Do not be afraid to face your future!

The Lord says:
"Do not be afraid to face what comes in your future! Fear not, for I am your Miracle and your Provider! I will know how to provide even in the midst of famine or uncertainties! I will know how to shield you from the fiery darts or arrows that come against you! Look to Me therefore, and look not at what is around you!"

Indeed, in times like these, look to Him, and look not at the troubles around you. John 6:16-21 (NLT) says, 'That evening Jesus' disciples went down to the shore to wait for Him. But as darkness fell and Jesus still hadn’t come back, they got into the boat and headed across the lake toward Capernaum. Soon a gale swept down upon them, and the sea grew very rough. They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified, but He called out to them, "Don’t be afraid. I am here!" Then they were eager to let Him in the boat, and immediately they arrived at their destination!'

Just before that, John 6:8-13 (NLT) says, 'Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. "There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?" "Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward He did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. After everyone was full, Jesus told His disciples, "Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted." So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves'.

People of God, from the Bible verses above, know that Jesus isn't just your Miracle-worker, but HE IS your Miracle! And Jesus isn't just your Provider, but HE IS your Providence! When you have Him, you have everything you ever need on earth! This Miracle lives in you, and this Providence lives in you! He is your all-sufficient God and you don't need to look anywhere else, because He is more than enough for you! He can even redeem your lost time, and bring you to your 'destination' in spite of the storms and rough seas around you!

The Lord says further:

"This is a key time to guard your 'spiritual windows'! Guard your spiritual eyes and ears! Do not allow your 'windows' to be intruded and compromised by the enemy! Guard what you see, and guard what you hear! Take authority over the spiritual atmosphere around you, and bind the spirit of fear!"

In perilous times like these, here are some of the questions people in the world often ask:

- "Will I still be needed in my company/organization?"

- "Will I still be needed in the job market?"

- "What does the future hold for me?"

- "Do I have enough for my retirement?" 

- "Will I end up sick and lonely in old folks' home?"

- "Will I be abandoned by my children in my older days?"

- "Will I get scammed or cheated in my later years?"

And the list goes on.

If left unchecked, 'fear' can 'paralyse' us. So, what do you do when you are overwhelmed by atmosphere of fear? Or what do you do when you are afraid to face your future (or what comes in your future)?

- Know that your God isn't dead! (1 Corinthians 15:20)

- Don't allow fear to 'seep' in. Trust God! (Proverbs 3:5-6)

- Take authority in Jesus' name! (Luke 10:19)

- Bind the spirit of fear, and nullify those works of darkness! (Matthew 16:19)

- Cover yourself with the blood of Jesus (Psalm 91:3-6).

Some may ask, "But what if I've made a bad mistake in my life?"

In 2 Kings 4:38-40 (NLT), the Bible says, 'Elisha now returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. One day as the group of prophets was seated before him, he said to his servant, "Put a large pot on the fire, and make some stew for the rest of the group." One of the young men went out into the field to gather herbs and came back with a pocketful of wild gourds. He shredded them and put them into the pot without realizing they were poisonous. Some of the stew was served to the men. But after they had eaten a bite or two they cried out, "Man of God, there’s poison in this stew!" So they would not eat it'. 

People of God, like that 'young man', we all (at one time or another) make mistakes in life (due to ignorance, immaturity, or lack of knowledge) and end up in a 'poisonous' or 'precarious' situation. But look what happens next. In 2 Kings 4:41 (NLT), the Bible says, 'Elisha said, "Bring me some flour." Then he threw it into the pot and said, "Now it’s all right; go ahead and eat." And then it did not harm them'.

You see, a miracle happened then and there: The 'flour' healed and neutralized the 'poison'!

What does 'flour' symbolize here? JESUS! And how is flour made? When grain gets crushed! 'Flour' here is therefore a 'picture' of Jesus (the grain offering) being crushed! He was 'beaten' and 'crushed' when He died for you on the cross! Isaiah 53:5 (NLT) says, 'But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed'. He is the remedy to your 'poisonous' or 'precarious' situation! And He is here to turn things around for you, even if you think you've 'blown it' and made a bad mistake in life! Take heart therefore. 

By the way, 'Elisha' (or 'Eliyshuwa' in Hebrew) means 'God of supplication (riches)'; from two words, 'El' meaning 'God'; and 'Shuwa' meaning 'supply, miracles, riches' or 'freedom from trouble, fear, worry'. The good news is your 'pot of stew' need not be wasted, and your 'pot of stew' need not be 'poisonous' any more! The same God who performed miracles and turned things around those days is the same God in your life today. Just trust Him, look to Him, and let Him in, and everything's going to be alright! Believe and receive by faith. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Declaring and experiencing the goodness of God

The Lord says,
"Talk to My people about My goodness! Let them taste and see that I am good! Let this month be a month My people declare and experience more and more of My goodness!"

Wow! What a month we are entering into! A month to declare and experience more and more of God's goodness! Therefore, whatever 'ugliness' or 'pains' that had happened to you in the previous months, this is your time to be set free from these, and this is your time to walk into the realm of God's goodness!

To start off with, let's go to Psalm 23:6, and here, David wrote, 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever'. The word 'goodness' here is 'towb' in Hebrew, and it means 'good (in the widest sense), good things, 
bountiful, beautiful, favor, kindness, pleasantness, sweetness, gladness'.

Another beautiful psalm that David wrote is Psalm 34. Here, he wrote about tasting and seeing that the Lord is good ('towb'). In other words, he was writing about experiencing the goodness of God in real ways! Let's read Psalm 34:8 now, 'Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!' Hallelujah!

Yet another beautiful psalm composed by David is Psalm 136, and here, he declared the goodness of God as first and foremost in his thanksgiving unto the Lord! Let's look at Psalm 136:1-5 now,
'Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good ('towb')!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:
To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His mercy endures forever;
To Him who by wisdom made the heavens,
For His mercy endures forever.'

Notice in Psalm 136, David put the goodness of God at the very top, and only then he wrote about 'God of gods', 'Lord of lords', 'God who alone does great wonders', and 'God who by wisdom made the heavens'! You know what that means? David had this revelation that God is first and foremost good ('towb'), and only then God of gods, Lord of lords, God of signs and wonders, and even God of wisdom!

You see, the enemy will always try to downplay the goodness of God, and he will do whatever he can to stop you from seeing (and believing) the goodness of God in your life! Why? Because he knows how powerful God's people can be when they have this revelation of the goodness of God, like David did! The enemy certainly doesn't want to see many 'Davids' in this world, i.e. those who not only have the revelation that they are God's beloved, but the revelation that God is good in their lives! Yes, we must admit that David had his share of troubles in life too, but instead of wallowing in these, he chose to trust in God's goodness, as you can see from the psalms above! David went on to become the greatest king ever lived in the history of Israel, hands down!

People of God, what are the good things in your life (that you can give thanks for)?

Having a good family? Having good health? Having good friends? Having good career? Having financial freedom? Maybe one of these? Or there must be something good in your life that you can give thanks for at the moment!

Don't just look at the big (wow) things! How about those smaller things in life (that you can give thanks for)? 

Examples: Nice bed, nice pillow, nice bolster :) 

Remember, there are many people in this world who don't even have a good bed to sleep on. In other words, they are homeless and sleeping on the streets!

Why not ask God to show you the many other good things that you are currently tasting and seeing in life (no matter how small or insignificant you think these may be)? Why not begin to thank your way to more and more good things that are coming, instead of falling into the enemy's trap of blaming your way to more and more doom (and gloom) in your life?

To sum it up: Begin to give thanks to God for the smaller things in life, and bigger things will certainly come your way! Try it, and you'll surely be amazed how this works! David did, and you're next. Amen!

Remain faithful and stay focused!

The Lord says,
"Remain faithful in Me, and stay focused on what I've called you to be and to do! Remain faithful to your covenant with Me, and keep your eyes and ears on My words! Do not allow your priorities to be misplaced, and do not allow your assignments to be diluted by those who do not understand what I'm doing in your life!"

The Lord says further,
"The enemy is trying to do whatever to upset My works and plans for your life. But do not allow yourself to get out of focus and be distracted from what I have called you to be and to do!"

How does the enemy 'upset' God's works/plans for your life?
- by sowing the seed of discouragement against you
- by sowing the seed of accusations against you
- by using people to gossip/character-assassinate against you
- by attacking your health and well-being

*However, please differentiate the above from constructive criticism or advice, because we should always be humble enough to let people correct us or improve us. At the same time, we should also learn to be good stewards of our lives, be it in thoughts, words, or deeds, and of course, in taking care of our health. We can't possibly claim the enemy is attacking our health when we become couch potatoes and eat potato chips all day long!

Let's go straight now to the book of Haggai. At that time, God's people had become complacent and had forgotten their priority, i.e. to put God's kingdom first above all else. And through prophet Haggai, the Lord conveyed these messages to His people:
- A call to remain faithful and remember His plans
- A call not to get distracted from building His plans
- A call for His people to rise up from the 'ashes' and humiliation of Babylonian exile
- A call for His people to reclaim their rightful place and shine for Him

*From historical timeline, Haggai's prophecy came at a time when God's people were extremely vulnerable. They had been humbled by their 70-year exile in Babylon, and were so discouraged by the opposition against them in rebuilding God's temple that they quit! (see Ezra 4:24) Haggai thus encouraged them to complete what they have started!

In Haggai 2:2-5 (NLT), the Lord spoke these words through prophet Haggai, "Say this to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of God’s people there in the land: 'Does anyone remember this house - this Temple - in its former splendor? How, in comparison, does it look to you now? It must seem like nothing at all! But now the Lord says: Be strong, Zerubbabel. Be strong, Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people still left in the land. And now get to work, for I am with you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. My Spirit remains among you, just as I promised when you came out of Egypt. So do not be afraid.'"

People of God, prophetically-speaking, we too are currently at a crucial time when the Lord is speaking the same to us! Be strong! Don't get distracted! Stay focused on your God-given calling and purposes in life! The truth is, as believers, each of us has a specific God-given calling in life (no two persons are exactly the same), each of us has been endowed with spiritual gifts and talents (for us to use for His glory), and therefore, each of us is a ministering Christian - being salt and light to this world! (see Matthew 5:13-16)

Here in the book of Haggai, the message to rebuild God's temple was simple and straightforward. Very interestingly, after thousands of years, the book of Haggai remains unique and special among the books of Old Testament prophets for one key reason: The people actually listened! :) It was indeed a 'kairos' moment in the history of God's people, and when the Lord spoke through prophet Haggai, a 'paradigm shift' in God's people happened! Their lives shifted from 'devotion to self' to 'devotion to God'! Their lives shifted from 'self-interest' to 'God-interest'! Their lives shifted from 'building own things' to 'building God's things'!

In Haggai 2:6-9 (NLT), the Lord spoke, "In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land. I will shake all the nations, and the treasures of all the nations will be brought to this Temple. I will fill this place with glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The future glory of this Temple will be greater than its past glory, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. And in this place I will bring peace. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!"

In Haggai 2:21-23 (NLT), the Lord spoke further, "Tell Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah, that I am about to shake the heavens and the earth. I will overthrow royal thrones and destroy the power of foreign kingdoms. I will overturn their chariots and riders. The horses will fall, and their riders will kill each other. But when this happens, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, I will honor you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, my servant. I will make you like a signet ring on my finger, says the Lord, for I have chosen you. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!"

People of God, your time for the above has come too! You and I are now that Temple, filled with His greater glory! 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NLT) says, 'Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple'.

Indeed, greater glory of the Lord is coming upon your life, and a new authority in Him has been given to you! By the way, 'signet ring' here is 'khothawm' in Hebrew, and it simply means 'signature', which speaks of you having the authority in Christ to 'sign' something, and whatever you 'sign' becomes a decree! In other words, no word (or work) of the enemy can overturn this decree that you make!

As God's people, are you building your own 'empire' for own selfish ambitions? Or are you building God's kingdom, leaving a legacy that will stand the test of time and test of fire? Choose ye this day! As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord! (Joshua 24:15) Keep building lives, keep equipping lives, keep 'adding value' to others, keep bringing God's heart to people, and keep pointing people to Jesus! The Lord who sees these will know how to honor you, just as prophet Haggai had spoken those days! Amen!