Sunday, July 25, 2010

The power of praise!

Psalm 119:164a: Seven times a day I praise You (YHWH).

Number ‘seven’ here in Hebrew means ‘perfect’. So, Psalm 119:164a actually means ‘praising the Lord perfectly, without limit, and infinitely’. In other words, ‘to praise Him as often as you can, without putting a limit’! Just as in Matthew 18:21-22, when Jesus said to forgive ‘seventy times seven’ in the parable of the unforgiving servant, he didn’t mean to say ‘forgive 490 times’. How about the 491st time? What Jesus actually meant was to ‘forgive perfectly, infinitely, without putting a limit’, ie ‘as often as when there’s a need to forgive’.

Why do we praise the Lord? Psalm 145:3 says ‘Great is the Lord (YHWH), and He is greatly to be praised. His greatness is unsearchable (ie ‘beyond our understanding)’. In New International Version, it reads ‘His greatness no one can fathom (no one can measure)’. He, YHWH, is great above all else, and infinitely much greater than all of the sun, stars & moon, even the galaxies combined! This is our great God, the one and only God, YHWH whom only we praise & worship!

So, people of God, when you have nothing else (or nothing better) to say or do, or don’t know what to say or do, just praise the Lord!

Psalm 22:3 says ‘God is enthroned in the praises of Israel’. The word ‘praises’ here in Hebrew is ‘tehillah’, which actually means ‘high praise, laudation’. This word ‘tehillah’ comes from the word ‘hawlal’ which simply means ‘praise’. Note that ‘Hallelujah’ means ‘praise the Lord (‘Yah’ here is the name of God, YHWH)’. The word ‘enthroned’ in Psalm 22:3 is also translated as ‘inhabitest’ in King James Version. It is ‘yashab’ in Hebrew, which means ‘to dwell, settle, abide, sit down (seated), remain’. As a believer, you are the ‘spiritual Israel’, the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ where God dwells (1 Corinthians 3:16). 

So, when  you ‘tehillah’, you are ‘putting (enthroning) Him’ as King, Sovereign, Ruler in your life, over your home, in your situation, or over your organization, and even your community or nation! That's what the Word of God says! And when He is ‘enthroned’ in your praises (‘tehillah’), He takes full control (takes on Rulership) over whatever situation you may be in! He ‘inhabits’ the praises of His people (& you as believer are His people)! And when He’s made ‘King’ over your situation, all’s well indeed! After all, He is great, and His greatness no one can fathom! And if He is for you (with you), who can be against you? (Romans 8:31).

Beloved, my prayer is may ‘tehillah’ never depart from your mouth day and night! Psalm 149:6 says ‘let high praises (tehillah) of God be in His people’s mouth’! Amen! So, the next time you hear something ‘disturbing’, or hear of a ‘discouraging’ news, or anything that may have ‘lowered your countenance’, anxious notGod is still in control! He is still the King, no matter what! Look at what the Word of God says, and not what people say, or what the newspapers say! Just start praising the Lord! Just start singing praises to Him (in spite of...)! Let YHWH be enthroned (over whatever situation you are in), and praise (‘tehillah’) your way to your victory & breakthrough!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Purposing in the spirit

To 'purpose in the spirit' is to 'make plans in the spirit' (Acts 19:21-22 KJV/NKJV). The apostle Paul at that time 'purposed in the spirit' to go to Jerusalem & Rome. So, what did Luke, the writer of the book of Acts meant by 'purposing in the spirit' here? The word ‘purpose’ in this verse is ‘tithemi’ in Greek. It actually means ‘to place a plan before the Lord (in a passive & horizontal posture)’. It can also mean ‘to commit a plan before the Lord (for an approval)’, or ‘to lay a plan before God, or to put forth a plan before God’.

Decision-making involves making choices. Are you in a time when you needed to make a choice (in spiritual ministry, a career move, a business decision, in relationships, in a family, in investments, a career change, a new venture, or even in buying a property)? Or have you reached a point of stagnancy, and you've been asking yourself "What now?" or "So, what's next for me?", or everything seems to be within your 'fingertips' at the moment and you felt there's 'more than this' in life? Beloved, whatever it may be, God is definitely interested in your life & in your future, and He's here to help you.

From my own experience, I'd like to share with you some general guidelines in a decision-making process:

1.       1. Keep doing what you are doing now (Acts 19:21-22) while 'waiting'. Paul, in purposing in his spirit to go to Jerusalem & then Rome, stayed on in Asia (where he was) 'for a time' (Acts 19:22), while waiting for his ‘in due time’.

2.       2. Put yourself on ‘neutral’ gear (Acts 19:21-22). This is what the word 'tithemi' means. Avoid any presumption, or ‘shooting first before you aim’. 

3.       3. Seek further sign or confirmation (Matthew 1:18-20). Joseph was deciding what to do with Mary upon finding out that she’s pregnant 'before they came together'. At that time, Mary was only betrothed (engaged, but not yet married) to Joseph. An angel then appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit".

4.      4. Wait for approval (from the Lord). 'Timing' is very important. Learn to wait on the Lord (Acts 1:4, Acts 1:8, Acts 1:13-14, Acts 2:1). Don’t be hasty (or 'plunge' into something before time). It's important to wait for the right timing, and not 'before' or 'after'. In fact, waiting time is never a waste of time. It’s a preparation time, a time of 'building in the spirit' before the time comes. Peter and the other apostles waited until the right time. And when the time came (the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost), Peter preached a sermon and 3,000 souls were saved (Acts 2:41) then & there! 

Pa   May every decision you make bring with it much joy & favor!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Under covering

Psalm 91:4 (NKJV): He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge...

Psalm 91 is our key chapter here. Take time to read and meditate on the whole Psalm 91 today.

I had a dream the other day. In the dream, I was in my house with my family, and there was an 'attack’ of roaring waves from the sea. Another 'attack' was 'canon balls' being shot by the 'enemy' towards us. Then & there, we were scrambling for safety, and somehow, nothing happened to us, though our house was damaged quite a little. Then, I saw my father-in-law (to me, he is always a ‘picture’ of protection & security), and with much calmness, he went over to the enemy’s place and returned with a basketful of the very type of those 'canon balls' thrown at us! In short, he actually plundered the enemy with much ease.

This is the interpretation: My father-in-law here is a ‘picture’ of God our Father. He is showing Himself strong and calm. He is showing Himself Sovereign and in full control. And because He is All-knowing, All-present, and All-powerful, He can just enter the enemy’s ground and plunder them for you. God is assuring you today that in whatever challenge you may be facing now, He is still your God. Just 'be still (be at rest), and know that He is God' (Psalm 46:10).

It also really doesn't matter what 'wrong' you may have committed in the past. It doesn't have to 'haunt' you anymore. Surrender these to Jesus at the cross. The truth is God still loves you, and He will never laugh nor mock at you or your past. Yes, He may be saddened by those 'wrongs', but in spite of it all, He still loves you! 

"How do you know, pastor?"

The Bible says so. Let's go all the way back to Genesis chapter 3 now. When Adam & Eve made a big mistake (of listening to the serpent & fell for his 'trick'), God was of course saddened. But He never laughed nor mocked at them. In fact, He still wanted to relate with them (Genesis 3:8-10). They, however hid themselves, ashamed, knowing they've done a wrong. They knew they have also lost their 'glory' as a consequence, realizing their 'nakedness'. But you know what? God did something amazing. For the first time ever since creation, He had to kill an animal (which was actually also His own creation) for its skin just to 'cover' Adam & Eve from their 'nakedness' (Genesis 3:21).

This 'sacrificed' animal (to make 'coat' of skins) is actually a ‘picture’ of Jesus being sacrificed on the cross for you & me. His blood was shed to 'cover' you from the judgment for your sins. The word 'coat' or 'tunic' of skin here is 'kethoneth' in Hebrew, which actually means 'covering'. Such is His great love for you. Such is His Father's heart for you. Today, as a believer, know that you are under His covering. He covers all your past shame & failures. Not only that, He also covers you from harm & danger as well. Be conscious of His covering today.

People of God, just as He covers you, I also can't emphasize further how important & crucial it is for you to ‘cover’ the people under your care, especially in such time when you see much 'chaos' and 'confusion' in the world. Recently, as I was covering for someone in prayer, I heard the words, “Avoid trunk road as you drive”. It was a 'check' in my heart. I didn’t know the details, but I just prayed in the spirit. Now, this can happen when you 'cover' someone in prayer. God may speak something to you in order 'to prevent evil'. So I called the person and asked her to be extra careful (yet not fear), as a precaution as she travels this time. She came back thanking me, knowing that God has indeed protected her!

'Cover' your family in prayer daily. Cover your children in prayer daily. Children need even more ‘layers’ of protection. Cover them by the blood of Jesus, spirit, soul, and body. As a pastor (or a shepherd), I know it’s very important to cover my ‘sheep’ (in my 'field') daily as well. A shepherd does not just ‘feed the Word’, but he also covers in prayer.

As I end my writing today, I pray the whole Psalm 91 for you right now. May you be blessed. Goodness and mercy of the Lord be with you always. Amen!

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Receiving your spiritual promotion

The book of Daniel chapters 1,2 & 3 are keys to your 'spiritual promotion'. Meditate on these chapters.

In Daniel chapter 1, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon gave an instruction to look for potential and gifted people to serve in his palace, and those short-listed would be given daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of wine, plus three years of training. Among those listed were Daniel and his three friends. While everyone else would have 'jumped' into this great 'offer', Daniel didn't. He purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which the king drank (Daniel 1:8a).

You know what? God honored Daniel for this, and when the time came for the king to interview him & his three friends, the king found out that they were ten times better than all the others in the short-list! Rightly so, they were selected (Daniel 1:19-20).

And in chapter 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and he was deeply troubled by it. Anxious to know the meaning of the dream (Daniel 2:1-3), he gave a command to call the magicians, the astrologers, and the sorcerers in his kingdom to tell him his dream, and to interpret it. However, no one could. The king was furious and thus commanded all the wise men of Babylon be destroyed. And at such a time, Daniel heard about it. But He knew his God. He had a real revelation of who He is; a God who can reveal even the deepest of 'secrets'. True enough, the ‘secrets’ (the king's dream) that nobody else knew was revealed to Daniel in a night vision. He then came before the king and told him that ‘there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets’ (Daniel 2:28). Praise God! He revealed it with such great accuracy (plus the interpretation of it)! The king was of course impressed, and he was so pleased that he promoted Daniel to be the prime minister in all of Babylon!

So, from a ‘nobody’ in a foreign land, and as a 'captive' taken from his homeland, he was promoted to be a prime minister in charge of the king’s administration! And all these began with Daniel 'purposing to set himself apart' from the pleasures of the flesh, in the form of king's delicacies & wine. These 'delicacies' and 'wine' are 'pictures' representing any 'earthly pleasures' or 'indulgences' (that may have taken God's place in your life). Such would have 'clogged' him from receiving all the spiritual understanding & wisdom from the Lord, the very qualities that impressed King Nebuchadnezzar!

Daniel chapter 3 then tells us about Daniel's friends not 'compromising' & not bowing down to worship the gold image built by Nebuchadnezzar. God honored them with promotion as well!

Beloved, there's no God like our God. The God of Daniel and his three friends is here with you right now. He will surely honor you if you 'choose' Him, and praise the Lord, your 'promotion' is already on the way, just as Daniel and his three friends experienced!