When Is It God?

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A lot of us have been through tough time, going through tough time or about to go through tough time. It's a normal and repetitive process, also a stressful time. Because each time, things are just tougher than the one we been through before.

But we just can't expect life to always go according to what we want or how we want. We can only embrace it, went for it and persist through it.

Recently, I've been in one. I was so stressed, until one day i just broke down and ask God for His help. But His answer doesn't come right away. I just keep praying day after day. Until He answer me one day. Then I felt a sudden relief, knowing that my God hasn't leave me yet, and He won't of course.

Sometimes, we just let out a big grunt: "When is it God?" (like what I did). As if it was supposed to be His job to get us out of trouble every single time. While we ourselves didn't put in effort. What I learn from what happen to me this past few days is that "tough time" is supposed to be a TEST. A test to our faith, a test of our character.

Will we be able to stand strong and face whatever comes our way, or just grumbling our way through without doing anything? So, no more asking, "When is it God?" instead asks "What can I do right now?"

3 things, we should keep in tough time: Keep on believing. Keep on persevering. Keep the character.

The Great Faith

Jesus said, "I will come and heal him." But the officer said, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come into my home. Just say the word from where you are, and my servant will be healed. - Mt 8 : 7 - 8

There is this Roman officer, whose servant is very sick and paralyzed. So he went to meet and asked Jesus to heal his servant. But, when Jesus wanted to go with him, he refused, he only asked Jesus to say the word from where Jesus is. And he believe that his servant will be healed.

Even Jesus is amazed by this man's faith, let alone us. So often in life, we are faced with problems and we asked God for help, but when God speak the Word, did we believe? We heard that whatever the Bible says, we could have it. But aren't we lacking something? The believing part!


A lot of us, we came to God saying, "God heal me", "God do this ... God do that ..." Stop that if you do not believe God can do that. Check our heart, and then we asked again.

No faith is too great for God; only faithless is a concern for Him.

The Test of Faith

The story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac (Gen 22) has to be the biggest test of faith the entire Bible has ever recorded. Sacrificing something that you always longed for, but once it's given to you, you are asked to return it. Did Abraham think that God would not do something like this, that this is a joke! NO!


He went up to the mountain with only one thing in mind, "If God can give me now, He can give me later." Doesn't it pain his heart? OF COURSE IT DOES!


He wasn't called for the father of faith for no reason. He has never withheld anything from God. Are you withholding anything from God? If one day God asked us for something we held precious, will we give it away?

Always keep this in mind, God will provide (Gen 22 : 14).

By His Stripes

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-by whose stripes you were healed. - 1 Pet 2 : 24

Sicknesses are scary for a lot of us. As for some diagnosed with so called "terminal disease", what could they hope for? Except for a miracle. But yet, miracles are available for everybody. As long as we believe.

Could we keep our faith when we are down with sicknesses, or are we just simply turning away from God?

The stripes that healed us, sounds impossible? But this is the best miracle that had happen to us, that had been promised to us. By Christ died on the cross, we are being enabled, having the ability to grab those miracles for the price of His blood.

As long as you kept believing and believing, nothing is impossible for God. Not even one disease that can't be healed. Isn't God the Creator of everything in this whole world? Therefore, there are answers for every questions that we can't solved. It is just that we haven't found it yet.

Don't be afraid, face life as it is and believed that God is there for you!

Breaking The Walls

It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. - Hebrews 11 : 30

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This story (Joshua 6) of course is of no stranger to many Christians. But still, a lot of us still think, why don't God just bring down the wall with just a wind blow? How hard can it be?

The key is on the verse above; It was by faith. Imagine you are getting whatever you asked for, now God become more like a vending machine. This kind of attitude isn't going to get us far when temptation comes. And God knows it all too well.

When they marched around the walls, it is as if they were being challenged by the walls. Their faith are being challenged: Is God really going to crumble the walls? It was a test of faith, patient and perseverance. And the walls finally crumble, and it was by faith.

A lot of times, we can't seem to reach our target. Let me assure you that God always wanted to help you achieve in life. It is just a matters of timing. God's timing can't never be wrong can He? Have patient, persevere through the end, and most importantly have faith. Because it was by faith that great things achieved.

Into The Lions' Den

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The story of Daniel being thrown into the lions' den is of no stranger to many Christian. In Daniel 4, we could clearly see that how the administrators and officers are jealous of Daniel's promotion and how they devise to harm him. Finally resulting in him being thrown into the lions' den.

A group of lion are very dangerous. They could even take on any animal much larger than their size. Yet, they didn't even put a scratch on Daniel. All those because of God's grace, and of course Daniel is said to be a man of integrity and faith.

In our lives, aren't we always faced with adversities, problems, dangers. But be grateful that it wasn't because somebody else plot against us. Be grateful that we have friends who will and could help us. Unlike Daniel, put in a situation that not even his friends, the king or anybody else could save. But he chose to believe.

Moreover us, could we stay believed in the midst of danger?

Life is full of danger, and that's what worth living for!

Faith Over Doubt

Faith and Doubt will always exist together. Believing is choosing faith over doubt! - Dr. Yonggi Cho

Faith or Doubt? They will always exist together. How much of trust are we putting in God? How willing are we to stretch our faith?

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Even though we can stretch our faith, it is nothing like a rubber band. Once you stretch a rubber band, it will get back to its original state. And once you over-stretched it, snap! It breaks.

But faith, once stretch it will not go back to its original state, and there will be no limits of how much you can stretch it.

But doubt is like a faith crusher. The more faith you got, the more doubt the devil will try to put in you. That's why they exist together. Can you stand firm and continue to believe?

There will be a time when your faith are being tested, putting doubt in front of you as a choice, as a mean of escape. Let me urge everyone reading this, stand firm! Don't ever let any of us choose to doubt, over the faith that we have. Instead, let us always choose faith over doubt.

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Never Changing Love

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For the mountain may move and the hills disappear, but even then My faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken," ... - Isaiah 54 : 10

Indeed, when we look around us, things are changing. Only God's love for us is never changing. Did God just said His covenant of blessing? Yes, He did. That's a "WOW" for us, because what has been promised by God, He won't deny. Some people might think, if so why aren't we always blessed? Let's take a deeper look into this covenant of blessing.

Covenant : a solemn agreement, an agreement held to be the basis of a relationship of commitment with God (Concise Oxford Dictionary).

First of all, we got to have a relationship of commitment. Let's put it simple: read the Word, do it. A covenant is an agreement, it requires both parties to keep their end of the agreement. Keep ours and God will definitely keep His, for sure.

Covenant of blessing is sometimes called Abrahamic Covenant. God promises so much for Abraham, because of one thing, that is his faith. So, number two requirement, have faith. Blessings do not fall from the skies! Sometimes we are just so engrossed in the blessing that we forget all about the Giver. God does not want that, Nah Nah.

So next time, if you want God to bless you, remember that He will but you need to keep your end of the agreement. BE COMMITTED & HAVE FAITH.

God's Way or No Way

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"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord. "And My way are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. - Isaiah 55 : 8 -9

A lot of times in our lives, I believe we would all feel that we are going the right way, doing the right things and everything that we did are what God wanted us to do. But when things go wrong, we blamed God that He isn't doing His job.

Stop for a moment, and rewind our lives. Are we really going the right way that God wants us to? Or is it just what I wants in life?

At this point, I believe we all thinking the same thing: "How am I supposed to know if it's God's way or my way?"

It's simple, my question for you is: "Can you take some hardship?" When we are doing exactly what /  how we want, things will normally run smoothly. Or it seems so. Until the end, you found out that this is not good at all. But when we go with how God wants, almost every time, you need to take some falls. At the end, you will find that it is all worth it.

Of course God wants us to succeed in life. That's why He gave us problems to face, so that we could learn and grow stronger. The key to this success is trust. It always come to a point where we are faced with a situation, trust God or trust myself?

Once you walk the way God prepared, I urge you to have faith. I myself also learning how to trust God more. It's not as easy as it seems. But aren't we made able by God? Therefore we can do it, have faith.

Praise, The Language of Faith

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Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord! - Psalm 150 : 6

Praising God when we are blessed is easy. How about when we are down in life?

Well, life isn't a smooth road. It's more like a roller coaster ride. Up and down, small and big curves. When the cart goes down from the very top, that will be the scariest / most thrilling moment of all.

But we were never worried, because we believe that it will went back up again. It continues until it reaches the stopping point.

This is a good way to describe life, there will be ups and downs. But when you goes down, don't worry too much because you are going up.

I heard this quite a few times, "When you are down to nothing, God is up to something." Now this is something to be happy about. So next time, whenever you are being brought down in life, just remember that God has a plan for you. Then you'll realize that you are still able to praise God during the tough time.

Praise is probably the best way to show that you have faith in God's power and mercy. When you're praising God, you have to give your 100%. And the only way to do it is to focus solely on God, surrendering all your problems to Him.

The key is also to have patient. Have Patient, Have Faith, Keep Praising.

The Thief Has Come

The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. - John 10 : 10

Unlike your typical thief, there is none more professional than this one, the devil. He does his job sleekly that no one would ever realized how much they have lost. And when they realized it, everything are gone.

What are those things that the devil wanted to steal so much?

Happiness: The devil wants to steal away our joy
Faith: The devil wants us to doubt God
Foundation: The devil wants us to stand on an empty ground
Mercy: The devil wants us to be selfish and do not care for others
Commitment: The devil wants us to lose our determination
Peace: The devil wants us to live in emptiness

Certainty: The devil wants us to doubt our God-given salvation
Character: The devil do not wants us to grow in Christ
Holiness: The devil wants us to live an unworthy life before God

The devil will use the most vicious way to steal and destroy our lives. But it is different with Jesus, who comes to give life.

Are we losing our joy, faith, kindness, determination, character, commitment and holiness?

~ Realize Now, Before Everything Is Gone ~

Increase Faith ~ by Ps. Stephen E Goh

I came across this short article by Ps. Stephen E Goh in Facebook. Well, I though such a good article should be shared. So, here goes.

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!" - Luke 17:5

The apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. And, as followers of Christ, this is something we should also be seeking. So let me share a little faith-building acrostic with you.

Just imagine yourself in a giant arena running the great race of life. You're surrounded by a great crowd of witnesses who are cheering for your success! And the way you increase your faith is to T-R-U-S-T!

T — Take away anything in your life that might slow you down or cause you to stumble. You mustn't let distractions get you off track or let sins trip you up. You're running to win!

R—Read and meditate upon Scripture. Scripture is a faith-building book, and the more of God's Word you have in your mind, the more strength you'll have in your heart and soul.

U—Use the faith you have. Faith is like a muscle; it needs to be exercised every day. You can't just show up at church now and then and expect to have great faith. Exercise your faith daily.

S—Strengthen your faith with prayer and fellowship. We weren't created to go it alone, but to have fellowship with other believers.

T—Turn your eyes upon Jesus. If you want to increase your faith, give Jesus your full attention. Jesus knows what it takes to run to win, and he is the author and the finisher of our faith!

THE WAY TO INCREASE YOUR FAITH IS TO T-R-U-S-T!

A Sailing Ship

Going through life is like traveling on the vast ocean, with many directions to take. Sometimes it is so calm, but some time storm will come.

Ain't that the same with life, when sometimes our life is so smooth, with no problem at all.

But, there will always come a time with all the difficulties to face, all the trouble around us.

But why must we be like a sailing ship, and not any other type of ship? Let us look at it one by one.

What makes a sailing ship?

The most common things can be found in a sailing ship are these:
1. Hull
This is the part where the ship meets the ocean. This part is the most important part of any ship. There is so many consideration in building the hull. The builder will need to consider the balance of cost, the load, the speed.
This is the basic on which we build our life, how we go through life. We need to consider the load / burden we are carrying through life, and how fast we are going in life. In other words, our character and attitude.

2. Rigging
Rigging is the essential part of the ship that determine where the ship move. It includes cordage to manipulate spars and sails position and shape, sails to catch the wind, and spars on which sails attached to. It is such a complicated feature that must be moved by the captain and the sailors of the ship. No one is allowed to even looked away for a second, especially during a storm.
There are 3 type of people in a sailing ship:
a. Captain (Yourself)
b. Sailors (People who helped us)
c. Passengers (People that know us)
In life, we are the captain, we determine where our life must go. And the sailors are the people around us who helped us to go the direction we wanted. These are the people that shape and mold us. Going through life isn't easy, it required hard work and determination. That's what you need to go through difficulties in life. But some people are just passengers. They come and go. We must remember that!

3. Mast
A mast is the arrangement of spars that held up the sails. A strong mast is required to hold the sails when a strong wind blow.
A mast is like our faith in God, and God is like the wind. Will we be able to hang on to our faith, when God isn't moving, when God moves in His own way, or when God Moves mightily. A sail ship can't fight the wind, because it will only find itself in the same spot, or it will have a hard time trying to get to the destination. Don't that happen us quite often? Trying to fight against God's will, even when it's so obvious. If you want to be success, follow God's will!
Easier said than done? A captain will always know where the wind is blowing because he has experienced it before. Same for us, we need to experience God more.

A sailing ship has a certain character. It went on a voyage bringing just enough supplies to get the other town / destination. Due to the weight that they need to maintain. Of course, the more load it has, the slower it moves. Since it is moved by wind.
In life, we bring far too much burden, so much that it slowed us down. We need to learn to choose our load. Prioritize our needs!

Lastly, if the ship wants to move fast, it will need a strong wind. But expect storm! If it is not strong enough, it will only end up ship-wrecked.
So, if we want to move fast in life, we'll need God's strong push. But are we ready to face the trial in front? That's why we need to have a strong foundation (good character and right attitude), have the right person in our life, and be wise in choosing our path.

~ Now, sail through the ocean of life ~

Guarding!

Last night I though about this. Where will the devil strike first? Our heart or our mind?
Then I thought about this verse, Philippians 4 : 7
"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In our mind, we store information. These information could vary, depending on what we put inside. We must beware of what we see and what we hear! Wrong information could end up badly for you. You might misunderstand someone else, or even God. If you keep taking information that pull you further from God, then you will soon feel God is so far away from you. It is actually us who have gone further from God unknowingly. So, choosing the right information is crucial! Remember this, "Love is about trusting." Trusting is the start of a relationship, and the way to keep it. Try to keep a clear mind from information that might be hurting your family and friends. Keep your distances from all the negative comments and information.

Philippians 4 : 6 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."
Don't let our worries attack our mind. Because when they do, and you will believe it. Then next, it will attack your heart.
In our heart... It is where out faith come into play. Do not lose faith!
Proverbs 4 : 23 - 24 "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free from perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips." When we talk, think twice. There got to be a reason why we only have one mouth with a pair of lips. Keep it tight! If you keep a clean heart, everything that you do or you say will build others up. Don't bring others down by the word you said.

~ Guard your heart and your mind ~

The Power to Get Wealth

Deut 8 : 18
“And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth..."

Sometime we tend to forget when we are wealthy enough. That's why the first part of this verse tells us that we shall remember our God.
The second part teach us to not to use our own power in pursuing wealth, prosperity, success. It is given to us by God. So, put God in your plan.

Let's bring it up a bit.
"And you shall remember that the LORD your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" ~ Deut 8 : 2
Wilderness here teach us to hang on to God, to trust Him. How many of us can do that if we were put in wilderness? Not for even forty hours?
The Israelite shows us how tough it is to keep God commandment when they are in the wilderness. How many faithful man can be found within them through all those years. Yet some of them did make it through the promised land. By what? By faith!

When we are in wilderness of our life, the devil will come and tempt us.
Check out Mat 4 when Jesus is tempted. The devil attacks three different aspects of our life, just like he did to Jesus:
1. Daily needs
2. Mind
3. Instance

~ Remember to hang on & keep your faith! For nothing is too hard ~

God, are you there?

Sometimes I'm wondering if God really does hear my prayer.
That put me in constant disbelieving state. That's why I need to get it out of my head.

What must I do? I need to know that
1. God is in control
2. This is just not the right time (for what I'm praying for)
3. God has a better plan for me
With this three things in my mind, I could easily restore my faith with God.

Is there a time in your life, where everything around you started to crumble, falling apart? Yet when you pray, God doesn't seem to be answering your prayer?
This is the time where your faith is tested!
God's way of answering prayer are just so special. Things will not revert to how it supposed to be in an instant. But through people around us, ENCOURAGEMENT! Yet a lot of time we don't realize that it was all God's answer. So, the question is "Will we still believe and hold on?"

I've experienced it before. In the darkest moment of my life, I seek for an answer in every prayer I said. I didn't realize it has been answered. God sent people in my life, whom only speak of encouragement words, who has always been helpful. God is in control! I could almost always remember this whenever I'm facing difficulties of life. Because I know He's always there to hold the pieces of my life together.


~ My God is Mighty to Save ~

Faith...

How great is our God... That's the worship we bring before The Lord today. And how true is that. Without Him, my world will be torn apart long time ago. Yet He is keeping all parts of my life together.

This week we learned about faith. Here is something to share:
Faith = key to winning, promotion and multiplication.
Indeed without faith it is impossible to please God `~ Heb 11:6. Everything that God plans for us need our faith to worked out well. Every blessings of God are released when we have faith.
But faith without work is dead ~ Jam 2:17. So what must we do? We must act out our faith. For faith draws us closer to God. Therefore closer to the plans that He had already thought long before us. That is the plan to prosper, for us to be successful in every aspect of our life.

Psalm 37 : 3 - 5
 ³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
   dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Take delight in the LORD,
   and He will give you the desires of your heart.
 ⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
   trust in Him and He will do this: 

Faith that works...