All things have become new!

2 Corinthians 5:17b: Old things have passed away; behold all things have become new.

I heard these words one day: "Secure your heart in the Lord, for He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think". As you secure your heart in Him (Jesus your immovable, secure, and solid 'rock'), He will begin to do His part, and He is indeed able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you've ever imagined! Let these words flow to you!

It doesn't matter what mistakes you've made in the past, or how big those mistakes may be. It's time to let go & let God. Past is past. Old things have indeed passed away, and now all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). The word 'all' here is 'pas' in Greek, which really means 'every, whole, whatsoever, any, throughly, or all'. Flow with Him again. Align with His 'blueprint' for your life again. Walk in your 'calling' again. Just as 'a fish is meant to be in the sea', and 'a four-legged mammal is meant to be in the land', you are meant to walk in where you belong, i.e God's destiny for your life! Rest assured He will surely make a way for you, and He will surely open 'doors' for you (even beyond what you can imagine now). Watch Him do it. After all, He is your miracle-working God! Is there anything impossible to Him? The Bible says He is your Most High God, the possessor of heaven and earth (Genesis 14:19).

So, whatever mistake or bad decision you've made in the past, you don't have to suffer in it the rest of your life! The 'plague' or 'sorrow' stops the moment you begin looking to Jesus & His finished work on the cross. He has indeed carried all your 'punishment' on the cross 2,000 years ago. Don't look any further, or to human or methods. Look to Him, for only He alone is 'the way, the truth, and the life'.

In 1 Chronicles 21, King David made a mistake of trying to 'number' the people in his land, even though God never said so. You see, even a man of God like him can make mistakes & forget to consult God! This only shows how frail humanity can be. Well, we are all in the 'same boat'. Is there anyone who has never made a mistake or sin before? That's why we need Jesus. Let's get back to 1 Chronicles 21 now. What then was the  consequence of David's one 'bad decision'? 70,000 innocent men of Israel died due to a three-day 'plague'. But thank God His anger lasts only for a moment, but His mercy endures forever. When David finally acknowledged his mistake, God saw the sincerity of his heart. He did open a way for David, and David was to build an altar for the Lord, offering up 'burnt offering' and 'peace offering' to God (1 Chronicles 21:26). The 'burnt offering' & the 'peace offering' here actually are 'pictures' of Jesus (He is our perfect offering on the cross, done once for all). God accepted these offerings, and Israel had peace again. Today, you too (like David) need not suffer any further. Jesus has become your 'burnt offering' and 'peace offering' on the cross. In other words, instead of you getting 'burnt', Jesus got 'burnt' for you, and instead of you getting 'chastised', He got 'chastised' for you (Isaiah 53:4-5). Such is His amazing love & grace for you. The moment you understand this & acknowledge this, your 'plague' or 'sorrow' stops. Know that God is not angry with you anymore, because all His anger has already been satisfied on that one Man Jesus on the cross. Jesus who has no sin (or curse) was made sin (or curse) for you, so that you are now the righteousness of God through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Beloved, your 'time of refreshing' has come. Be 'freshened' up for the journey ahead, for it's going to be exciting, and it's going to be filled with abundance of His goodness & blessing for your life! Amen.

In spite of your 'failures', God's love for you never fails!

Genesis 39:2a: The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.

I heard these words one day: "In spite of your 'failures', God's love for you never fails". Indeed, His love for you never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Beloved, rest assured He will never leave you nor forsake you, and even in your 'driest' time, He is still with you, and is still working in your life (Philippians 2:13).

It doesn't matter what a failure you thought you've been, or what mistake (or how many mistakes) you've made in the past, God's love for you is still the same. His love for you hasn't changed. Joseph in the Old Testament was a 'failure' in the eyes of the world. Not only was he despised by his brothers (Genesis 37:5), he was also stripped (Genesis 37:23), thrown into a pit (Genesis 37:24), sold as a slave (Genesis 37:28), and later, thrown into prison (Genesis 39:20). But in spite of all these 'failures' (that would have 'wiped off' many others), he knew he still had 'someone'. He knew he still had the Lord. He knew despite all these, the Lord is still with him, and this made all the difference. He also knew God's love for him never fails, despite all the 'calamities' that have befallen him. In Genesis 39:2, the Bible says 'the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man'. What? The Bible calls him a 'successful man' even when he was despised, stripped, thrown, enslaved, and imprisoned? Well, you see God's definition of 'success' isn't really what the world sees 'success'. The world sees 'success' by what you have, how big your car is, how much you have in the bank, how many investments you have, etc, but God sees 'success' by who you have. When you have Jesus, you have everything! Joseph had nothing else but the Lord, and by this, the Lord called him a 'successful man'! 

Friends, you know the rest of the story. Joseph went on to become a great man in a great nation which was foreign to him, i.e Egypt. He became an equivalent to a 'prime minister' in our time, and in one of the biggest economies in the world those days. You see, he had no money, no contacts, no friends, no relatives, and not even clothes (he was starkly naked when sold at the slave market to Potiphar) to begin with, but He had the Lord. I believe you are much 'better off' than Joseph at the moment, but beloved, if you have the Lord, you have everything. Because God was with Joseph, and because God is the source of all wisdom, knowledge, and favor, wisdom began to flow in him, knowledge began to flow in him, and favor began to flow in him. He eventually became a 'success' even in the eyes of the world!

So beloved, do not look at 'what you have' at the moment, but instead look at 'who you have', and just as Joseph was, you can declare for yourself "the Lord is with _____________, and I am a successful man/woman, and the Lord makes all I do to prosper". Believe & receive.

Put on the whole armor of God

Ephesians 6:11: Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

The words 'put on' here is 'enduo' in Greek, which means 'endue with, clothe in, clothe with, fill your thoughts with, or be filled with'. In other words, to 'put on' the whole armor of God is to 'be conscious of' the whole armor of God! Now what does 'the whole armor of God' mean here? It actually means 'the wholeness, completeness, fullness of God'. Paul was actually saying we are to 'be conscious of the fullness of God', i.e Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross, the work that's 'perfected forever' (Hebrews 10:14).

Therefore, the armor here actually refers to Jesus Christ Himself, and to 'put on' Christ is to 'be conscious of Christ & His completed work on the cross'. In Ephesians 6:10-17, the breastplate, belt, shoe, shield, helmet, and sword are 'pictures' representing Jesus Christ. You see, He is your righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), He is the truth in your life (John 14:6), He is your peace (Isaiah 9:6), He is the author & finisher (beginner & 'completor') of your faith (Hebrews 12:2), He is of course your Savior (Luke 19:10), and He is the Word of God in your life (John 1:14). The 'Word of God' here is itself represented by the 'sword' (Hebrews 4:12).

For example, to 'put on' the 'breastplate of righteousness' means to 'be conscious that you are the righteousness of God in Christ' (being in 'right standing' with God because of what Jesus has done for you on the cross).

Notice also the word 'stand' (written three times from Ephesians 6:10-17). It is 'histemi' in Greek, which means 'be established'. In the Old Testament, King Jehoshaphat also received these words 'believe & you shall be established' (2 Chronicles 20:17-20), and the Lord won the battle for him (when he believed). The word 'established' here means 'be firm, be built up, be permanent', i.e standing on the solid rock (Jesus is our 'rock'). When you are 'established' in Christ (the Word), the enemy has to flee! The enemy can't stand Him & His Word.

The interesting thing here is Paul never said 'dash/fight/strive/toil' in the battle, but he said 'stand' ('be established' in Christ). In fact he wrote three times here.

When you are in Christ,

He is...

-your breastplate (you are protected from condemnation of the devil, reminding you always that you are already 'righteous' in Christ'),

-your belt (you are fastened with the 'truth', and no 'lies' can deceive you),

-your helmet (you are saved from eternal death, and no one can 'knock that off'),

-your shoe (you are led by Him every step of the way, and wherever you go, there'll be peace, as you preach the gospel, touching lives & being a blessing to others),

-your shield (you are filled with the faith of God, and no fear, anxiety or worry can affect you),

-your sword (you are established in the Word of God, which is 'sharper than any other double-edged sword', and it 'overcomes' any work of darkness).

You see, He is everything to you. The Bible says this whole armor of God (the fullness of Christ in you) is your 'stand' against any wiles (trickery) & wickedness of the enemy (Ephesians 6:11,13). 

Note: Ephesians 6:18-19 then also mentions 'praying in the Spirit' (i.e. praying in tongues). This is another great 'spiritual tool' given to you as well.

So, what are some of those 'wiles & wickedness' of the enemy? It may be a troubling thought, a worry, an anxiety, a feeling that you are condemned, a guilt, a heavy burden, etc. The enemy uses any of these to try to pull down your ‘spirit’, and to destroy you (the devil comes none other than 'to steal, kill & destroy'). Do you have a 'troubling thought' that casts a ‘cloud’ over your life right now? Or you may have heard of a 'bad news'. Or maybe you've just heard of something that 'shakes' you. Take heart, my friend. Jesus Christ is your full (whole) armor against all those. He is all you needed. Set your mind on Him. Be conscious of Him. When you have Him, you have everything. In Him, and only in Him alone, there's true victory (in every area of your life). 

Begin to 'put on' Christ now!

You can have a restful victory!

2 Chronicles 20:17a: "You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you".

Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, had a restful victory (2 Chronicles 20:30). It all started when he led the whole of Judah to seek the Lord (2 Chronicles 20:3-4) when they were about to be attacked by the people of Moab, Ammon and Mount Seir. He knew these 'enemies' were too overwhelming for Judah. But Jehoshaphat did the right thing. He led the whole of Judah to look to God, the One who rules heaven & all the nations (2 Chronicles 20:6).

And when he allowed God to take over, that's when God began to speak, "do not be afraid nor be dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but Mine" (2 Chronicles 20:14-15), and "you will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you" (2 Chronicles 20:17a). So, Jehoshaphat and the whole of Judah did as the Lord has spoken. They believed, and because of that, they were established (2 Chronicles 20:20). On the day of battle, they just needed to position themselves, and Jehoshaphat appointed the singers and musicians to sing praises to the Lord before the army. That's when God did His part. He set ambushes against Judah's enemies, and they were so confused that they helped to kill & wipe out one another! (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).

Not only that, Judah then took three days just to gather the valuables & jewelries of the enemies, and they came back to Jerusalem with much joy! They called that place of plunder 'the Valley of Berachah' (meaning 'the valley of blessings'). The Bible goes on to say 'and the fear of the Lord was on all the kingdoms of those countries when they heard that the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. Then the realm of Jehoshaphat was quiet, for his God gave him rest all around' (2 Chronicles 20:29-30).

Beloved, if you have been surrounded by your 'Moabites or Ammonites', and your problems seem insurmountable (whatever these may be), start looking to Jesus (Hebrews 12:2) & His finished work on the cross. Rest in what He has already done for you on the cross some 2,000 years ago. He has already won it for you, and He is the same yesterday, today & forever! Trust in the Holy Spirit as He leads you, just as Jehoshaphat trusted in his days. The Bible says 'in Him is all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge' (Colossians 2:3) and 'His ways are higher than our ways' (Isaiah 55:8-9). Believe you'll be at the right place, at the right time, doing the right things, just as Jehoshaphat was.

Begin to declare that in Christ, you have already won your victory! Believe, my friend, and you will be established! The word 'be established' here actually means 'be firmed, or be permanent'. When you are in such a position in Christ, no evil or power of the enemy can ever 'touch' you. In fact, God will 'plunder' them for you! Receive by faith! Unto Him be all the glory!