Devotions & Revelations

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) When Peter saw him(John, I added it for identification), he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”

-John 21:17b-22

This is the last chapter of John! And I'm really in awed and am excited when I realized that this was my devotion on Monday during LKY passing.

Jesus died and rose again to bring the world to Him. In these verses, He told Peter of his death which will glorify Him. No matter Peter or John, in God's sovereign will, He is working for His glory! And in the next few days, I've been reading Acts, following the unity of the early Church, the move of the Holy Spirit and the Church.

And in these few days, we see the unity of the Singaporeans for LKY and the nation, we see other countries paying respect. We see us and other Churches gathering together to pray, to sense the stirring of the Holy Spirit, the Year of the Lord's Favor on us and the nation!

God says He will raise up His people in His time, and when He does, He will do it swiftly! And The Time Is Now! Let's steward it and pass it on :) So excited

CPA Super Affiliate - The Journey Begins!

Just completed the CPA Super Affiliate Program today! :) I really thank God for this opportunity to join CPA Academy

When I ORDed last Dec, I worked with my mum in her Biz, and there were very busy periods, but if I wanted, I could also take up a part time job too. However, for some reason, I did not take any job offers. Then last month, my dad told me about CPA Academy.

CPA is an Internet Affiliate Marketing and I was really really intrigued by it! When I heard about it and went to the introductory seminar, I knew it was just for me! I always want to do Marketing, which is why I'm going SMU Biz; and I am really interested in the Internet and IT aspects of Marketing. I also knew God led me to it, as it was not just my passion, but it just so happened that I am the only 1 or 2 guys in CPA Academy who is not schooling or working full time! :)


In the 3 days workshop, God's guidance was evident too! The workshop was really interesting and fun, with many tools, tips, guidance and hands on activities! In one activity, I was nominated by my group among the 12 groups, and got 1st in it. At the end of the workshop, our group was supposedly 1st, but we became last because of 1 little careless mistake we made at the very very end of the workshop. We were grateful, for we learned an invaluable painful lesson, to not allow such carelessness when we embark as CPA Super Affiliates from today!

I'm really excited to journey as an Affiliate Marketer in the months ahead! You may be wondering, what the heck is CPA Academy and why am I so crazy over it. If you want to know more, just pm me about it! You can also find out more in this short introductory article :)

http://www.cpaaffiliate.net/idevaffiliate.php?id=153&tid1=sc1

In Over My Head

I have come to this place in my life

I’m full but I’ve not satisfied

This longing to have more of You

I can feel it my heart is convinced

I’m thirsty my soul can’t be quenched

You already know this but still

Come and do whatever You want to

Violent Stirring of My Soul

God, how I adore you, how I’m in awe of you, how I desire so eagerly to claim all that you say in your Word, all that you are, all that you say I am, all that you are going to do!

My heart is so violently stirred within me, I cannot help but want to shout out loud and praise you, to want to tell the world, Jesus is alive! Even as I was in public just now, I really really really had to stop myself from lifting my hands to worship and praise you God!

The past few weeks had been so life-changing Father! As I soaked deeply in my identity as your Child, in knowing that there’s no condemnation in you. In delighting in your Word and drawing closer to you. What freedom, what joy, what adoration, what child-like faith and yearning that’s unspeakable! Holy Spirit, you really really stirred in my soul in this week, to feel such uncontainable excitement, to feel such burning in my soul.

You spoke to me through Todd, like in his “First Miracle” & “Set Your Mind On Things Above”. You continually stir in me to claim all you say, and to claim my identity in you. You spoke and resonated my soul through events like LG, Prayer Meeting, even CPA Marketing workshop, the NS Meeting today, & as I looked back on my devotions! I’ve been physically exhausted in the past 2 days, even feeling vertigo episodes, burning sensations of tiredness, but I just feel so alive right now! Indeed, those who hope in you will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint!

Holy Spirit, you are breaking forth, and outpouring mightily, not just stirring violently in me, but even in many brothers and sisters, especially in this nation in this Year of the Lord’s Favor! I have so much more to share, about the vivid powerful imagery you gave me of you Jesus, Holy Spirit, abba Father, us your children, and the World. About the amazing revelation about the past week from reflecting back in my devotions.. But I do not have time to share more; I will definitely update about it as I finish my 3 day workshop tomorrow :)

Prayer

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come. 

Give us each day our daily bread. 

Forgive us our sins,
    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

 -Luke 11:2-4

Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 -Luke 11:5-13

However, there is no fix structure or way about prayer. It is our communion with God, and let's continue to draw close to Him in intimacy and humility :)

Job's Lament: If Only

“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,
    that we might confront each other in court.

If only there were someone to mediate between us,
    someone to bring us together, 

someone to remove God’s rod from me,
    so that his terror would frighten me no more. 

Then I would speak up without fear of him,
    but as it now stands with me, I cannot.

-Job 9:32-35

In Job's afflictions, as he meditates and laments, he acknowledges God, that His ways are far higher, that He is sovereign, that He created all, and He judges over all, and Job also says "If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’". 

Job knows not why he was afflicted, and know he is but a mere mortal. He cries out in yearning for a mediator, one who can bring him to God without causing terror, one that would remove God's rod of Judgement.

And how fortunate are we? We now live in these times which Job yearns for, where we can approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. And that is only because Jesus paid the price, His blood washed over us, and now through Him, we are Children of God :)

Child of God

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”
-John 6:44-51

 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
-John 10:14-16

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
-John 10:27-30

I've been reading John recently, and Jesus shares about who He is, what He came to do, and those that are called to Him. What an amazing grace to be called to know Jesus, to receive life to the full and be a Child of God :)

In the past week, I've been caught up with different things, things like a badly jammed finger and tiredness, lots of work and stress in my mum's biz, a yearning/hurt for recognition and affirmation.. I was really busy, and wasn't well. When I do have time, I know God was calling me to come to Him, but I didn't spend much time with God, and instead found temporal comfort in things of the world/flesh. However, passages from John, a friend’s post about coming to God just as His child, and the song No Longer Slaves by Bethel which sings "I am a Child of God", really comforted me through the week. Though I was not well, though I was stressed up, easily irritated, though I stumbled, I knew God loves me as His child and has called me to Him.

Today's worship and service was just amazing.. I was reminded that the greatest manifestation of God's favor is in the person of Jesus. Therefore, to encounter God's favor, come to Jesus. Jesus is indeed the good shepherd, who knows His sheep and His sheep knows Him. I'm also reminded that it has nothing to do with what I have or have not done, but everything to do with Christ. Even if you are the prodigal son, or the elder son, the Father just loves you. Just come into His embrace, just come to Jesus, for He says that He is the bread of life, the streams of living water that will never run dry. It is not the world, but it is Christ that will be enough.

It is not about my health, my position in Church, my finances, my mum's biz, my sins, my deeds, but that I am your Child, and I want to come to you before these. Let it be that "The Cross before me, the world behind me". So Father, I just want to come to find my comfort in you, to dwell in your courts even more. Let it ever be my yearning that I would rather be a door keeper at your house, than dwell in the tents of the wicked. But I don't have be a door keeper, for you called me your Child.

I am the sheep of Jesus' flock. I am a Child of God, and the world cannot take this away from me :)

You unravel me, with a melody
You surround me with a song
Of deliverance, from my enemies
Till all my fears are gone
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

From my mothers womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again, into your family
Your blood flows through my veins

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
All my fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
So I could stand and sing
I am child of God

'My God, My God, Why?' | Understanding the Lament Psalms

http://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-2010/my-god-my-god-why

By Stacey Gleddiesmith

My quest to understand the psalms of lament began in the midst of a deep period of depression. I had spent a wonderfully rich two months in Ethiopia, recording Christian Somali music for broadcast from Ethiopia over Somalia. During my time there I received numerous “prophetic words” that doors would open for me when I returned to Canada. But within a few short months of my return I was unemployed and living in the basement of a friend’s parent’s house. My familial home had burned down and a friend of mine had committed suicide. These were not the doors I wanted opened.
I was deeply disillusioned with God, completely buried under my grief, and spent most of my days either in a futile job search or sleeping. During this time I was still leading worship at church, and my depression inevitably deepened on the weeks I was to lead worship. At the time, I was unable to pinpoint the reason for this, but when I finally began to come out of my depression, I realized that I felt I could not worship God on Sunday mornings—not as I was. Although many individuals and families in the church supported me in critical ways during this time, I felt wholly excluded when the church gathered for worship. In the midst of my depression, I did not feel I could bring my whole self into a context in which only praise seemed acceptable.
Eventually, as I grew well enough to talk these thoughts over with my pastor and others in the congregation, I began to realize that perhaps the difficulty was not so much with me but with the way I was leading worship. If one of the purposes of the gathered worship of the church is to unify, surely there had to be something wrong with worship services that created feelings of separation from God and God’s people. This conviction grew stronger as I talked with others who had been feeling the same way.
During my depression, the only Scripture passages I had felt able to read were the psalms—specifically the psalms of lament. It seemed right, then, to begin to include in the gathered worship of the church the Scriptures that had made me feel included in God’s story even in the midst of my depression. I was amazed by the response I received. I began to hear from others who felt they had to leave a part of themselves at the door if they were going to be able to worship God. Not only did these individuals now feel included in the worship of the church, they also discovered a new capacity for praise.

Israel’s Songbook

The book of Psalms exists today because the people of Israel used these songs, including the songs of lament, in their worship, and they sang them often enough that the psalms were remembered and recorded for future generations.
This songbook of Israel contains more psalms of lament than any other type of psalm. There are so many psalms of lament that they can be broken into subcategories: individual lament, corporate lament, psalms of confession, illness, political complaint, and the like.
Today, however, the psalms of lament are used infrequently by the church. And when we do use them in worship, all too often we skip over the complaint, reading or singing only the expression of trust and praise with which so many of the lament psalms conclude.
It seems strange that the church today would find lament so difficult, when it was such an integral expression of worship for Israel, but perhaps we do not use lament because we do not understand it. We make lament synonymous with grieving, and therefore fail to understand its significance and its use.

Structure of a Lament

Address. A biblical lament cries out to God. This is not an internally focused process of grieving, it is first and foremost a prayer, a conversation. When we further consider the God to whom we cry, this aspect of a lament psalm, brief as it may be (“My God, my God”; Ps. 22) takes on even greater significance. We cry to an omnipotent God, a good and merciful God, a just God, a God who grants us access to himself and invites us into personal relationship with him.
Complaint. A lament honestly and specifically names a situation or circumstance that is painful, wrong, or unjust—in other words, a circumstance that does not align with God’s character and therefore does not make sense within God’s kingdom. The emotional tone of the complaint varies, depending on the type of lament psalm. It may express sorrow, remorse, weariness, anger, disappointment, or doubt.
Request. A lament expects a response or an answer. It expects that God will be able to do something about the situation. Most often the request sounds like a demand: it is the psalmist’s essential heart-rending cry, “God, do something!”
Expression of trust. A lament generally includes an explicit expression of trust, sometimes woven through the complaint and request, and other times concluding the psalm with an almost jarring note of praise. Some expressions of trust are such a startling departure from the rest of the psalm (“I am in the midst of lions; I lie among ravenous beasts—men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth,” Ps. 57:4-5) that they seem to sharply divide the psalm into two parts: lament and praise. But to understand biblical lament properly, we must acknowledge that the expression of trust, with all its praise and joy, is part of a psalm of lament.
Biblical lament, then, is an honest cry to a God who is powerful, good, and just—a cry that this situation is not in alignment with God’s person or purposes. It’s a cry that expects an answer from God, and therefore results in hope, trust, and joy rather than despair.
This understanding of lament makes it much easier for us to apply the psalms of lament to our own lives and to the life of our congregation. Indeed, we begin to see that biblical lament is necessary in a world that does not always operate according to God’s purposes.

The Lord Reigns

In his book In the House of the Lord, Michael Jinkins suggests that the central assertion of the psalms is “the Lord reigns.” If we take this central assertion to be true—and I think it is, both in the time of Israel and today in our own congregations—then the lament psalms should hold a very special place in the Psalter. Through lament, we affirm that God reigns, even in the midst of circumstances that might suggest otherwise. By crying out in our pain to a powerful, merciful, and good God, by asking him to intervene, we proclaim the day of Christ’s coming. We affirm our trust in his ability to transform this world. We proclaim that even death has been answered, even death is lamentable.
At its very heart, a lament is an expression of trust in the character, power, and previous action of God—an expression of trust that looks beyond our current circumstances to what will be and what is—the reality behind the reality.
It is our challenge then, as worship leaders, to take up the cry of lament for our congregations, for our communities, for a world that is not aligned with God’s person and purpose. It is our challenge to continue to cry out to God, to continue to expect an answer, and therefore continue to live in hope, trusting that our good, powerful, and just God does indeed reign.

The Place of Lament & Praise

 
Today was such a wonderful day! As we had worship during service, I was so filled with passion and joy to praise God, and so in love to want to exalt Him! It was throughout the praise, the worship and even prayer meet after service.

As I worshiped with my being, I even pondered, what made my soul want to exalt and praise Him so so much? Was it because God poured in many tangible blessings during the week? Was it because He spoke to me and ministered to me personally recently?

It's true that God has spoke to me and that He loves me, but it was more than that. I just read the book of Psalms this week. Many of the Psalms were so beautifully written, about God's glory, about his enduring love, about the wondrous things God done, about honest cries and praises by David and the people, about delighting in God's law and presence.. As I meditate on them, it just lit this joy in my soul, that my entire soul indeed wants to ever praise my God! Just as the Psalmists and David, who even in persecution, oppression, wealth, and all seasons continually sang unto God, I'm just so much more awed of God, for being who He is, not about what I'm going through, not about the blessings I receive and perceive, but just how wonderful God is. As I worshiped with the song Ever Be by Bethel, it just really resounded with my soul, what a joy to sing unto God, that His praises will ever be on my lips :)

During the NS Prayer Meet, we ended off the time by praying prophetically over each other. I prayed for a brother who just joined the ministry a few months ago, and God gave me the word "serve", and as I prayed. Though I don't know the brother well, I sensed that this brother really wants to serve God more as he comes into the ministry and into NS, and God sees his heart to serve and loves him. Though things may feel mundane and tiring at times, God wants him to come and experience even more of His love and His heart to provide and even serve him. Jesus came not just to die for us, but even to serve us, though we are unworthy of His love. He wants to pour out His love more and more unto this brother, so that he can pour it out abundantly as he serves too. It was indeed this brother's heart's cry to want to serve God more and he is really grateful for God's faithfulness and love to him.

And as that brother prayed for me, he spoke to me about the times where I experienced persecution in NS, and say that God sees me and thanks me for going through it with Him, and holding to Him through the 2 years. I was shocked as He doesn't really know me and my NS experience, and he also shared about how more is to come in the future, but God will be there with me. And as he was ending off the prayer, he felt a very tangible presence and saw God's hand coming over me. I was so blessed by the prayer and worship, and again know how much my Father loves me :')

Even so, as prayer meet ended, the devil put this insecurity and pride again in my heart. Some conversations and things about rising up and leading in the ministry affected me, reminding me about how I joined SEAL but did not rise up to lead. Part of it was because of how I had pride, and it would not be good to lead while I had this pride. However, I felt that I may be wrongly perceived to be more prideful at times. I felt really hurt as I thought about it. I prayed to God and got to share about it.

I was shared that while everyone also has pride, sometimes I'm blinded by the pride I have and it would affect me more if I lead. It is a struggle, and regardless of whether what others say is true or not, I have a choice whether to be affected by it or not, to let how others perceive me affect my walk with God, or to simply want to glorify God and worship Him. I was surprised that I was suddenly very affected by this issue again. But it is my heart's cry to ever worship and glorify God, I pray that I'll be even more aware of my identity and the riches of His love, and that He must be more, and I must be less, for that is why I live.

God really spoke to me about my identity and intimacy with Him, even when the devil comes to kill, steal and destroy, through Todd White's sharing. Todd White was a drug addict and atheist for 22 years, he was also in a rock band and was hurting his family and the people around him. However, he was radically set free when Jesus entered his life, and he is bringing Christ love and truth to people wherever he goes, even healing and giving word of knowledge to people through the Holy Spirit, wherever he goes. God has simply opened Todd’s eyes to this truth and that the Holy Spirit wants to flow through every believer everywhere we go, at work, school, grocery stores, malls, gas stations, everywhere. His true joy is being able to reproduce in people the simplicity of this reality, in a 24/7 kingdom lifestyle! This is for every believer! No one is excluded! He has such intimacy with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit and with the Father, and I also want to draw closer to God, to claim my identity and share even more of His love and truth to others. Do listen to Todd's sharing called "Know Who You Are & Don't Forget It" below, you are dearly loved:

Five Loaves & Two Fishes

I was heading to Onsight Climbing Gym to have my 2nd rock climbing experience with Tjun Sern. I'm still really in awe of how God touched this brother. During the Valentine service a while back, I invited him, and on that day he wasn't sure about coming as he would only reach halfway into the service. However, he still came and he had to sit alone before joining to sit together. During altar call, he was raising his hands in worship, and during prayer, as I prayed for him, he started to weep and continued tearing. God prompted him to come for the service today even though he would be late, and God spoke to him through Jennifer's sharing and during altar call. Even though Tjun Sern felt far from God, it was really amazing how God drew this brother back to Him and ministered to him so personally.

So, I had Filet-O-Fish as I was on my way to the gym. As I started eating, I suddenly thought about the five loaves and two fishes that Jesus used to feed the five thousand. As I continued in my thought while eating, the next song on my phone that played just happened to be "Five Loaves & Two Fishes" by Corrinne May. It is a song about giving our five loaves and two fishes to Jesus, and trusting in Him to use it all.

As I was already chowing down on my Filet-O-Fish, I could not give it to someone else haha. I still do not really now what the five loaves and two fishes meant to me, could it be the little things like spending time with Tjun Sern and climbing together to 10.30? Could it be about taking faith to give or to step out more so that God can move through it? Abba Father, may you increase my faith to do so, and to be a vessel to pour out more of your love and truth. Amen