DESTINY SHIFTS

Recently I have been impressed upon destiny shifts and I came across this book by TD Jakes titled 'Unlocking God's purpose in your life'. This book is so full of revelation that I really must share with you. Because there are many similar nuggets of truths that I also learnt from John Gray's latest sermon 'Rebirth Day', I would have to spread my sharing via a few posts.

It is time for you to recognise moments of divine visitation and run towards the supernatural promotion that's being presented your way. It's time for your potential to collide with His power and release your purpose. This book is for anyone who is hungry to experience a shift. A change. A transition. Elevation. Promotion. What you have always known and how you've always done life is changing. You have been stuck long enough. Your liberty is at hand. God is about to bail you out.

Very soon something is going to shift. God is tweaking something and He is almost finished with you. Don't launch into something premature. Wait for the timing of God. There will be an open door. The body knows when to reject the foetus because it's been there long enough. You are going to come into the earth saying 'It's my turn, it's my time. I have been waiting for this. I am at the edge of breakthrough. It's breaking through now.'

The anointing for your life is about to flow. Those doors that were closed are going to be open because of the oil. It is time to come into the full power of your anointing. Your life, your family and your ministry is going to flourish. God is beginning to shift when He announces you, unveil you to the world.

There's a meeting scheduled. Power is on its way. Elijah is getting ready to throw a mantle on you. Your moment is at hand and this moment changes everything. When you step into the new level, get the training. Pursue the instruction and teaching. Go after everything that will develop that potential. I want to sharpen your spiritual sight to recognize what is going behind the 'seen' and respond correctly on your day of visitation.

When power comes, God wants you to be ready. He wants you to recognise your moment. Yes, there will be natural circumstances that set it up. More profoundly He wants to help you tune into the spiritual dimension of transition. You need to recognise what looks right, smells right, sounds right and ultimately is your moment. 1 Kings 19:19 says 'then Elijah passed by Elisha and threw his mantle on him.'

God, we have been believing long enough, we need things to shift in our favor, to break in our favor and we need it right now. In this season God is launching wounded warriors. Your captivity is over. Your warfare is over. Your pain is over. After the pain, here comes the baby. After the warfare here comes the spoils. Get ready to collect the spoils. It is here. 

WHAT IS HAPPINESS?

I chanced upon this website that talked about happiness, one of the most sought after things in life, other than wealth and health. It then occurred to me to think about what I consider as happiness. And I came up with these: 

1) Happiness is accepting who God has made you to be and knowing your worth.
2) Happiness is having a purpose or meaning to life, more than just living for yourself but pursuing the dreams and the destiny God has for you.
3) Happiness is being contented and thankful for what you have, rather than focusing on your lack. Looking at the bright side of life.
4) Happiness is learning to enjoy each season as it comes, to seize the moment, treasure the present while waiting for your dreams to come to pass.
5) Happiness is knowing and cherishing your loved ones, to appreciate them rather than take them for granted. It's a great thing to have someone to love and someone who loves you.
6) Happiness is being able to enjoy times of solitude and comfortable with being alone.
7) Happiness is knowing how to say 'no' at times and not feeling guilty about it.
8) Happiness is learning to accept gifts and help from others without feeling the need to earn them.
9) Happiness is about helping others achieve their dreams. Bible says it is more blessed to give than to receive.
10) Happiness is knowing how to pick myself up when I fall, to encourage myself when I am down, knowing that through the experiences I have grown and become a better person.

What is happiness to you?

THE POWER OF DUE SEASON

A due season can be marked by many things: healing, a breakthrough, abundance, provision, a restored relationship, an answered prayer. When your due season comes, the spiritual atmosphere changes for the better. It's like an open heavens atmosphere. You see God turning things around and things start to fall into place. But that doesn't mean you have no challenges or resistance. It just means that you will have an increased strength to face them for you are now full of His joy and peace. You have rest in The Lord. You no longer scramble and react when the enemy presses your button like before. You continue to rest in Him, trusting that He will handle all your challenges. You also don't give so much weight to such challenges but choose to focus on His word and being expectant of the good things coming into your life, wondering what surprises the Lord has in store for you next.

Recently I started to really feel like this is truly a season of fulfilment like God told me last Nov. And this verse flashed past my mind. Isaiah 66:12 'We have been through the fire and the water but You brought us to a place of fulfilment.' Indeed this is a season like no other. During harvest time, many good things come up to the surface. Not just one or two good things in a year which I experienced previously but many good things. Some of them are longings fulfilled but some are unexpected surprises and blessings. Another feature of due season is also God's restoration work, some of which you have already forgotten because it had been such a long time.

Things that used to bother you and cause you heartaches could not do so anymore. These strongholds are thoroughly destroyed. I felt like the Son of God has truly set me free to enjoy every moment of my life. Your circumstances may not have changed but you have changed. That is why you can rejoice and be expectant in areas where you once felt hopeless. God has turned your sorrows into joy. Your spirit of heaviness has been exchanged for a garment of praise. That's why you can rest and be at peace, trusting that God has not forgotten His promise to you. Where you once weren't sure if your appointed time has come, now you are totally convinced that the fullness of time is here. And you can continue to enjoy your life while waiting expectantly for your manifestation.

And you don't have to worry that you will miss the door of opportunity. You don't have to rush through the door. You are not escaping from a storm or from the marauding armies. You have crossed over to the Promised Land, to a new season. You have also conquered those giants. God wants you to savor the walking through the door, like walking through the red carpet. You can probably take a selfie since you have waited so long to walk through that door of destiny. You can savor each and every moment of the fulfilment of this promise because it is now your time for harvest.

I have always believed in faith, about how faith moves mountains but now I understand another dimension of God's movement. It's the power of the due season. It's like if you move in tandem with the Holy Spirit in your due season, you get results faster. This doesn't mean that you don't have much faith in other seasons, it just means that you have stepped into harvest time and God shifted things in your favour. The winds that are blowing against you in the past are now blowing in your direction, making things much easier. Sometimes it could be that your faith has grown but you didn't know it, so now as you exercised your faith, you see faster results. I have heard about the power of due season many times but I haven't really experienced it. Now I know what it means.

RIGHT NOW

God is still showing me messages about right now, now is the time. I even saw a box that someone carried that said 'It is time'. I read Pastor Joel's devotional and there was the phrase 'right now' as well. Pastor Prince also started his sermon on Sunday saying he was going to talk about what God is doing in your life RIGHT NOW. There are some things God has done for you and things God is doing for you in the future.

The cross is a finished work. It lays the foundation for how you live your life. But what God is doing for you right now? God wants us to have a confident expectation of good especially in your future. Hope in God will never disappoint. Faith is a confident expectation now. Hope is in the future. The thing that protects you from negative emotions is the helmet of hope. Pastor shared about three things God is doing for us right now. He is seeing us righteous in Christ, He is working in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure and He is working miracles in us right now.

If someone is doing good to you, say thank you. You thank God that He is doing good to you constantly. Recently this thought kept coming to me: if I only knew what God has in store for me, I will be rejoicing right now. Pastor said no one suffers for waiting on God. In fact the waiting always works for our good. We may not like the waiting but the delay will result in a greater fulfilment later on. Not only a greater fulfilment, you will also see the change in your character, the building of your spiritual muscles. 

God is working in us both to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Phil 2:13). He puts desires in our hearts. Surely God is the One who put the desire in my heart to focus on parenting this season. There must be a reason for all these experiences in parenting and the observations I made in other families. God is teaching me lessons on parenting now, as compared to the last season when He taught me mostly about ministry. It's interesting how my desires change and how my ministry changes too. I never liked children in the past but nowadays I think it's better to talk to kids than adults. They are so cute and real and innocent.

Therefore, do you desire to write a book? Then write a paragraph. Do sense the longing to see others healed? Then step out and pray for the sick. Do you long to see eager minds absorb the truth…to learn? Then become a teacher. Do you desire to build great buildings? Then become an architect or help the underprivileged build houses. Do you desire to work amongst children? Then step out to serve at Sunday school. Don't be afraid to follow your heart's desires. They were placed there by God.

Start moving then see how God will guide you. It's hard to guide a parked car. The Holy Spirit cannot bear witness if you do nothing. Get up, go and get moving. As a Christian we should be moving as God leads more by green light than red light. Even if we are going the wrong way God will course correct us. When you are moving forward, the Holy Spirit will be able to bear witness to whether you are moving in the correct direction. So don't hesitate anymore, make the decision right now to step out on your desires. 

ENJOYING THE PRESENT

Last night I was just sharing with Heng about how peaceful and tranquil I felt as I retraced the steps I walked around my old workplace. It was amazing how God changed my mind and feelings. Though the process took some time, it was certainly worth the wait. I now see how I have changed. I have really come so far. Many times I keep my eyes glued to the horizon, looking for a cloud the size of a hand and miss the beauty close at hand. I look for the coming rain. It is not a wrong thing but it is only a portion—only a small piece of His glory. I have been so future minded that I missed what God is doing in the here and now.

I read about this in Journals of the Heart last week but it never really went into my heart. But yesterday I finally understood what God meant. When I saw that I had missed out on the beautiful scenery at the river as I rushed by to and from work everyday, I realised something. Even during that time of difficulty, God still had prepared good things for me to enjoy. I wondered what other good things I have missed out other than the beautiful scenery. I totally missed it because my eyes were focused on the day that I could quit my job and be a stay home mum.

Then when I could finally resign, I was elated and as I began my stay home days, I was exhilarated. Finally! The day had come! But soon enough, again I was at risk of not enjoying the good things God has prepared for me in that season. As I began to pine for my next promise, there were times I just wished that I could reach my destination sooner. I kept my eyes glued to the horizon, looking for the day the promise manifests.

Many times I missed the beauty close at hand, I missed seeing that the greatest blessings God has given me, other than Jesus, are Heng and Joshua. My family. These blessings are right under my nose. No wonder the psalmist said blessed are those who see when good comes. I nearly missed enjoying my family life, enjoying my darling son as I waited for my next season to come. At times I was so future minded that I missed what God is doing in the here and now.

No wonder since Apr 2013, God already told me to enjoy my life, pamper myself, fulfil my desires and make myself happy. Don't postpone my joy, my enjoyment till that day the promise manifests. Everything I need to enjoy life is given there and then. And since last Dec, the excitement and anticipation seemed to be heightened with lots of good things happening in my life. Continuously, one after another, wave after wave. Blessings were chasing me down the street and I was overjoyed.

I began to overlook those disappointments and little foxes that steal my joy, choosing to focus on the good things God is doing in my life. I count my blessings regularly and I give thanks to God. I also became expectant of more good things happening in my life and I praised Him in advance for these blessings. As I rejoiced and gave thanks to the Lord, I learnt how to enjoy my life, treasure the moment and live in the present. I learnt how to put myself totally under His grace. I learnt to let go and rest in the Lord.

After last Dec, the blessings didn't stop but kept flowing in. I realised that God has already blessed me with so many good things in life, it would be silly of me not to enjoy them. It was like along my way to receiving this promise, God has lined up many surprises, blessings and restoration for me. These were like presents waiting for me to unwrap them. But if I told Him that I just want my manifestation now, I would really miss out on all the good things He has prepared for me.

When I saw how good God wants to be to me, I was so touched that I cried. I saw His heart of goodness towards me, all the time. I saw that even in the seasons of waiting and sowing, He also had good things in store for me. Though those seasons were tough, His grace and mercy was more than sufficient. And He could still bless me in such a way that I could enjoy my life. Jesus has come so that we could have life more abundantly. I finally understood what this meant. I told myself I finally came to the place where God wanted me to be in. I finally saw the things He has been wanting to show me all these years. I finally learnt to enjoy the present.

DON'T MISS GOD'S BLESSINGS

I was reading this book 'Beyond Jabez' and it was talking about how God longs to bless us. How it makes sense to keep going to Him, thank Him and even to ask Him for more in the future. His great pleasure is to bless you so very much that you will have to ask Him to stop blessing you because you won't be able to handle one more blessing! Don't allow yourself to miss the extravagant goodness of God who rejoices to answer those who ask. No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive the things God has prepared for him, but He reveals to us through the Holy Spirit. Invite God to lovingly overwhelm you with the flood tide of His great blessing today.

The author encouraged us to pray for God's blessings everyday. Frequently thank God for His many blessings. In a journal, keep a running list of His expressions of goodness toward you, whether they have come in response to prayer or unsolicited out of His overflowing generosity. Gradually your heart will fill with gratitude as you learn to interpret 'coincidences' you previously overlooked. Instead of thinking dismissively like 'Well, that was a nice surprise', you will begin to rejoice and say to others 'Wait till I tell you what God has done for me!'

This was what I have done in the past few months, focusing on the list of blessings in my life. I treasure each and every single blessing because it was an expression of my heavenly Daddy's love for me. Some blessings came in response to my prayers, such as longings fulfilled. Some came unexpectedly as a surprise when I totally didn't expect it. And then some blessings were in the form of His restoration work which I had completely forgotten about because those incidents happened years ago. Indeed as I looked back I couldn't dismiss these as coincidences, as I clearly saw the hand of God in my life. Oh how my heart swells with thanksgiving and joy as I relish in what God has done for me!

The author also told us to enjoy God's blessings. Know that God wants us to have a good time with His gifts. You may say 'But God, I don't deserve this. I didn't earn it.' God responds 'That's right, you don't. It's a gift, that's why it's called grace. Enjoy it!' This was exactly how I felt when I received the luxury bag. I didn't work for it and I felt I didn't deserve. I was spending my hubby's hard earned money. But God told me precisely because you didn't work for it, that was why it was called a gift! Having learnt much about the grace of God, this was one of the rare times I truly experienced His extravagant grace. I felt so loved! And I did what He told me, which was to enjoy this present!

Not only that, God kept telling me from the start of the year, that if only I knew what He has in store for me, I would be rejoicing right now. I would be crying tears of joy. He told me He has plans to prosper me, to give me a hope and a future. Such messages really got my expectancy level up high, looking out for all the good things God is doing in my life. Bible hope is a confident expectation of good. The reason we can have such hopes is because of what Christ has done for us at the cross. All glory to Jesus!

LATE BLOOMERS

I read this article by Nehemiah Ministries about late bloomers. He was talking about how sometimes it may not be a bad thing to be a late bloomer after all. He said the best opportunities in life sometimes open later than we expect--sometimes much later. Each of us is a late bloomer in certain ways. While we naturally label certain individuals, as late bloomers, every one of us has areas of life where we realize our potential on a timetable that to us seems behind schedule, in some cases greatly delayed.

For these opportunities to blossom, however, we have to stay hopeful, alert and active in pursuing them. It takes so little to discourage us, and to convince us that a dream’s delay means God’s hand has turned against us. In the Christmas story, Paul declares that Jesus was born “when the time had fully come” (Gal 4:4). The beautiful poetic language of the King James renders the phrase “in the fullness of the time.” It means a time that was perfect because God had brought a wide variety of circumstances fully into place.

Just as God brought Jesus to earth in the fullness of time, He brings about important events in our lives in the fullness of time for those circumstances. We see only the faintest portion of all that God is doing. Yet God takes a vast number of factors into account in providing for our needs, fitting His blessings into the broader context of His plan for our life and His intentions for the world. This means we may reach certain horizons earlier in life than we expect, in other cases later.

Elizabeth and Zechariah’s experience demonstrates the most gratifying part of late blooming--the fact that late-realized dreams are often the most fulfilling. Their dream of parenting not only finally came true, but they were privileged to raise a son who ministered profoundly to people of his day. And Zechariah’s opportunity for temple duty, coming very late in his career, involved a theophany, which few if any of his colleagues were honored to enjoy.

When we personally have a dream that has long been frustrated, though it fits us well, it’s natural to conclude that God doesn’t want us to succeed. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s example suggests a different possibility--that God may intend us to succeed on a later timetable than we assume, and to enjoy even greater benefits as a result. God’s delays don’t necessarily mean He is saying no to our dreams. It’s a time to remember that delayed dreams are often the best ones, and to rekindle our determination to stay committed to those he has shown us are most important. Appreciating God’s infinitely creative timing helps us find the heart to stay the course.

I used to think it's a bad thing to be a late bloomer because it means I am at the tail, not the head. But God's ways are not my ways. Oftentimes in His kingdom, the first shall be the last and the last shall be the first. I used to be a competitive person and I didn't want to lose out, didn't want to be left behind, while my peers progressed in their lives. However the Lord has taught me that there is a timing and a plan for His purposes to be fulfilled in my life. Even when I think it is late on my timetable, it is never too late for Him. I have learnt to commit the timing issue to God trusting that He is bringing a variety of circumstances and people fully into place. He has gone ahead to prepare the way for me so that I would enjoy the promise when it comes. 

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW GOD?

I came upon this questionnaire which tests how well a parent know their child. It says that you can live with someone but hardly know them. That's so true. The only parent who knows the child completely is our Heavenly Father. That's because He is the One who made us. Jeremiah 1:5 says 'Before I even formed you in your mother's womb, I knew you and set you apart to do something special.' Our Abba knows everything about us but how well do you know Him?

I have come up with these questions to see how well you know God. You can take some time to think through the questions before proceeding to the answers:
1) What is God's most prized possession?
2) What does God hate most?
3) What makes God happy?
4) What makes God sad?
5) What is God's favourite activity?
6) What is God's greatest desire?
7) What causes God to grieve?
8) How is God like? Merciful and compassionate or angry and judgmental?

Here are my answers to the questions. There may be other answers too. Please comment below if you have other answers.

1) You are His most prized possession. You are the reason He sent His only begotten Son to die for (John 3:16)
2) God hates sin, death and diseases. That's why He sent His Son to die for our sins, to deliver us from death. He also took our pains and diseases on that cross. He was punished on our behalf (Isaiah 53:4), so don't let anyone tell you it is His will to bring sicknesses and diseases on your body.
3) God is happy when He sees us happy. Our wellbeing is important to Him. Of course God is happy when we love Him, pray to Him, obey Him, grow and fulfil our destiny. Even though God doesn't exist to make us happy, I still feel that our happiness is important to Him, just like how you as a parent wants your child to be happy. Psalms 128:2 says 'When you eat the labour of your hands, you shall be happy and it shall be well with you.'
4) God is sad when He sees us broken hearted. The shortest verse in the bible is 'Jesus wept'. Even though Jesus would soon resurrect Lazarus, He felt sad when He saw the sisters and the rest crying over Lazarus' death.
5) God's favourite activity is spending time with us. He loves to communicate with us and talk to us. We talk to Him when we pray.
6) God's greatest desire is to see all humankind saved. 2 Peter 3:9 says 'the Lord is not slack concerning His promise, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.'
7) In Genesis 6:6, it says 'And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart.' God was grieved to see the sin and wickedness in men's hearts but He was not deterred by sin. He loves the sinner but hates the sin, so He sent Jesus to die for us and give us His righteousness.
8) God is merciful and compassionate. The bible records more about God being merciful, compassionate and longsuffering than an angry God. In the Old Testament God seemed to be depicted as angry and merciless. He has many names but the name which Jesus came to reveal is 'Abba'.

My friends, how did you fare? Hope you find this insightful.

WHEN TRYING AGAIN MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

I read this article 'When trying again makes all the difference' from Nehemiah Ministries and I felt like God telling me don't be afraid to try again. Just because I have tried and failed so many times didn't mean that the next time won't be it. I asked Him if I was doing it wrongly and if anything needed to be changed. His response was startling: “You may not need to change a thing.” His answer wasn’t terribly satisfying. It would have been easier to have some concrete area to work on. All the help we need is from the Lord Himself.

The writer said there are times when failure doesn’t mean that we’ve done anything wrong. It is simply that God’s time for success hasn’t yet come for us. God isn’t telling us to change the way we do things, but to wait on him--and in time to try again. But one thing is certain: we’re often ready to abandon a dream long before giving up is justified. Once shortly after Jesus’ resurrection, Peter and the disciples spent an entire night fishing, but caught nothing. In the morning, Jesus appeared on the shore and shouted to these weary, discouraged men, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat.” They obeyed, and their net quickly filled to capacity with fish. What is striking is that Jesus didn’t tell them to do anything that they hadn’t already been doing. He didn’t advise them to change a thing. Undoubtedly, they had spent half the night dangling the net over their boat’s right side! But now they had the one missing element--the command of Christ--and with that they succeeded.

The worst part about failure is that it can cause us to become dreadfully introspective. We browbeat ourselves, wondering, what is it about me that caused this miserable situation? What can I change to keep from blowing it again? When failure offers obvious lessons, we need to learn them and move on. But sometimes a different dynamic is at work. Christ is speaking to you and me as he did with His disciples, telling us to cast the net on the right side. He’s saying, “Don’t do anything differently--simply do it again; this time, because I’m telling you to do it, your efforts will be successful.”

Genesis records a time when Isaac and his servants made three attempts to dig for water in the valley of Gerar. On the first two occasions, native herdsmen quarreled with them over property rights, and Isaac’s men had to abandon the wells after putting considerable effort into digging them. But their third try succeeded, and this time the herdsmen offered no resistance. Isaac named that well Rehoboth (“a broad place”), declaring, “Now the Lord has given us room, and we shall flourish in the land” (Gen 26:19-22). Less hardy souls would have given up after the first or second try, concluding that God didn’t want them to succeed.

Yes, it is difficult to find the courage to make another try. Yet we can meet these challenges when our relationship with Christ is strong and growing. Nothing helps us more than spending regular time alone with Christ, in which we allow him to clarify his will and to stir up our determination. Ask God to give you a heart that is encouraged in Christ and the resolve to take bold steps of faith for him. It’s in that spirit that we can best understand when he’s saying, “Cast the net on the right side.” God wants hope to characterise our lives. We should expect that He will often call us to try again in the face of disappointment. Casting the net on the right side is a vital principle of the Christian life.

Are you on the verge of giving up? Sometime it may be difficult to discern if the Lord wants you to try again or you should simply change course. But like what the writer said, having a close relationship with God will provide us with clarification on His will. Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be opened to you. God is more willing to answer us than we are to ask Him. And when He made clear His will for your life, set your face like flint toward that finish line, for the goal set before you. And yes, muster up your courage to try again. Who knows this time you may succeed? You really have nothing to lose.

MYTHS ON PARENTING

I just finished reading a book about myths on parenting by Leslie Leyland Fields. This book is truly liberating and it offers a very different view of what I know or have been taught. The author highlighted nine parenting traps or myths:
1) Having children makes you happy and fulfilled
2) Nurturing your children is natural and instinctive
3) Parenting is your highest calling
4) Good parenting leads to happy children
5) If you find parenting difficult, you must not be following the right plan
6) You represent Jesus to your children
7) You will always feel unconditional love for your children
8) Successful parents produce godly children
9) God approves of only one family design

Out of these I can identify with some myths more than others. Like how having children makes you happy and fulfilled. The bible does not exhort us to have children for the sake of our fulfilment. In fact we are given several stories of women whose hopes for happiness through their children led them astray. One example was Rachel who became so desperate for children as a means of validation and fulfilment that she cried out to Jacob 'Give me children or I will die!' Her words became prophetic; she did die while birthing the son whom she named Ben-Oni, meaning 'son of my trouble'.

The author also touched on why do we have children at all. At the heart of our desire for children, even beyond our hopes for happiness, is the longing to love. Not just that we also need to be taught how to love. This is so true. Many of us will agree that when we have children, we will understand the love of our Heavenly Father better. And out of the abundance of this love, we will want to pour out our love to someone. Yet we are so humbled by our ignorance on how to love our children and need to be taught by the Lord.

Personally I feel that if my hope for having children is to be happy and fulfilled, then I would be disappointed so many times. There is no doubt that the joys of parenting far outweighs the struggles or disappointments. But for some, happiness and fulfilment through parenting could be hard to find, maybe not until many weeks, months and years later. Much of motherhood is mundane and many years would pass before you can see the fruits of your labour as your children grow up.

The other myth I can identify with is 'Good parenting leads to happy children'. I thank God that Joshua is generally a cheerful and happy boy. But there are times when he is unhappy or moody. Sometimes his unhappiness is caused by me, sometimes it's due to things he faced in school like bullying. At times he was disappointed when his efforts didn't bring the expected results. Of course as his mum, my heart would sink when I see him unhappy. And I want him to be happy above all else. But I cannot bail him out of every situation and it may be God's will for him to learn and grow. Times like these, I just have to commit Joshua to the Lord for I am also helpless.

The author shed some light on this. She confessed how much of her hopes for her children's happiness are hopes for herself. If her children are happy, then her parenting life is quieter and less complicated. How true! When Joshua was younger, we would try to cater to his needs and wants unless they were unreasonable. After all, a fulfilled kid is a happier and more obedient kid. Of course we had boundaries and took care not to overindulge him. Discipline is a must when he shows signs of rebellion or challenges our authority.

But as he grew bigger, I realised I got to stick to my stand even if it was at the expense of his happiness. Well, it certainly would be much easier for me to just let the gadgets take my place of parenting. In that way I can be freed to do what I want. I didn't have to plan for activities to keep him occupied and make sure he stuck to that discipline. But would that be the best use of his time? Would this over indulgence in games and YouTube be harmful to his future development? I am sure it would. For one, I believe it would cause him to lose his taste for studies and learning. The scriptures mentioned that no discipline is pleasant at the moment but it will reap fruits of righteousness in the long run. 

This brings me to the next myth 'You must not be following the right plan'. In my years of parenting, I have heard many advice from well-meaning parents who have gone the way ahead of me. I appreciate their good intentions but at the end of the day I conclude that there is no one-size-fits-all method. It really depends on the personality, the gifting and inclination of the kid. I realised the best way is to go back to God and seek His advice. After all He made my son so He must know which is the best way to bring him up. This is liberating to me, to know that there isn't any right method to parenting, simply one that fits your child's temperament and character best.

Another area which I also fell into the trap of is asking myself the question 'how can I know if we are parenting successfully?'. That is actually the wrong question. We are focused on ourselves, our own need for success and the success of our children that we have come to view parenting as a performance or a test. We cannot pass the test. That is why Jesus came. That is why we need a Saviour. Instead we need to ask if we are parenting faithfully. Faithfulness is what God requires most from us.

A parent is like a prophet in some ways. We just give God's word to our children, whether they listen or not. When God commissioned Ezekiel to speak His words to Israel, three times God said 'whether they listen or fail to listen'. One of those three times God completed the sentence in Ezekiel 2:5 'whether they listen or fail to listen - for they are a rebellious house - they will know that a prophet has been among them.' That was Ezekiel's responsibility before God: to live and speak and enact God's words before the people in such a way that they might know he is a man of God. Through him, they would see and hear God's word. 

But as parents, we want more than just this. We wanted desperately to change our children's hearts, to turn them back to God and avert whatever consequences they have to face later on if they choose to be wayward. We can pray fervently for our children but remember that they belong to God and we are only stewards. We are not held accountable for their repentance but only for our own obedience.

At the end of the day we have to trust that God is still working in their lives and He will not give them up. In times like this, when our children fail to live up to our expectations and we get disappointed, our love for them may be affected. Don't be guilty when you don't feel the unconditional love for them like you did when they were younger. Know that you are only human and only God can love us unconditionally. Just look to the Lord to fill you with the love of Christ with which you can love your children.

I thank God for this book for it changed many of my views about parenting. It also confirms many of the opinions I held on to which were contrary to what other parents think. It also taught me that there is no right way to parent and eventually what God expects from us is whether we have parented faithfully instead of successfully. This really frees me from focusing on the outcome of my parenting, leaving me to enjoy the process of parenting. Even if I make mistakes, it's ok because God is always there to help me when I fall. In that way I can be relaxed about my parenting and rest in the Lord, knowing that He is guiding my steps.

GOD PREPARES THE WAY FOR US

'I have come that you may have life and life more abundantly.' John 10:10

Yesterday God fulfilled yet another desire of my heart. I have been eyeing this branded hand bag for a while but I find it a bit expensive. So I waited for a good deal before I decide to buy. I have been searching the Internet for the deals for almost two months but I didn't see this bag in the colour I like. But just last Saturday I chanced upon this website that has good deals on this brand of bag but I wasn't hopeful. They usually didn't have the colours I wanted. But lo and behold! When I saw the colours I wanted, my heart skipped a beat! And the price was reasonable to me, at almost half the original price. Besides, this deal would last only for a day and if I wasn't led to search this website, I would have totally missed out on this good deal! 

I placed the online order and a few days later, the bag was delivered to my doorstep. It came in a very nice big black box tied up with gold ribbons. It was so exciting unwrapping the present. As I did that, I felt like a little girl. I never really had people giving me nice gifts since young so I wasn't used to it. Usually it was me wrapping up and giving gifts to others. But yesterday I felt like God was so sweet...like He was preparing this bag as a beautifully wrapped present to me.

And as I unwrapped this precious gift, I was full of anticipation and great excitement. You can imagine the joy on my face when my eyes met the bag for the first time. I totally fell in love with it! Oh the look and feel of it, the smell of the new leather...simply delightful! I have imagined how the bag looks like, feels like, smells like so many times but nothing beats the real thing!

Through this incident, I began to appreciate the fact that God has gone ahead before me to prepare the way for me so I would enjoy it. Even in my life I have learnt that if I hadn't prepared for certain events, I might not have enjoyed them to the fullest. Besides sometimes the fun is in the preparation and anticipation of that event. Like an excited little girl opening my present yesterday, I really loved the feeling of unwrapping my present even though I already knew what was in it.

Yes, sometimes we may get impatient and tell God to hurry up and give us our present without the wrapping. We may think that we don't need the anticipation and the preparation, we just want it now. We believe that we will be happy with the desire fulfilled but most times when the blessing comes, we may not enjoy it to the fullest. Sometimes it is because we aren't really ready when we thought we are. Other times we may not be able to handle the responsibility that comes with the blessing. Either way we are shortchanged.

God meant for us to enjoy our life as Jesus came to give us life more abundantly. He is the good heavenly Daddy who loves to see the joy and delight on our faces as we unwrap our presents. He is happy when He sees us happy. And it gives Him great pleasure when we thank Him for the present. We also glorify God with our thanksgiving. Our Daddy God really loves us so much. In fact the best present God has given us is His Son Jesus. He is everything we could ever desire. Some of us accepted Christ but never really unwrapped this gift and enjoyed the benefits. My dear friends, have you unwrapped your present yet? Is it still sitting in your living room? Don't hesitate anymore...go and unwrap this present today! And enjoy Jesus!

INNER PROMPTINGS

A sister was just asking me what I think about this article 'Guidance and Intuition' from Nehemiah Ministries. This article talks about how believers make their decisions based on intuition or promptings of the Holy Spirit. The writer was saying that God does at times guide some Christians through an inner impression. To me, it could be an inner voice or an audible voice or a verse that jumped up from the scriptures. But he cautioned against proceeding purely based on inward guidance, quoting Proverbs 15:22 'Plans fail for lack of counsel, but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.'

In my own walk with God, sometimes I encountered hits and misses with this inward guidance. I have come to realise that maybe sometimes I heard God wrongly or I could have misinterpreted His message when things didn't turn out the way I thought I heard it would. Sometimes this leads to confusion and disappointment. I would then have to go back to God to ask Him where I missed it. And God will always answer me and clarify my doubts. As time passed, I came to this conclusion. I realised that my sensing or intuition was only one part of the equation. The second part is God's recurrent messages to me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to prove that God is speaking to you on this area if a certain verse or message keeps coming up in the devotionals or things you see or hear.

The third part is the events happening after that which may include confirmation by other godly believers. I feel that the most important part of the equation to discern if your intuition is correct is the events that happened after His message. Whether these events were in line with His messages. These are the signs of the fig tree. If they occurred rather after His word was given, only then it could be safe to conclude that God is really confirming His word with signs and wonders. The best proof of our intuition is whether the events happening are pointing in that direction. Only by carefully studying these three parts of the equation can one safely proceed with that inner guidance. 

But I agree with the writer that if we are intent on doing God's will, we can trust that He is guiding our whole thought process, including our experiences of intuition. My take is that unless it is an urgent decision, one should pray about the inner promptings and also spend time thinking through your decision. Give it some time and God will surely illuminate your path. If it still doesn't, maybe it doesn't really matter to God which path you choose. It will still lead you to the destination God wants you to eventually. In any case, we don't have to be so stressed up about whether our decision is right or in line with His will. God will course correct us even if we make mistakes and will turn all things out for our good. 

SEEING JESUS AS OUR SHEPHERD

'Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.' 3 John 1:2

Yesterday Pastor Prince again preached a powerful sermon about divine health and healing. He said that sometimes even though you know it is God's will for you to be in health, you still have to pray for it. Just as Apostle John prayed for his disciple to be in health. Your soul prosperity may be manifesting in your finances, career, family and ministry. It's like a passive thing but in the area of health, it seems to be active. Even when your soul prospers, God still wants you to pray for that prosperity to manifest in divine health. That is because health seems to be an area of challenge for many people. All things have already been given to us in the spiritual realm but we still got to pray for whatever has been given to us to manifest in the physical realm.

Just like Jeremiah prophesied that Israel will be in bondage in Babylon for 70 years. Since God already promised, wouldn't this come to pass? Why did Daniel still pray for God to bring them back to Jerusalem? He already knew from the scriptures that the time of their captivity was coming to an end, yet he still prayed for God to restore them back to their land. This showed that even though we know it is God's will, we still have to pray for the promise to come to pass in our lives, to manifest in the physical realm. After all, prayer is talking to God and it builds our relationship with Him.

God will not force His blessings and protection on us if we do not want them. He has given us a free will so choose wisely. Agree with God that it is His will for us to walk in divine health and live long fulfilling lives. He wants us to cooperate with Him. Know that God hates sin, diseases and death. If not, He wouldn't have sent Jesus to die for us. You have to be very sure that these bad things are not from God. God wants you well and healthy. When you walk in the truth of His gospel, you will prosper in health and all areas of your life.

Pastor shared that God showed him this powerful revelation. The day the church experiences God as their Shepherd, the days of sicknesses and diseases are over. When you constantly feel like you have to watch your own back, you will fall sick easily. But we have a Shepherd who loves us and laid down His life for us. He is leading you to green pastures today. You don't have to look for God. He is looking for you. All you need to do is allow yourself to be carried on Jesus' shoulders and just rest in His love for you. Trust that your Shepherd leads and guides you. He is taking care of you.

Recently I was wondering why so many members in the church still suffer from diseases and sickness though it is very clear God's will is for them to be healed. Sometimes I wonder how much of what Pastor preached got into their hearts and minds. Pastor has been preaching about healing and wholeness for decades yet there are still many in the congregation who cannot receive God's healing. I must confess that I feel a bit discouraged and wonder if they are only Sunday Christians.

But God is so good. He is so patient with us. Pastor never once beat His sheep for not being able to receive God's blessings. He said Jesus saw us not as rebellious but as sheep without a shepherd. That's why we are harassed. So once we start seeing Jesus as our Shepherd, taking care of all our needs, preparing the way for us to enjoy our life, then we won't be so susceptible to sickness and diseases. We will be able to walk in divine health. And even if we fall sick, there is no condemnation. Don't be afraid to reach out to God for healing. God wants you healed and those lying symptoms will have to leave your body!

KEEP ON KEEPING ON

'Let us press on towards the goal for the prize that Christ has called us heavenward...' Philippians 4:13

God gives to each of us the ability to do certain things well. He grants us gifts, through which we are able to help others greatly. We find immense personal fulfillment in making use of them as well. He also leads us in establishing dreams and goals based on our gifts, that keep our life moving in constructive directions. 

Yet most of us will admit that we feel underappreciated much of the time when it comes to our gifts and dreams. Our discouragement stems as much as anything from not receiving enough positive feedback--compliments, affirmation and assurance that what we’re doing makes a difference. For me, I enjoy writing and blogging. Most times I write out of the overflow from spending time with God. I felt so full that I was compelled to share with my readers. 

However there are times when I wonder whether my sharing would minister to people. After all there are dime a dozen bloggers out there. In the first place I may not even know how people chance upon my blog for it can only be God's leading. I thank God for this special sister who always took the time to write to me after reading my books or my blog posts. She is really a Godsend to me, to encourage me. Other times God also sends other people to give me positive feedback about the books I wrote. It was times like this that I discover my work is benefiting others significantly. 

To say that I was totally not interested in the acclaim or recognition for my writing ministry would be a lie. Even though that is not the top of my priority (which is to benefit millions with this ministry), it is nevertheless still important. But I have only just started. Imagine Nehemiah Ministries has been around for decades! And I understand that such recognition can take longer to result than we wish, and almost always comes in different ways than we expect. But I believe it does come--if I stay faithful to mu gifts and dreams. 

Meanwhile I just continue to be faithful to what God has called me to do, irregardless of whether the fruits manifest. Even if I have only one reader, I will still continue to blog. I am sure that if I give it time, God will prove to me that my labour in Him is not in vain. One day I shall see my rewards and the fruits of my labour. I will look back on that day and thank God that I didn't give up when I felt discouraged or when I wasn't sure if my blog was making any difference in my readers' lives. 

Occasionally I will still question if my ministry really influence lives but I just have to trust that God is working behind the scenes. I tell myself to walk by faith not by sight. My part is to give the word, His part is to work wonders in people's lives once the word is received into their hearts. But in any case, my greatest reward now is the joy I derive from writing about what He has taught me, what He wanted to share with you. This is how much your God loves you. 

OPEN DOORS, NEW BEGINNINGS AND DUE SEASON

Last night I was just thinking about the various concepts of open doors, due season, new beginnings, restoration etc. Open doors are usually associated with new things because after you go through the open door, it will be a whole new world. However, open doors do not necessarily imply that your due season has come. But when you are in due season, there will be open doors. Doors which are shut for a long time will be suddenly opened to you. 

How about new beginnings? New beginnings and new levels are always associated with a new season. And when you see a new beginning on the horizon, it also means that God is preparing a season of restoration for you. Usually springtime is characterised by new things, but not so in harvest time. But you may still witness some new things happening in due season. In harvest time, you will see God restoring to you the things you have lost and the reward for pressing on, hanging to His word. You will also come upon unexpected surprises or blessings and see Him do exceedingly above and beyond what you can imagine. 

Your spirit will be excited and you will have a heightened sense of expectancy when God comes to shift your seasons. But I find the excitement more so for springtime and harvest. You will have a joy in your heart. But it is in harvest time that bondages fall off and strongholds are destroyed. Things that used to hold you back no longer has a hold over you. God's word and His messages will consistently bombard you so you would know that your due season has arrived. 

Another characteristic of due season is also found in other seasons. Like when there is a change of seasons or you see signs of open doors, things suddenly seem to fall into place. And they all happen around the same time. I also experienced an increase in spiritual resistance during season change, not just for harvest season. The devil hates divine shifts. The pressure is turned on because you are very close to victory, just about to move up to another level of your destiny. But I suppose the resistance would be much greater when you are coming to your due season and even more so as you step into your kairos or appointed time. 

I just watched Pastor Joel's sermon titled 'Don't waste your pain!' preached on 31 May. He talked about a news report about a lady who had nausea and back pains but the doctors thought it was a virus. The months went by and she got more uncomfortable, swelling in her feet, putting on weight etc. Then one day she had excruciating pain in her stomach and went to the hospital. It turned out that she was pregnant and she gave birth one hour later! All these pains came for reason. Her body was changing but she didn't realise it! 

Many of us are like her. We don't know that we are pregnant and what we are experiencing are birth pains. The pain has come because we are going through changes. I am reminded of the metamorphosis process...how the caterpillar turns into a beautiful butterfly. I don't know if that process was painful for the butterfly but even if so, it would be all worth it. 

If you are experiencing pain and feeling uncomfortable, know that you are undergoing some changes. Don't be afraid. Stay in faith for the pain will eventually pass but you will give birth to the new thing God is doing in your life. When it's painful, don't get discouraged, get ready. Don't focus on the pain, the resistance, focus on the birth that is imminent. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him, who is us. These birth pangs will not stop you but it will promote you. Be on the lookout for the birth. 

WHEN WAITING IS WORTH IT

I felt so ministered by Nehemiah Ministries that I wanted to share more articles with you. He wrote another article titled 'When waiting is worth it' which I thought was very good.

He said that it is a fact that certain dreams we have, which we assume have failed and forever been denied by God, do eventually succeed--but at a later point than we expected. For some of us, a dream is realized much later in life than we thought possible. The corollary is that waiting often proves to be well worth it. By taking a circuitous route to a dream, we are better prepared to enjoy its benefits--and really do enjoy them more than if we had achieved our goal quickly and easily. If we remain open to God’s leading, and optimistic about his possibilities for us, most of us will enjoy delayed accomplishments that to us are dramatic--in light of the expectations we have for our life.

It may seem simple enough to say that God brings certain dreams to pass at unlikely times in our lives. Yet most of us do not begin to appreciate this aspect of God’s work nearly as greatly as we should. The result is that our hope for the future often falls short of what it could be. It helps us greatly to appreciate reasons that God may delay the fulfilment of a dream, and advantages we may enjoy by waiting. Some of these potential benefits include:

1) Saving something for act three. When we’re young, we wish we had all of life’s treasures at our feet at once. As we grow older, we’re grateful that some of life’s best adventures have been delayed. God graciously proportions his blessings throughout our life.

2) Putting success in the right perspective. We may think of certain blessings of life--such as marriage or a golden job opportunity--as a panacea, solving all our problems and bringing endless happiness. In reality, these steps typically bring incremental improvement to our life but not radical. Putting our expectations in right perspective takes time.

God also wishes to help us learn to enjoy daily life in the face of many unfulfilled desires. The fuller our life is apart from a dream’s being realised, the more likely we are to benefit from its coming to pass. Because we aren’t banking on the dream’s being the solution to our happiness, we are less likely to suffer a letdown when it doesn’t deliver perfection, and are better able to enjoy the benefits it truly provides.

3) Handling the responsibilities of success. Any dream we realize brings new responsibilities into our life. While we might imagine we’re fully capable of taking on these burdens now, God often does us a favor by giving us more time to get ready. One of the best ways we can invest our energy during a dream’s delay is in preparing more fully for the responsibilities it will require if it comes about.

4) Fitting our piece into the larger puzzle. The most unfathomable aspect of God’s providence is that he fits the details of our life into an infinitely bigger picture. He not only has our own needs in mind in the timing of events, but those of countless others. And he integrates our own life situation into an endless variety of other circumstances.

The most encouraging part is that, when a dream delays, we often find circumstances are more favourable to it when it finally comes about than they would have been earlier. We simply cannot predict the direction all the external factors will take in any matter related to our life. When a dream delays, we should remind ourselves often that circumstances may fit it better at some point in the future. We do well to stay hopeful.

5) The growth of anticipation. A friend once took me boat shopping with him. After we had looked at different models, I asked if he was ready to purchase one. “I don’t actually intend to buy a boat,” he confessed, “for then I wouldn’t have this dream to look forward to.” My friend’s surprising--and almost serious--remark points to one of the most important keys to patience and contentment we can learn. Anticipation has value as an end in itself.

Great joy is possible in the mood of anticipation; it’s an extraordinary stimulant and motivator for us. If we can learn to enjoy anticipation, we have the most effective possible antidote to rushing a dream prematurely and losing heart if it delays. Patience is natural for us in this case. If we can become comfortable with anticipation, then it can grow over time. The result is that we will enjoy the fulfilment of a dream that delays than one which comes about quickly.

6) Divine compensation. There is also a more mysterious, spiritual dynamic to the postponement of dreams that’s hinted at occasionally in Scripture. God, in compensation for the waiting process we endure, may increase our elation in a dream’s finally being realised. Isaiah 61:7 and Zechariah 9:12, for instance, speak of joy being doubled in return for a long-delayed blessing. These passages do give us a basis for hope, and remind us that the delaying of a dream may mean that God will increase the fulfilment we eventually experience. He is working all things out for your good. Trust that God is doing something that will exceed your wildest imaginations when you experience a delay.

Have you lost heart over a personal dream that hasn’t been fulfilled? Yet to the best of your knowledge, does it fit your gifts and interests well? Is it a good match for your life as God has designed it? It may seem that pessimism about the future is your best defense against further disappointment. But keep in mind the benefits of hope. Be careful not to write your personal history with a gloomy conclusion before it happens. Stay open to opportunities to move toward your dream that God may make possible for you.

Ask him to give you the divine ability to live in two worlds at once--to stay hopeful about your future, yet happy right now even with certain desires unfulfilled. Through his grace, you can achieve this balance in your outlook, and it’s a vital part of the attitude of faith. Most of all, remember that whatever happens, Christ desires the best for you and is working out an ideal plan for your life. That alone is an incomparable reason for hope. Take confidence from knowing it. And may it give you the courage to take steps of faith.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OPEN DOORS

Recently I read this article from Nehemiah Ministries titled 'Golden Opportunites and God's Will'. It so happened that I just finished reading another book about open doors. From these readings, I gained a much better understanding about open doors and their significance. I learnt something which I never learnt before, so I thought of sharing with you.

When God shows you an open door, He must have wanted you to walk through it right? If not, why did He show you that open door, especially after you desired and prayed for it? Well, I have learnt through experiences that it may not be always His will for you to walk through an open door. Even though God is the One who opened that door. If He doesn't want us to go through it, then what could be the purpose of that open door?

I had doors opened to me in years past which I didn't enter but I didn't regret it. Yet at times I wondered what was the significance of that open door. Or perhaps God opened a few doors for you and you weren't sure which was the correct door to choose. Sometimes we placed too much emphasis on those open doors, forgetting the One who has the power to open them. We sweat too much on whether which is the correct door and if we have missed a golden opportunity or our kairos moment.

One point in case was when I was seeking to leave a company, two doors were opened to me at the same time. I was weighing the pros and cons of each door wondering which was His will for me. Actually come to think about it, though my trajectory might be different in those years had I taken the other job offer, the end outcome should be the same. I would still come to a point that I decided to stay home. And yes, I believe God would still accomplish His restoration plan in whichever company I worked in. Maybe it really wouldn't have mattered after all.

But then there may be some doors opened to us ahead of time and if we entered it, it would not be to our benefit. Then you may ask, if that door wasn't good for us, why did God open it in the first place? Just like how God placed that tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden...if He hadn't given us choices, then where would our free will be used in? I believe God gives us choices to help us grow in the process of decision making as well. To gain wisdom, to seek His perspectives and to come to a decision. But eventually God will cause all things to work for our good and course correct us if we made mistakes in choosing.

So you may ask...is choosing the right doors to enter important? Of course it is still important. To me, I feel that it will short circuit our process of circling the same mountain year after year if we choose wisely. If we sought the Lord and walked through the door He intended us to go through, we might reach our destination sooner. In my experiences, there were certain incidents that God didn't state His preference for any particular door but left the choice solely to me. But in other circumstances, He resolutely closed that open door or prompted me to close that door in view of a better door opening.

We each face this dilemma from time to time. And while we welcome the problem on one level (it’s nice simply to have an open door), the agony of deciding can be extreme. The problem is great enough for anyone, regardless of their spiritual outlook. For the Christian, though, questions about God’s will can add to the confusion. “If Christ is in control of my life, shouldn’t I assume that a shining opportunity like this is from him? Isn’t he showing his intention through this open door? Aren’t I sinning if I turn away from it?"

There is one benefit of the open door that we seldom consider. When an opportunity to take a significant step with our life is actually present, we are able to interact with it, intellectually and emotionally, on a level not possible when we’re merely musing about it as a distant possibility. Having a real-life option to grapple with breaks us out of the realm of fantasy and focuses our thinking remarkably. We are able to gaze down the road, and grasp more realistically what it would be like to truly live out this role. Indeed I was able to see how my immediate future would be like if I had walked through a particular open door.

Even if we conclude that the opportunity isn’t right for us, we have still benefited greatly from its being present. This explains why God might open a door for us--even a wide one--yet not expect us to venture through it. This aspect of God’s guidance is immensely liberating, for it means we’re not obligated to any assumption about his will when a compelling option presents itself, but are free--indeed, expected--to weigh it along with other factors. While God gives us guidance through every open door we encounter, he means for us to accept the opportunity in one case, but to learn from it and turn away from it in another.

We need all the reinforcement we can get in striving to think clearly about open doors. We easily default to thinking God wants us to proceed through them. It can be excruciating to decline a great opportunity, and the decision can be complicated further by our view of God's guidance. Yet even the best prospect may be God’s means of educating us and sharpening our vision for taking a different direction.

We have, in short, an extraordinary basis for confidence and hope as we pursue our goals and dreams, and weigh various alternatives that we face. If Christ is Lord of my life, I may assume he’ll be providing me with important opportunities to employ my gifts and to realize the desires he has placed in my heart. This conviction should add a note of anticipation to each day--that on any given day, options may arise that will forever affect my destiny in a positive way. My default assumption should be that a good opportunity is Christ’s provision for my needs and his way of prodding me ahead.

Our need for his guidance is never greater than on those occasions when we face golden opportunities that don’t seem quite right for us. Yet we may approach these decisions with unspeakable confidence that Christ will give us exactly the insight we need to resolve them successfully--when we open ourselves to his help. To say it in the most positive possible way: His availability to guide us, and his willingness to do so, is unceasing. This is the best news. That door is always open.