all, it is clear God want us to be restful. If today we have a toxic emotion (eg fear, guilt, condemned, bitterness, worries,etc), it mean that there is something amiss in our thinking and that thinking is a result of wrong believing.
God want us to be at rest, peaceful and flow in the unforced rhythms of grace. Before Jesus left the disciples to go to the cross, He said:" Peace, I leave with you. My peace, I give to you..." He did not say:" Fear, I leave with you. My fear, I give to you..."
While the devil comes to steal, kill & destroy, our Lord Jesus is here to give us life and more abundantly. Amen! If we confess "Aiya, I fear I may fail the test." " I hate talking to that selfish man." " I feel so guilty I didn't help that old lady." The devil has just successfully "steal" us from God. If God is love today, what make the devil? Devil is hatred. The devil hate men, that's why he wants to kill & destroy! But, he can only destroy us as much as we are drawn to him.
But, fear not! Today, Jesus is seated in the heavenly place, far above principalities, power and the rulers of darkness. The Bible says "As He is, so are we in this world!" Not "As He is, so are we in heaven."
So, instead of confessing the negatives... start confessing God's word. If you are fearful, ask yourself is Jesus fearful now? No. As He is not fearful, so are we in this world! Amen!
Whatever we apply from what we have been discussing... be it taking holy communion, confessing the Word of God or speaking in tongue, all these has to do with "resting" in our Lord, Jesus and His finished work.
Grace & Peace be with you!
Shalom,
Bro
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