A dream from the Lord: "I saw a group of people and a wooden raft..."

The Lord gave me a dream the other day, and here is how it goes. 

I saw a group of people. These are good people and God-fearing Christians. They were pulling a wooden raft into a river in order to leave a remote place. There were ropes tied at the different corners of the raft. The river had shallow water, and the water level was only about the height of the waist. 

However, as they were in the water, instead of sitting or standing on the wooden raft, keeping themselves clean and dry, they went into the water and floated face up to pull the ropes with their mouths. They swam backstroke in order to pull and move the raft away from there. I was baffled! Aren't they supposed to treat the raft as a means of transport? Why would they make life difficult for themselves? 

So, I asked the Lord what is the meaning of the dream. 

And this is what He said. 

The Lord is saying to His beloved: 

"I have easier ways for you to get out of your troubles and unproductiveness, but you chose the difficult ways. You chose to believe in the wisdom of your ancestors, in the wisdom of influential people, and in the wisdom of the majority, instead of believing in Me. You chose unnecessary sufferings and making needless errors, instead of waiting on Me. Try choosing Me and My wisdom instead, and see how I can turn things around for you! Look to Me! I always have the solution for you. Is there anything too difficult for Me?" 

You see, in Christ, you have been set free from sins and the principles of the fallen world. You have the Spirit of God to lead you and guide you to an abundant life. So, allow God to speak into your life and guide you in everything you do today. 

Colossians 2:8 (NKJV)

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. 

As you have read here, the Lord wants us to seek Him for His wisdom, instead of seeking and relying on the wisdom of the world. Read the whole chapter of Colossians 2 today, if you can. You will understand better what caused you to be bound in the past, and you can choose to be set free in Christ. Amen! 

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. 

Here, it is written that it's only when your mind is renewed by the Word of God, that you can prove or perceive correctly the will of God for you. So, meditate on this specific Bible verse until your thoughts begin to align with His thoughts for you. 

1 Corinthians 2:12 (NKJV)

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 

Dear beloved, since you have the Spirit of God teaching you about the things freely given to you, let's not be bound by words, values, and principles of others that hold you back from the freedom and a better future in Christ. Amen! 

Let us pray:

"Father God, I choose to seek Your counsel and advice. I choose to be patient and wait for Your instruction and direction. Teach me how to see, hear, and discern what is from You and what is not from You. Renew my mind according to Your words so that I will be sensitive to the leading of Your Spirit. I pray all this, in the name of Jesus. Amen."

Click here to watch the video in TiC YouTube Channel

The 4 steps to overcome negative thoughts

I had a vision and I feel the urgency to share this with you today. I saw a vision of someone being attacked by arrows that were flying from different directions. To my understanding, these arrows represent words or thoughts that are not good. And the person have been attacked by all these kinds of thoughts and words that are not supposed to be there, that are not right for the person, and that would cause the person to feel bad about himself or herself. 

Now, the enemy will always tell you that you're not good enough to be blessed, e.g. "I'm not holy enough", "I'm not spiritual enough", "I'm a disappointment", "Everyone is disappointed with me", "I'm such a failure", "Everything failed in my hands", "I've not done enough", "It's never enough", "I don't deserve good things, because I'm not good enough", "God will not bless me, because I'm not good enough". And the list goes on. Sounds familiar? 

Do not underestimate all these negative thoughts. These are arrows that are flying at you. Do not let them grow into your thought life. We all know that having the wrong self-perception and giving in to the depressing emotion will only bound you in self-defeat mindset. They prevent you from receiving God's blessing. They deter you from moving forward. And that is definitely not God's will for you. 

To tell you the truth, having people attack you with negative thoughts/words is not as bad as you having those thoughts or words inside of you, and entertaining them. What is from the outside, it's not as scary as what is in the inside, when you agree with them. 

Do not agree with those negative words or those bad words that are being said about you. You know, when we pray, we say: "Amen". That means we choose to agree with the Word of God, and with the prayer that's being prayed. And to say: "Amen" is to say: "Yes, I agree", and to let it be done. But when we have negative thoughts inside of us, it is your authority and your right to choose to rise up against those negative thoughts, and to say "No" to them. 

So, let us resolve all these wrong mindsets together. First, you have to know that no one is perfectly good. In Romans 3:22-23, we are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. 'And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned, and we all fall short of God's glorious standard'. First of all, none of us is born perfectly good. Because all of us have fallen short of God's standard. Think about it. Whether it's only a small drop of sewage water, or a big scoop of sewage water being mixed in a bottle of drinking water, it is deemed contaminated. You won't want to drink from it. So, whether who is better or who is worse, whether who's sinned more or who's sinned lesser, no one can judge others. Hey, stop being harsh on yourself too! Yeah? 

And next. It's our faith in God that helps us fulfill His standard. Romans 3:31 says, 'Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law'. Well, how is our faith in God help us fulfill His standard? When you have faith in God, you receive His saving grace, His righteousness, His enabling, and the personal guidance of His Holy Spirit. We will talk more about this later. 

Now I want you to remember the next four steps, that whenever you have thoughts that are attacking you, that cause you to be down or feel condemned, or feel not good enough, or feel sad, or feel depressed, remember these four steps and apply them into your life. And this is what I've been doing since young. And it works for me. And I pray that it will work the same for you. 

1. Take authority

In Luke 10:19, Jesus says, "Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you." 

Whatever negative or pessimistic words that you hear in your mind, take authority and bind them in the name of Jesus. Do not agree with them. Do not entertain them. Take authority immediately. For example, if it's fear, say it out loud: "I bind you, spirit of fear, in the name of Jesus." If it's something that keeps telling you that certain accidents will happen to you, take authority and say, "I bind you, spirit of accident, in the name of Jesus. No accident will happen to me." If it's suicidal thought, speak against it with authority, "I bind you, suicidal spirit! I bind you, spirit of depression! You are not from the Lord. I reject you. And get away from me!" Rise up and take authority for yourself, because Jesus has given you the authority to do so. Amen! 

2. Speak God's Word to yourself

Jeremiah 29:11 says, '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.' Now, this is a Bible verse that many of us know. But how many of you really think deep about it? How many of you really agree with it? Let's agree with it today. 

Whenever a negative thought comes to you, or whenever you have a thought that says that you are not good enough, or God will not be good to you; after you have taken authority over all those negative thoughts, don't just chase away negative thoughts and leave your mind empty. If God's thoughts toward you are with hope and future, fill your mind with what God says about you. 

After taking authority over the negative thoughts in your mind, start speaking the anointed words of God that are related to your situation to yourself. For example, if it's fear, speak 2 Timothy 1:7 to yourself: "God has not given me a spirit of fear, but He has given me a Spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind." If it's the sense of inability or failure, speak Philippians 4:13 to yourself: "I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me!" 

After speaking the Word of God to yourself, you will immediately feel the difference in your mind, in your emotion, and also in the spiritual atmosphere around you. Trust me in this. It works. 

3. Ask for the help of the Holy Spirit

1 John 2:27 says, 'But you have received the Holy Spirit, and He lives within you, so you don't need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what He teaches is true - it is not a lie. So, just as He has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.' 

You know there's a reason that Jesus said He had to go, so that the Holy Spirit will come to all of us. If you would allow Him, the Holy Spirit would teach you and guide you in every area of your life. He will teach you to have the right thoughts and mindsets, because He will always remind you of the Word of God. It's through the Spirit of God and by the Word of God that your mindset can be transformed. And with the right mindset, you will make the right decision for yourself. And that will eventually change your life condition and situation. So, allow the Holy Spirit to involve in every area of your life. 

4. Don't compare yourself with others, and learn to be contented

Galatians 6:4 says, 'Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won't need to compare yourself to anyone else.' 

Now, many of us have read this Bible verse before. But many of us also do not give much attention to this Bible verse. You see, one of the many reasons people having the mindset of "I'm not good enough" is due to pride and ego. Ouch! I know this hurts, but you know, it's true. 

I remember a Chinese saying, that says, 'There will always be a mountain higher than another'. It means there will always be someone else who is better than us. So, do not feel bad if there are others who are better than you in different aspects. If God's people would just mind their own business, spend their own personal time with God, ask for God's specific direction for their lives, seek to improve themselves, and not comparing themselves to others, they will be happier people, whatever vocation you are in, whether you have your own business, you're working nine to five job, or you are in ministry.

If you learn to apply Galatians 6:4 into your own life, you will definitely be happy people. Well, I always believe that to be able to feel contented will lead to a happy life and a happy mind. 

So, whenever you feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts, remember all these steps. 

First, take authority over those thoughts, those negative thoughts, fearful thoughts, threatening thoughts. Take authority over them. Second, speak God's Word to yourself. Speak whatever God's Word that will replace all those negative thoughts. Third, ask for the help of the Holy Spirit. It's only the Holy Spirit who can change a person inside-out. So, ask for His help, and He will help you, even to the small detail. Only He knows every thought of your mind, and so He can help you to overcome them. Finally, don't compare with others, and learn to be contented.

Let's pray together: "God, I pray for understanding for us who are here. Bring us to the understanding that we are saved and blessed because of our faith in You, and not because we have done good or well enough to deserve them. As we put our faith in You Lord, You are transforming our thoughts, changing us and perfecting us through Your Word and Your Spirit. As we focus on Your work in our lives, not comparing ourselves with others, and learn to be contented, we will learn the secret to a happier life. We thank You for Your love and grace upon us. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

That's all my message for this time. If you think that this message will be helpful to others too, please share this with them. Thank you. God bless you. Have a nice day!

You can watch this teaching video by clicking here in TiC YouTube Channel

Are you ready to 'think outside the box'?

This is what the Lord has been speaking to me recently:

"I am always in the midst of doing new things among My people. Those who choose My way will always be thinking outside the box!"

The Lord is always doing new things. Nothing stays dull or stale when you walk with Him. I've seen this throughout my walk with God. So, be ready for new and exciting things in your life, going forward!

By the way, 'to think outside the box' is 'to think differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective'. 

The Lord is real and He is willing to help you and give you the solutions in your life, as long as you stick to Him and seek Him.

Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV) says, 'Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert'. 

Indeed, the Lord can make a way for you where there seems to be no way. There will be no dead-end road for those who look to Him and trust in Him. If He can make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert, you can be assured He will know how to make a way for you, whatever your situation may be at the moment.

There are some old ways, methods, or systems that do not work anymore in a new season. Therefore, you have to let go of those, and ask the Lord to teach you the new ways, methods, or systems that will work in a new season. 

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NKJV) says, 'But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."

In order to forgo the 'old thinking', you will have to substitute it with a new thinking. 

But how do you receive a new thinking from God? By knowing the thoughts of God!

1 Corinthians 2:10-12 (NKJV) says, 'But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God'.

You see, only the Spirit of God knows exactly what is in His mind (i.e. what His thoughts are). And this Spirit of God dwells in you! When you seek Him, spend time with Him and pray in the spirit (pray in tongue), the Spirit of God can tell you what you need to know and what you are to do in each new season or new phase of your life! 

Therefore, if you have the Spirit of God dwelling in you, you don't need to fear! You don't have to fear facing the future. You don't have to be afraid of the unknown in the future. Because when you seek Him, He will tell you what exactly you need to do and what steps to take, be it in your life, career, business, or ministry! 

Of course, when the Spirit of God speaks to you regarding what to do and how to go about doing it, there may be some people who will not be ready to hear it or accept it. They may judge you or even mock at you. But if you know the Spirit of God is the One who has spoken to you regarding that new way, new method, or new system, it will just be a matter of time before those critics or 'noises' will be silenced, when your results show!

So, take heart. There is no dead-end road when you have the Spirit of God in you. He will know how to make a way for you, and you will see yourself excelling in each new season or new phase of your life, no matter what happens around you in the world. Amen!

Click here for the full message in TiC YouTube Channel