Rise above the worldly ways

Every living thing especially human being has the innate instinct for survival and self-preservation. On a positive note, it is a responsibility to oneself. But, when that sense of responsibility is being influenced by the worldly ways, it brings about the manifestations of lust, greed, pride, strife, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, resentment, etc. And if those negative feelings and fleshly desires are not ‘nipped in the bud’, they could lead to oppression, obsession, and even possession by evil spirits. Even if one has strong self-control against fleshly manifestations, harboring negative emotions in the soul may eventually lead to serious physical illness. 

So, how do we differentiate what is ‘responsibility to oneself’ and what is ‘manifestation of fleshly desires’? And how do we arrest worldly influence and stay away from it?

Proverbs 16:2-3(AMP)

All the ways of a man are clean and innocent in his own eyes [and he may see nothing wrong with his actions],

But the Lord weighs and examines the motives and intents [of the heart and knows the truth].

Commit your works to the Lord [submit and trust them to Him],

And your plans will succeed [if you respond to His will and guidance].

Commit (gâlal) = to roll.

Plans = aims, objectives, hopes, desires.

The first and foremost thing to do is to surrender your will and desires to the Lord. Believe it or not, the Lord knows every intent and motive of your heart, both the good and the bad. But He is not here to judge you and condemn you, unless you choose to turn away from Him forever. He is here to help you, if you would allow Him. Jesus died for your sins to make you right before God the Father. As a result, His Spirit can now dwell in you to teach and guide you (see John 16:13-15).

Therefore, always listen to His Spirit witnessing to your conscience. Choose to obey His prompting inside your heart, whether to repent, to forgive, or to let go. After that, seek the Lord for His specific instructions for you. When you lay down your own desires and choose His desires for you, the Lord will surely speak to you. He will speak either through words of prophecy, or through anointed dreams, or through the Scriptures you are reading during your time of personal devotion with Him, or in other ways that He sees fit for you. Choose to follow His specific words spoken to you and stand firm on them. By then, your desires and your plans for your life will automatically be aligned to His will instead of your own fleshly desires.

Let’s look into the lives of Abraham and Lot for an example:

Genesis 12:4-5 (TLB)

So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed him, and Lot went too; Abram was seventy-five years old at that time. He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—the cattle and slaves he had gotten in Haran—and finally arrived in Canaan.

Abram (whose name was not changed to Abraham yet) took care of his nephew, Lot, after the demise of his brother. When the Lord told Abram to leave for Canaan, he took Lot along as a responsible uncle.

Genesis 13:5-7 (TLB)

Lot too was very wealthy, with sheep and cattle and many servants. But the land could not support both Abram and Lot with all their flocks and herds. There were too many animals for the available pasture. So fights broke out between the herdsmen of Abram and Lot, despite the danger they all faced from the tribes of Canaanites and Perizzites present in the land.

You see, everything was alright until both Abraham and Lot had become very wealthy. They both had too many flocks and herds for the available pasture. Instead of guarding themselves from their common enemies, their herdsmen fought against each other.

All of us need to learn from this mistake of fighting and rivalry against one another, be it among siblings, friends, brethren in Christ, church groups, ministry groups, or ministers of God. There need not be any comparing and competing with one another. Complementing yes, but not competing. We are to support one another to push away forces of darkness instead of going against one another.

Genesis 13:8-9 (TLB) 

Then Abram talked it over with Lot. “This fighting between our men has got to stop,” he said. “We can’t afford to let a rift develop between our clans. Close relatives such as we are must present a united front! I’ll tell you what we’ll do. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want that part over there to the east, then I’ll stay here in the western section. Or, if you want the west, then I’ll go over there to the east.”

Abram took the initiative to talk things over with Lot. And he gave preference to Lot to choose the land of his choice.

Spiritual stature doesn’t grow with age, but with the values and substances of one’s heart. Spiritual stature cannot be increased through material gains (i.e. wealth, academic qualifications, titles, positions, etc) but by what you sacrificially and generously give away to bless others.

Genesis 13:10-12(TLB)

Lot took a long look at the fertile plains of the Jordan River, well watered everywhere (this was before Jehovah destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah); the whole section was like the Garden of Eden, or like the beautiful countryside around Zoar in Egypt. So that is what Lot chose—the Jordan Valley to the east of them. He went there with his flocks and servants, and thus he and Abram parted company. For Abram stayed in the land of Canaan, while Lot lived among the cities of the plain, settling at a place near the city of Sodom.

Reading between the lines, Lot didn’t seem to give the respect due to Abraham as someone who had taken care of him ever since his father died. He seized the chance when given the choice and chose what he thought was the best for himself and his future. Was he being plainly immature because he was too spoilt by his uncle? Or was it because he couldn’t care less for the old uncle who was no longer useful to him? Only God knows.

Abraham did not hesitate to give preference to Lot because firstly, he cared for Lot, and secondly, he had found his security in God. He knew God was able to bless him as long as he depended on God. He understood that God was able to bless him more than what he could give away!

Genesis 14:14-16 (TLB)

When Abram learned that Lot had been captured(by King Chedorlaomer and his allies), he called together the men born into his household, 318 of them in all, and chased after the retiring army as far as Dan. He divided his men and attacked during the night from several directions, and pursued the fleeing army to Hobah, north of Damascus, and recovered everything—the loot that had been taken, his relative Lot, and all of Lot’s possessions, including the women and other captives.

Abraham was willing to risk his life to save Lot when he was captured. He did not keep grudges against his self-centered nephew, and when God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah later on, Abraham pleaded on behalf of Lot and his family. In other words, Abraham went all out to help Lot when he was in trouble. Such was the ‘bigness’ of Abraham’s heart, and God had surely seen it. No wonder God entrusted him with many descendants, and he eventually became the father of many nations!

It is how you react to the misfortune of those who have wronged you that shows your real character. God sees how much He can entrust you with His people and His anointing by looking at the ‘bigness’ of your heart.

Have there been competition for titles and positions in your church? There is no real position in God’s kingdom unless it is the calling and job description that is given directly by the Lord. Only ‘rabbits’ and ‘donkeys’ get tempted by ‘the dangling carrot’ put up by men. He who is greater is he who serves without asking and aiming for any title or position (see Luke 22:24-27). The Lord who sees your heart of serving (Colossians 3:23) will know how to honor you in ways you cannot imagine yet.

Have there been fierce office politics in order to get promotion in your organization? Know that your God is the biggest Boss and when He gives you the promotion, no earthly boss can pull you down. If you understand this, you won’t ever again want to dirty your hands playing office politics or backstabbing others!

Have there been fighting (and competing) for members among different church groups? Pastors and leaders, do you know that God doesn’t measure your faithfulness according to the number of members you try to persuade to join your church? Increase comes from the Lord (1 Corinthians 3:7). There's no need to fight and compete for numbers. God sees your faithfulness according to how sincere you pour your life on building whoever He has entrusted to you. 

All in all, when you choose to follow God's ways instead of copying the patterns and ways of this fallen world, you have indeed risen above, and have now been made the head and not the tail (see Deuteronomy 28:13). Amen.

Set free from the limitation and bondage in the mind

During one of the prayer meetings recently, the Lord said that He is in the midst of removing the limitations you (the Body of Christ) have permitted to set in your mind. Some of these limitations are self-imposed or being inflicted by others. These limitations have become a bondage and a deterrent in your life. In order to advance to the greater things that He has for you, let Him remove the limitations that bound your mind.

Gideon - Set free from fear, intimidation and sense of inadequacy

During Gideon’s time, Israel had been oppressed continuously by the Midianites for seven years. The Midianites would come against Israel time and again to destroy their produce and take away their live stocks. In fear and hunger, the people of Israel had to hide themselves in dens and caves in the mountains.

Gideon was secretly threshing wheat in the winepress away from the eyes of the enemy when the Angel of the LORD appeared to him.

Judges 6:12, 14-15 (NKJV)

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!” …   Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.”

Gideon had grown up in the environment of fear and intimidation imposed by the enemy. Also, he had a self-image problem because he deemed himself the most insignificant in his clan and among his siblings. No wonder he doubted the Lord who was saying something about him that was too good to be true.

However, after getting some concrete confirmation from the Lord, he allowed the Lord to change his mind and to guide him in the mission to save Israel. Eventually, Israel won the battle against the Midianites and were liberated from the oppression of the enemy.

Judges 8:22, 23, 28 (NKJV)

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.” But Gideon said to them, “ I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” ...Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted their heads no more. And the country was quiet for forty years in the days of Gideon.

Gideon allowed the Lord to set him free from the fear of failure, from the intimidation of the enemy, and from the sense of inadequacy that limited his mind. He allowed the Lord to give him a new self-image. He rose up to be a military leader who saved the people of Israel from the Midianites.

However, Gideon knew it was not by his own might that he became who he was. He understood that it was by the leading and the enabling of the Lord that He became successful. Therefore, he was fully convinced and convicted that only the Lord can rule over the nation, not just any king or man-made government. Thereafter, the Lord made him a judge and a prophet over Israel. And Israel had peace, away from war from then on.

Are you one of those who are struggling with fear, intimidation and low self-image? Fear of failure, fear of rejection, intimidation by bullies, being taken advantage by others, sense of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and the list goes on. Just as Gideon was, allow the Lord to renew your mind and give you a new identity in Him!

Peter - Set free from guilt and disappointment

John 13:37-38 (NKJV)

Peter said to Him (Jesus), “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.” Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

Peter was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. He had set his mind to follow Jesus and even to die for him. None of the disciples knew then that Jesus was going to be executed on the cross. So, Peter could not accept it when Jesus said that he cannot follow Him to the place He was going.

John 18:17, 25-27 (NKJV)

Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man's disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”  …  Now Simon Peter stood and warmed himself. Therefore they said to him, “You are not also one of His disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not!” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of him whose ear Peter cut off said, “Did I not see you in the garden with Him?” Peter then denied again; and immediately a rooster crowed.

However, after Jesus was arrested, Peter denied Him exactly three times, just as Jesus had spoken. Peter must be feeling devastated upon hearing the rooster crowing, remembering everything Jesus had said to him. Why did he deny Jesus? For someone who was ready to fight for Jesus at the Garden of Gethsemane, had he become a coward? Was he feeling confused in such unthinkable and chaotic situation? Was he angry with Jesus that He did not allow him to fight back? Had he concluded that sacrificing for a non-hero is no longer worthwhile? Only Peter knew what was playing in his mind when he denied Jesus. But one thing for sure, Peter went back to his profession as a fisherman with deep guilt and great disappointment.

John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

After Jesus rose up from the dead, He went to meet His disciples (Peter included). Turning things around, Jesus offered Peter three times to be restored back to his calling and ministry. Peter allowed Jesus to set him free from his guilt and disappointment. He was restored back to his apostolic ministry. He preached the gospel to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, thousands were saved, and the first church was born.

Are you one of those greatly sorrowed by guilt and disappointment too? Stop beating yourself with questions like “Why did I do it?” or “Why didn’t I do it?”. Stop punishing yourself for a mistake you have committed in the past. Jesus will surely forgive you if you turn to Him in repentance (see 1 John 1:9). Stop blaming yourself for a lost opportunity due to your ‘incompetency’ in the past. Jesus is able to help you rise up again if you are willing to seek His guidance. As Peter did, forgive yourself and allow the Lord to heal you. Let the Lord restore you to be the person He has always wanted you to be!

Paul - Set free from bad reputation and wrong perception

Paul, whose name then was Saul, was on the way to Damascus to persecute more believers of Christ. During the journey, he encountered Jesus in a great light experience. That experience changed his belief, his vocation and his direction in life. He became a believer and started preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Acts 9:20-21, 26 (NKJV)

Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, “Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?” And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple.

You see, Paul already had a bad reputation among the believers of Christ. Before his conversion, Paul was well known for breathing threats and murder against the disciples of Jesus. After his conversion, no matter how Paul tried to convince the believers of his sincerity, they were still afraid of him. It must be really difficult for Paul because there was such distrust in him and his initial ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ. But Paul did not give up.

Acts 9:22, 27-28 (NKJV)

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. … But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.

In spite of all the rejections, Paul held on to his great light experience in Damascus and the revelation he had received from the Lord. He focused and worked on his ministry calling. Eventually, he was cleared of the ‘bad reputation’ and accepted by the Body of Christ. Through his ministry, many people from at least fifty cities were saved. He had also raised up ministers of God such as Timothy, Titus, Aquila, Priscilla, and many others. Moreover, almost half of the books in the New Testament were written by Paul. What a change of image and identity!

Are you one of those with ‘bad reputation’ or ‘bad track records’? Have you been trying hard to turn a new leaf of life but yet still trapped in the vicious cycle? Or have there been people who harbor wrong perception of who you really are? Has it been difficult to receive respect and trust from people around you due to your past? Start praying and asking the Lord for a renewed mindset. Then, allow the Lord to speak His revelation into your life. As Paul did, hold on to your deeper experience with the Lord and meditate on His revelation for you (through the Word, prophecies, or dreams/visions from the Lord). May a Christ-like identity begin to grow in you, and may the new identity soon be witnessed and affirmed by the people around you. Amen!

      

Cast out fear to move forward

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

The word ‘perfect’ here in Greek is ‘tĕlĕiŏs’ which also means ‘complete’. Love (agapē) is synonym to ‘affection, benevolence (well-meaning, kindness)’.  You see, God Himself is love (see 1 John 4:8) and He loves you! That means God doesn’t just have ‘affection’ for you but He wants you to experience His ‘complete well-meaning’ and ‘complete kindness’ as well. If God was willing to send His only begotten Son into the world to be the propitiation for your sins (see John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10), there is no other blessing that He would withhold from you. Therefore, you have no fear in love (God), and His perfect love (God’s complete well-meaning and kindness for you) casts out all your fears.

On the other hand, ‘torment’ (kŏlasis) means ‘penal infliction, punishment’. Those who fear are tormented by fearful thoughts. They are subconsciously expecting infliction and punishment to come upon them. They have not experienced the perfect love, i.e. God’s complete well-meaning and kindness upon their lives.

Your fears are cast out once you understand God’s perfect and complete love (well-meaning/kindness) for you! Understanding God’s perfect love releases you from unbelief, hurts, resentment, sorrows, past failures, traumas, rejection, insecurity, low self-esteem, and pride.

Upon knowing God’s perfect love for you and having your fears cast out, you will NOT be afraid to:

Wait patiently for God’s instructions and act upon them

Though people in the world are into imitating methods and tactics of successful men and women, you have the assurance deep within you that you can count on God to lead and guide you. You know God has a tailor-made plan and specific blue-print for you to succeed in life (see Proverbs 3:5-6, 7-8; Romans 8:14).

Receive God’s corrections and training of character

You understand that promotion and increase of wealth come with greater responsibilities. You have the conviction that only a renewed mind and a transformed character can catapult you to move forward and cope with new challenges. And you truly believe that only God knows what kind of corrections and training you need in order to succeed and not to be ruined by newly gained riches, fame and power (see Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:7-11).

Lose out to others

Without fear, there will be NO sense of insecurity. You have grasped the values of King David, knowing that whatever door or position God has opened for you, no man can shut. Therefore, no amount of threats or competition from seniors (aka King Saul) or juniors (aka Absalom) will cause you to be shaken. You are convinced that if God is for you, no one can be against you (Romans 8:31). However, if God instructs you to give up on something, it is always because He has other greater or higher things to entrust you. You will remain humble and allow God to exalt you in due time (see Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7; Romans 8:31; Proverbs 3:9-10; Philippians 2:5-9).

Finally, always remember what God has said in Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Your understanding of the good thoughts of your Father God toward you, and His perfect love for you, will turn you into a ‘fearless’ person! You will fear neither man nor circumstances. You will always be ready to move forward into the breakthroughs and the new blessings God has for you! Amen.

Be liberated into the new

The Holy Spirit has been saying, “Be set free from your past bondage”. This is very crucial as the Lord is leading many of you into doing new things. You need to ‘shed off’ the old in order to be in the new. The Lord later led me to read Galatians 5:1, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”

I was always perplexed by how Christians, for generations, would impose upon themselves certain words in the Bible without checking the real meanings. Many Christians have been made to believe that they are in sickness, poverty, and in all kinds of sufferings because “God is training them to be better people”. But know this, people of God. It hurts God’s heart most when He sees you suffer. It breaks His heart even more when His people think that He is the ‘Source’ of all their sufferings.

What you believe in will either cause you to be in bondage or in liberty. “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:17) When you are suffering, you feel bound and confined. How can you say that the Lord, who is the Spirit of liberty, is training you through your sufferings?

In order to experience God’s unlimited blessings, you need to know that He is an unlimited ‘Blesser’, not a ‘Torturer’. God does not cause accident or cancer or bankruptcy so that you can become a better person.  He is a good and loving Father to His children as Jesus said in Matthew 7:7-11.

Have you ever asked this question “If Christ had already borne all my sufferings on the cross, why do I still have to suffer all these?” The Holy Spirit comes to testify of Jesus’ work on the cross for us (see John 15:26). Do not let His work on the cross be in vain.

If you have been interrogating yourself endlessly and couldn’t think of another ‘sin’ that may have caused you into your problem, stop tormenting yourself! By being open before the Lord, you’ll experience His grace. The ‘law of sowing evil & reaping evil’ has been stopped in His grace. All you need to do is to start believing and receiving His grace and blessings. Jesus had settled it all on the cross for you!

The next time you are in a problem, halt the penetration of habitual ‘condemning & accusing’ thought. Declare the Lord’s favor & blessings in your life instead. Surely, He’ll help you overcome your situation.

Dear friends, you need the Holy Spirit like never before in this end-time. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” (Romans 8:14) You are now in a time where you need to be spiritually ‘accurate’ in order to have a triumphant life. Reading the Word of God with mere human understanding would confine you in the ‘box’ of ‘worldly-wisdom’. In order to have the right spiritual understanding, you need to think out of that ‘box’ with the help of your personal Consultant and Teacher, the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26). For the letter [alone] kills, but the Spirit gives life (see 2 Corinthians 3:6). Without God’s revelation (vision), His people would perish (see Proverbs 29:18 KJV).

I pray that the Holy Spirit would be the first Person you confide in and consult anytime you stumble into a difficulty. Also, may your reading of the Word (with the help of the Holy Spirit), bring you into a new dimension of spiritual truth. I believe your intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit will bring victory into every area of your life. Being liberated from past bondage, you can be free to venture into the new things God has in store for you and excel in them!