There's a buzzzz in my spirit, alerting me to things happening in the spiritual realm.
I've been praying more in tongues in intercession, rather than just edifying myself.
Several times since last Friday, my heart had been so full of the presence of God and what He had for me to pray.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
praying out God's plan
When Nehemiah heard about the plight of his countrymen, he turned to the Lord first of all. He prayed. He had a revelation of who God is, and what His people meant to God. He demonstrated an insightful and mature understanding of God. God allowed Nehemiah a glimpse into His heart for the people. In that very prayer, he took the desire of God right into his heart as his very own. Thus the boldness in his prayer. You can see this in Nehemiah 1, from verse 4 onwards.
As he prayed, God must have allowed him to see what was to come. And in the very last verse of Chapter 1, he asked for favour before the king.
And he waited... till God's appointed time before acting. And when the right time came, he recognised in his spirit God's intervention, and prayed a quick prayer and gave an answer to the King.
He must have been led by the Spirit of God in answer to his prayer.
He was not moved by the customary practices of that time. It was not the etiquette of that time to look sad in front of the king. But he allowed his demeanour to reflect his burden.
He was not moved by his circumstances - no one else he knew had the same desire or burden.
He knew his purpose, and perhaps he realised that even his status as cupbearer had to have been within God's divine plan for the rebuilding of the gates and walls of Jerusalem.
So when the opportunity presented itself in the form of the king's question, God poured forth His favour upon Nehemiah through a positively heartening response from the king, with resources placed at Nehemiah's disposal.
Still, he was alone. He started off alone, but God sent like-minded people his way. In fact, he had not told anyone of his intention, and no one knew till the appointed time in Nehemiah 2:17.
There were many obstacles to his task ahead, but as he prayed and waited, God dealt with each obstacle, one at a time. It was clear that God had a plan, and Nehemiah need only follow it. Instead of being discouraged by the plot and strategies of the enemy, they sought the help and wisdom of the Lord, and were not thwarted in their rebuilding efforts. He put plans in place for protection against the enemy.
Nehemiah 4:9
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
When the labourers who also had to stand guard to defend themselves and prevent any attack on the wall or on the people became tired and weary to the point of wanting to give up, Nehemiah stood firm in his purpose and continued to encourage them.
Some people wonder whether the dream is the thing that keeps them going. To me, the focus should be on the One Who Gives The Dream. We have a relationship with our heavenly Father, that would help us stand strong in any difficulty or challenge.
If our focus is on the dream or the task to be accomplished, our identity and purpose become enmeshed with whether we succeed or not. We then get discouraged when things seem slow or delayed. But when our focus is on the Lord, we begin to see and understand things from His perspective, that very often in the process, we are growing and learning and strengthend and established, being perfected, and in the meantime, we are still impacting and influencing others.
As he prayed, God must have allowed him to see what was to come. And in the very last verse of Chapter 1, he asked for favour before the king.
And he waited... till God's appointed time before acting. And when the right time came, he recognised in his spirit God's intervention, and prayed a quick prayer and gave an answer to the King.
He must have been led by the Spirit of God in answer to his prayer.
He was not moved by the customary practices of that time. It was not the etiquette of that time to look sad in front of the king. But he allowed his demeanour to reflect his burden.
He was not moved by his circumstances - no one else he knew had the same desire or burden.
He knew his purpose, and perhaps he realised that even his status as cupbearer had to have been within God's divine plan for the rebuilding of the gates and walls of Jerusalem.
So when the opportunity presented itself in the form of the king's question, God poured forth His favour upon Nehemiah through a positively heartening response from the king, with resources placed at Nehemiah's disposal.
Still, he was alone. He started off alone, but God sent like-minded people his way. In fact, he had not told anyone of his intention, and no one knew till the appointed time in Nehemiah 2:17.
There were many obstacles to his task ahead, but as he prayed and waited, God dealt with each obstacle, one at a time. It was clear that God had a plan, and Nehemiah need only follow it. Instead of being discouraged by the plot and strategies of the enemy, they sought the help and wisdom of the Lord, and were not thwarted in their rebuilding efforts. He put plans in place for protection against the enemy.
Nehemiah 4:9
But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat.
When the labourers who also had to stand guard to defend themselves and prevent any attack on the wall or on the people became tired and weary to the point of wanting to give up, Nehemiah stood firm in his purpose and continued to encourage them.
Some people wonder whether the dream is the thing that keeps them going. To me, the focus should be on the One Who Gives The Dream. We have a relationship with our heavenly Father, that would help us stand strong in any difficulty or challenge.
If our focus is on the dream or the task to be accomplished, our identity and purpose become enmeshed with whether we succeed or not. We then get discouraged when things seem slow or delayed. But when our focus is on the Lord, we begin to see and understand things from His perspective, that very often in the process, we are growing and learning and strengthend and established, being perfected, and in the meantime, we are still impacting and influencing others.
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
ways
These phrases have been repeating in my heart since last Friday when the Holy Spirit first released it through me:
ways to see and ways to hear
ways to know the ways to go
He will Show and we just follow
so He WIll SHOW and you will follow.
This second part was just spoken to a couple of sisters in the Lord also ministering the Word of God:
You don't plan for Him. He already has a plan for you both. Your part is to find out that plan in prayer and then walk out that plan. Don't plan God's plan. You walk out the plan He has already in place for you!
Monday, 25 May 2009
don't shoot a cannon on a sampan
Hubby and i were discussing about maturity and power/anointing some time this week.
This phrase he used struck me: You can't shoot a cannon from a sampan. I immediately laughed. The thought was ludicrous.
Sampan. Singaporeans will know immediately what it is - a small boat, usually without motor or rudder, but steered and moved by a long wooden pole in shallow waters.
That's my impression of a sampan.
The definition by wikipedia is similar, but with more details. You can check it out.
Truths are powerful. Truths contain dunamis power, but if fired from a sampan, it will not only be unable to hit the target, it will destroy the sampan.
So let's establish ourselves in the Word and become sturdy ships that can sustain steadily the cannons from which truths can be fired and hit the target.
This phrase he used struck me: You can't shoot a cannon from a sampan. I immediately laughed. The thought was ludicrous.
Sampan. Singaporeans will know immediately what it is - a small boat, usually without motor or rudder, but steered and moved by a long wooden pole in shallow waters.
That's my impression of a sampan.The definition by wikipedia is similar, but with more details. You can check it out.
Truths are powerful. Truths contain dunamis power, but if fired from a sampan, it will not only be unable to hit the target, it will destroy the sampan.
So let's establish ourselves in the Word and become sturdy ships that can sustain steadily the cannons from which truths can be fired and hit the target.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
don't run ahead...
Joseph had a glimpse of God's purpose for his life through his dreams, but as a young man, he spoke out what God put in his heart before the appointed time. He was perceived as arrogant by his brothers. His father, Jacob, did not help things by favouring him above his brothers. When he was sold as a slave, it did seem that God's plan was thwarted. But praise God, through a series of miraculous events, much favour and many years later, Joseph fulfilled his destiny. During the time of famine, he was at the RIGHT place at the RIGHT time.
Moses acted impatiently. He must have had heard from his parents doses of who he was and how God had redeemed him for a great purpose, and the greatest need of his people in that time, was to be delivered from the tyranny of the Egyptians. So out of frustration, anger and a vengeful spirit, he killed. He was in a good place to effect change - the palace. However, he was driven out and in the desert, he learned to depend on God. From a impulsive, even violent young man, he became the meekest man and a friend of God. He became the deliverer of the people of Israel, displaying the power and wisdom of God through the plagues and the parting of the red sea, amongst other miraculous and might acts.
Moses acted impatiently. He must have had heard from his parents doses of who he was and how God had redeemed him for a great purpose, and the greatest need of his people in that time, was to be delivered from the tyranny of the Egyptians. So out of frustration, anger and a vengeful spirit, he killed. He was in a good place to effect change - the palace. However, he was driven out and in the desert, he learned to depend on God. From a impulsive, even violent young man, he became the meekest man and a friend of God. He became the deliverer of the people of Israel, displaying the power and wisdom of God through the plagues and the parting of the red sea, amongst other miraculous and might acts.
Saturday, 23 May 2009
a dream, a seed
There was these few phrases that i sang. The words came out of my spirit. I was just singing and playing the piano. At first i was singing in tongues. Then two phrases began forming, then the others. This was as i was preparing for prayer school. I knew for sure i would be preaching on dreams.
I wished i recorded the tune. It escapes me now. It wasn't a brilliant tune, but it wasn't half-bad.
A dream - a seed of my destiny.
A dream - a glimpse of His life and plan in me.
As i obey His word and follow His Spirit,
His dream in me reaches to others,
Touching and transforming lives.
Like a cog in a wheel, as i turn,
His dream is bigger than just me.
I wished i recorded the tune. It escapes me now. It wasn't a brilliant tune, but it wasn't half-bad.
A dream - a seed of my destiny.
A dream - a glimpse of His life and plan in me.
As i obey His word and follow His Spirit,
His dream in me reaches to others,
Touching and transforming lives.
Like a cog in a wheel, as i turn,
His dream is bigger than just me.
Friday, 22 May 2009
discovering His dream / destiny for you
On Thursday morning, as i prepared for prayer school at about 6am, I thought i would not be touching on the subject of praying and dreams as there was nothing from God the last two days.
Little did i know it was still brewing...
At about 8am, two hours after i woke up, the Holy Spirit showed me Philippians 2:12-16. Pressing on towards the goal of the high calling of Jesus.
Paul knew his destiny, but what kept him going in the direction was not the dream, but knowing the Lord, which was his highest aspiration. Before Paul had an encounter with the Lord and became the champion of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was Saul the persecutor of Christians, chasing them down in every place. His encounter delivered his destiny, but he had to choose to live it out. He knew he was supposed to appear before King Agrippa, and he chose to follow what God put in his heart, whatever the obstacles that came against him. He pressed in and pressed on.
Jesus knew His destiny, and as he walked out the purpose of God for His life, He often needed to be refreshed by being in the presence of God. He stole away in the wee hours of the morning to pray. In the Garden of Gethsamane, he drew strength from the Lord as He purposed Himself to fulfill God's will for His life.
We have good works prepared for us already. In Ephesians 2:10, it show us that the Master Planner, Our Lord God who created us, then redeemed us, already planned beforehand the good works for us to accomplish. So what we have to do is to discover from God, and then WALK in them.
Psalm 139:16 shows us that even when before we were formed in our mother's womb, the days had already been written out in His Book. So what do we do? We discover them and then WALK in them.
How do we discover them? We actually find His plan for our lives in our spirit from His Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 shows us that His plans. His plans are so excitingly depicted here using repetitions for emphasis: no eye, no ear, no mind... His plans are just BEYOND all that we can ever think or imagine.
The Holy Spirit is the One who will tell you.
So pray, if you are not already doing it, and get into His presence.
Because of the nature of God, His dream put in our hearts are never for ourselves only. In the light of this, it becomes extremely selfish NOT to follow His plan for our lives, as we are short-circuiting not only our own destinies but the destiny of those who have yet to be impacted by our own lives. Well, God is merciful and will bring others along their path, but we do lose out in in the joy, in the privilege of being an instrument of change.
So as you WALK out His dream in you, as you realize the dream, you will in the process, be a blessing to others.
PS. i just realise that i have been using caps, instead of italics, for emphasis. :D
At about 8am, two hours after i woke up, the Holy Spirit showed me Philippians 2:12-16. Pressing on towards the goal of the high calling of Jesus.
Paul knew his destiny, but what kept him going in the direction was not the dream, but knowing the Lord, which was his highest aspiration. Before Paul had an encounter with the Lord and became the champion of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he was Saul the persecutor of Christians, chasing them down in every place. His encounter delivered his destiny, but he had to choose to live it out. He knew he was supposed to appear before King Agrippa, and he chose to follow what God put in his heart, whatever the obstacles that came against him. He pressed in and pressed on.
Jesus knew His destiny, and as he walked out the purpose of God for His life, He often needed to be refreshed by being in the presence of God. He stole away in the wee hours of the morning to pray. In the Garden of Gethsamane, he drew strength from the Lord as He purposed Himself to fulfill God's will for His life.
We have good works prepared for us already. In Ephesians 2:10, it show us that the Master Planner, Our Lord God who created us, then redeemed us, already planned beforehand the good works for us to accomplish. So what we have to do is to discover from God, and then WALK in them.
Psalm 139:16 shows us that even when before we were formed in our mother's womb, the days had already been written out in His Book. So what do we do? We discover them and then WALK in them.
How do we discover them? We actually find His plan for our lives in our spirit from His Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 shows us that His plans. His plans are so excitingly depicted here using repetitions for emphasis: no eye, no ear, no mind... His plans are just BEYOND all that we can ever think or imagine.
The Holy Spirit is the One who will tell you.
So pray, if you are not already doing it, and get into His presence.
Because of the nature of God, His dream put in our hearts are never for ourselves only. In the light of this, it becomes extremely selfish NOT to follow His plan for our lives, as we are short-circuiting not only our own destinies but the destiny of those who have yet to be impacted by our own lives. Well, God is merciful and will bring others along their path, but we do lose out in in the joy, in the privilege of being an instrument of change.
So as you WALK out His dream in you, as you realize the dream, you will in the process, be a blessing to others.
PS. i just realise that i have been using caps, instead of italics, for emphasis. :D
Thursday, 21 May 2009
meng xiang
meng xiang - dreams...
the kind we live for and aspire to...
This has been brewing in my heart for the past weeks. Since the last prayer school actually, when God showed me what to teach from Habakkuk 2 (see entry on 7 May).
A young man actually asked me about dreams, alerting me to what God wanted to show me.
Then i listened to a online sermon in Mandarin about meng xiang (dreams). I cried while listening as this experienced minister shared how God showed him at 42 (this is 20 years later) a dream that he had when he was but ten years old, to help those who are less fortunate. God spoke to him after he obeyed the Lord and gave to a man who lived in the street his breakfast money. He was reluctant to obey God as he did not want to give up his coffee and doughnut, but God convinced him. He initially gave half, leaving himself money for doughnut, but God talked to him again. He had to go back for the second instalment. Then he sat down on a park bench, bereft of breakfast. The man walked over and said: God bless you. A simple phrase, the minister said, which impacted him. Then God spoke to him, reminding him of that dream.
Since then, he has helped hundreds of people who are in need, the most recent being those affected by the earthquake in Sichuan.
My greatest takeaway was these statements: Dare to dream. Dare to fulfill your dream. Your dream may be to help others dare to dream again. Your dream may be to help others fulfill their dreams.
The people in Sichuan lost their homes, their loved ones, their dreams shattered. But he and his team moved in and helped by listening, by giving hope through building not only their homes, but their lives and their dreams.
What is your dream?
So begin to dream, and if you are already dreaming, dream on.
If you are discouraged, know that as you pray, a supply of the Spirit is being given to you.
the kind we live for and aspire to...
This has been brewing in my heart for the past weeks. Since the last prayer school actually, when God showed me what to teach from Habakkuk 2 (see entry on 7 May).
A young man actually asked me about dreams, alerting me to what God wanted to show me.
Then i listened to a online sermon in Mandarin about meng xiang (dreams). I cried while listening as this experienced minister shared how God showed him at 42 (this is 20 years later) a dream that he had when he was but ten years old, to help those who are less fortunate. God spoke to him after he obeyed the Lord and gave to a man who lived in the street his breakfast money. He was reluctant to obey God as he did not want to give up his coffee and doughnut, but God convinced him. He initially gave half, leaving himself money for doughnut, but God talked to him again. He had to go back for the second instalment. Then he sat down on a park bench, bereft of breakfast. The man walked over and said: God bless you. A simple phrase, the minister said, which impacted him. Then God spoke to him, reminding him of that dream.
Since then, he has helped hundreds of people who are in need, the most recent being those affected by the earthquake in Sichuan.
My greatest takeaway was these statements: Dare to dream. Dare to fulfill your dream. Your dream may be to help others dare to dream again. Your dream may be to help others fulfill their dreams.
The people in Sichuan lost their homes, their loved ones, their dreams shattered. But he and his team moved in and helped by listening, by giving hope through building not only their homes, but their lives and their dreams.
What is your dream?
When you dream God's dream,
there is no limit to the resources at your disposal.
When you dream God's dream,
that dream is bigger than even you.
It will keep growing on the inside of you.
When you dream God's dream,
not only your life will be transformed.
People around you will be impacted too.
When you dream God's dream,
the side effect,
the by product,
the results are tremendous,
indicative of the very nature of God,
the infinity and eternity of God.
there is no limit to the resources at your disposal.
When you dream God's dream,
that dream is bigger than even you.
It will keep growing on the inside of you.
When you dream God's dream,
not only your life will be transformed.
People around you will be impacted too.
When you dream God's dream,
the side effect,
the by product,
the results are tremendous,
indicative of the very nature of God,
the infinity and eternity of God.
So begin to dream, and if you are already dreaming, dream on.
If you are discouraged, know that as you pray, a supply of the Spirit is being given to you.
What keeps you going
is not the dream,
not the tasks towards fulfilling the dreams.
What keeps you going is
the relationship you have with the Heavenly Father,
the Holy Spirit you have living in the inside of you.
is not the dream,
not the tasks towards fulfilling the dreams.
What keeps you going is
the relationship you have with the Heavenly Father,
the Holy Spirit you have living in the inside of you.
As you pray, you are stirring yourselves up, you are edified, you are strengthened.
Monday, 18 May 2009
sold out
I'm sold out for Jesus!! This phrase has been repeating in my heart since yesterday morning.
He bought me with a high price - that of his own life and blood!
I'm sold out to Jesus!
My life belongs to Him. I follow Him. I obey Him.
I'm sold out to Jesus!
He is everything to me!
And I've been drawn to similar photos/images (I saw one on FB, two in two different churches, quite a few live specimens worshiping in sunday service) to the one below in the past two weeks, and the picture of giving one's all to the Lord has been staying in my mind and heart.
no reserves, no retreats, no regrets!
He bought me with a high price - that of his own life and blood!
I'm sold out to Jesus!
My life belongs to Him. I follow Him. I obey Him.
I'm sold out to Jesus!
He is everything to me!
And I've been drawn to similar photos/images (I saw one on FB, two in two different churches, quite a few live specimens worshiping in sunday service) to the one below in the past two weeks, and the picture of giving one's all to the Lord has been staying in my mind and heart.
no reserves, no retreats, no regrets!
Sunday, 17 May 2009
power in praise
There's power in praise because as you praise, you are demonstrating your trust and belief in His word, His promise, thereby allowing His might and strength, even His transforming power in your situation
We see praise in Acts 16 after Paul and Silas were thrown in the dungeon in chains after being beaten, not for any wrong they had done, but for preaching the Word. We see their faith in action when they started praising God.
Praise not only impacts ourselves, turning the praiser's eyes to the author and finisher of their faith - Jesus our Lord. Those around you are also impacted. Their eyes are also turned up. Their eyes are also fixed on Jesus and the Word of God that is pregnant with promise and power and potential that WILL be fulfilled.
SUDDENLY. God moved. Chains fell off. Doors open.
Oppression has to leave in the face of praise. When you praise, the Spirit of the Lord moves. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY. The power of God is released to work its work in the situation.
I love it that the jailer fell on his knees, having experienced the very presence of God. I love it that this beautiful instance of praise, born out of pain and persecution, resulted in the Kingdom of God being expanded in the inclusion of the jailer and his entire household (he must have had not only his family but all his servants). Most of all i love it that God's name was glorified and exalted.
When we focus on the Word of God and what God can do,
praise then automatically comes as a response to the word. As we praise, our eyes are fixed, locked in, plugged in to our heavenly Father. In the process, we are established, encouraged, exhorted. Our perspectives are lifted up to a higher plane. That's how we are transformed, and allow that transformation power to touch those around us too!
We see praise in Acts 16 after Paul and Silas were thrown in the dungeon in chains after being beaten, not for any wrong they had done, but for preaching the Word. We see their faith in action when they started praising God.
Praise not only impacts ourselves, turning the praiser's eyes to the author and finisher of their faith - Jesus our Lord. Those around you are also impacted. Their eyes are also turned up. Their eyes are also fixed on Jesus and the Word of God that is pregnant with promise and power and potential that WILL be fulfilled.
SUDDENLY. God moved. Chains fell off. Doors open.
Oppression has to leave in the face of praise. When you praise, the Spirit of the Lord moves. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is LIBERTY. The power of God is released to work its work in the situation.
I love it that the jailer fell on his knees, having experienced the very presence of God. I love it that this beautiful instance of praise, born out of pain and persecution, resulted in the Kingdom of God being expanded in the inclusion of the jailer and his entire household (he must have had not only his family but all his servants). Most of all i love it that God's name was glorified and exalted.
When we focus on the Word of God and what God can do,
praise then automatically comes as a response to the word. As we praise, our eyes are fixed, locked in, plugged in to our heavenly Father. In the process, we are established, encouraged, exhorted. Our perspectives are lifted up to a higher plane. That's how we are transformed, and allow that transformation power to touch those around us too!
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