A Little Mustard Seed, A Little Faith

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” Matthew 17:20

We often hear voices in our heads that we have so little faith; that we don’t have enough faith for it to matter. Because if we have even a little faith like a mustard seed, we can literally move mountains. So we therefore judged and concluded that, if we cannot move mountains, then we don’t even have that little mustard seed of faith!

Do you think God really meant that?

NO! We have been duped by the enemy for so long. In Luke 17:5-6, Lord Jesus used the same parable but in a different context; the disciples asked to be increased in faith:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.”   The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you! Luke 17:5-6

We have been hoodwinked with the wrong focus. You see, we are not to judge how much faith we have to determine how much we can do but rather to know that with faith, however small will one day, move mountains and uproots trees! We should stop seeing ourselves as believers without faith, weak and helpless. We are to see ourselves as mountain-movers and tree-uprooters, since it take only a mustard seed of faith to do those things.

In Hebrew 11, we see all the giant characters of faith, yet in the concluding verse: All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. Hebrews 11:38-40.

So what is the secret promise that is even better and perfect than these amazing faith feats?

It is in the following verses in Chapter 12:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrew 12:1-2

In the post-cross perspective, our Lord Jesus Christ is the Champion who is the Initiator and Perfector of our faith. In Amplified Bible, it reads: Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity]. Great as their faith may be, even the faith giants mentioned in the Old Testament couldn’t have received all the portions God has promised; the perfection of faith from the risen Lord!

So in conclusion, it’s not really about how much faith we think we have, but to just keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, and HE will be the One who will bring us to move mountains and uproots trees.

 

 

 

 

Where You Choose to Dwell

We all have a choice to choose where we like to dwell or stay. Physically, our homes, the surroundings, our careers, our ministries, and the people around us will all have an impact on our lives, whether we like it or not, positively or negatively. For some, they chose to dwell in their past failures or even a loss of loved ones. Without coming out of their dwellings, mentally they cannot progress further.

In the hard realities of the world; in the face of impending doom or gloom often thrown at you, where do you choose to dwell? Wherever you choose to camp, very often already determines where you probably ends up, your very destiny.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalms 91:1-2

Escapism is the tendency to seek distraction and relief from unpleasant realities, especially by seeking entertainment or engaging in fantasy. But to place our trust and hope in the very Living Hope, Jesus Christ (1Peter 1:3) is not fantasy but an exercise in faith. Just simply knowing that the Shepherd will lead you out of the wilderness or darkness, will empower you to push out your first step.

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. John 10:11-13

When the wolf is coming, where do you choose to dwell?

 

 

Finding The Lost Pokémon

If the latest craze has hit your country, you probably would have known it by now. The Pokémon Go game that has swept the world over with such a phenomenal effect never before seen. For the uninitiated (including myself, and I researched. And I watched friends go “child-like” with the game too), in very simple terms, it is a location-based augmented reality game on mobile devices, with the objective of finding and locating Pokémon creatures. And upon finding them, you are suppose to catch, and then look after and train them, developing into champions. Many players have gone through great distances and troubles to find these Pokémon creatures, some rare and precious. Huge sacrifices of time and effort were made to find them. Unfortunately, some at the expense of their personal safety.

However, I did see something very familiar and very dear.

So Jesus told them this story: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’   Luke 15:3-6

There is One who first went through great distances (crossing heaven to earth), with great effort and difficulty, even fatally bruising His own body, and finally sacrificing ultimately Himself-His own life on the cross in exchange, just to seek and keep this very rare and precious creature that He loves. And all He wish for is to look after and develop that creature to be a champion.

And that creature is, YOU!

 

… And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. (Luke 15:5)

 

 

Pika.. Pika.. Pikachu, anyone?

 

God’s Wildflowers

“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.   Matthew 6:30-34

Kingdom Of Heaven Looking

“Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!

“The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again and sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭13:43-46‬ ‭NLT ‬

 

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The past week has been the most eventful; no, I’m not talking about the Euro-Cup. 🙂

There is a great ongoing shaking in the world now. An established first-world, democratic nation has turned his back on his fellows; closing the front door permanently. Probably fueled by fear and flesh, xenophobia and even racism; reversing introspectively and with self-occupation. World leaders are scratching their heads, not knowing what to do. Rumors of predicted famines and economic tumblings abounds. Even one of the best from the human race, with it’s proud heritage, establishments and achievements, has again demonstrated that mankind are unpredictable.

At the opposite end of the world as well as spectrum, I have the honor and privilege to witness shaking of another, a spiritual shaking. In a third-world country, without even modern toilet facilities at some areas, large multitudes who opened their doors (philosophically because their huts have no doors) and hearts welcoming the Kingdom of Heaven. The King of kings and Lord of lords, Himself, came with His blessings and offerings of salvation and eternal life!

Through humble and grace-filled servers who are heavenward-looking and selfless; from different ages, different nations, different genders, different cultures and backgrounds, coming together as one people-one body; spreading the gospel and Good News of Jesus Christ; and carried with them an outpouring of grace and love to anyone who is willing to accept.

The harvest is so plentiful and so ready!

To me, the contrast is stark and sobering. You see, the Kingdom of God will come down to anyone who is willing to open his door of his heart; tumbling down walls of obstacles and hearts of stone. Even in the worst living conditions, people who received Jesus Christ into their hearts can still be filled with such heavenly glory.

Which side do you belong to?

Biblical Hero’s Statement of Faith

Someone forwarded me this; I really liked it and have built on it. You see, many heroes from the bible have these defining moments in time where, what they spoken or declared in a statement of faith, raised them up, setting them apart in exalting the Lord. It expresses their relationship with God, their faith and their perspective that we all would like to model from.

More importantly, it shows us what a God we have and, really, what a God!

What would you tell yourself every morning as you start the day or whenever you faced a challenge ahead?

Abel would say, “The best portions is for the Lord.”

Noah would say, “I will do exactly what the Lord has commanded.”

Enoch would say, “I will not see death as I’m walking in close fellowship with God.”

Abraham said, “The Lord will provide.”

Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter.”

Isaac said, “Where is the Lamb?”

Jacob said, “I won’t let go of You unless You bless me.”

Joseph said, “God has made me fruitful in this land of my grief.”

Moses said, “Lord, if You don’t go with us or before us, we are not going anywhere.”

Rehab said, “The Lord is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”

Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Gideon said, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory.”

Samson prayed, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me just one more time.”

Ruth said, “Wherever you go, I will go.”

Samuel said, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”

Nehemiah said, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.”

David said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I have all that I need.”

Solomon said, “Give me an understanding heart.”

Isaiah said, “No weapon formed against me shall prosper.”

Jeremiah said, “The Lord has plans to prosper me and not to harm or fail me.”

Jabez said, “Oh, that you may bless me and enlarge my territory.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego said, “We will not bow down to any image but will serve the Lord.”

Ezekiel said, “Any dry bones in my life, live again.”

Peter said, “I will cast my cares upon the Lord for He cares.”

John said, “I am the disciple whom Jesus loves.”

Paul said, “The Lord will supply all my needs and I can do all things through Christ.”

 

*Choose your daily statement of faith. Meditate on it! Speak it!*

The Way

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14:6-7

Golgotha

Since the beginning of humankind, death has entered at the fall of Adam in the garden. But then, see the only event played out over 2,000 years ago, this Resurrection Sunday, when death is conquered and overcome! At the place where it all matters, Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull. It is probably place where the young King David buried the head of the giant warrior Goliath; Think about this way; Goliath + Gath (place) = Golgotha. This is no ordinary video of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I love especially the part where Jesus Christ in all his injuries and wounds, climbed purposefully and laid on the cross. The raw painfully cry when the nails were driven in. Jesus was not murdered, neither the Romans nor the Jews, it was for all of us, that He laid down His life (John 10:18).

Take an unforgettable look at what Jesus accomplished for you on the cross! Experience Christ’s remarkable victory over Death and Hell in TBN’s presentation GOLGOTHA, a 28 minute special hosted by Joseph Prince.

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

The blind and the lame came to him in the Temple, and he healed them. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law saw these wonderful miracles and heard even the children in the Temple shouting, “Praise God for the Son of David.”

But the leaders were indignant. They asked Jesus, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”

“Yes,” Jesus replied. “Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say, ‘You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’”   Matthew 21:12-16

We are all quite familiar with the account of Jesus driving off all the merchants buying and selling within the temple grounds. This is an account where for most of the time, we learned of Jesus’ indignation with regards to the degradation of the religiosity of the Jewish temple, to a greed driven machinery that is so far away from the heart of God.

After Jesus healed the blind and lame there, the children, in their innocence, praised God with much shouting. The corrupted leaders were not pleased, and even questioned Jesus. And our main focus here was Jesus’ reply:

‘Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have perfected praise’?”

Matthew 21:16 (NKJV)

You see, Jesus quoted a portion of scripture from Psalms 8:2 which reads:

Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants
You have ordained strength,
Because of Your enemies,
That You may silence the enemy and the avenger.

But there is an obvious divine twist here. In New International Version (NIV), it reads:

you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.

So if we line them up on the same term, Jesus has revealed the key here:

-> give You (God) praise -> You (God) have ordained (or give) strength -> You (God) silence the enemy and the avenger

So you see, the revelation is that if we praise and worship God, even when with our handicap, even when we are faced with difficult and surmounting circumstances, and with a bleak-black vision or future; God will give us the strength to persevere and He will see to it to silence the enemy and avenger; our enemy, our avenger.

The weaker we are or the bigger the problem we face, the more we need to praise and worship God; because through it comes our bigger help and our bigger stronghold, and our bigger defense from our Lord!! The final silence of our enemy and avenger will be oh-so-sweet.

 

 

Happy Thoughts!

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. […] Then the God of peace will be with you.   Philippians 4:8-9

We are coming to the end of the year and it is the time where we are feeling festive and blissful. We put down the bad and the ugly behind,  looking forward to a new beginning. And that’s really good. The bible says, fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable, what is right and what is pure and lovely. What is admirable and things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

You see, we are being constantly ‘bombarded’ by terrors, uncertainty, diseases/viruses, and so many other negative things, that if we dont have a counter, we will then go on a slow spiral down into depression and sickness. Your mind will be trouble, your spirit will be down and finally sickness appears for a final countdown.

Happy thoughts!

That’s what the world can offer at best, keeping fixing on whatever happy thoughts you can gather and keep replaying in your mind. But dear brother and sisters, we have something even more power and everlasting. What is more true and right and pure and lovely and admirable and excellent and worthy of praise?

It is this: That God, Christ Jesus, Himself, left and gave up His own majesty and divinity to come into this world. Willing suffered at the hands of the very creation He wanted to save. To redeem us from our sin by taking our sin on Himself and suffered its consequences. After exhausting all the judgement and punishments on our behalf, Christ Jesus died a sorrowful death.

By His death – we are given life, by His strips – we are healed, by his sorrows – we rejoice. Out of love, to save you and I from eternal damnation. Think of such thoughts:

• That you are so preciously loved that Christ Jesus so willing to die in your place.
• That God will redeem you out of whatever bad situation you are in because He had redeemed you from the worst.
• That God Himself will restore what you have lost and will be above what you have originally lost.
• That Christ has done all that needs to be done, we are rest fully in His perfect work.
• That you are not caringly nurtured, truly blessed,  and highly favored because you are children of the Almighty God.
• That you are forever, saved and redeemed for eternity in heaven, a place Christ personally are preparing for you.
• That we have such an awesome and wonderful God that is so worthy of praise.

Such are the happy (excellent) thoughts!

Have a blessed Christmas full of revelation of Christ Jesus!

Will The Real Gospel Of Peace Please Stand Up

By now, most would have read about yet another horrific terrorist attack on Paris, one of the most iconic cities in the world. The disgust and sadness that followed, where unarmed civilians were brutally and calmly slaughtered were obvious. It is incomprehensible for fellow human beings firing assault rifles into unwary and inoffensive everyday-crowds of people. Even trained soldiers shudder at such thoughts.

The Islamic-State (IS) has claimed responsibility for the attacks. Their call for Jihad, or “holy-war” is anything but holy. The attacks at a stadium, concert hall and cafes and restaurants in northern and eastern Paris where over a 120 were killed in cold-blood, is their way of fighting a “war”.

While much has been said and done, it’s too little, too late. I would insist that the top Islamic bodies and institutions condemn, re-educate and fight the theological extremism driving these terrors. However, in my spirit, I know I am barking up the wrong (fruitless) tree.

So, will the real gospel of Peace please stand up.

A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on all of God’s amour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s amour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body amour of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. (For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.) In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.   Ephesian 6:10-18

With the full amour of God, I used to think of the sandals/shoes to be the least important, preferring to focus on the more gung-ho sword or shield. Ignorantly, I missed the point that the solider and his entire amour is propped up solely by these very shoes-> the gospel or Good News of Peace, with God.

So, what’s so important about the gospel of Peace?

You see, the gospel of peace is the very foundation; the message that Jesus Christ gave Himself to those who would trust and believe in Him (John 14:27; Romans 6:22-23). This gospel of Peace establish our standing and assurance from God-the Father that we are His children and nothing can snatch us out of His hands (John 10:29; 1 John 5:13). The Good News outlines clearly what is required to become a child of God, that God is not angrily-unforgiving and that nothing more is required to be made right (relationship) with the Most High God. (Romans 10:5–10).

The gospel of Peace for us believers has a 2-fold function: both defensive and offensive. On the defensive, in order to defend ourselves against the accusations and “flaming arrows of the evil one”, we must have the confidence in the position of Jesus Christ (as God and Son) and also our position in Christ (the redeemed saved by grace). We must understand the grace and mercy of God, that salvation through Christ is fixed solely on God’s goodness, not based on our own abilities, worthiness or what we have done (Titus 3:5).

On the offensive, we have to bring this gospel of Peace-Jesus Christ to the world. We need to let people know that they will never be able to buy or earn their way into heaven (Ephesians 2:8-9). Everything has been paid by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Colossians 2:13-15); they just need to simply believe in Him. That’s it!

One of the main reason why such terrorism happens is because there are some very grave believes going around propagating. False ideologies and extremism that taught people to willingly commit cold-blooded mass-murders and blowing themselves up for a cause. We must counter these wrong believes that eternal salvation can be earned, a price able to be paid, to achieve a good position with a holy God; to have an access to express elevator into the heaven (with bloodied hands).

We need to let them know there is a better, surer way and only Way-> Jesus Christ, Who is  the very gospel of Peace. Only when we have the peace with God, can we have real peace with ourselves and people around us.

For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. Romans 3:23-25

Keeping An Eye on Missions -> Feeding Children (Cambodia)

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’   Matthew 25:35-36

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I had the privilege of paying a visit to a dear missionary in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Visiting their work in the field was an experience that still have me pondering with my own life’s priorities and soul-searching on my life’s journey. It was a sudden awakening from a (first world) bubble wrap into the sad reality of the real (third) world. Much of what we have taken for granted as basic and a necessity is “godsend” in some parts of the world.

It is quite unimaginable for young children to grow up literally on piles of rubbish and playing in dirt. These children have no clean water to drink or enough food to eat, most are scruffy and dirty. Birthed into impoverished families, they have no school and at a young age, they are forced to help provide for their families by scavenging through rubbish or work as child-labour.

On the contrary, we are so blessed but yet materialistically clamouring for more. For me, it took a rubbish dump site (where families lived), some simple food for feeding and the children’s laughter to provoke me into repentance. You see, we just cannot turn a blind eye to the abject poverty in our (prosperous) midst; the elephant in the room. We cannot deny what God, and the Holy Spirit who is in us, wants to do; to help out in whatever way we can. We just cannot bask in the glory of the Lord, overflowing with love and grace we have received through Christ, and yet do nothing at all. This is because Christ’s compassion for the needy is also bursting from within.

Our Lord Jesus fed the 5,000 in the gospels because he had compassion on them. More importantly, He fed the people through His disciples (Matthew 14:13-21). Similarly, we are His current disciples here on earth. Dear God’s beloveds, it is now up to you and me… to spread the Lord’s goodness through us.