LETTING GO

'Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.' Isaiah 43:18

When God is about to do a new thing in our lives, a divine shift is about to happen. Usually He will tell us to let go of certain mindsets, certain baggage from the past, disappointments, hurts or bitterness. Sometimes we even have to close some doors behind us before we see the doors open in front of us. Transition is such an uncomfortable time. Not only do you have to let go of what is comfortable, you have to take a step to walk into the River Jordan before the water subsides. 

Sometimes we are stuck in that bondage or stronghold for such a long time that we don't even want to be liberated from it. We can get so used to darkness and reject the light totally. So when God comes and tell you that you have circled this mountain long enough, it is time to move on, then you better move on. Know that the transition is only temporary. Just press through the uncertainty and very soon you will find yourself crossing over to the new place and settling into a new season. Everything will be worth it. 

Do you remember the butterfly which emerged from its cocoon. I didn't show you the video of it coming out back then. But now I felt impressed to share. You will find it surprising that even the butterfly couldn't let go of its cocoon. Perhaps it was scared and the cocoon was the only thing that gave it security. It didn't know it has become a beautiful butterfly and now can fly. It probably is still trapped in the mindset of a crawling caterpillar. I learnt that it will take hours for the butterfly's wings to be dry and strengthened before it can fly. It wasn't something immediate. But just give it some time and it will surely take flight.

How about you? The metamorphosis is complete. It's time to spread your wings and fly! 

PATIENCE

'Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises of God...' Hebrews 6:12

I was reading the notes I had taken from Joyce Meyer's book 'Battlefield of the Mind'. There were more nuggets of truth that I would like to share. Impatience is the fruit of pride. The proud man says 'Please don't make me wait for anything; I deserve everything immediately!' Patience is not the ability to wait; it's the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. We actually spend much more time in life waiting than we do receiving, so it's better to learn to enjoy the waiting, not just the manifestation.

Pride prevents patient waiting because the proud man thinks so highly of himself that he believes he shouldn't be inconvenienced in any way. Patience is brought out by trials. Patience is a fruit of the Spirit. The proud man runs in the strength of his own flesh and tries to make things happen in his own timing. A humble man waits patiently; he actually has a 'reverential fear' of moving in the strength of his own flesh. But a proud man tries one thing after another in his strength, yet all futile.

As we wait on God and refuse to move in our fleshly zeal, there is a 'dying to self' taking place. We begin to die to our own ways and timing and become alive to His will and His way for us. But on the other hand, if God told you to move on yet you stayed put, there isn't a sign of humility either. It's disobedience to His word resulting in unnecessary delays. Sometimes it could be due to fear of the unknown or unwillingness to leave one's comfort zone. But in any case, if you stayed put, you are not flowing in His timing and His way.

This was something new to me. I knew it was a form of self-righteousness when I felt indignant that those who waited for a much shorter time received their miracles before me. I didn't connote such thinking to pride. Now I see that as I waited on the Lord, there was a dying to my flesh, as I chose to die to my ways and timetable and yield to His timing for my life.

How about you? Is there something the Lord has told you about? It could be to move on from this mountain instead of to wait some more. If that is the case, congratulations because the waiting has finally come to an end! Just cooperate with the Lord and very soon you will see your manifestations!

TO WORK OR NOT TO WORK

'The Lord settles the barren woman as a happy mother of children at home...' Psalms 113:9

I just watched a TV program that talked about the dilemma of a stay home mum trying to return to the work force. The program also interviewed two ladies and a guy on their opinions of what is blessedness to them. One lady is a mother of three kids and her hubby is a pilot. Even though she was ambitious and wanted to have a career of her own, circumstances made it difficult for her to balance work and family. After the birth of her third child, she decided to quit and stay home full time. Her hubby was very busy so someone needed to be at home to take care of the family and it had to be her. 

Then another guy was saying in the past he used to think it would be good for his wife to stay home and take care of the kids, rather than leaving them to the care of a maid. But after their second child was born, finances were tight so his wife had to go back to work. The kids were to be taken care by his mother-in-law. But they had to tell with her what parenting methods to use, how to teach their kids etc. Somehow I feel that the couple may have to compromise a bit if they leave their kids to the care of grandparents.  The couple will have to make the best of that situation by communicating to the grandparents about their parenting preferences. But the husband believes that it is possible for a mum to balance work and family. 

Actually when I went back to part time work in 2013, I could do my work well and take care of my family. But there was one problem. I overstretched myself. I was burning the candles on both ends and I was at risk of being burnt out. I didn't think I could do this for long. Something would eventually give way and I didn't want it to be my family. Eventually I decided not to renew my part time contract because I really couldn't manage work and family well. 

But even so, staying home wasn't exactly a bed of roses either. From a career woman to a stay home mum, one could suddenly feel a loss. Loss of identity, loss of self-worth, loss of purpose in life, loss of a sense of achievement etc. Or one could get so bored at home and yearn for some work to do. It then occurred to me that even though I thought I welcomed my stay home season in 2011, I wasn't quite adjusted to it. It was a good respite from the hectic working life, a kind of release, but I realised I wasn't that ready to stay home. 

It was like it took only one day for the Israelites to leave Egypt but it took the Israelites 40 years to get Egypt out of them. I always thought I was ready for a stay home season but actually I wasn't. I didn't know what to expect and I wasn't prepared for it. Hence after a while, I got bored and started thinking about work again. I asked God to let me go back to work, any part time work will do. Just to kill time and to have some social life. 

And so, God released me to go back to part time work in June 2013. I was really excited and happy to be working again. For a while, I felt very fulfilled and happy. I felt like my life finally had a purpose. I would look at those stay home mums in my community and feel 'superior' to them. At least I had a job. It didn't matter how many kids they have or that I was still waiting for my promise. The excitement and fulfilment in my work actually made up for it all. 

But this bliss didn't last long. In fact, the next month I was beginning to feel the strain. Those feelings of fulfilment and happiness soon faded away. And as time went by, things got tougher and I began to regret my coming back to work. Why was I so foolish to give up my leisurely time to work? Why did I make myself work so hard and end up so tired? It wasn't even that I needed the money. Now that I was already in it, I couldn't even get out of it. I just got to bite my lips and press on toward the end. It wasn't my nature to give up halfway. Thank God He strengthened me to complete that assignment. 

So right after that work stint, I was finally happy to be back staying home. From then on I didn't feel bored and I never asked God to let me go back to work. I was learning how to enjoy my stay home days. It took three years to get working life out of me. Can't believe it right? After all, I have worked for 15 years, so don't think that I would get used to staying home in a short time! From this, I realised that change takes time, especially changing of a person's direction and lifestyle. We need to give God time to work in our lives, to get the Egypt out of us through the daily renewal of our minds. 

Again it was after that stint that I renewed my desire to stay home for another season, without pining for work this time. Actually I think that renewal of my desire was important because God was moving me on to a childbearing season. I was just wondering if I had conceived straight after leaving my full time job and given birth in 2011, I might still not be fulfilled in my role of taking care of my baby. I might be hoping for baby to grow up quickly so I could go back to work or ministry. In the end I might not enjoy parenting. I am so grateful to God for preparing all things for my enjoyment. 

DAILY CLEANSING BY THE WORD

'I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live...' Deuteronomy 30:19

Yesterday Pastor Prince preached a very powerful sermon. He was talking about how this word will cause many to receive healing and to stay in health. He spoke about Hebrews 10:2-4, how Jesus' blood has cleansed us from sin once and for all. But yet in John 13:1-11, there is still a daily cleansing of the word like water. Jesus got up after supper and washed the disciples' feet. It was a picture of Him serving us even after His resurrection. 

He was also sharing about the secrets to a healthy and long life. It had something to do with what we expose ourselves to. Everyday we come across certain news, read certain articles, listen to friends or colleagues talking that would cause us to touch 'death'. I can testify that such things are very real. Things in the spirit realm are more real than the natural realm. Do not be deceived because many people are. 

Pastor was saying that God is so good. God will find ways for His word to cross our paths even if we are not actively seeking Him everyday. For example, looking at the birds of the air pecking on the ground tells us that even the birds don't worry, as God provides for them, so why should we? But if we open the bible, listen to anointed sermons and read devotionals, we are opening ourselves to receiving more revelation from the Lord. And it is not just a one time seeking, it should be our way of life. Everyday we need the cleansing of the word because our feet get dusty. We get defiled from touching 'death'.

Recently when I was going through the cases of members who needed healing prayers, I came across so many conditions that I didn't even know existed! I didn't realise the effects on me but after that I felt lousy. Slowly that lousy feeling developed into an insecurity and fear in me subconsciously. I experienced symptoms in my body, sharp back pain which I never had before. Only then I realised that I had touched 'death' when reading all those sicknesses. I allowed this to affect me and I forgot what God's word about healing was. My eyes were focused on the conditions of members instead of the Lord who heals.

How I got out of the defilement of touching 'death' was this. Like Pastor said in Numbers 19:1-3, there has to be a sprinkling of the red heifer's ashes dipped in water to cleanse those who had literally touched death in the camp. The ashes refer to Jesus' finished work on the cross. Every time you listen to a sermon that preached on the finished work of Christ, you will be cleansed and reminded that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. In the same way, my remedy was to get back to His word. To let God wash my dusty feet with the water of the Holy Spirit. Only then was I able to be cleansed of the defilement and be restored back to peace and joy. 

I have been living on His word mainly for the past few years when I stayed home. I stopped reading the newspapers and listening to news. I also stopped reading certain secular books like literature and psychology. Even when gleaning Christian books, I am very careful about its contents, whether the author leans towards law or grace. Pastor says when you read materials about His righteousness, you will experience a cleansing effect which will always leave you feeling refreshed. But even so, sometimes I would come across certain things that cause me to touch 'death'. We live in a fallen world.

Hence I find it important to expose myself to an environment that is constantly filled with His goodness and righteousness. It is necessary for me to guard my eye and ear gates in order not to be easily defiled. As I spend time with Him, God also shows me quickly when I have touched 'death' so that I can be quickly cleansed. Pastor mentioned that the result of this daily cleansing of the Word that emphasised on the finished work causes one's flesh to be renewed. That is the reason why some Christians look much younger than their peers. Their youth is renewed by the eagles. They are generally more healthy, free from diseases and infirmities. They don't get sick easily or even if they do, they recover very soon. 

THOUGHTS ABOUT WAITING

'And we know God works all things out for the good of those who love Him...' Romans 8:28

Everyone of us has an area we struggle with but God is using that exact area to build our character. For me, the areas I struggle with are about comparison with others and patience. Especially in the area of childbearing, waiting had never been easy. Unfortunately there was nothing in our growing up years that could prepare us for this. At least in marital issues we had our parents as a model, be it good or bad. But nobody told us that there might be struggles in childbearing. We assumed that it was a natural course of life. After marriage the kids should come right? 

But what if they don't come at the time we want them to? What do we do in the meantime while we wait? Waiting can be a minefield filled with bombs to destroy us or it can be a time of rest and preparation. Still, the struggles are very real. Like how to handle the disappointment month after month while we watch our peers giving birth one after another. Nope, the school didn't teach us these life lessons and many of us may not have mentors or people in our life to preempt us about such things. 

But I know a place that teaches all these. It's the bible. Yes, the answer can only be found in God's word and His presence. It's the only place we can make sense of the senseless pain we face. It's the only place we can find comfort and refuge. The only place we know that all is well with us and even if not, God will make all things work for our good eventually. All we have to do is to trust Him. It's an open door, an invitation to a journey, an adventure of your life. But we won't always know what is ahead or whether our prayers will be answered soon enough.

All we can be sure is that the end outcome will be good. At the end of the journey we will find that we have gained more than what we ask for at the beginning. We may be driven to seek God out of desperation initially because of the persistent heartaches in the area of our struggles but an answered prayer will not just be what we get at the end. It will be so much more. We will find that our gain is far greater than we ever imagine. 

During the waiting journey, God will cause our character to be built up and our strongholds to be destroyed.  The enemy we see today will never be seen in future. God will give us victory over the areas we used to struggle with. In addition to giving us our heart's desire, He also changes us, changes our way of thinking so that we will not be at the mercy of those hot buttons which our enemy pushed at will before. He does this so that we can enjoy our answered prayer more when it comes. Isn't God good?

KAIROS TIME

Yesterday I was prompted to look through the messages I read in the past month with the occurrence of 'now is the time, your time has come, kairos, God-ordained moment, right now'. Essentially these are messages that speak of God's timing. God has spoken about this to me in Feb but He seems to be reiterating it again. Hence it must be of certain importance. And so, I again googled 'when God says you are in kairos time' to glean nuggets of truth. Here are the highlights of what I found.

Kairos speaks more of specific, God-ordained times throughout history, sometimes called the "right time" or "appointed season". Kairos is God's dimension—one not marked by the past, the present, or the future. It was a perfect moment. John the Baptist said in Mark 1:15 that the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Kairos moments then—and now—allow us to get a glimpse of the "other side." We peek around the corner at eternity. We actually glimpse how God works.

As the omniscient, omnipresent Deity, God is not bound by the confines of space or time. That's why He flows into our existence when we least expect Him. When we ask for something right away, it might not always come. Or when we don't ask at all and He shows up. It can be frustrating, "with the Lord one day is as a thousand years." It can also be surprising "a thousand years as one day." We should always live our days looking for those moments, those inexplicable times when His will and his way intersect with our daily walks. 

Kairos connotes the idea of an opportunity or suitable time for an action to take place. It is a time when things come to a 'head', requiring decisive actions. It is a time for harvest, a time for rewards, an appointed time to be born, a time when certain events will take place etc. It denotes a unique time in which something special is about to happen.

The term kairos refers to a way of perceiving time as a series of important or significant events or moments. Some Christians have referred to this kind of time as “God’s time” or “sacred time". In God’s time, some times are more important than others, and there are windows of opportunity that open and close and we need to be aware of the movement of kairos time or else we may miss out on something big God wants to do in our lives and in the lives of others.

Kairos is the "fullness of time," God’s time zone. Kairos time conveys notions of unboundness, of fluidity, of God’s purposes intersecting and overruling this finite world of chronological time. Kairos thus conveys a more exciting concept than simple chronos. Kairos refers to specially selected periods of divine determination. It operates within human time but mainly as the focus of the fulfillment of God’s ultimate purposes.

God created time, and in his sovereign kairos time he interacts and enters into chronos time according to his perfect will. This is one reason life with God is so exciting—we are not predetermined, the future is open to us and we are open to it. Kairos thus conveys expectation and excitement, times of decision. Kairos is pregnant time, the time of possibility – moments in our day, our week, our month, our year or our lifetime that define us. It is a crossroads. It has the ripe opportunity to make you bitter or better. It is a teachable moment. It is the right or opportune moment. They are rarely neutral and always leave an impact on us.

From a ministry perspective, kairos is the time of God’s activity, the time where we sense God may be trying to get our attention, where we anticipate He may be up to something and it would be wise for us to pay attention in this suspended time and place. Kairos moments are a string of moments that possess possibility – clarity brought on often by pain, uncertainty or crisis. They force us to be absolutely present: to ourselves, to God and to the experience of reality that we’re facing.

GOD'S PURPOSE FOR SEASONS

God said that times and seasons are in His hand. God appointed the moon for the seasons and the sun itself knows the exact time of its setting (Psalm 104:19). In other words, seasons are important to Him. They herald the beginning and ending of things…a season for this and a season for that. He created the natural seasons: spring, winter, summer and autumn. To everything there is a season in both the natural and the spiritual (Ecclesiastes 3:1). God is more than able to handle and help you navigate the seasons of your life; more than capable of giving you counsel.

God also said: May it comfort you to know how all the great ones who served Me went through seasons and times…many times going through things they did not understand at the moment or not at all. Do you think Abraham fully understood the season of waiting for Isaac? Did David fully understand the seasons of life he would go through after Samuel anointed him with oil? Did Joseph understand the seasons of his life which ultimately catapulted him to be the second man in Egypt?

I ever asked God why He needed to space out the events of my life and not let all the ‘haps’ happen around the same time. Actually I know it was in His power to do so but would it be in my best interest? Most of the times God might have wanted to move faster if not for the fact that we were not ready yet. For example He could accelerate the stages of progression like causing a couple to get married, move into their new home and have a baby all within the first year. But would it be too much for that couple who is trying to get used to their new roles as husband and wife, trying to settle into the unfamiliar environment of a new home away from their parents and adjust to parenthood?

Getting married, moving house and having children are considered as major moves in one’s life. Each successive stage or season requires one to be healthily adjusted in order to move to the next season. That way, one can better enjoy the seasons of his life and welcome the changes. If one was unprepared, no matter how wonderful God’s blessing was, he would not be able to enjoy it to the fullest. Or worse, he might find that blessing a burden instead. That would be so sad!

Luke 12:32 says ‘It is our Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom.’ This means that certain things are stored up and prepared for us in heaven, waiting to be released. These are the blessings that have our names on them. They are our inheritance. But even an earthly father knows it will be detrimental to give his teenage son the Lamborghini before he obtains his driving license. It would be dangerous, if not irresponsible for the father to do so. On the other hand, when the boy comes of age and his father presents this gift, it will bring so much joy and delight to him and the father!

We are creatures of instant gratification and when we want something, we want it now. We cannot afford to wait for we are always on the move. If something requires us to wait a while for it, we may just pass it up altogether. But that is not what God wants for us. He wants us to let patience have its perfect work so we will be complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4). While we are so fixated on the destination, God is focusing on the process, the journey. He is not so much concerned about the endpoint or the outcome than the character development within us during the process.

This is an excerpt from my e-book 'Flowing in the Spirit in Seasons of Your Life'. If you are interested to read more, please click here to buy my book! http://www.lulu.com/shop/avin-lee-mui-choo/flowing-in-the-spirit-in-seasons-of-your-life/ebook/product-22130140.html

TIME IS OF NO EFFECT

'But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day...' 2 Peter 3:8

There was a joke about this verse. If a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, then a million dollars must be like a penny to Him. So someone once asked God 'Oh Lord, could you please give me a penny?' And God replied 'Wait a second...' 

Well, it certainly wasn't funny to me if I knew that I had to wait that long for a promise to be fulfilled in my life. I used to dislike seeing this verse while I was in my waiting journey. I didn't like the fact that this verse was telling me to be patient for the Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promise. Because God is timeless, He is outside of time so He is not constrained by time. But we are. And the Lord knows we cannot afford to wait a thousand years for a promise to come to pass. He shows mercy on us by cutting short the waiting times in many instances. Even so, sometimes I still find the waiting unbearable. 

I guess all this while God has been teaching me about time, patience and waiting. Nobody likes to wait but waiting is really part and parcel of our life. Looking back on hindsight, I found that the waiting usually wouldn't harm us; its effect was to cause us to grow in faith, with a greater revelation of God. Heng is stronger in this aspect. He once told me that time no longer mattered to him. He believed that once God has given us the promise, it was already a done deal. Through the long years of waiting, I didn't think his faith wavered, except maybe when he saw me so disappointed and weary of waiting. 

Recently I read this book by Jesse Duplantis and he said that time means nothing to him anymore. If he is believing by faith for something and it happens quickly, fine. If it doesn't happen quickly, that's also fine. He will never let time defeat him. Time will not make him misjudge the God he serve. There are people in the world who can be relied upon to do almost anything except to wait! Waiting destroys them every time but it should not. 

No seed takes longer to grow than the seed sown in the soil of human hearts. Human nature does not want to humble itself in prayer and it does not want to wait on anything but God requires these things. We need to fertilise our human nature with His nature. We are going to learn that since time cannot stop the Word of God from coming to pass, we shouldn't let it discourage us or make us give up on our faith. God is faithful. He will do what He said in His word. 

Besides, since God is outside of time, He can also accelerate time and restore the years the locusts have eaten. He can cause you to achieve so much more in a few short years than you could ever do so in your own strength. He can redeem your days. Oftentimes, when we reached the end of our waiting and received our miracle, we would usually find that God didn't let us wait so long after all. It was only in the uncertainty of waiting, wondering and wandering if God would come through for us that we beame weary. But if we keep our eyes on His faithfulness, we will soar like wings on eagles during the wait. The waiting will not wear us down but strengthen us instead. 

So don't give up. Make up your mind, set your face like flint to cross that finish line and receive your manifestation. Then give God all the glory! 

TRAINING FOR GODLINESS

'Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.' 1 Timothy 4:8

For the past two months, I have been busy coaching Joshua in his studies. I never really spent so much time coaching him when he was in his lower primary years. But somehow this year I felt the prompting to devote some of my time to his studies. I felt like I was led by the Spirit. I was trying to inculcate a discipline of him doing assessments on a daily basis. As he had not been doing that for the past two years, it was initially quite difficult for me to get him to do it. 

His resistance came up almost every time I told him to do his worksheets. It wasn't that I was 'kiasu' about his studies but I felt the need to get him off YouTube and handphone games. He was in the afternoon session for the past two years so there wasn't much time to play these games after he came back from school. But this year, being in the morning session, he had a lot of time in the afternoons so if I did not purposely plan his activities, he would take the easy way out to fill his time with games or videos. Just like our mind, if we do not purposely fill it with God's word, it will not be left empty. The world will try to fill it with all kinds of nonsense things. The same goes for a child's time and his mind.

Well it wasn't easy for me because it took me some discipline too. I couldn't just throw him some worksheets and leave him to do them by himself. No, no. It doesn't work that way. I had to sit beside him and be there to answer his questions or help him when he was stuck with a question. I had to intentionally and purposely think of things to let him do everyday. Like what assessments to do, or online tuition or compositions etc.

I thank God for guiding me each and every day. I did not even know how to plan for him...like which assessment to do. I did not follow a schedule or timetable. I just went with the flow, whatever I felt like giving him on that particular day. But again it wasn't easy to get him to do those assessments. He would sometimes whine or groan. But no choice, he just got to do it. At times I wondered if doing those worksheets really helped him. Whether it was worth it, whether my efforts would pay off. I know that training is tough for him. I know he don't like it because he is being stretched. But in future this training will bear very visible fruits for him to see. And he will not regret spending all this time doing this but will thank me for it. 

Sometimes I feel discouraged and want to give up but the Lord reminded me of Proverbs 22:6 'Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.' Training will always be uncomfortable and even painful at times. But it will always be profitable for us. The truth was when Joshua was groaning because of the training, I was groaning too. I had to persevere because I knew after he reached a certain point, it would be much easier for him. I am inculcating a habit and a discipline in him so that he will do it even without me asking him to in future. It would be automatic. That will be the day I know my efforts have paid off. 

If physical training can provide us with such benefits, I cannot imagine how much more will training for godliness benefit our soul, in this life and the life after? 

BUTTERFLY CAME OUT!

I was just talking about metamorphosis and waiting for the butterfly to come out of its cocoon two days ago. This morning I saw the picture of the butterfly that my sister-in-law sent me. She said their butterfly came out. I went to take a look at the cocoon and realised I saw patterns of wings on it. I believed this butterfly was also coming out soon.

I told my sister-in-law that I hoped to video cam the process of the butterfly breaking out of the cocoon. She was laughing at me saying I watched too much drama. But thank God I really did! Before that there were some signs of activity. Some movement of the cocoon.

Then shortly after I saw the butterfly struggling out of the cocoon. I had it videoed on my handphone! It was so amazing to see God's creation. It was a beautiful butterfly but I have no idea what species. But here's how it looks like...

. 

TRUTHS ABOUT HEALING

God taught me about what it meant for His anointing to be increased in a person’s life and about having a spirit of dominion. He wanted His children to be fierce when dealing with the dark powers, the principalities of this world. We couldn’t afford to give them any foothold. We got to know beyond the shadow of doubt that we have dominion over them and we do not have to fear them. 1 John 4:4 says ‘He who is in me is greater than he that is in the world.’ Some spiritual forces will remain until we command them to leave. They will hold out for as long as and until you know that you have the authority to drive them out.

Jesus has given us the powers of attorney, to act on behalf of God (John 15:16) When we lay hands on the sick, be conscious that it is Jesus who is laying hands on them, not us. Jesus will show us that as we speak with dominion, commanding the circumstances to line up with His word, He will move mightily and show people that signs and wonders follow His word.

Luke 10:19 clearly said that Jesus has given us the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over the power of the enemy and nothing shall hurt us. Sin shall not have dominion over us because we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). These verses confirmed the dominion that God wants us to be aware of. God was teaching me how to exercise the dominion that Jesus has given us: to lay hands on the sick and see them recover, to proclaim 'no weapon formed against us will prosper', to trample on the powers of the dark forces on earth.

God wanted us to have the same consciousness of power and victory and dominion that Christ had. To think like Someone (Jesus) who had access at all times to the power of God Himself. And He wanted me to speak those thoughts out and act on it and see my world recreated. When we are ministering to the sick, we must remember that Jesus already gave us the authority to speak His words. We are His mouth, His eyes, His hands and His ears. Regardless of who is in need, if The Lord gives us a healing word to speak, we have to speak it boldly in Jesus Christ's stead. We are to speak words of faith and see what God will do. It is our part to just give the Word in season and His part to perform. 

This sharing is an excerpt from my ebook 'Flowing in the Spirit in Healing and Deliverance'. If you are keen to read more, you could buy this ebook at USD1.99 at http://www.lulu.com/shop/avin-lee-mui-choo/flowing-in-the-spirit-in-healing-and-deliverance/ebook/product-22130148.html

METAMORPHOSIS

'Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.' 1 John 3:2

My sister-in-law gave Joshua a caterpillar which has turned into a cocoon. Joshua was very excited to see how the caterpillar transform into a butterfly. But all was very quiet in the cocoon. It seemed to look like it was dead because there was hardly any movement. Yet inside the cocoon, things were far from dead. In fact, things were very much alive and happening. It was just hidden from the human eye. 

We are watching and waiting for the butterfly to emerge from the cocoon. We don't know when that will happen; we just know it will happen. Meanwhile we just go about our daily business as usual. Sometimes we even forgot that cocoon was sitting there in our living room. But as we wait, we are sure that one day a beautiful butterfly will emerge out of that lifeless cocoon. 

This is such a visual lesson of what I have been reading from Journals of the Heart some time ago about our metamorphosis, our transformation into beautiful butterflies. This process is perhaps likened to the transition stage between seasons. There was a time when I felt like nothing was happening on the surface. People were also asking me why I have been so quiet; not much activity. That was after I stepped down from ministry work. 

There were a few months when there seemed to be no output, no fruits in my life at all. But those were not inactive months. Those were months when my soul was being restored back to rest and I was feeding on the word of God just like how the caterpillar fed itself with leaves before the cocoon stage. I needed to be fed well before I could hibernate in my cocoon. The things that God was doing in my life was pretty much hidden from the world's view yet nevertheless many things were happening behind the scene.

From March onwards, there were signs of some activity, evidences of some fruits when I wrote the two topical sharing books. After that I also became more prolific in my blog sharing the daily devotionals. It was something I never thought I could do as I always felt I needed a lot of time to come up with an article. Nowadays it is almost effortless. I realised that God will put a verse in my heart for the daily sharing. I just need to tune in to His voice. 

During this time, I was also being pampered by God's surprises. I received a bouquet of flowers for my wedding anniversary and another bouquet for Mother's Day. When Heng bought the new handphone for me, it was also a surprise. This was also a longing fulfilled since I had that desire more than two months ago. Not forgetting the surprise bonus share payout for Heng, which was a restoration of my foregone bonus benefits in 2010. New things were also springing up since March. 

Even so, there were times I still felt stuck when the reality was that things were no longer in inertia. Everything is in transition, whether I see it or not. Life moves forward, not backward. But my mind sometimes want to get stuck in a moment in time. Sometimes it wants to stay nostalgic and just rethink of the past. Sometimes it wants to avoid the future. If I took a long range view of my life, then these temporary inactivity would be just blurbs in my life. Very soon I will emerge from my cocoon as a beautiful butterfly, looking like Jesus when He is revealed in my life. 

EXAM STRESS

'Unless the Lord builds the house, the labourers labour in vain.' Psalms 127:1

This is the exam period. It started two weeks ago with the oral exams. Last week Joshua had the listening comprehension and composition. Next week will be the main papers for English and Chinese, Math and Science. After next Wednesday, all the preparations will be considered over. I now understand what parents are going through when they talk about the stress during exam period.

Before Joshua started his primary school, I always remind myself not to be a 'kiasu' parent. And I was generally quite relaxed during his lower primary years. That was because they had no exams in primary one and in primary two, they had only one exam at the end of the year. I wasn't quite sure what to prepare him for his year end exam so I didn't do much; hence I wasn't stressed.

In primary three, I realised that the learning pace has somewhat doubled. First of all, there is more homework than before. Secondly, the expectation of the teachers is much higher because they are now in upper primary. Thirdly, there is an additional subject called Science. Thank God that Joshua is doing well in his math and science subjects. But he needs help in the languages, especially in oral and composition writing. 

Besides, I discover that the standards of his classmates are really quite high, not that I want to compare. I keep telling myself that he is running his own race and as long as he improves in his own grades, I will be happy. But honestly, the standards of his classmates have given me an idea of his standard. At least I have a benchmark and I can better gauge which are the areas he is weaker in and needs more help. 

The practice papers in his school also gave me a better idea about his current level and highlighted the areas I needed to work on him. Somehow maybe I knew that he could be stretched, I kind of expected more from him too. But in the process I got stressed up subconsciously, which was something I didn't want. I told myself many times to let go to God but at times I still get sucked in. And I would feel lousy when I fell into that trap but God gently reminded me that I shouldn't be pegging Joshua's performance to the standards of the education system. 

Of course as children of God we hope our kids will excel in everything they do but what if they don't live up to our expectations? That's when grace comes in. Grace is loving our children the way God made them even when they fail. Besides, grades are not everything in life. The favour of God is the determining factor for success or failure. I thank God that in those areas when we are weak in, there is superabounding grace. 

And so, I decided that I would do what I can in the natural to help Joshua to prepare for his exams but leave the outcome to God. I tried my best not to push him too hard to do those assessments but sometimes I relied too much on my self efforts. Yet I really could not be sure if all my efforts to help him really made a difference because unless the Lord builds the house, we the labourers labor in vain. All I ask is for God to bless the work of my hands. And I enter into rest. 

DESIRE FULFILLED

'Hope deferred makes the heart sick; a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.' Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick. I read in a commentary that says the object hoped for; if it is not enjoyed as soon as expected, at least if it is delayed for any length of time, the mind becomes uneasy, the heart sinks and fails, and the man is dispirited and ready to despond, and give up all hope of enjoying the desired blessing; whether it be deliverance from any evil, or the possession of any good, or the fulfilment of any promise. 

But when the desire manifests, it is a tree of life; when that which is hoped and wished for, and has been long expected and desired, comes; when there is an accomplishment of men's wishes, it is as grateful as the tree of life was in Eden's garden. It gives him an unspeakable pleasure and delight. Even though the waiting may not be deferred longer than the appointed time, yet longer than we expected, and which sometimes made our hearts sick; we became weak and feeble, fearful and dispirited, lest it should never come to pass. 

Have you been there before? Have you had your desires deferred again and again? I have and I know the longer the hope is deferred, the greater the joy and delight when the promise manifests. In the meantime, God knows it is not easy to wait, hence He will periodically show me assurances of His promise, how He has not forgotten me. God is so good. Sometimes He will also give me other desires and then proceed to fulfill those longings of my heart. I believe He does this to bring hope to my failing heart, which is sometimes like a smothering wick. 

A longing fulfilled is a tree of life. God knows the positive effects of a longing fulfilled on us. That is why He goes about fulfilling my other desires while I wait for the 'ultimate' promise to be fulfilled in its appointed time. Seeing these desires come to pass imparts life to my spirit and joy to my soul. But recently I noticed that more of my desires have been coming to pass sooner than I expected. Perhaps the reason is that I have entered into due season, harvest time, a season of fulfilment, no more hopes deferred. One of the characteristics of harvest time is that all the good things come out to the surface and desires are fulfilled. 

Nowadays I don't really have that many desires because the Lord has been keeping me happy and contented. But thank God that I just had another longing fulfilled yesterday. In early Feb, I suddenly had the desire to change my handphone because it was getting chipped off at the sides. I don't usually like to change handphones because it could be quite troublesome to do all the phone transfers. At that time there were no good deals and my 21-month contract was just over so I could afford to wait. 

Well, this posed to be no issue for me because I wasn't in such a hurry to change my handphone. Just that the desire had come up so I know my Daddy God wanted to bless me with a new phone so I shouldn't decline. Usually I would rationalise the cost and benefit and end up not changing my handphone. I am not the sort who go for the latest gadgets, especially not handphones. But thank God there was a good deal and Heng surprised me with a new handphone yesterday! The fulfilment of this desire was much sooner than I expected! I feel so loved by my Daddy God. Thank You, Daddy! 

MEMORIAL STONES

'Remember the Lord your God: for it is He who gives you the power to create wealth...' Deuteronomy 8:18

Yesterday I was searching for some articles about God working behind the scenes when I was strongly impressed upon this article which mentioned a passage in Joshua 4:5-6. This passage in Joshua prompted the writer to think of three words. First, create. God wants us to go to the trouble of establishing historic markers. Notice it was said, “Go to the trouble.” Creating legacy reminders is not easy. These were big stones. They needed to be chosen, hauled, stacked, and then maintained as a lasting reminder of God’s faithfulness.

Second, remember. God cares about our remembering Him and what He has done. Our human nature is so prone to forget what God has said or done. We forget what God has done for us so quickly, especially after we are happily settled in the Promised Land. Number three, impart. God cares that our children remember Him and what He has done. It’s the home where life makes up its mind, where life underscores its etchings. God is deeply concerned that the next generation learns about Him. That happens best through us. 

The Lord has been emphasizing this message to me since end March and repeating it now. He talked about how one tends to forget it is Him who brought them into the promised land, the large place, the lush environment. Indeed there are certain dangers hidden in the plenty that one may not recognise. These temptations would be different from those in the wilderness. Very different. It would not be brokenness, heartaches, disappointments and depression. In fact it would be the opposite. It could be feelings of sufficiency, contentment, false peace and false security. 

That is why God had to repeatedly remind me to remember it was Him who brought me to this place of fulfilment and to always give thanks. Have a grateful heart. He said after this long-awaited promise manifest, I must not forget about the Lord for it was Him who brought this promise to pass. I should give Him all the glory and boast in the Lord, to testify to what He has done for me. One of the most dangerous foes in the land of plenty is forgetfulness in all He has done for us and where we came from which often leads to a place of self-sufficiency. 

It was no wonder the Lord had to write an entire book on Deuteronomy which means the second law, after the law was first given in Exodus. The purpose of this book was to remind the Israelites again before entering into their Promised Land. He knew we were short on memory on such things so He took the pains to tell us to beware when we come into the land of milk and honey. Oh Lord, help me always remember it is You who multiplies our numbers and gave us the power to create wealth! 

FAIRY TALES

'But Jesus said: Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for such is the kingdom of God.' Luke 18:16

I was reading this devotional called 'Journals of the Heart' and it talked about fairy tales. Remember the time when we were little girls...how we listened to fairy tales like Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel with amazement? I don't know about you but I have dreamt about my prince riding on a white horse coming for me. I have tried to dress myself up like a princess and imagined myself going to a ball hosted by the King.

Sometimes I thought of myself as a long lost princess who has been brought up by a peasant farmer. And one day my real father, the King came looking for me. Then the next thing I knew was I was in the palace, enjoying all kinds of luxury imaginable to men. Beautiful clothes, stunning Princess bedroom, great food, servants at my command...most importantly, not having to worry about money because my father was the richest man in the kingdom. He loved me so much and treated me like the most precious pearl.

Fairy tales belonged to the heart of a child but I do believe that deep down in every woman, there is a little girl inside her. No matter how grown up the woman is, there is a part of her who would still want to believe in fairy tales. I believe every woman deserves to be loved by her Prince Charming and to have all the nice, beautiful things in life. Actually it isn't a fantasy. Miracles really do happen when woman believes in Jesus Christ, who is our ultimate Prince Charming.

It's easy for a child to believe in the supernatural for there are no limits in her heart. The heart of a child is a beautiful thing to the Lord. This kind of heart is closer to heaven than you can imagine. A child's imagination is so fertile and nothing is impossible for them in their worlds. But sadly as they grow up, people start putting limitations on their minds. And as they experienced the harsh realities of life, these dreams die, one by one.

One thing the Lord did for me in my time of fellowship with Him was to bring back this little girl in me. He wanted me to have the heart of a child and to believe Him with childlike faith. Many adults are hard of believing because we rationalise too much. The things of God cannot be processed with our heads. A miracle makes no sense. That's why we have to receive God like a child in order to see fairy tales become realities. It really isn't too far fetched...do you dare to have childlike faith?

SPENDING TIME WITH GOD

'Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me...' Jeremiah 9:24

The other day we were taking turns asking each other IQ questions and answering them. When Heng asked a question that I already knew, I kept quiet to see if Joshua knew the answer. Actually I believed he knew the answer but because he missed out the first sentence of the question, he didn't know how to solve it. So I highlighted that statement again and immediately he got the answer. I was quite amazed that I actually understand Joshua very well. When I asked Joshua whether my understanding of him could be achieved without spending time with him, he said no.

I pondered upon what he said. At times I wondered if my staying home helped to build the bond with my son. Now even Joshua was saying if I didn't spend the time at home with him, I might not know him as much if I had been working. I know that not all mums are able to stay home, so they had to spend quality time with their kids. But really, quality isn't the same as quantity when it comes to parenting. It was in those day to day moments that a mother took time with her kids that mattered to them. Not just the big moments. It was in those mundane, seemingly insignificant moments that a mother could impart important lessons about life to her kids.

In the same way, I thought about our relationship with our Abba God. One could only get to know our Daddy God more when he spends more time with Him. Now I know that not everyone could have extended times of fellowship but God understands our hearts. As long as we desire to spend time with Him and make it a priority, we will get to know Him over time and be blessed. For me, I count myself really fortunate to be able to spend a lot of time with God. My greatest blessing is a much better relationship with God. The result of this time spent with Him is that I know Him better. I know His heart, His thoughts. And that's what I can boast about too. That I understand and know the Lord.

Our culture seeks success and boasts in these things: intellect, power, status and riches. As a mother, I also wonder how my son measure up intellectually and how I can help him to achieve more in this area. There's nothing wrong with wanting them to live up to their intellectual potential, learn manners or social skills. However, if I become too stressed over his academic learning or I start comparing him to his classmates, then it has become unhealthy. God showed me that good as these things are, they are not the determining factors for success in life.

I began to see that just as I should be proud of myself and boast of my understanding of the Lord, this should be the key thing to impart to my son. Above all else, I hope my son would grow up to be someone who knows the Lord and like King David, to have a heart after God's heart. I could teach him many things and wish for him many things but one thing I desire is that he learns how to make himself happy in the Lord. I think that would be the best thing a person could ever have in life. I have been a great beneficiary of this close relationship with God and I hope my son would have it too.

MOTHER'S DAY SURPRISE

It was an early Mother's Day surprise for me. I didn't expect that Heng would be getting anything for me this Mother's Day. Every year we would bring our mums out to have a good meal in celebration of Mother's Day. But this year Heng actually ordered a bouquet of sunflowers and it arrived today at our doorstep while we were out doing grocery shopping. Heng told Joshua about it and asked him to keep it a secret. When we reached home, Heng would hold me back at the lift while Joshua brought the flowers to me.

Actually I would have been totally kept in the dark if not for the fact that I was looking at Heng's hand phone email alert, which I then accidentally saw that he ordered something online. He quickly snatched the hand phone from me and I was left guessing what it could be. I really didn't want him to spend too much money on buying things I don't need...but I had a pleasant surprise when we reached home. It was a very beautiful bouquet of sunflowers! I really loved it! Joshua also made a pop-up Mother's Day card for me...so sweet of him!

I felt so loved by Heng and Joshua. But more importantly I felt so loved by my Abba God. He was the One who arranged all these surprises for me. I am so blessed. This Mother's Day is so special to me...for I know God has other surprises in store for me. I am so excited and expectant of good things coming my way. Bible hope is a confident expectation of good because of what Christ has done for us at the cross. He has come that we may have life to the fullest. God is so good to us.

To all the beautiful mummies on earth, here's wishing you a most blessed Mother's Day too!

GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU

'For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is very special to me. God has been showing me this verse since July last year. I was going through a transition in seasons back then, so God wanted to assure me that He has good plans for me. He knew I was scared but yet I chose to trust Him. I had to close the door behind me first without knowing when the door in front will open. I was pioneering into new grounds yet I still didn't have a single clue what He wanted me to do then.

Pastor Prince declared this year as the year of His restoration. Ever since then, I have witnessed how God has restored things I lost or gave up, even things I have forgotten. Actually God has begun the work of restoring my soul last year and I found that joy has come to abide in places where I once mourned. He was slowly turning my sorrows into joy, my mourning into dancing. God was healing me of my heartaches and disappointments. Before He moves me onto a new season, He always does a work of restoration first.

Many of us know this verse very well but do you know that the context of this verse is Jeremiah's Letter to the Captives? The verse preceding this talks about how the Lord promised after the 70 years of captivity were completed at Babylon, He would visit the Israelites and perform His good word towards them and cause them to return to Jerusalem. This sounded like restoration to me. God was restoring the Israelites back to their home land.

Other than assuring me of His good plans for my future through this verse, God was also telling me He is doing a work of restoration. When I realised the other meaning of this verse recently, I was really very touched. It was so in line with this year's theme. Pastor also mentioned that the broken pieces will come together to form a picture this year. He was referring to those senseless things, those unfair stuff that happened to you.

He said when God reveals His restoration work in your life, whatever senseless things you have been through will all make sense. You will see how God turned all things around for our good. Oh, how my heart swells when I see those broken pieces of my life coming! God is truly working all things, the good, bad and ugly things, together for my good! No words can express how grateful I am to God! I see He has really been working behind the scenes for the past few years but only now this marvellous work has been revealed!

Dear friends, don't be discouraged if you haven't been seeing anything happening on the surface. God's word has already been given about this year. You just have to agree with Him and cry out 'God, restore!' Then rest and watch how He turns things around for your good and restores your soul, all the years the locusts have eaten and your health! Then give Him all the praise and glory!