A life of submission and surrender

The Lord says:

"Whatever situation you are facing at the moment, do not be wise in your own eyes and do not put your confidence in your own strength, but let Me take over. Let Me bring you from here. Let Me carry you through from here. For I am the Lord who cares for you. Do not allow yourself to hang on to the past, but let it go to Me. For I am beginning to do a new thing in your life. I will show you the necessary directions and instructions that you need. I will make the path straight for you. Humble yourself therefore, and live a life of submission and surrender."

Psalm 146:8 (NKJV) says, 'The Lord raises those who are bowed down.' 

The words 'bowed down' here is 'kaphaph' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'to stoop (lower down) humbly in emptiness (before God)'. In other words, emptying ourselves from pride, emptying ourselves from wrongful thought, and emptying ourselves from thinking that we know better. And for those who 'kaphaph', the Lord raises them! 

Proverbs 22:4 (NKJV) says, 'By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor and life.' 

The word 'humility' here is 'anavah' in Hebrew. In the context of this verse, it can mean 'lowering oneself in meekness (before God)'. Here, lowering oneself isn't just an outward show for people to see. Instead, more importantly, it is first and foremost done inside of you or in your heart. So, it is not so much about bowing down or lowering down one's head, but rather, bowing down or lowering down one's heart before the Lord. 

James 4:6-7 (NKJV) says, 'But He gives more grace. Therefore He says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, submit to God...' 

The word 'submit' here is 'hupotasso' in Greek. In the context of our study today, it can mean 'to subordinate oneself (to God), to be obedient (to God), to be subjected (to God)'. 

Don't get God wrong. He is not like a taskmaster. He doesn't look at us like a slave being bound. But when we allow ourselves to be subordinated to Him, to be obedient to Him, or to be subjected to Him, many evil or danger can be prevented. Why? Because He sees farther than us. He knows what are our pitfalls. He knows what are the 'landmines' or 'traps' ahead of us. So, when we humble ourselves before Him, we are effectively allowing ourselves to be led and guided by the Holy Spirit. 

The devil will always want to try to influence us, whether through humans or through thoughts, or even through human ideologies or human philosophies. And that's how people get influenced and swayed away. But when you are subjected to God, you will not be subjected to any of these influences. You will not be deceived. You will not be so easily taken advantage of by the devil. You see, the devil can use humans to do that. You will not be lured by how the devil thinks or how the devil wants you to think. 

That's why the Scripture says, 'Resist the devil, and the devil will flee from you.' (James 4:7) That's why the Lord is calling us to live a life of submission to Him. It is not to enslave us. It is to make the way straight for our future. 

1 Peter 5:5-7 (NKJV) says, '"God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.'

The word 'humble' here is 'tapeinoo' in Greek. It can mean 'to lower oneself', and in the context today, 'to lower oneself before God'. Again, you see 'to lower oneself before God' here, as we have explained earlier. It is a life of submission before God. It is a life of surrender before God. It is a life where you have the mindset of needing Him more than anything else or anyone else on earth. Now, that is the essence of what 'humility before God' is. It is about laying down your hearts before God, instead of being haughty and proud in your own eyes or in your own ways. 

And that's why Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) says, 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.' In other words, 'make smooth or make straight your paths'. 

You see, all the Bible verses that we've read today tie up together. And that's what the Lord wants to tell us in this message today. 

Proverbs 11:2 (NKJV) says, 'When pride comes, then comes shame; But with the humble is wisdom.'

How do we receive wisdom from God? By humbling ourselves before God. How do we see our paths smooth and straight ahead of us? By humbling ourselves before God.

In 1 Peter 5:5-7 just now, notice that Peter didn't stop at saying, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble", but he continued by saying, "Casting all your care to Him, because He cares for you". 

To take things into your own hands instead of casting all your care to the Lord is like saying, "I can do it myself. I don't need God." But one aspect of humbling ourselves before God is to 'cast all our care to the Lord'. 

In life, there will always be things that we cannot fully comprehend or understand as to why certain things happened. But beloved of God, whatever has happened in and around you, or no matter what has happened, the Lord wants to assure you today that He knows what He is doing in your life, and He sees the end from the beginning. Your part is to let it go to the Lord, and live a life of submission and surrender before Him. There will come a day you will begin to understand the many things that you cannot understand now. So, the Lord is calling you to be patient. Yet, the Lord is saying to you He is still in control. The jigsaw puzzle will eventually be solved, so to speak. But one thing for sure is the Lord always and will always have your best interests in His mind. Amen! 

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A soft and tender heart before Him

The Lord says: 

"You are still in a season of repair and restoration. Repairing and restoring your relationship with the Holy Spirit is foremost. With this, everything else in life will begin to flow. You may not understand fully what I am doing in your life now, or why I am doing what I am doing, but one day you will understand. All things work together for good." 

Beloved of God, we are still in this season of repair and restoration. I want to talk about our relationship with the Holy Spirit today. So, let's go back to the basics today. Let's go back to the very simplicity of who the Holy Spirit is in our lives. 

A lot of people go around looking for formulas or methods to achieve their ambitions or whatever they want in their life. But that's not how one works with the Holy Spirit. Instead, a heart that is soft, tender, yielded, and pliable (i.e. easily bended) before the Holy Spirit is the key. When He says so, you say so. When He says no, you say no. When He says do this, you do this. When He says do that, you do that. When He says go here, you go here. When He says go there, you go there. When He says let go, you let go. When He says hang on, you hang on. 

Well, this is how I live my life. 

Sometimes, it may even seem to be foolish to those who don't understand what God is doing in my life and in the ministry God has entrusted to me. But eventually they will understand. And sometimes, people's minds got "jammed" as to why I chose to do what I do. But I am just obeying God and doing what God says, every step of the way in my life. If God says let go, I let go. If God says move ahead, I move ahead. 

So, what is 'yieldedness' in one's life? It can be defined as 'not insisting on our own ways or own fleshly desires; but yielded, submitted, and surrendered to Him and His way'. That's what 'yieldedness' mean. It means when He corrects, we can humble ourselves, and we do not need to get offended or fight back. You know why? Because He, the Holy Spirit, is all knowing, not us. The Holy Spirit will show you what to do, every step of the way. He will even show you the (hidden) sins and motives in your life that you need to let go.

One example is David, a man after God's heart. Nathan, a prophet raised up by the Lord at that time, represented 'the Spirit of the Lord (who spoke to David)'. Now, David was a king and powerful in his position on earth at that time. He was the king of Israel and Judah. David could have been offended by Nathan. David could have even killed Nathan in order to shut his mouth. But no! David's heart was soft and tender enough before the Lord. David admitted his sins and wrongs. This is one example of a heart that is soft, tender, yielded, and pliable before the Lord. 

So you see, we need to return to the simplicity of who He is. The people of this world have made this life so complicated. But we need not fall into that. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you and guide you to return to the simplicity of who He is, even as you come to Him just as you are. 

What is our part? Our part is to humble ourselves before Him. When He leads and guides, we follow. When He corrects, we choose to change our ways, and not insist on our own ways. Why? Because He sees farther than us, and His ways are always higher than ours. So, let His will be done in our lives, not our own fleshly desires. He will never lead us into trouble. I believe this is the key to living a life of good success on this earth (i.e. success that is measured by the Lord, not by this fallen world). 

Let's look further at David now. 2 Samuel 12:13 (NKJV) says, 'So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die."' 

What is the background here? The Lord used a prophet named Nathan to deal with David, or rather, to rebuke David of his wrongs. You see, the Holy Spirit has not been poured out yet during that Old Testament time. So, Nathan here represents 'the Holy Spirit speaking and correcting'. At that time, David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, and he even cunningly had Bathsheba's husband (Uriah) killed! 

But the wonderful thing is this. When Nathan came to rebuke David, David didn't kill the prophet. Instead, David came to his senses. I mean, he could have killed the prophet. After all, he's king. But, instead of hardening his heart, David said, "I have sinned against the Lord." 

Here, you see a heart that is soft and tender before the Lord. Here, you see a heart that is yielded and pliable before the Lord. David wasn't perfect in many ways. But the Lord's not looking at all that. The Lord's looking at his heart. 

Now it is the same with our hearts before the Lord. He's not looking at all those sins. He's not all-out looking at those sins in order to expose you. But He's looking at your heart. Is your heart willing? Is your heart willing to be changed by the Lord? Is your heart yielded before the Lord? Is your heart soft and tender before the Lord? This is what He is looking for even right now. 

In cross-reference, you can look at Psalm 51. 

In Psalm 51:3-4 (NKJV), David said, "For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight..." 

In Psalm 51:10 (KJV), David said, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." 

What is a right spirit? A spirit (or a heart) that is soft, tender, yielded, and pliable before the Holy Spirit. A heart that is not putting up a front. But a heart that is willing to humble. In other words, a heart that is willing to let the Holy Spirit have His way in one's life. 

David was willing to allow the Lord to deal with him. This is what touches the Lord's heart the most. The same it is today. The Lord has never changed in His ways. And you know what? David didn't look back ever since. He went on to become arguably the greatest king ever in Israel!

Let us contrast between David and Pharaoh. While David's heart was softened when the Lord dealt with him, Pharaoh's heart was the opposite. Pharaoh's heart was hardened further when the Lord dealt with him. See? One, a soft heart, and another, a hard heart. 

Exodus 7:14 (NKJV) says, 'So the Lord said to Moses, "Pharaoh's heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go."' 

What is the background of this verse here? The Lord actually used Moses and Aaron to tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go. But Pharaoh refused. Instead, his heart was hardened even more. 

Exodus 9:34-35 (NKJV) says, 'And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants. So the heart of Pharaoh was hard; neither would he let the children of Israel go, as the Lord has spoken by Moses.' 

What does this word 'harden' mean here? In Hebrew, it is 'qashah'. It can mean 'to be tough, to be sore, to be stiff, to be fierce, to react negatively, to be defensive'. The more the Lord told him to let the people of Israel go, the more his heart was hardened. So, it's clear here that Pharaoh refused to acknowledge the words of the Lord. Not until the tenth plague, when his firstborn died, that he gave in. You know what? Pharaoh stood to lose so much more in the end. Not only did he lose his firstborn, he lost his entire mighty army and chariots who got drowned in the Red Sea! 

So beloved of God, the Lord is giving each of us a choice even right now. The Lord is asking us, "Do you want to choose to be a David, or do you want to choose to be a Pharaoh?" Let us choose to be a David, a heart that is soft and tender before the Lord. Amen! 

Let us pray: 

"O Lord God, we choose to be like David, and not Pharaoh. Teach us to have a heart that is soft and tender before You. Teach us to have a heart that is yielded to what You say. There may be many things we do not understand now, what You are doing in our lives, and why You are doing what You are doing in our lives, but one day we will understand. Because You are always a God who wants the very best for us. You are always a God who sees farther than anyone of us can see. In Jesus' name. Amen." 

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Words from the Lord: "The fire is spreading!"

Ever since the Lord has spoken: "Let the fire fall!", and we have released this obediently two weeks ago just as the Lord has spoken, this fire has been spreading! I see in the Spirit that this fire from the throne of God is spreading to cities, towns, villages everywhere; crossing continents and crossing many countries. This fire is not going to be quenched by the enemy. This fire is going to spread and spread and spread! 

What is this fire? This is the fire of God's holiness. We need this in this time and season, before a great victory can happen in our lives. So, make no mistake about this. The fire of God is spreading across the nations and across the continents. Many will start to catch this fire!

Now, this is a time for alignment with God's will. Wash your hands, wash your eyes, whether it's spiritual or physical. There is Spirit of repentance all around. Turn away from sins. Confess your sins to the Lord. Return to His ways. 

Whatever your past may have been, or whatever you've been going through recently, surrender your situation to the Lord. Surrender your life before the Lord (in worship and surrender). Wash your hands and wash your eyes. Because this is the time God is calling us to return to the very heart of Him, to the intimacy with Him, to the very first love! 

So, clear what needs to be clear in your life! Don't miss this time and season. Because a great victory and breakthrough is coming your way! Now, in a time like this, the enemy will try to stop you and even attack your mind, attack your calling, attack your ministry, or attack whatever good that you do. The enemy will even put a lot of negativity into your mind to try to discourage you. And the enemy can use humans to do that. But you know what? Take authority and bind it, in Jesus' name! Fill your mind with the Word of God! Fill your mind with what God has promised you in the Word! 

As you receive this fire that purifies and makes you holy, you know what? The enemy cannot touch what is pure and holy before the Lord! So, receive this fire from heaven! Receive this upon your life! Let this fire burn away not just all your hurts, your sicknesses, or your pains, but burn away all the sins and burn away all those that are not in the will of God, so that you can be re-aligned. 

Just like a car being sent for alignment, our lives need alignment too. Why? So that our journey (our journey of faith) will not be bumpy, but it will be smooth. Whether it's a car or it's a human being, it is the same. We need to get in alignment!

Two weeks ago, I've released some Bible verses regarding fire, that fire doesn't have to be bad. Fire can be from heaven. It's the fire from the throne of God. And today, I'm going to continue with Bible verses. And this time, I go to 1 Kings 18 in the days of Elijah. 

1 Kings 18:17 says, 'Then it happened, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, "Is that you, O troubler of Israel?" And Elijah answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house have, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the Baals."' 

Now, 'Baals' here in the context of our study today speaks about 'the masters of this world', or that we have given in to whatever that is worldly. And these have become masters of our lives, instead of YHWH the Lord, who is the Master, THE Master of our lives. 

In 1 Kings 18:19, Elijah said, "Now therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table." 

By the way, Jezebel is the wife of King Ahab. So, right now, whatever spirit of Jezebel that tries to control you, that tries to oppress you, that tries to cause you to be stuck in that small box, little box; you take authority and bind it, in Jesus' name! You are set free! This fire of holiness is burning all the spirit of Jezebel, all forms of controlling spirit that come against you! You are now set free! Walk in your freedom, the freedom and the liberty that Christ has given to you!

1 Kings 18:20 says, 'So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel. And Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people answered him not a word.' 

Indeed, this is the time to 'choose ye this day who you are going to serve'. Are you going to serve the Lord? Are you going to give yourself before the Lord? Are you going to worship the Lord? Or are you going to bow down to the masters of this world (that have influenced so many Christians all over the world)? 

In 1 Kings 18:23, Elijah said, "Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it." 

So, two bulls here. One for Elijah, and one for all these prophets, the false prophets of course.

In 1 Kings 18:24, Elijah said further, "Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord. And the God who answers by fire, He is God." 

Look at the word 'fire' here. 

In 1 Kings 18:25, Elijah said to the false prophets, "Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it." 

So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, "O Baal, hear us!" These false prophets prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice. But there was no voice, no one answered, no one paid attention. In fact, all these false prophets, they were even cutting themselves with knives, trying to gain the attention of their false god. But you know what? Nothing happened. 

In 1 Kings 18:30, Elijah then said to all the people, "Come near to me." 

So all the people came near to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. 

Do you see that? This is that time and season, people of God, for the Lord to repair us. Whatever that has been damaged by the enemy, whatever that has gone astray, whatever that has been broken in our lives, the Lord is repairing it and the Lord is restoring it. Yes, the Lord even restores your first love, if you allow yourself to. 

Elijah then put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four water pots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood." Then Elijah said, "Do it a second time", and they did it a second time. And Elijah said, "Do it a third time", and they did it a third time. So, the water ran all around the altar. And he also filled the trench with water. 

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that these people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." 

And you know what? The fire really came! And many who saw it, many who witnessed it, their first love returned. Their first love to whom? Their first love to the Lord their God! 

Now, it is the same with us. Maybe we have gone astray from the Lord. This is a time for us to return. This is a time we return to our first love, and return to that intimacy with the Lord. Yes, clear away what is not of the Lord, and receive a fresh new touch of the Lord! There is a refreshing touch right now. There is a release of God's refreshing right now. Receive this! 

1 Kings 18:38 says, 'Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench, the trench around the altar. And now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces, and they said, "The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!"' 

I pray right now that this fire from heaven is also being released upon your life, upon your home, upon all that you put your hands to do, and upon all that He has spoken for you to be and to do. Amen! 

And let's look at 1 Kings 18:40 now. 'And Elijah said to them (the people of the Lord), "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.' 

Now, all these prophets of Baal, the false prophets, these are symbolic of all the wrong influences in our lives, of all the work of darkness that have infiltrated into our lives, even damaged our lives, and of course controlled our lives. Be set free! The fire has come! This fire is destroying all those works of darkness that have infiltrated you all these while. You are now a new person! You are now a fresh person! There is a fresh new start for you! And you are going to make clear decisions from now on! 

You see, when there's holiness, when there's purity - in your spirit, soul, even in your body - you are going to make clear decisions! You know why? Because your mind is going to be super clear! And that's when you are going to make clear decisions for a greater future for your life! You will know what steps to take in your life. You will know what steps to avoid in your life. You will know when to move forward in something. And you will also know when you should be letting go of something, releasing it. 

So, my prayer today is that as you receive this fire that purifies, you are going to be so clear in your mind, you are going to be so clear in your spirit, and you are going to make right decisions. You are going to make right decisions in your life, for your family, in your career, and in the ministry, so that you are going to see greater and greater victory, going forward. Amen! 

Let us pray. "O Lord God, let the fire fall upon Your people! Let this fire spread like wild fire everywhere! It is a time to wash our hands and receive this fire of holiness in our lives. It is a time to return to You, and return to our first love, Jesus. It is a time You are touching many more lives through this fire that has been released from heaven. The enemy has to retreat and be defeated. Just like in the days of Elijah those days, a time of great awakening and a time of great outpouring is starting for Your people! Indeed, a time of cleansing has come! And a time of great victory has come! Just like what we have read in the Scripture today. In the name of Jesus. Amen." 

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Get ready to move into the next level!

The Lord says:
"What I have spoken to you, and what I have given to you, this is the time to surrender it back wholly to Me! Like Abraham, this is the time to surrender your 'Isaac' to Me, and I will see to it that there will be providence and there will be a solution! Do not retract, and do not hold back! For I am getting you ready to walk into the realm of greater blessing, and I am bringing you to the next level!"

As happened to Abraham, there's going to be a time when the Lord will ask you to surrender to Him all that He has given to you. And for many of God's people, that time is now! No, the context here isn't about 'the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away', but rather, He is asking you to surrender, so that He can bring you into a time of greater blessing, and to the next level!

Let me show you from the Scripture. Genesis 22:1-2 (NKJV) says, 'Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." Then He said, "Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."'

The word 'Moriah' ('Mowri Yah' in Hebrew) here can mean 'The Lord will see to it, or the Lord will provide', from two words, 'Raah' (to see, to look on, to provide) and 'Yah' (the name of the Lord our God). Therefore, this name speaks of the Lord who will see to it that there's going to be providence (or solution) when you surrender to Him whatever/whoever you hold dear. In Abraham's context at that time, it was also a place of worship. Indeed, to worship is to surrender all of ourselves before the Lord!

Genesis 22:4-8 (NKJV) says, 'Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you." So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" Then he said, "Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering."'

People of God, what are the 'Isaacs' in your life at the moment?
These can be whatever/whoever you hold dear.
Examples:
- your vocation, career, or business;
- your spiritual gifts, or talents;
- your God-given ministry;
- someone you hold dear (but you don't know what to do with him/her anymore).

Genesis 22:9-14 (NKJV) says, 'Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" So he said, "Here I am." And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide...'

'Burnt offering' here speaks of 'your unreserved worship and surrender before the Lord', whereas 'ram' here speaks of 'the providence, the solution, or the answer that's coming your way'. In fact, 'a ram caught in a thicket by its horns' is actually a 'picture' of 'Jesus with the crown of thorns'! On the cross some two thousand years ago, He wore the crown of thorns, so that you can now wear the crown of blessings and the crown of God's glory!

Now, let's put a little imagination into the verses above. Imagine now Abraham on the way to that place of worship and surrender, and he suddenly changed his mind and decided to retract (or hold back) his son, Isaac. Can you imagine what would have happened? The ram wouldn't have appeared! Because the ram (i.e. the solution) that was to be provided by the Lord would also be somehow retracted (or held back)!

Look now how the Lord was getting Abraham ready for a time of greater blessing and the next level, after he had 'passed' the test of faith! Genesis 22:15-17 (NKJV) says, 'Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the Lord, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son - blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."'

Very interestingly, The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB), which was written from a biblically Jewish perspective, translates this expression 'blessing I will bless you' as 'I will most certainly bless you'. You know what that means? The Lord was in effect promising Abraham that He will most certainly bless him, even in all circumstances, and no matter what circumstance he's in!

By the way, 'in all circumstances' here includes even the not-so-good times in the eyes of the world! And even in times like these, there's still no stopping you from walking in the realm of greater blessing!

Indeed, as descendants of Abraham by faith, you can now receive this same promise in your life too - that the Lord will most certainly bless you, even in all circumstances, and no matter what circumstance you're in! Hallelujah!

Surrender your hands to the Lord

While praying in the Spirit the other day, I saw a vision of someone holding a large, empty, oblong-shaped plate with his hands. Then, I saw another person using a ladle to scoop rice (putting more and more rice) onto the large, empty, oblong-shaped plate, until it's full.

I asked the Lord for the interpretation, and that's when I heard these words: "Surrender your hands to the Lord, and let Him anoint, touch, bless, and prosper what are in your hands, as you prepare yourself for the many supernatural manifestations, events, and healings in the year ahead!"

Indeed, people of God, your hands are in effect the extension of God's hands. Let His hands be with your hands as you get ready for a year of many supernatural manifestations, events, and healings in the year 2018!

The year 2018 is a year for you to believe 'all that you touch shall prosper', whatever your vocation or profession may be. There is every reason for you to look ahead with much anticipation and hope! The key is to allow His hands and flow with His hands, instead of going against His hands.

In Genesis 24:1-4, the Scripture says, 'Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."'

See the word 'hand' here?

In the modern culture that we live in today, taking oath of office may involve 'raising the right hand', 'placing the hand over the heart', or 'placing the hand on the Bible'. But in ancient Hebrew culture, one way of taking oath involved 'putting one's hand under someone's thigh'. Rabbi Ibn Ezra, a Jewish philosopher and biblical commentator, interpreted 'under the thigh' as 'submission to authority'. For someone to allow his hand to be sat on is a sign of submission to authority. Here, 'Abraham' speaks of 'the Lord, our Master', whereas the 'servant' speaks of 'you and I, who serve the Lord, our Master'.

This servant then went on his way to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor in obedience to his master's instructions. In Genesis 24:12-14, the Scripture says, 'Then the servant said, "O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, 'Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink' - let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master."'

The expression 'give me success' here is the word 'qarah' in Hebrew, which means 'to bring about, to light upon'. In other words, the servant was looking to the Lord to bring about a divine appointment for him. To his understanding, nothing would happen 'by accident', but instead, it's the hand of the Lord that would bring about a divine appointment!

True enough, it happened that even before he had finished speaking, behold, a young, beautiful woman went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. And it happened that she's Rebekah, whom the servant would soon find out her grand-uncle was Abraham! Just as his master Abraham had wanted - someone from his family and in his country to be Isaac's wife! The rest, my friend, is history.

People of God, just as this servant 'put his hand under his master's thigh' as a sign of submission to the master, you can surrender your hands to the Lord, your Master today, and you too shall find good success in all that He has called you to be (and do), as you look ahead to a great new year 2018. Amen!

In your worship, the Lord will stand up for you!

John 12:3 (NKJV): Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.

In recent weeks, I have been preaching on the heart of worship, like that of Mary when she took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. The very word 'spikenard' here comes from the Hebrew word 'nayrd', which means 'aroma', a 'picture' of our sweet aroma of worship unto the Lord.

In cross-reference, Song of Solomon 1:12 says, 'While the king is at the table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance'. This was sung by the Shulamite (a 'picture' of 'you and I') for the king (a 'picture' of 'the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, i.e. Jesus Himself').

To worship is to surrender. It is the word 'proskuneo' in Greek, which can mean 'to prostrate oneself in total reverence and adoration towards the Lord'. To worship is to lay down your crowns before Him, no matter what other people may think or say about you. And Mary did just that by wiping the feet of Jesus with her hair. 'Hair' to a woman speaks of 'one's glory or crown'. 1 Corinthians 11:15 says, 'But if a woman has long hair, it is a glory to her; for her hair is given to her for a covering'.

John 12:4-6 then says, 'But one of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it'.

'Three hundred denarii' was equivalent to about one year's wages for a worker those days, and that's a lot of money! It may sum up to tens of thousands of dollars today! As women rarely had inheritance those days, this jar of very expensive oil was probably Mary's only valuable thing that she had, and quite likely, her dowry. But she did not reserve any, because her focus was only on the Lord. This speaks of an 'unreserved worship', a sweet aroma of worship that pleases the Lord.

'Judas Iscariot' here speaks of 'the way and the mind of the world', i.e. 'the unrenewed mind', very much like Michal (the daughter of Saul) who despised David when she saw him leaping and dancing before the Lord as the ark entered the city of David (2 Samuel 6:16).

Watch now what John 12:7-8 says, 'But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always."'

Instead of agreeing with Judas Iscariot, Jesus stood up and spoke up for Mary! And He said, "Leave her alone"! Not only that, He even went on to justify, explain, and defend what Mary had just done!

People of God, your total surrender and unreserved worship touches the heart of your Father in heaven, even if others in the world may mock at you or despise you, and see you as foolish.

And the wonderful part is, just like Mary, you too will see how the Lord is going to stand up and speak up for you, even at the most unexpected of times or circumstances!

In a time of delay, the Lord is busy working behind the scene!

Hebrews 6:10-12 (NKJV): For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

If you are having a sense of dissatisfaction or restlessness due to things stagnating in some areas of your life, know that He hasn't forgotten you! So, take heart. And while you are waiting for your breakthrough, Galatians 6:9 says, 'And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart'.

People of God, this is a time to keep looking to Him, and keep doing what the Lord had spoken for you to do currently! In due season, you shall surely reap, if you do not lose heart!

Hebrews 6:13-15 then continues with how God made a promise to Abraham, and after he (Abraham) had patiently endured, he eventually obtained the promise.

In Habakkuk 2:2-3, the Lord says, "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come..."

It is interesting to notice right after Habakkuk 2:2-3, the Lord says further in Habakkuk 2:4, "Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith." This verse contrasts the 'proud' (i.e. those who take matters into their own hands, instead of trusting in God's timing), and the 'just' (i.e. those who live by faith and patiently wait for the Lord).

The Bible says, 'So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God' (Romans 10:17). In other words, to live by faith is to keep hearing (and heeding) what the Lord says (through the Word), and not what man says (through their opinions)!

A.W. Tozer, a man of God, used to write, 'The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us'.

How true!

In this era of 'quick fixes', we can see many of God's people 'jumping the gun' because they can't wait to see the results they want (whether in ministry, in business, in career, etc). And they would begin to act on their own accord, instead of waiting for the Lord's timing and 'go ahead'! As a consequence, many find themselves having to 'back-pedal' soon after!

Proverbs 14:29 says, 'Whatever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered (impulsive) displays folly'. And Psalm 37:7 says, 'Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes'.

As you can see here, patience has its virtue!

Let us learn from Moses, whom the Lord had called to be a deliverer of the Israelites from the bondage of the Pharaoh. Having gone out to his brethren and looked at their burdens, he took matters into his own hands and killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12). Upon hearing this, the Pharaoh sought to kill him, and Moses had to flee (Exodus 2:15). He ended up in the desert of Midian, and stayed there for forty years (Acts 7:30).

Forty years in the desert of Midian, when nothing seemed to be happening! It was as though the Lord had forgotten Moses! But the truth is, throughout those forty years, the Lord was indeed busy working behind the scene in Moses' life! It wasn't until he came to the end of himself that the Lord began to speak to him from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4). There was no looking back since then. Moses went on to fulfill his God-given destiny as a deliverer of the Israelites!

Let us look at David now, whom the Lord had destined for him to be the new king reigning over Judah and Israel. Having been anointed by the prophet Samuel at the tender age of fifteen, it wasn't until fifteen years later that David finally became the king over Judah; and another seven years and six months later, when he became king over all Israel and Judah (2 Samuel 5:1-5).

Through those 'waiting' years, the Lord was also busy working behind the scene in David's life! You see, preparation time is never a wasted time, though nothing promising seems to be happening during that time! Through those years, David had to escape several times from Saul who sought to kill him. But in the end, what the Lord had spoken eventually came to pass. There was no looking back since then. David went on to become the greatest king in the entire history of Israel!

I heard and released these words from the Lord recently:
"Though some things may seem monotonous and dead at the moment, know that I am in the midst of working behind the scene in your lives. Let Me do My part, and you will begin to see some good surprises. Though some things may seem to tarry for now, it is worth the wait. By faith and by patience, you will inherit the promises."

Receive by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen.