How to make plans in the Spirit?

The Lord has spoken for this week: "Look to Me and seek Me, and I will show you My plans and purposes in your life. Be patient to wait on Me. My Spirit will lead you and guide you. My Spirit is teaching you to discern and differentiate what is My plan and what is mere man's plan." 

With these words from the Lord, I'm going to write on how to make plans in the Spirit (i.e. how to plan in the Spirit), or how to purpose in the Spirit. The Bible has something to say regarding this. 

But before that, I want to ask you, "Who are you actually?" You are a spirit being. You are a spirit who lives in a body (a physical body) and have a soul. So, first and foremost, you are a spirit being. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, apostle Paul wrote, 'Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.' 

You see here, apostle Paul wrote there are three parts in a human being - spirit, soul (consists of your mind, will, and emotions), body (physical body). But out of these three parts, your spirit is who you really are. Your spirit is real. It is not just a bodily organ. Some people call it a heart, some people call it a belly. But it's not just a bodily organ. It's not an imagination. It's not an idea. But your spirit is real. It's your real self. You are first and foremost a spirit being, and I call it spirit-man. 

In fact, your spirit should dominate your whole being. People exercise their physical body and nourish themselves with good food and proper nutrition. Nothing wrong. People exercise their soul by training their mind, by receiving education. No problem. But you know what? Many people in this world neglect the most important part, the essential part, the real them - that is the spirit. Now, the way to strengthen or nourish your spirit is by none other than feeding yourselves with the Word of God and praying in the Spirit. See? Word of God and Spirit of God. Word and Spirit. In Matthew 4:4, Jesus says, '...Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.' Jude 1:20 says, 'But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.' 

So today, I want to point you to your spirit being, because that is the most important part of your whole being, yet it's the most neglected part by the world. So how do you nourish yourself? How do you strengthen your spirit being? You've got to exercise your spirit. You've got to give it proper nutrition. You've got to feed it well. Feed with the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit to build yourself up on your most holy faith. See again? Word and Spirit. These are the two important pillars in your Christian life. 

I continue. In Romans 1:9, apostle Paul wrote, 'For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers.' 

You see, Paul served God with his spirit. He never wrote 'with his soul or body', though of course these two parts (soul and body) will be involved too. Because we are a tripartite being. Three parts. But one person. But I tell you what, first and foremost, it is his spirit that serves God. The word 'serve' here is 'latreuo' in Greek. It simply means 'to minister unto God' or 'to worship God'. It means we minister unto God with our spirit. We worship God with our spirit. We worship God by doing what God says we do on earth, by obeying His callings, His plans and purposes for us on earth. And that's part of our worship before the Lord. To submit ourselves before Him. Because He is God, and we are not. 

The word 'spirit' here is 'pneuma' in Greek. It can mean the spirit of a man (or of course a woman), or the spirit-man. We humans are spirit beings, remember this. So, whatever we do on this earth, whether in our worship before the Lord, our ministering unto Him, in our walking with Him, in doing whatever God asks us to do, we are serving Him with our spirit. 

In John 4:23-24, Jesus says, 'But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit ('pneuma') and truth.' The word 'worship' here is 'proskuneo' in Greek. If you look at the definition in James Strong's Concordance, he defined 'proskuneo' here as 'to kiss'. It means to touch God, to be in close proximity to God. That's what 'to kiss' means. And interestingly, he put it this way: 'like a dog licking his master's hand'. So imagine your pet dog licking your hand, so excited to see you when you come home, so longing to want to spend time with you as the master. Now, that's how James Strong defined 'proskuneo'. Like the dog licking his master's hand, so it is the same with us as we worship the Lord. We 'proskuneo' before the Lord. We want more of Him. We long for Him. We will miss Him when we are far from Him. Of course, 'proskuneo' can also mean 'to prostrate before God', 'to submit or surrender to God'. You see, not necessarily with music and songs. You can worship of course with music and songs, but worship before the Lord is more than just music and songs, as you see from the definitions above.

With the right understanding of who you actually are (you are first and foremost a spirit being), now let's see what the Scriptures say about 'making plans in the Spirit'. Remember our topic here is 'How to make plans in the Spirit?' Because in order for you to make plans in the Spirit, you've got to know who you are first. You are a spirit being, and therefore whatever you do, you do it with your spirit. You serve God with your spirit, you worship God with your spirit, and now, like Paul, you can make plans in the Spirit. Look at this verse here in Acts 19:21: 'When these things were accomplished (in the context here, the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed in Ephesus), Paul purposed in the Spirit when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome."' You see, Paul was purposing in his spirit, making plans in his spirit, to go to Jerusalem, and after that, he wanted to go and see Rome. The word 'purpose' here is 'tithemi' in Greek. It can mean 'conceive, set forth, present, commit'. So Paul was conceiving in the Spirit his plan to go to Jerusalem and Rome. He was setting it forth before the Lord. He presented it before the Lord. He committed it before the Lord. Therefore, to make plans in the Spirit, or to purpose in the Spirit, is to present an idea or a thought before the Lord. You see, even in making plans, Paul was doing it in the Spirit first! 

So we are not talking about making mere man's plans. It's easy to make man's plans by just using your mind to plan for your life. But I tell you a better way, a way that will always lead you to your victory and to fulfill your God-given destiny. It's planning the way the Bible teaches us to plan, i.e. planning according to His will, His plans and His purposes in our lives.

Acts 17:27-28 says, '...so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us; For in Him we live and move and have our being...' See the word 'move' here? Not just in Him we live, not just in Him we have our being, but in Him we move! It means your moving here and there! You know what this means? Your direction in life!

Through the many years of me walking in the Spirit, and teaching people in serving with the spirit and moving in the Spirit, I've learned not to go ahead with any major decisions in life unless and until I have sought the Lord and get confirmation (or 'green light') from Him first. Now that's super important. Because a lot of people are just like 'punching in the air'. They never aim first. They shoot everywhere, but never aim. But when you receive a thought or an idea, present it before the Lord first, and then pray and seek the Lord. Even if the Lord leads you to fast (fast and pray), go ahead. Pray in the spirit. Read the Word of God. And wait on the Lord. Learn to be patient before the Lord. And the Lord will give you the confirmation, even more confirmation. And if it's not from the Lord, the Lord will give you 'counter-confirmation', saying no to it. But if it's from the Lord, the Lord will surely give you 2 or 3 more confirmations. So, pray, fast, seek the Lord, be patient, read the Word of God. Never mind if people call you 'slow poke', because they are so impatient, but you be like the eagle, do it right first time in catching the prey. You know, sometimes even 30 days, 60 days, or even many more months, God may still be silent regarding a certain matter that you present to Him. This is especially so if it is a major decision, like a new direction in your ministry, a new direction in business, moving from one location to another location, bigger kind of investment (e.g. buying properties), deciding your career path, etc. Ya, sometimes God can be silent for many days, even months. Just be patient. Don't give up praying. Don't give up waiting on the Lord. Keep seeking, keep praying in the spirit, till there is clear confirmation or answer (whether through dreams, through thoughts that are not premeditated, etc). And when you receive the confirmation, act accordingly, and there will be results! 

If you look at Acts 16:6-10, you would know that apostle Paul has been seeking the Lord regarding direction in his ministry (for him and his team), 'Now when they had gone through Phrygia and the region of Galatia, they were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them. So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night. A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them.' 

So you have this example in the Scripture, especially of apostle Paul. He never went ahead in his life and ministry before seeking the Lord first, and when he has received confirmation, only then would he go ahead. So, go directly to God is the best! That's what apostle Paul did. If other people say anything or give opinion (suggestion) what you should be doing, what you should not be doing, what they think is best for you, or what is the best decision that you should make, if other people, other than God, give you all kinds of opinions, you need to check with your spirit first. You need to check your inner witness, your inward witness. You need to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you first, a sense of whether there is peace or no peace. Ahhh... (if there's peace). Ugh Ugh Ugh... (if there's no peace). Check with your spirit first. You know why? Because many times I have heard people complaining this way: "I was taking this so and so's advice, but it turned out to be a bad decision." And you know what, some of these advices may even be so-called 'prophecies'. Of course no denying prophecies from the Lord (that's not premeditated by man), when man speaks as God speaks, can lead to great breakthroughs or into the right direction. Never despise prophecies from the Lord. But what I mean here is even prophecies need to be tested. KIV (keep in view) first, when you hear someone prophesy about you. Wait on the Lord further to sense peace or no peace. Does your spirit respond with 'a leap of joy'? Or repulsiveness? Or simply neutral? Wait on the Lord and seek the Lord, to see if there is confirmation or counter-confirmation (it means God refuting or rebuking that 'prophecy'). May the Lord sensitize your spirit-man. You know why I say this? Because some 'prophecies' may just be merely that 'prophesier' imposing his will or his idea on you. Or that person merely saying it from his mind, perception, or opinion regarding your situation. But it may not be from the Lord. In other words, to put words in God's mouth by saying, "I heard God says this...", "I heard God says that..." 

Now, be extra careful. Every prophecy needs to be tested. You can see that in 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21, 'Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things, hold fast what is good.' You see, test all things, including prophecies. 

Back to the Macedonian call to Paul and his team, and how God did not permit them to go certain direction. The fact here is there can be times the Lord does not permit us to go to a certain direction, or move to a certain direction. You know why? Because He sees further than us, and knows better than us, even if at times we ask, "Why not?" Or even if at times we just cannot understand why cannot? Why God does not permit it? But you know what, God is God. God sees the end from the beginning. So, your part is just flow with Him, flow with His direction, even His timing. Speaking about patience here. And as you flow with Him, His direction and His timing, you are going to see your destiny being fulfilled on earth. You know why? Because God always has your best interest in His mind, and He has the best plan for us. 

So, if you are in the midst of seeking the Lord to make a major decision in your life, be it in ministry, your career, your family's direction, your business, or whatever it may be, remember all that have been taught today. As you present before the Lord, learn to wait on Him. Be patient. The Lord will surely speak. And if you are not sure, you KIV (keep in view). Put yourself in 'neutral gear' before the Lord. Present it before the Lord further. That's how you make plans before the Lord. And let God speak to you in different ways that He wants to speak to you. And when you have confirmation, you go ahead, and you are going to see your results for sure! 

Let's pray: "O Lord God, we ask that You sensitize our spirit-man so that we'll be like that antenna, spiritual antenna, that will receive Your reception, spiritual reception. We want to flow with You, Your plans in our lives, Your direction in our lives, even Your timing in our lives. Be it in ministry, in personal life, in family plans, or in career or business plans. Teach us to be patient to wait on You. We thank You because You are teaching us to discern and to differentiate what is Your plan and what is mere man's plan, what is God's idea and what is mere man's idea. We want to walk in Your idea for us. We want to walk in Your plan and purposes for us. In the name of Jesus. Amen."

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A lifestyle of worship

I heard and released these words from the Lord on December 4, 2016:

"This is a month to dedicate yourselves to Me in worship. A lifestyle of worship! A lifestyle of worship! In all that you are, and in all that you do, worship Me!"

Don’t get me wrong. Not that at other times, you don’t worship. But this is a key month to dedicate yourselves to Him again in worship.

In John 4:23-24, Jesus says, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 

The word 'worship' here is 'proskuneo' in Greek, and according to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, it means 'to kiss (like a dog licking his master's hand)'. Other definitions of this word 'proskuneo' are 'to prostrate with a kiss' and 'to prostrate oneself in reverence and adoration'.

By the way, 'to prostrate' can be defined as 'to lay oneself flat on the ground face downward, especially in reverence and submission'.

Two times the Lord said, "A lifestyle of worship!", and I knew He had wanted me to write about this today. And so here am I, O Lord, at Your service!

I am fascinated by this particular definition of 'proskuneo': 'to kiss (like a dog licking his master's hand)'. If you have a pet dog, you'd know what this means. To the dog, you are like the world to him! To the dog, you are 'the leader of the pack', 'the master', someone whom he would look to and put his fullest trust!

With this illustration above, we can now understand better the very essence of what 'worship' ('proskuneo') is, in the context of your relationship with the Lord your God: Like a dog licking the master's hand, you look to Him (your Master) and put your fullest trust in Him (your Master) in all that you are, and in all that you do! 

Contrary to what many people think, worship isn't just in songs and melodies. Worship is a lifestyle! For those in worship ministry, your lifestyle reflects your ministry, and not just in your singing of songs, or playing of musical instruments. As someone who has been involved in worship ministry, I must admit that no doubt musical skills are important, but without a heart and lifestyle of worship, all these skills will become nothing before God. People may be impressed by your musical skills/talents, but God isn't.

Note: The Oxford Dictionary defines 'lifestyle' as 'way of life of an individual or group'; and Dictionary.com defines it as 'a way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group'.

Today, I want to introduce two words for 'worship' that you can find in the New Testament. First, 'proskuneo' (which I have explained above), and second, 'latreuo'. The second word is found in Philippians 3:3 written by the apostle Paul: 'For we are the circumcision, who worship ('latreuo') God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh'. The word 'latreuo' here in Greek means 'to minister (unto God), to serve God, to render service (unto God)'.

The apostle Paul then continued writing: '...If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eight day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith...' (Philippians 3:4-9, NKJV)

In the context of the verses above, 'latreuo' can therefore be defined as 'to minister (unto God), to serve God, to render service (unto God), without putting confidence in the flesh'. In other words, not by one's own ability, but God's ability!

The apostle Paul (who was entrusted by the Lord to write half of the whole New Testament) understood what true 'worship' is! He was living a lifestyle of worship through and through! The Bible never mentioned him playing musical instruments! But that doesn't mean he wasn't a worshiper of the Lord! Singing songs? Okay, the Bible mentioned that before! Not in a worship conference, or on stage in a worship service, but you know where? Inside the jail, together with Silas, and in the midnight hour! (Acts 16:25-26) Instead of wallowing in self-pity, he sang hymns to God! It just came naturally to him, even in the 'darkest' of hours! He was living a lifestyle of worship from the inside-out! Not a facade, not for show, but a 'proskuneo' and 'latreuo' before the Lord!

You see, you don't have to be in worship team/ministry to be a worshiper! But if you are in worship team/ministry, all the more you are to live a lifestyle of worship! Not just in songs and music, but in every facet (aspect) of your everyday life!

In all that you are, worship Him!

'Proskuneo': Looking to Him and putting all your trust in Him.

'Latreuo': Ministering unto Him and rendering service unto Him, putting no confidence in your own flesh.

For instance, my writing ministry is a form of worship unto the Lord. I did it upon the instructions (blueprints) given by the Lord, and just wanted to bless the Body of Christ unconditionally. I have never expected people to start writing to me and ask if they can use my materials. But many did!

People of God, in all that you are (i.e. 'called to be'), 'proskuneo' and 'latreuo' Him!

In all that you do, worship Him!

'Proskuneo': Looking to Him and putting all your trust in Him.

'Latreuo': Ministering unto Him and rendering service unto Him, putting no confidence in your own flesh.

The same it is with those many years of sowing seeds of God's love and kindness among the youths/college students in our (my wife and I) earlier years in full-time ministry. We did it upon the instructions (blueprints) given by the Lord, and just wanted to avail ourselves to care for these young people unconditionally. It was done as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23). We have never expected anything in return, and we have never expected these young people to remember us later in their lives. But some did!

People of God, in all that you do (i.e. 'called to do'), 'proskuneo' and 'latreuo' Him!

The Lord knows how to reward you! 

Yes, even if you have not expected it, and you just wanted to render your unconditional service unto Him as a sweet aroma of worship (Philippians 4:18), be it in your time, your energy, your giving of finance, etc. Because He is a good God, and He loves to give you every good thing (Romans 8:32, Psalm 34:10), even in ways you have not imagined, or even if you never realize it. Colossians 3:23-24 says, 'And whatever you do, do it heartily (with an abounding heart), as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ'. Ephesians 3:20 says, 'Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us'. 

And just as the Lord had spoken to Abram those days in Genesis 15:1, He is also saying these words to you who 'proskuneo' and 'latreuo' Him: "Do not be afraid, ... I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Let it be so! Hallelujah!

Choose for yourselves this day!

Joshua 24:15 (NKJV): ... choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River (Euphrates), or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

The word 'serve' here is pronounced as 'awbad' in Hebrew, which means 'to follow, to execute, or to work on somebody's plan (in this case, God's plan, blueprint, destiny, or desires for you)'. 

What is a 'blueprint' then? One of its definition is 'a detailed plan of action'. Each of us is given a specific 'blueprint' in life (including our vocation or ministry) to follow. However, many never reach where they should be (i.e. God's destiny for their lives), because they quit following (or believing) God's blueprint for their lives. One common reason is impatience. Another reason is thinking they know better. In short, they want it quick fix, and they want it their way!

People of God, this is a time to align your own desires (or even expectation) with His desires for your life. When these two are aligned, it will result in many breakthroughs, and a life that bears much fruit (see John 15:4-5).

Let's look at the life of Joshua in the Bible now. He was definitely one of those great people in the Bible who had seen many breakthroughs, and a life that bore much fruit! So, what was the key to Joshua's success in fulfilling God's destiny in his life (i.e. leading his people to possess the land promised to them)? 

The answer is He kept following God's instruction till the end! He kept believing God's blueprint every step of the way! Of course, he did not quit believing and reaffirming all that God had spoken to him. Neither did He grow weary of following all that God had instructed him! Proverbs 13:13 (NIV) says, ‘He who scorns instruction (i.e. God’s blueprints) will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded’.

You see, he could really have chosen his own way (or even the worldly way) of conquest, but he did not. After the initial victories in Jericho and Ai, notice that he chose to reaffirm God's instruction and covenant instead. Joshua 8:30-33 says, 'Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel... And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings. And there in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal...'

Interestingly, the name of this place between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal is called Shechem. In Hebrew, this word 'Shechem' actually means 'to incline (oneself), to lean towards, to move towards a direction, or to choose'. See the word 'to choose' here? And it’s also here that Joshua and all of Israel chose to reaffirm all that God had spoken to them before they moved on into further conquests! 

People of God, this is also your time to re-visit and reaffirm all that God has promised and spoken to you so far. Like what Joshua did in Shechem, may you also choose to keep following and believing.

Let's go all the way now to the last chapter in the book of Joshua. Joshua 24:1 says, 'Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God'. 

After the end of all his successful conquests, and towards the end of his life, notice that Joshua did come back to this very same place Shechem. And here, just as he did in the earlier days of his conquests, he gathered the people to reaffirm God's instruction and covenant again! You see, he never gave up following and believing till the very end! No wonder he also ended well in his life!

In Joshua 24:14, he said to all the people, "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve ('awbad') Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River (Euphrates) and in Egypt. Serve ('awbad') the Lord!

Note: 'The other side of the River' speaks of 'the Babylonian system (literally meaning 'confused system') of mammon', and 'Egypt' speaks of 'the bondage, or being limited in the worldly way'.

In Joshua 25:15, he then said, "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ('awbad')... But as for me and my house, we will serve ('awbad') the Lord." To paraphrase it, "...choose for yourselves this day whose plan, blueprint, destiny, or desires you will follow, execute, or work on... But as for me and my house, we will follow, execute, or work on the Lord's plan, blueprint, destiny, and desires for our lives."

By the way, Joshua ('Yehowshuwa') in Hebrew means 'YHWH saved', a 'type' of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In Luke 22:42, He said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." He humbled Himself, chose to lay down His own will (and expectation) and allowed His Father's will and desire be done instead. As a result, He was also exalted above all names! (Philippians 2:7-11)

Just as Joshua chose to ‘awbad’ God’s blueprint and plan for Israel, which in turn released tremendous blessing to the whole of Israel, Jesus chose to ‘awbad’ His Father’s blueprint and plan by laying down His life, which in turn released salvation and tremendous blessing to the whole of mankind!

Beloved of God, in the New Covenant, His grace (i.e. supply, ability) has already been released and poured out for you when He died on the cross some 2,000 years ago. Therefore, choose also this day to receive all that He has given you (even His specific strategies and plans for your life), and like Joshua, you too will make your way prosperous and will have good success (Joshua 1:8). Amen!