One of my heart's desires last year was to attend courses at RHEMA Bible Training Center in Singapore. My husband and I have been so blessed by the teachings of Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin. We were introduced to the faith teachings in 2005 and that was a turning point in our lives. We told each other that one day we would go for the diploma course conducted by RHEMA. In fact, we were 'trained' in the faith teachings before we came to know more about the gospel of grace.
However, as I sometimes got a little bored staying at home last year, I thought about what else I could do other than to seek part-time work. God planted this idea in me: take part-time courses in RHEMA. It was exciting but I felt that the time was not ripe. I would like to ask a dear sister to attend with me but she was busy with her teaching engagements the whole of last year. I never got down to telling her about this.
Interestingly, just last month, this sister actually asked if I was keen to attend the RHEMA courses with her! God is so good - I don't even have to bring this up to her! I was excited because it was clearly the right timing now. Both of us signed up for two part-time modules last week and we will be starting our first lesson next Monday! I believe I would have more to share with you when I attend the classes next week. I can't believe it's back to school for me after so many years!!!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Lost and Found
Last week I happened to find the keys to my bedrooms which we thought we had lost. In fact, we could not even remember if we had taken over these keys from the previous owner when we bought this place. It was just that we could not find these keys for the past year that we stayed here. We had intended get a locksmith to replicate another set of keys for us but never got down to it. Well, actually the keys (kept in a pouch) were always in the drawer of the TV console and I was the one who put them there!
When we found that one of the bedrooms was accidentally locked from the inside in Jan, we panicked because we thought we did not have the keys. It was on the first day of Chinese New Year and to get a locksmith to open the door would be so expensive. Thank God that the bedroom could be reached from the balcony via the toilet! Heng had to climb out of the toilet to access the bedroom window, open it and climb into the room to open the door. Now coming to think of it...it was really quite hilarious and totally unnecessary because we had the keys!
I believe God was trying to bring across an important learning point here and I asked Him to shed light in this situation since I have not received the full revelation. It's like a riddle. Something that you already have it all along. You received it but you forgot about it and never used it. Then you act as if you never received it in the first place and lived your life without it. You thought you lost it but it was with you all along. When God opened your eyes to see that it was with you all along, you are so happy and you rejoice and praise God!
What could this be? Suddenly, in a flash, the Holy Spirit revealed what that was to me. It was the spirit of faith. I completely forgot that I received the God-kind of faith many years ago. No wonder God had to remind me about Mark 11:22 'Have faith in God" or have the God-kind of faith. Every believer has a measure of faith upon salvation because it takes faith to receive Christ. Faith can grow like the smallest mustard seed to the largest of all garden plants (Mark 4:30-32).
I always have faith in God but I was stumbled by my past experiences. After waiting so long for some of the promises to come to pass in my life and thinking that I have exercised my faith in vain, I lapsed back into believing that maybe I did not even have faith in the first place. I have been trying to live my life with my own efforts forgetting that I have this wonderful resource within me. The truth is the spirit of faith is in me. Learning about the gospel of grace does not negate the importance of faith. Faith is equally important. It is by grace, through faith that we have been saved (Eph. 2:8). Both grace and faith is the gift of God; it is not from ourselves, that we should boast about.
Our experiences though real would not negate our faith in God. There is a fight of faith but it is a good fight because in the end, God says we win. Hence what we can do is to rest and enjoy the process. When you truly believe God's Word, you enter into His rest (Heb. 4:3). You cease from your efforts and toilsome labor and finally, when you enter into rest, God brings it to pass. 1 Peter 1:8-9 says 'Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith..." The end of our faith is when the thing we believe for manifests and we don't have to believe for it anymore.
To get from believing to receiving, when we have a spirit of faith, we rejoice with "joy unspeakable and full of glory". This is like how I rejoice when I realised that I always have this spirit of faith; I never lost it. It's good news that our faith has an end; the situation we are in has an end! I can rejoice even more now because I have seen the outcome of my faith in many promises in my life. The fulfillment of these promises just spurs me on to seeing the rest of the promises come to pass. Joshua 21:45 says 'Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord has spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.' Let that sink into your spirit - ALL CAME TO PASS. Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!
When we found that one of the bedrooms was accidentally locked from the inside in Jan, we panicked because we thought we did not have the keys. It was on the first day of Chinese New Year and to get a locksmith to open the door would be so expensive. Thank God that the bedroom could be reached from the balcony via the toilet! Heng had to climb out of the toilet to access the bedroom window, open it and climb into the room to open the door. Now coming to think of it...it was really quite hilarious and totally unnecessary because we had the keys!
I believe God was trying to bring across an important learning point here and I asked Him to shed light in this situation since I have not received the full revelation. It's like a riddle. Something that you already have it all along. You received it but you forgot about it and never used it. Then you act as if you never received it in the first place and lived your life without it. You thought you lost it but it was with you all along. When God opened your eyes to see that it was with you all along, you are so happy and you rejoice and praise God!
What could this be? Suddenly, in a flash, the Holy Spirit revealed what that was to me. It was the spirit of faith. I completely forgot that I received the God-kind of faith many years ago. No wonder God had to remind me about Mark 11:22 'Have faith in God" or have the God-kind of faith. Every believer has a measure of faith upon salvation because it takes faith to receive Christ. Faith can grow like the smallest mustard seed to the largest of all garden plants (Mark 4:30-32).
I always have faith in God but I was stumbled by my past experiences. After waiting so long for some of the promises to come to pass in my life and thinking that I have exercised my faith in vain, I lapsed back into believing that maybe I did not even have faith in the first place. I have been trying to live my life with my own efforts forgetting that I have this wonderful resource within me. The truth is the spirit of faith is in me. Learning about the gospel of grace does not negate the importance of faith. Faith is equally important. It is by grace, through faith that we have been saved (Eph. 2:8). Both grace and faith is the gift of God; it is not from ourselves, that we should boast about.
Our experiences though real would not negate our faith in God. There is a fight of faith but it is a good fight because in the end, God says we win. Hence what we can do is to rest and enjoy the process. When you truly believe God's Word, you enter into His rest (Heb. 4:3). You cease from your efforts and toilsome labor and finally, when you enter into rest, God brings it to pass. 1 Peter 1:8-9 says 'Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith..." The end of our faith is when the thing we believe for manifests and we don't have to believe for it anymore.
To get from believing to receiving, when we have a spirit of faith, we rejoice with "joy unspeakable and full of glory". This is like how I rejoice when I realised that I always have this spirit of faith; I never lost it. It's good news that our faith has an end; the situation we are in has an end! I can rejoice even more now because I have seen the outcome of my faith in many promises in my life. The fulfillment of these promises just spurs me on to seeing the rest of the promises come to pass. Joshua 21:45 says 'Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord has spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.' Let that sink into your spirit - ALL CAME TO PASS. Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Who to believe?
I was having a chat with Joshua last night before we slept. He told me there was one time when he felt throat pains and that caused him to have headaches. He never complained of headaches before. He said that the germs told him he is having a sore throat and very bad headaches. At one point he even said he wanted to go hospital to take a x-ray to find out what was wrong with his head. I bind the fear in the name of Jesus and I told him nothing was wrong with him because by Jesus' stripes, he was already healed. That was some time ago.
Last night he told me that at that time, the germs told him 'Believe me!' and God told him 'Believe me!'. He was hearing these two conflicting voices and he was confused. He did not know who to believe. So I asked him what happened in the end. He said, in the end, Jesus came with the pistol and shoot down all the germs. All the germs died and his fears left and he said 'Amen!'
I told Joshua that God showed me how to deal with confusing voices. When the enemy throws darts or accusations or plant doubts regarding God's word, sometimes I will also get confused. But one thing I am very clear about is this: Jesus Christ is the One who died for me and God is the One who loved me so much to send His only Son to die for me. I told Joshua that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).
And so, the next time the enemy tells me to believe him, I asked him 'Did you die for me on the cross? Can you die for me on the cross like how Jesus died? When you can, then come and talk to me. If not, buzz off!' The enemy will always be silenced because he can never do that for me. I then told Joshua that the next time the germs start talking to you, tell the germs to shut up and go away in the name of Jesus! Joshua said a resounding 'Amen!'
Last night he told me that at that time, the germs told him 'Believe me!' and God told him 'Believe me!'. He was hearing these two conflicting voices and he was confused. He did not know who to believe. So I asked him what happened in the end. He said, in the end, Jesus came with the pistol and shoot down all the germs. All the germs died and his fears left and he said 'Amen!'
I told Joshua that God showed me how to deal with confusing voices. When the enemy throws darts or accusations or plant doubts regarding God's word, sometimes I will also get confused. But one thing I am very clear about is this: Jesus Christ is the One who died for me and God is the One who loved me so much to send His only Son to die for me. I told Joshua that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10).
And so, the next time the enemy tells me to believe him, I asked him 'Did you die for me on the cross? Can you die for me on the cross like how Jesus died? When you can, then come and talk to me. If not, buzz off!' The enemy will always be silenced because he can never do that for me. I then told Joshua that the next time the germs start talking to you, tell the germs to shut up and go away in the name of Jesus! Joshua said a resounding 'Amen!'
Popcorn Popping
Have you tried cooking those microwave popcorn? Well, I have not but according to Mark Hankins (a faith preacher), he says that the spirit of faith is like the popcorn principle. Popcorn has to be put in the microwave for 3 min 45 sec. For the 1st minute, nothing seems to be happening. For the 2nd minute, again nothing seems to be happening. About 3 minutes later, you will hear a pop, then two pops, then three pops. In the last 45 seconds, the popcorn goes pop, pop, pop, pop...until the whole bag has all popped. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykDavk1KcZM)
Mark Hankins says that the things of God are like that. Sometimes it seems that nothing is happening on the surface for a long, long time, just like how I felt I was trapped in a cycle in my 'Groundhog Day' blog post. Yet he tells us not to be discouraged when we do not see anything happening. Very soon, God will give us one or two pops to show you that something is happening. Then when we hear the pops, our spirit gets excited because we know we are heading in the right direction and God can pop our whole bag of popcorn in a very short time. He can make all our promises come to pass in a single year. He grants us supernatural favour to open the doors that would take years to open.
The atmosphere of faith makes the impossible possible. When the popcorn starts popping, it will pop all the way and you will get so excited and joyful that you cannot stop laughing. You may wonder why when things move, they all moved around the same time. This is the popcorn principle. When things start to move, there is a certain momentum that causes other things to move. God told Mark Hankins this: 'If only you knew what happens in the spirit realm when you rejoice, you will rejoice everyday.' Joy is the serious business of heaven. A merry heart does good like medicine. The joy of the Lord is our strength. In His presence is fullness of joy.
I really thank God that in the past 3 weeks, many things that I have been waiting for a long time moved so fast. I know that God is the One supernaturally opening the doors for me. He encouraged me with one pop, then two pops then the popcorn starts popping very fast. Now I am so excited and I cannot stop praising the Lord when I hear the popcorn go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop... because I know I am now into the last 45 seconds when God is popping my popcorn the whole bag through.
There was only one time Mark Hankins said his popcorn did not pop even after 3 minutes. It still did not pop after 4 minutes. When he checked the microwave oven, he realised that someone had turned the switch to 'Defrost'! The popcorn will not pop because it has to get beyond a certain temperature for the pressure inside the kernel to build to the point where popping occurs. He said we got to keep the spirit of faith on high. If you keep going in circles and there is not even a sound of a pop in your life, then check your faith level. Check what you have been saying about your situation.
Remember, praises always precede victory. The power of life and death is in our tongue. Choose to speak faith-filled words. Choose to praise God even when you do not see anything happening because God is always working behind the scenes. Very soon, you will hear a 'pop' and then before you even know it, God has popped your whole bag through! Praise Jesus!
Mark Hankins says that the things of God are like that. Sometimes it seems that nothing is happening on the surface for a long, long time, just like how I felt I was trapped in a cycle in my 'Groundhog Day' blog post. Yet he tells us not to be discouraged when we do not see anything happening. Very soon, God will give us one or two pops to show you that something is happening. Then when we hear the pops, our spirit gets excited because we know we are heading in the right direction and God can pop our whole bag of popcorn in a very short time. He can make all our promises come to pass in a single year. He grants us supernatural favour to open the doors that would take years to open.
The atmosphere of faith makes the impossible possible. When the popcorn starts popping, it will pop all the way and you will get so excited and joyful that you cannot stop laughing. You may wonder why when things move, they all moved around the same time. This is the popcorn principle. When things start to move, there is a certain momentum that causes other things to move. God told Mark Hankins this: 'If only you knew what happens in the spirit realm when you rejoice, you will rejoice everyday.' Joy is the serious business of heaven. A merry heart does good like medicine. The joy of the Lord is our strength. In His presence is fullness of joy.
I really thank God that in the past 3 weeks, many things that I have been waiting for a long time moved so fast. I know that God is the One supernaturally opening the doors for me. He encouraged me with one pop, then two pops then the popcorn starts popping very fast. Now I am so excited and I cannot stop praising the Lord when I hear the popcorn go pop, pop, pop, pop, pop... because I know I am now into the last 45 seconds when God is popping my popcorn the whole bag through.
There was only one time Mark Hankins said his popcorn did not pop even after 3 minutes. It still did not pop after 4 minutes. When he checked the microwave oven, he realised that someone had turned the switch to 'Defrost'! The popcorn will not pop because it has to get beyond a certain temperature for the pressure inside the kernel to build to the point where popping occurs. He said we got to keep the spirit of faith on high. If you keep going in circles and there is not even a sound of a pop in your life, then check your faith level. Check what you have been saying about your situation.
Remember, praises always precede victory. The power of life and death is in our tongue. Choose to speak faith-filled words. Choose to praise God even when you do not see anything happening because God is always working behind the scenes. Very soon, you will hear a 'pop' and then before you even know it, God has popped your whole bag through! Praise Jesus!
Friday, March 16, 2012
Times of Shaking
In Hebrews 12:26, God says 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.' Pastor Prince preached on times of shaking during last Sunday sermon. I remember the last time I heard this message on shaking was in Nov 2008 when we first stepped into New Creation Church. At that time Pastor Prince was talking about shaking in the financial world, prior to the fall of Lehman Brothers and the financial crisis that followed in early 2009. Now he is talking about shaking again but not just in the financial world but this shaking is everywhere.
'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts, in Malachi 2:9. Pastor Prince said that this shaking is good because those things that are man made are falling apart. Only those things that God made can endure (Hebrews 12:27). God is revealing those false securities and wrong foundations in our lives. If there is no shaking, we would not even know that these false securities exist. If we don't know we are leaning on the wrong foundation, how then can we run to Christ, our firm foundation?
He quoted an example of a wrong foundation in marriage. Some people get married because they said people around them are telling them they should get married since it's been a long time they dated. But after these people are gone, what holds the marriage together? In this case, the shaking in the marriage is to expose the wrong foundation and to let the couple truly discover why they should stay married. For me, I believe that Jesus is the One who holds my marriage together. He causes our marriage to be like sweet wine after 11 years. The reason we are married is also because God desires godly offsprings (Malachi 2:15).
This shaking is a warning from God. Yes, the shaking may be uncomfortable and we may even blame God for allowing these things to happen to us. Yet the shaking is truly for our good because it wakes us up to the question of whether we are trusting in something that is not based on the finished work of Jesus. When there is a shaking, there is always a fight involved. And when there is a fight, there will always be battle spoils.
For me, God has caused a shaking in many areas of my life like my previous wrong beliefs, my church life, my workplace, my parenting concerns, our health etc. I have been trained to look at all things from the lens of Christ's finished work. The result of this shaking, though tough at times, is very good. Now these areas of my life are built on Christ's firm foundation and cannot be shaken.
Many a times I am so tempted to rely on human efforts, thinking that I got to solve the problem myself. Yet God kept me from doing anything. Instead He asked me if I could believe that this problem could be solved by Christ's finished work on the cross and not through any human efforts. Of course to God, this problem is already solved for long before the need arises, the supply and the provision is already there. It's just that I don't see the solution & the supply yet. Only when we have eyes of faith, then we can see the solution from God's perspective.
Hebrews 12:22 says 'But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels'. Those who are on Mount Zion (grace grounds) are established in the righteousness of God in Christ. They cannot be shaken. On the contrary, those who are on Mount Sinai (law grounds) will be shaken. It is the Voice of grace that is causing the shaking so that we will all turn to the unshakeable grounds of grace, the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts, in Malachi 2:9. Pastor Prince said that this shaking is good because those things that are man made are falling apart. Only those things that God made can endure (Hebrews 12:27). God is revealing those false securities and wrong foundations in our lives. If there is no shaking, we would not even know that these false securities exist. If we don't know we are leaning on the wrong foundation, how then can we run to Christ, our firm foundation?
He quoted an example of a wrong foundation in marriage. Some people get married because they said people around them are telling them they should get married since it's been a long time they dated. But after these people are gone, what holds the marriage together? In this case, the shaking in the marriage is to expose the wrong foundation and to let the couple truly discover why they should stay married. For me, I believe that Jesus is the One who holds my marriage together. He causes our marriage to be like sweet wine after 11 years. The reason we are married is also because God desires godly offsprings (Malachi 2:15).
This shaking is a warning from God. Yes, the shaking may be uncomfortable and we may even blame God for allowing these things to happen to us. Yet the shaking is truly for our good because it wakes us up to the question of whether we are trusting in something that is not based on the finished work of Jesus. When there is a shaking, there is always a fight involved. And when there is a fight, there will always be battle spoils.
For me, God has caused a shaking in many areas of my life like my previous wrong beliefs, my church life, my workplace, my parenting concerns, our health etc. I have been trained to look at all things from the lens of Christ's finished work. The result of this shaking, though tough at times, is very good. Now these areas of my life are built on Christ's firm foundation and cannot be shaken.
Many a times I am so tempted to rely on human efforts, thinking that I got to solve the problem myself. Yet God kept me from doing anything. Instead He asked me if I could believe that this problem could be solved by Christ's finished work on the cross and not through any human efforts. Of course to God, this problem is already solved for long before the need arises, the supply and the provision is already there. It's just that I don't see the solution & the supply yet. Only when we have eyes of faith, then we can see the solution from God's perspective.
Hebrews 12:22 says 'But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels'. Those who are on Mount Zion (grace grounds) are established in the righteousness of God in Christ. They cannot be shaken. On the contrary, those who are on Mount Sinai (law grounds) will be shaken. It is the Voice of grace that is causing the shaking so that we will all turn to the unshakeable grounds of grace, the kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Secure in God's Love
On Saturday, we celebrated my dad's birthday and at the restaurant, my youngest brother said he bought something for Aloysius, Joshua's cousin. It was a box of big lego blocks. Actually he bought an extra set to put in my mum's place so that the two boys would not quarrel over one box (I cannot understand why kids cannot share!) But when Joshua heard that the present was for Aloysius only and he had none, I could see that he was disappointed. Yet he did not ask 'What about me?' Then we explained that the present was for both of them to share and play in Grandma's house. He felt better.
Last night we were having dinner at my in-laws' place. My brother-in-law had just bought his son an iPad 2 which cost $600 and they brought it over to play. My mother-in-law was really nice...she kept asking if we wanted to buy an iPad for Joshua as she could sponsor the gift. But I politely declined for I said there was really no need for him to play with an iPad. I was concerned that Joshua would also ask for an iPad 2 since his cousin had one. My brother-in-law even told Joshua to ask Daddy to buy a similar one for him.
But I was surprised with Joshua's reaction. He did not seem so interested in the iPad and he did not ask to buy one. Though he liked to watch YouTube and play games in my iPhone, he did not say he wanted the iPad. I asked him whether he is envious of his cousin having an iPad, he said no. I was not convinced that he was not attracted to the iPad so I asked if he needed to buy one, he said no need. Wow! I was amazed because usually for kids of his age (5 years plus) they will want to have what others have.
I really thank God that He made Joshua so secure in His love. Joshua is not easily envious or jealous because other kids have toys that he don't. He knows he is already very blessed by the Lord and understands that his parents will not withhold good things from him. He is really set apart for the Lord and it shows in his character even at such a young age. This is taught by the Lord Himself...I cannot claim any credit for it. All glory to Jesus!
Last night we were having dinner at my in-laws' place. My brother-in-law had just bought his son an iPad 2 which cost $600 and they brought it over to play. My mother-in-law was really nice...she kept asking if we wanted to buy an iPad for Joshua as she could sponsor the gift. But I politely declined for I said there was really no need for him to play with an iPad. I was concerned that Joshua would also ask for an iPad 2 since his cousin had one. My brother-in-law even told Joshua to ask Daddy to buy a similar one for him.
But I was surprised with Joshua's reaction. He did not seem so interested in the iPad and he did not ask to buy one. Though he liked to watch YouTube and play games in my iPhone, he did not say he wanted the iPad. I asked him whether he is envious of his cousin having an iPad, he said no. I was not convinced that he was not attracted to the iPad so I asked if he needed to buy one, he said no need. Wow! I was amazed because usually for kids of his age (5 years plus) they will want to have what others have.
I really thank God that He made Joshua so secure in His love. Joshua is not easily envious or jealous because other kids have toys that he don't. He knows he is already very blessed by the Lord and understands that his parents will not withhold good things from him. He is really set apart for the Lord and it shows in his character even at such a young age. This is taught by the Lord Himself...I cannot claim any credit for it. All glory to Jesus!
Groundhog Day
Have you watched the movie 'Groundhog Day'? Bill Murray plays Phil Connors, an egocentric TV weatherman who, during a hated assignment covering the annual Groundhog Day event in a small town and finds himself re-living the same day over and over again. After indulging in all kinds of pleasure and numerous suicide attempts, he begins to re-examine his life and priorities.
Sometime ago I felt like Phil in 'Groundhog Day' because nothing in my life seemed to be moving. I felt like I was trapped in an endless cycle. Yet God is faithful. He kept bombarding me with different devotionals, sermons and messages about Isaiah 43:19 'Look! I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?' God is reassuring me that even though things seem like unchanged on the surface, the new things He is doing in my life will manifest very soon.
I was prompted to find out more about Groundhog Day and I discovered something really interesting. Firstly, I found out that Groundhog Day is a day celebrated by Americans and Canadians. It happens on 2 Feb every year. The significance of this day is the prediction of the arrival of spring by a groundhog. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on that day, then spring will come early. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow. Winter will continue for six more weeks.
I believe it was no coincidence as Heng and I were just talking about the change in seasons, how the sign of the fig tree tells us of the season change - tender twigs, leaves coming out signalling that summer is near (Matthew 24:32). Indeed God has confirmed again to me that this is really a season change. I am no longer in the winter, in the waiting period. Spring has arrived and spring always brings hope of new things!
Secondly, on 2 Feb 2012, I was reading Max Lucado's book which talks about how the darkness, the shadow has to go because God has brought me out of the darkness and the valley of shadow of death. Shadows are only temporary and will pass. It's the shadow that the groundhog is afraid of and hence it goes back into hiding. But since the shadow is no more, the groundhog will emerge and spring will come early. Then on 3 Feb 2012, I read a devotional that says 'Out of the shadows'. God is telling me I am out of the shadows! Just like the guy in Groundhog Day, he broke out of the cycle when he awoke one day to find that it is 3 Feb!
The turning point in the movie was when Phil found true love and as they kissed, snow began to fall, which surprised him because it was a departure from his recollection of the day's events. True enough, he woke up the next morning to find out that the time loop is broken. True love conquers all. I am reminded of how Jesus' love is the only thing that pulls me out of the shadow & the valley of Achor (trouble) every time. How great is His lovingkindness towards me!
Sometime ago I felt like Phil in 'Groundhog Day' because nothing in my life seemed to be moving. I felt like I was trapped in an endless cycle. Yet God is faithful. He kept bombarding me with different devotionals, sermons and messages about Isaiah 43:19 'Look! I am doing a new thing. Now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?' God is reassuring me that even though things seem like unchanged on the surface, the new things He is doing in my life will manifest very soon.
I was prompted to find out more about Groundhog Day and I discovered something really interesting. Firstly, I found out that Groundhog Day is a day celebrated by Americans and Canadians. It happens on 2 Feb every year. The significance of this day is the prediction of the arrival of spring by a groundhog. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on that day, then spring will come early. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow. Winter will continue for six more weeks.
I believe it was no coincidence as Heng and I were just talking about the change in seasons, how the sign of the fig tree tells us of the season change - tender twigs, leaves coming out signalling that summer is near (Matthew 24:32). Indeed God has confirmed again to me that this is really a season change. I am no longer in the winter, in the waiting period. Spring has arrived and spring always brings hope of new things!
Secondly, on 2 Feb 2012, I was reading Max Lucado's book which talks about how the darkness, the shadow has to go because God has brought me out of the darkness and the valley of shadow of death. Shadows are only temporary and will pass. It's the shadow that the groundhog is afraid of and hence it goes back into hiding. But since the shadow is no more, the groundhog will emerge and spring will come early. Then on 3 Feb 2012, I read a devotional that says 'Out of the shadows'. God is telling me I am out of the shadows! Just like the guy in Groundhog Day, he broke out of the cycle when he awoke one day to find that it is 3 Feb!
The turning point in the movie was when Phil found true love and as they kissed, snow began to fall, which surprised him because it was a departure from his recollection of the day's events. True enough, he woke up the next morning to find out that the time loop is broken. True love conquers all. I am reminded of how Jesus' love is the only thing that pulls me out of the shadow & the valley of Achor (trouble) every time. How great is His lovingkindness towards me!
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Happiest Month of the Year
Do you know that this month, the month of Adar in the Jewish religious calendar is the happiest month of the year? Actually I am not very sensitive to the calendar of the Jews but one sister mentioned recently that the month of Adar started on 24 Feb 2012 and the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim on the 14th and 15th day of the month of Adar. She said that the Jewish calendar usually mirrors our spiritual happenings and that got me excited. I started to research more on the month of Adar in the internet.
The month of Adar is the 12th month of the Jewish calendar. (Note that this calendar is different from the civil calendar which celebrates Rosh Hashanah on 29 Sep 2011. The Jewish calendar is like our Chinese' lunar calendar.) This month is the last winter month before summer. It is the happiest month of the year because it was the month that the evil Haman was overturned.
In Esther 9, Haman persuaded the king to pass a decree for all the Jews to be executed. However God supernaturally intervened to save the Jews through Esther and the decree was overturned. Instead, Haman and his ten sons and all the enemies of the Jews were executed on the 13th day of the month of Adar. Hence on the 14th day of the month the Jews rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
Until today the Jews still celebrate this day, the Feast of Purim as a holiday, with feasting and gladness and for sending presents to one another. This reminds me of Nehemiah 8:10 when Nehemiah told the Jews to eat choice food and drink sweet drinks, to send portions to those for whom had nothing and to rejoice greatly for the joy of the Lord is their strength.
Adar is also 'strength' in Hebrew. It's a month of good fortune for the Jews. The Feast of Purim commemorates the turnaround of the Jews' apparent bad fortune to good. When Adar comes, they enter into joy. The festival of Purim (which will happen on 8 Mar 2012) marks the highest point of joy of the whole year. Joy breaks through all barriers.
The joy of Adar is also what makes the month of Adar the 'pregnant' month of the year. It is interesting to note that when there is a leap year, there is an additional month of Adar, called Adar II and the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim in Adar II. In the cycle of the Jewish calendar, 7 out of 19 years are 'leap years', pregnant with an additional month of Adar. This year happens to be a leap year as well. This is good news to me...
With every month of the year, the Jews also attribute a certain Hebrew letter to it. This month of Adar has the Hebrew letter 'kuf' which is the symbol of laughter. Laughter is the expression of unbounded joy, the joy of witnessing light come out from darkness. The epitome of laughter in the scriptures is that of Sarah's laughter at the birth of Isaac. Barrenness is like darkness. Fertility is like light. God turned barrenness into fertility and fruit-bearing. For Sarah, the fear of not being able to conceive gave way to laughter when she heard what God was going to do in her old age.
Indeed I experienced a parallel in this month. A joy that was inexpressible, the laughter and the hope of a future pregnant with God's overflowing goodness. I was never so at peace as I did this month for I know that my time is here. This month also coincides with the passing of winter and the arrival of summer. I have entered into a new season, a season of fruit-bearing, a season of harvest. I already started to see the manifestations of God's promises. He is doing a new thing in my life which I will share more in time to come. All glory to Jesus!
The month of Adar is the 12th month of the Jewish calendar. (Note that this calendar is different from the civil calendar which celebrates Rosh Hashanah on 29 Sep 2011. The Jewish calendar is like our Chinese' lunar calendar.) This month is the last winter month before summer. It is the happiest month of the year because it was the month that the evil Haman was overturned.
In Esther 9, Haman persuaded the king to pass a decree for all the Jews to be executed. However God supernaturally intervened to save the Jews through Esther and the decree was overturned. Instead, Haman and his ten sons and all the enemies of the Jews were executed on the 13th day of the month of Adar. Hence on the 14th day of the month the Jews rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
Until today the Jews still celebrate this day, the Feast of Purim as a holiday, with feasting and gladness and for sending presents to one another. This reminds me of Nehemiah 8:10 when Nehemiah told the Jews to eat choice food and drink sweet drinks, to send portions to those for whom had nothing and to rejoice greatly for the joy of the Lord is their strength.
Adar is also 'strength' in Hebrew. It's a month of good fortune for the Jews. The Feast of Purim commemorates the turnaround of the Jews' apparent bad fortune to good. When Adar comes, they enter into joy. The festival of Purim (which will happen on 8 Mar 2012) marks the highest point of joy of the whole year. Joy breaks through all barriers.
The joy of Adar is also what makes the month of Adar the 'pregnant' month of the year. It is interesting to note that when there is a leap year, there is an additional month of Adar, called Adar II and the Jews celebrate the Feast of Purim in Adar II. In the cycle of the Jewish calendar, 7 out of 19 years are 'leap years', pregnant with an additional month of Adar. This year happens to be a leap year as well. This is good news to me...
With every month of the year, the Jews also attribute a certain Hebrew letter to it. This month of Adar has the Hebrew letter 'kuf' which is the symbol of laughter. Laughter is the expression of unbounded joy, the joy of witnessing light come out from darkness. The epitome of laughter in the scriptures is that of Sarah's laughter at the birth of Isaac. Barrenness is like darkness. Fertility is like light. God turned barrenness into fertility and fruit-bearing. For Sarah, the fear of not being able to conceive gave way to laughter when she heard what God was going to do in her old age.
Indeed I experienced a parallel in this month. A joy that was inexpressible, the laughter and the hope of a future pregnant with God's overflowing goodness. I was never so at peace as I did this month for I know that my time is here. This month also coincides with the passing of winter and the arrival of summer. I have entered into a new season, a season of fruit-bearing, a season of harvest. I already started to see the manifestations of God's promises. He is doing a new thing in my life which I will share more in time to come. All glory to Jesus!
Monday, March 5, 2012
Best Wedding Anniversary Celebration Ever!
3rd March was our 11th wedding anniversary. My hubby Heng planned for a surprise hotel stay at Marina Bay Sands. I had been telling him that I wanted to take a look at the sky park, perhaps a dinner up there because the hotel stay would be rather expensive. Marina Bay Sands (MBS) is an integrated hotel, shopping mall cum casino in Singapore. The most famous feature of MBS is the swimming pool at the sky park. It is the longest swimming pool ever built on the 57th floor of the hotel. (This swimming pool is actually built by one of our church members who is a novice in the business of building swimming pools! It's purely God's grace!) The sky park is shaped like a ship perched on top of three towers of the hotel building.
When we checked into the hotel, thank God they upgraded us from a deluxe room to a premier room! Thank God also that there was a hotel promotion for the room rates, so it was not at an exorbitant cost. Well, the stay was fantastic because the room was very spacious and the bathroom was even more luxurious. Besides, it had a very beautiful view of the city scape. Not forgetting the view from the sky park. Though the pool was rather cold, as one can imagine the wind from the top of the building, the atmosphere there was rather upbeat. Joshua was the happiest because he really liked hotel stays. I love it very much as well. I told Heng I think this was my best wedding anniversary celebration ever but it would get better in future, by the grace of God! We are so blessed!
A picture tells a thousand words...so here are the pictures:
When we checked into the hotel, thank God they upgraded us from a deluxe room to a premier room! Thank God also that there was a hotel promotion for the room rates, so it was not at an exorbitant cost. Well, the stay was fantastic because the room was very spacious and the bathroom was even more luxurious. Besides, it had a very beautiful view of the city scape. Not forgetting the view from the sky park. Though the pool was rather cold, as one can imagine the wind from the top of the building, the atmosphere there was rather upbeat. Joshua was the happiest because he really liked hotel stays. I love it very much as well. I told Heng I think this was my best wedding anniversary celebration ever but it would get better in future, by the grace of God! We are so blessed!
A picture tells a thousand words...so here are the pictures:
Spacious Hotel Room
Luxurious bathroom
Swimming pool at the Sky Park
View of cityscape from room
Blessed family of God
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