These are the prophetic words that I heard from the Lord for the year 2018:
"This is a year of many supernatural events, manifestations and healings. It is a year of many unexpected happenings and unexpected blessings, even against all odds. Like Saul, whom no one would expect to experience the great light and be turned into Paul, so will there be many unexpected happenings in 2018! This is a year of many 'suddenlies', but fear not, for as long as you fix your eyes on Me, you shall see My purposes in your life come to pass, even in ways you have never thought possible."
People of God, this is also a year of many new beginnings, because the Lord is doing a resetting and giving you a headstart this year! Look not at what happened in your past, and watch Him restore His purposes in your life this year, especially in the areas you have been under attack, delayed, or it seemed impossible to 'launch' in the past. There is a breath of fresh air that He is releasing to His people this year. A new strength is being released. A new hope is being released. It is a time of launching into the deep, like in Luke 5:4 when Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch." Moments before that, Simon Peter and the other fishermen had toiled all night, but caught nothing. It had been a demoralizing experience for them. But this time, as they heeded Jesus' words, the unexpected happened, and they caught a great number of fish, way beyond what they thought possible, and their net was breaking, so much so they had to signal the others to come and help them! (Luke 5:5-6)
The word 'reset' is an interesting word. It can be defined as 'to set things (afresh and anew) again'. It is like you resetting your password. Why do people reset their password? People do so to enhance security, or if they have forgotten their old password, or simply because they wanted a 'fresh start'. In the context of what the Lord is saying here, He is helping you to 're-strategize' for the greater things ahead of you, and so that the enemy cannot 'touch' you or 'compromise' you. This is also a year of many 'headstarts' for God's people. In the context here, it means 'to gain a certain advantage (or favor) that others don't have'. The 'advantage' here comes by heeding the words of the Lord that He is speaking specifically to each of you.
The key book in the Bible to start the year off right is the book of Acts.
Reading from the book of Acts, after the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-39), the church grew in ways not possible by works of men alone. It was the work of the Holy Spirit. Miracles, signs and wonders accompanied the preaching of the good news of Jesus Christ, and through the hands of the apostles, many were healed and set free from unclean spirits. The church was flourishing, and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:40-47).
But then came the persecution. And there also arose a man named Saul, who was consenting to the believers' death, and he made havoc of the church, entering every house and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison (Acts 8:1-3). Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way (Jesus), he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:1-2).
But God! Acts 9:3-5 then says, 'As he (Saul) journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" And he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads."' Saul trembled before the Almighty, and was so overwhelmed by the 'great light' that he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank (Acts 9:6-9). He was then converted (Acts 9:10-19), and began preaching Christ in the synagogues, much to the amazement of those who heard him (Acts 9:20-22).
You see, Saul's life was being reset through the 'great light experience', and it happened at a time when the purposes of the Lord for the church seemed to be hindered. It was indeed a supernatural event, and an unexpected blessing to the church when Saul became a changed man (he was later named Paul). And that was how the church had a fresh impetus, a 'headstart', and the good news of Jesus Christ eventually spread throughout the whole world! 2 Corinthians 4:6 says, 'For it is God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ'. If 'Saul' speaks of your 'old self', then 'Paul' speaks of your 'new self'. It was a total turnaround for him, and it has to be God who's at work!
The one supernatural event that stood out as I was reading this passage in the book of Acts is in Acts 9:17-18, when Ananias (a certain disciple of the Lord at Damascus) came into the house where Saul was, and laying his hands on him he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Immediately there fell from Saul's eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. Saul (who was later named Paul) never looked back since then, and he went on to become an apostle who was greatly used by the Lord, and one who wrote about half of the entire New Testament! Speaking of 'spiritual insights' and 'revelation' of the Lord!
People of God, the year 2018 is also a year God is releasing 'spiritual insights' to you like you have never seen before in your life. The word 'insight' simply means 'the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of something'. As you look ahead in this new year 2018, may you also walk in such deep 'spiritual insight', just as 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 says, 'But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God'. Amen.
Monday, January 1, 2018
Saturday, December 16, 2017
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!
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!
Monday, December 11, 2017
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 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!
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