Receive fresh anointing to overcome defeat!

Have you been feeling defeated recently?
- Feeling suddenly overwhelmed with a sense of defeat?
- Feeling hopeless and unable to carry on?
- Feeling discouraged because you see a bleak future?
- Feeling like a failure because you can't overcome a sin?
- Feeling ashamed of yourself due to the wrongs you've done?
- Feeling like you just want to give up?

We are living in what the Scripture says as 'perilous times' (2 Timothy 3:1). The enemy wants you to dwell in hopelessness and defeatism. The enemy wants you to lose heart and give up on whatever the Lord has planned and purposed for you. In fact, the enemy tries to get you so 'off course' that he wants you to begin to doubt and turn your back on the Lord your God!
Note: According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 'defeatism' means 'an attitude of accepting, expecting, or being resigned to defeat'.

But the Lord says:
"Do not lose heart, because I have won the victory for you! My people shall not be defeated! My anointing is more than enough for you, if you look to Me and receive from Me! I am releasing faith upon My people! I am releasing boldness and courage for My people! And My people shall overcome! Instead of suffering shame, My people shall have double honor!"

Indeed, the redeemed of the Lord shall be strong! And the redeemed of the Lord shall not be defeated, because the Lord has delivered them from the hands of the enemy! The key chapter to read at the moment is Isaiah 61. This chapter describes who He is and what He can do in times like these; and it also speaks of His promises of victory and honor for you, the redeemed of the Lord!

Isaiah 61:1-3 (NKJV) says, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified."

These verses came to pass some 2,000 years ago when Jesus came on earth to redeem us. And the good news is the Spirit of the Lord upon Jesus is now also upon you today! As Jesus is, so are you in this world! (1 John 4:17) The word 'anointed' here in Isaiah 61 is 'mashach' in Hebrew, and it means 'to rub with oil, to consecrate, to give power'. As you consecrate your life before the Lord, know that the enemy cannot touch what God calls holy! Not only that, you will be called 'trees of righteousness', which speaks of you being restored from hopelessness into people who are strong, beautiful, and useful (like the trees, the lush and fruitful trees)! When the world look at these trees, they see these are the trees the Lord has planted!

Isaiah 61:4-7 (NKJV) then says, "And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations. Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigner shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers. But you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall have double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; Everlasting joy shall be theirs."

Now, what does 'double honor' mean here? It means if the enemy throws one 'trouble' at you, then for that one trouble, the Lord wants you to expect to receive a double-portion blessing! Indeed, the Lord knows how to turn things around for you, when you look to Him and receive from Him!

In times like these, the Lord is also calling you to walk like Enoch walked! Genesis 5:24 (NKJV) says, 'And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him'. Genesis 5:24 (NLT) says, 'Enoch, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him'. In cross reference, Hebrews 11:5 (NKJV) says, 'By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God'.

Interestingly, the name 'Enoch', from the word 'khawnak' in Hebrew, means 'dedicated (to the Lord)'. His life was a life dedicated and consecrated before the Lord, and the Scripture says he walked in close fellowship with God. Enoch lived 365 years before God took him, and there is certainly no coincidence here. If each year speaks of each day, 365 years speaks of 365 days that make up a year! In other words, Enoch had a daily walk with God like none other in his days! And the expression 'pleased God' here is from the word 'euarestos' in Greek, which actually means 'being fully agreeable (with God)'. To put it simply, Enoch had a close daily walk with God, living in full agreement with God and whatever God says!

In times like these, there's yet another call for each of us who is the redeemed of the Lord - a call to be bold and courageous like Elijah! If Enoch is about your walk with God, then Elijah is about your calling on earth! There's no doubting that Elijah was one of the bolder, if not the boldest human being ever lived on earth! At a time when Baal worship (i.e. worshiping 'the masters of this world') practically overwhelmed and supplanted the worship of the true God, Elijah faced off with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah at Mount Carmel, and won!

People of God, the Spirit and power of God that worked in Elijah those days is also what the Lord wants you to receive today! Let the Spirit of boldness, faith, and courage to stand firm, even against all odds, be released upon you right now, as you walk in your God-given calling on earth!

Do you realize both Enoch and Elijah have one thing in common? They did not see death on earth! They were taken up and taken away by the Lord! These are pictures of what is to come in the end of days, as you prepare yourself for the coming of the great King - who is, who was, and who is to come! (Revelation 1:7-8)

As a matter of fact, even the boldest of men on earth (like Elijah) had his share of discouragement too, and he was even tempted to give it all up! But there is a new strength being released for God's people right now! And there is a fresh anointing being released upon God's people right now! Just as happened when the Angel of the Lord said to Elijah those days, "Arise and eat! Because the journey is great ahead of you!" And the Word of the Lord came to him further, "What are you doing here? Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." 

Elijah arose, and he went in the strength of that heavenly food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God! (1 Kings 19:8) People of God, for you too, arise and eat therefore! Eat of His Word, and drink of His living waters, the Spirit of the Lord! Elijah never looked back ever since, and he went on to see the greater things the Lord had prepared for him to see! Like Elijah, may you too see the full completion of all that the Lord has called you to be (and do) on earth (Philippians 1:6). Amen!

Fulfilling your God-given destiny

The Lord spoke these words:
"Rejoice! Again I say rejoice! If I have given you a destiny, no one can take it away from you! But you've got to look to Me, not to man! Choose to look to My wisdom, instead of the wisdom of man. Choose to walk in My ways and timing, instead of the ways of this world."

The word 'destiny' in English is derived from the Latin word 'destinare', which can mean 'to establish, to appoint, to make firm, to put in place'. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (Amplified Bible) says, 'For God has not destined us to (incur His) wrath (that is, He did not select us to condemn us), but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ'. This verse speaks of our general destiny as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

But how about our specific God-given destiny for each of us? The Scripture has many verses to show us that the Lord has indeed established us, appointed us, and put in place a specific destiny for each one of us. No two persons are exactly the same. Each one of us is unique and special in our own God-given ways. Ecclesiastes 6:10 (NLT) says, 'Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there's no use arguing with God about your destiny'.

The good news is His destiny for each one of us is always the best-suited one, simply because He knows each one of us inside-out, more than we know ourselves. Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT) says, 'For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope'. Our part is simply to heed Him and follow His ways (and timing)!

Let's look at David's life now, and we shall see as long as he heeded the Lord and followed His ways (and timing), no one could take away the destiny God had given him! Proverbs 16:20 (NIV) says, 'Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord'.

It all began when the Lord spoke to prophet Samuel to anoint someone from among the sons of Jesse as king of Israel. 1 Samuel 16:1 (NLT) says, 'Now the Lord said to Samuel, "You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king."' Soon, Samuel found David as the one he was to anoint, the youngest of the eight sons of Jesse. And David was only fifteen years old at that time.

However, if you look at the Scripture, it took many more years before David eventually became king. After Saul died a tragic death (1 Samuel 31:1-10), David was installed as king not long after, but only as the king of Judah (2 Samuel 2:1-4). He was thirty years old at that time, about fifteen years after prophet Samuel anointed him. Through those years, it was a time of preparation for David, and even a test of faith and patience for David.

Even then, this wasn't exactly the fulfillment of his God-given destiny, because he only became king of Judah, but not yet king of Israel. And the reason why David was not yet installed as king of Israel was Abner (commander of Saul's army, who was also a cousin of Saul). Abner knew God had designated David as the next king of Israel, and so did the people of Israel those days. But out of his own self-interest, he installed Ishbosheth (a son of Saul) as king of Israel instead! (2 Samuel 2:8-11) With that, Abner became the 'brain' behind Ishbosheth, who was merely a puppet-king. Abner then challenged the servants of David to a fight; and a long, exhausting war between the house of Israel and the house of Judah ensued (2 Samuel 2:12-17). But as years went by, the house of Judah (under David) grew stronger and stronger, whereas the house of Israel (under Ishbosheth, who was a 'puppet' of Abner) grew weaker and weaker (2 Samuel 3:1).

Very interestingly, through those years (when Abner stopped David from becoming king of Israel), David did not oppose and react against Abner who installed Ishbosheth as king of Israel. Why? Because he understood it is the Lord who holds one's destiny, not man. If it wasn't his time yet, then so be it! Furthermore, David had made a promise never to cut off Saul's descendants. Therefore, he would not (by any means) remove Ishbosheth as king of Israel, whether through subtle ways or by force.

As you can see here, David learned to wait on the Lord, and he chose to walk in God's ways (and timing), not man's ways (and timing). Some seven years later, things turned around when Abner was killed, and Ishbosheth too was killed (2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 4:5-7). David's time eventually came, and he reigned over all of Israel and Judah from then on (2 Samuel 5:1-5), ushering in what historians call as 'the golden age' of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah.

As David reminisced in his old age, he wrote Psalm 37. In verse 4 of that psalm, he wrote, 'Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart'; and in verse 23, he wrote, 'The steps of a good man are ordered (appointed, directed, established) by the Lord, and He delights in his way'. 

The word 'delight' in verse 4 is 'awnag' in Hebrew, and in this context, it means 'to be soft (before the Lord), to be pliable (before the Lord), to be easily bended (before the Lord)'. The opposite of this word 'delight', by the way, is 'blame, a hardened heart'. Now, here's the secret to David fulfilling his God-given destiny: David had learned to be soft, pliable, and easily bended before the Lord! 

Not only that, David had learned to be patient, instead of blaming and complaining! He chose to believe there's still justice on earth, because his God's not dead! He knew God would eventually turn the tables on the wicked, and true enough, God did! The truth is God had never forgotten what He had spoken about him through the prophet Samuel!

People of God, like David (whose name means 'beloved'), you too are God's beloved. Do not lose heart therefore if what God had spoken to you (about your destiny) seems so far-fetched at the moment. The truth is He hasn't forgotten you, and He hasn't forgotten His destiny and 'appointments' for you on earth. Never mind if things look impossible at the moment. Never mind if you think you have recently missed your opportunity. Look to Him, and return to His ways. Trust in His perfect wisdom and timing for your life! And just as happened to David, God will know how to turn things around for you too, even in ways you cannot imagine yet. Your waiting time will soon be over. In His time, He will make all things beautiful. Amen!

Never overwhelmed, never stressed out!

Feeling overwhelmed with so many things in life?
Feeling stressed out by so many pressing matters?
Feeling out-of-control with what's happening around you?

You have done everything you know how, but it seems like there's no light at the end of the tunnel? You have done everything you could, but it seems like it is all in vain?

The Lord says:
"My grace is sufficient for you, and I am more than enough for you. Whatever in this world that tries to overwhelm you, stress you out, or pull you down, it will not succeed against you, if you look to Me! For I AM WHO I AM, and I AM still in full control! All that you've done for Me will not go in vain. Just as I have done for Hezekiah those days, so will I do for you!"

Indeed, people of God, the Lord is more than enough for you, no matter what you are faced with at the moment. Let's go to 2 Chronicles now, and find out how the Lord showed Himself more than enough in Hezekiah's life as well.

The name 'Hezekiah' itself is very interesting. It is 'Chizqi Yah' in Hebrew, from two words, 'Chazaq', meaning 'to strengthen, to be strong, to be courageous', and 'Yah', which is the name of the self-existent and eternal God. Hezekiah, by the way, was one of the few kings of Judah who had close relationship with the Lord, and who did what was right, good, and faithful before the Lord his God.

After the wicked Ahaz (his father) died, Hezekiah became king, and the first thing he did was to cleanse the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 29:1-5), throwing away the rubbish (and debris) that had heaped up in the house of the Lord (2 Chronicles 29:15-16). All in all, he did everything he knew how for the Lord - getting the Levites and priests to sanctify themselves, restoring worship in the temple of the Lord, keeping the Passover to the Lord God, and that's when 2 Chronicles 30:26 says, 'So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem'. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of the Lord, to seek the Lord his God, he did it with all his heart, and the Lord prospered him (2 Chronicles 31:21).

So, what could have lunged at him later on? And what could have threatened to destroy all the good that he had done? 2 Chronicles 32:1-2 says, 'After these deeds of faithfulness (on Hezekiah's part), Sennacherib king of Assyria came and entered Judah, and he encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them over to himself... and that his purpose was to make war against Jerusalem...' The name 'Sennacherib' here implies 'someone/something that seeks to replace the good with something sinful, or replace your joy with sorrow', and Hezekiah was now faced with a deep crisis, when the Assyrians, the dominant world power at that time, wanted to invade Judah and Jerusalem!

People of God, like Hezekiah, maybe you too have done everything you know how. You have cleansed your 'temple', you have restored your 'altar' of worship, you have returned to His ways, you have followed His instructions, and you have even started off (what He has spoken for you to do) really well! But all of a sudden, you are now feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and it seems like it is too much for you! Maybe because some people are not 'happy' with the good progress you've made, and they are now causing you problems, or to put it bluntly, giving you 'hell'. Or maybe it is a situation that is so pressing and stressing, that it takes away the peace out of your life! In other words, you are faced with your 'Sennacherib' that seeks to replace your joy with sorrow!

Now, the big question is how did Hezekiah handle this? The answer is he looked to the Lord, and cried out to the Lord! Together with the prophet Isaiah, they sought the Lord for His deliverance for Judah and Jerusalem! (2 Chronicles 32:20) Hezekiah and Isaiah - this is what I call a 'dream team' coming together! What a combination! What a team!

Where two or three are gathered in His name, He is here to answer, even in ways you cannot imagine can happen! I often tell those who come to be ministered to, that if they are the 'Hezekiah', then let our ministry be their 'Isaiah'. We pray together. We seek the Lord together. We look to the Lord together. We cry out to the Lord together. The answer and the deliverance will come.

As they (Hezekiah and Isaiah) were crying out to the Lord together, the Lord then sent an angel to destroy the works of Sennacherib, and Sennacherib had to return shamefaced to his own land (2 Chronicles 32:21). Yes, you've got it right - one angel! Just one angel settles it all! Is there anything too hard for the Lord?

So, take heart, people of God, all that you have done for the Lord will not go in vain! Do not be discouraged when you are faced with the 'Sennacherib' of your life. The Lord is more than enough for you, and His grace is sufficient for you. And whatever 'Sennacherib' that tries to hurl or lunge at you, trust that the Lord will know how to overturn it for your good! What the Lord has begun in your life, nothing in this world can upset it, if you look to Him continually. May you too, as Hezekiah's name means, be strengthened by the Lord for the many more greater things ahead of you. In Jesus' name. Amen!