Resent, resign or anticipate?

Do you sometimes wonder if God knows what’s best for you, if in fact His Will will be done in you?

I do. I wonder sometimes if God has it all wrong and if His hand is truly on my case.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – Matthew 6:10 NIV

In Rick Warren’s devotion, he said:

You can pray “Your will be done” in three different ways. You can say it in:

- RESENTMENT: “Your will be done, but I don’t like it.”;
- RESIGNATION: “Your will be done, because I can’t help it.”; or
- ANTICIPATION: “Your will be done, because I know it is the best and that’s what I want for my life today!”

I find myself sitting on the fence between RESENTMENT & ANTICIPATION and RESIGNATION & ANTICIPATION sometimes, especially when things don’t turn out the way I want it to.

At the end of the day, if we profess that Jesus is Lord and He is the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb 12: 2), we should be ones who pray ‘Your will be done’ in ANTICIPATION. Afterall, His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isa 55: 9)

“Lord, teach me to humble myself and place everything at Your feet. Teach me to understand Your sovereignty in my life and allow You to let Your Will be done in my life according to YOUR time.”

Why We Need the Ten Commandments

“We don’t keep the Ten Commandments in order to be saved; we keep them because we want to please God and bring honor to Him by the way we live. Jesus said, ‘If you love me, you will obey what I command’ (John 14:15).” – Dr Billy Graham

to KNOW and MAKE Him KNOWN

“What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ” – Phil 3: 8

Sometimes in ministry and even in life we get so caught up with so many things, but at the end of the day, it’s about KNOWING God and MAKING Him known.

As a Christian, isn’t it all about knowing God more and more each day, making His Name known to all the others who do not (yet) know Him?

Paul from the Bible (Philippians 3:4-6)is one whom you would term as an extremely intellectual and religious person today:

“though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

However, in v7-9, Paul said:

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.

Now, it really takes ALOT for a person like Paul to consider all his achievements and everything he had a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ! He must have experienced God to a very deep extent to say such a thing.

Enjoy the following song.

Till I see You – Hillsong
The greatest love that anyone could ever know
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in You

With all I am I’ll live to see Your kingdom come
And in my heart I pray You’d let Your will be done
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in You

I will live to love You
I will live to bring You praise
I will live a child in awe of You

You are the voice that calls the universe to be
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in you

You alone are God of all
You alone are worthy Lord
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name

My heartcry

(Chorus of Hosanna by Hillsong)

Heal my heart and make it clean
Open up my eyes to the things unseen
Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart from what breaks yours
Everything I am for your Kingdom’s cause
As I go from nothing to Eternity
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We sang this song at church today and once again, my eyes were soaked with tears. This song has never failed to bring up that deep ‘burden’ on my heart.

This burden – for His people, for the community.

I have been asking God all this while – “How can I ‘answer’ this burden?”

Lord, show me how. OPEN UP my eyes to the things unseen, SHOW ME how to love like You have loved me. BREAK my heart for what breaks Yours.

Permissible AND Edifying

Excerpt from John Bevere’s Bait of Satan

“We should make it our aim not to cause another to stumble because of our personal liberty. What we do may even be permissible according to the Scriptures. But ask yourself: Does it seek the edification of another or myself?”

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Isn’t it true how we sometimes choose personal liberty at the expense of others – we rather stumble others so that we can do/enjoy what we like.

The Bible says in 1 Cor 10: 23-24 (The Amplified Bible),

“All things are legitimate [permissible--and we are free to do anything we please], but not all things are helpful (expedient, profitable, and wholesome). All things are legitimate, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. Let no one then seek his own good and advantage and profit, but [rather] each one of the other [let him seek the welfare of his neighbor].”

and 1 Cor 10: 31-33 (The Amplified Bible)

“So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God. Do not let yourselves be [hindrances by giving] an offense to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God [ R5 do not lead others into sin by your mode of life]; Just as I myself strive to please [to accommodate myself to the opinions, desires, and interests of others, adapting myself to] all men in everything I do, not aiming at or considering my own profit and advantage, but that of the many in order that they may be saved.”

Think about your actions and words today – though permissible, are they edifying?

Think about the places you visit or things you do in your free time – are they edifying to others on top of being permissible?

The point here is to do/say things that are permissible AND edifying.

Let’s all learn to be like Paul who not consider his own profit and advantage, BUT that of others first!

Please God; not man

Sometimes I wonder if man live to please man.

As Christians, we might start off on the right track (i.e. live to please God), but along the way, we get side-tracked (i.e. live to please man).

John Bevere mentioned in his book ‘Bait of Satan’, “when you live for the will of God, you will not fulfill the desires of man.“

When we have made up our mind that we will live for the will of God, we will not compromise just to please man.

Lord, I pray that You will help me to grow in living for You and not for man. Let my every decision and action be made to please You and not man.”

Without You I am…..LOST

Have you ever wondered where you’ll be if not for something that did or did not happen?

I have. I wonder where I’ll be today if God did not give His life for me.

Without Him, I’ll be:

-caught in my own self-pity;
-hating the world because I do not have what it takes to be in the ‘cool’ crowd;
-looking at life in a less positive way (given my pessimistic personality);
-screaming my head off at people who do not do things the way I want;
-caught up in achieving what the world sees as successful (but tiring in a way);
-yada yada

The point I am making here is, without God’s redemption for man on the cross, we will not be where we are today – believe it or not.

I believe.

Hope the lyrics of the song below speaks to you.

Thank You for the cross Jesus!

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For Your Cross – Citipointe Church

You gave Your life for me
You wore that crown for me
And now I live for You

You gave Your all for me
You gave so I am free
And now I live for You

Thank You for the cross
Without You I am lost
It is for Your cross I live today
Living for Your love
Lost but now I am found
It is for Your cross I live today

My Father, Creator
All Glory to the King
So worthy of all honor
All Glory to the King

Shut up. Be silent.

Can’t stand the silence in the car? Need to turn on your music/TV once you get home to get rid of the silence?

Sometimes we try to keep ourselves surrounded by sound (or noise) that we fail to listen out to the still, small voice of God.

We pray “God, I need your guidance” and then once ‘Amen’ is said, we get up and walk off.

When was the last time you sat down in silence and listened to the voice of God in the midst of everything?

A formula offered by Rick Warren:

Divert daily, withdraw weekly, abandon annually. Get quiet once a day, take one day a week to rest, and always take some sort of vacation at least once a year.

So, what are you waiting for.

Shut up. Be silent.

Allow God to speak.

An excerpt from John Bevere’s ‘Bait of Satan’

“It is righteous for God to avenge His servants. It is unrighteous for God’s servants to avenge themselves. Saul was a man who avenged himself. He chased David, a man of honor, for fourteen years and murdered the priests and their families.

As David stood over the sleeping Saul, he faced an important test. It would reveal whether David still had the noble heart of a shepherd or the insecurity of another Saul. Would he remain a man after God’s heart? Initially it is so much easier when we take matters into our own hands, rather than waiting on a righteous God.

God tests His servants with obedience. He deliberately places us in situations where the standards of religion and society would appear to justify our actions. He allows others, especially those close to us, to encourage us to protect ourselves. We may even think we would be noble and protect others by avenging ourselves. But this is not God’s way. It is the way of the world’s wisdom. It is earthly and fleshly.

…was I [John Bevere] going to become like the man who sought to destroy me? Or would I allow for God’s judgment or mercy if the man repented.”
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Many times we want to take things in our own hands and see the instant result – we think that we are protecting others by avenging ourselves.

However, is that what God instructs us to do?

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. - Romans 12: 19

WHAT is your secret to managing frustrations?

The Secret to Managing Frustrations (by Rick Warren)

“A man’s wisdom gives him patience…” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV).

It’s amazing how fifteen minor frustrations at the office can add up to one big, bad attitude by the time you head for home. Frustrations come in three varieties:

1. Interruptions: Unexpected visitors or phone calls when you have a deadline to meet or something important requires your attention. Our best plans are often interrupted.
2. Inconveniences: While interruptions are usually from people, inconveniences are usually situations involving things: the copy machine breaks down, traffic jams up, or you can’t find what you need when you need it.
3. Irritations: Long delays, unreliable people, playing telephone tag, catching a cold, obnoxious clients, etc.

But the truth is you can’t eliminate these. No doubt you’ll face all three varieties this week, but you can keep them from stressing you out.

What’s the secret of managing your frustrations?

Don’t resist it, but don’t overreact or blow up. Don’t resent it; don’t internalize you anger. Don’t resign to it; don’t have a pity-party.

Instead, reduce it. Treat it as insignificant. Put the frustration into proper perspective. It’s just a minor setback, a part of living, no big deal! It’s certainly not worth a heart attack. Follow these rules for stress management:

• RULE #1: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
• RULE #2: Realize it’s all small stuff!

The Bible says, “A man’s wisdom gives him patience…” (Proverbs 19:11 NIV). The only way we can see all stuff as small stuff is to view it from God’s perspective. When I am in tune with God, I remember he has everything under control even though I don’t! So I don’t have to sweat it: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23 NIV).

Pray this prayer: “Lord, help me to be filled with your love, joy, and peace, so that when I’m squeezed and pressured it is your love, joy, and peace that spill out of me.”
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The truth of the matter is, we have to deal with frustrations everyday (like it or not).

But, it is the way we choose to respond to it that will determine the amount of stress that we will impose on ourselves.

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