10 "This is what Sennacherib king of Assyria says: On what are you basing your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege? 11 When Hezekiah says, 'The LORD our God will save us from the hand of the king of Assyria,' he is misleading you, to let you die of hunger and thirst... 14 Who of all the gods of these nations that my fathers destroyed has been able to save his people from me? How then can your god deliver you from my hand? 15 Now do not let Hezekiah deceive you and mislead you like this. Do not believe him, for no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or the hand of my fathers. How much less will your god deliver you from my hand!" (2 Chr 32:10-14)
When Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces were laying siege on Lachish, he taunted the people of Judah and spouted lie upon lie, to make them doubt God. He told them that Hezekiah was misleading them when he said God would be able to deliver them. Sennacherib sounded real convincing, but in fact, it was he who was lying.
In the same way, Satan is the Father of lies. He lies to us to make us doubt God's goodness, His strength, His might, His ability to deliver us. I remember one year when we were engaged in spiritual warfare to push back his kingdom, he sowed this doubt in my mind, "Are you SURE your God can keep you?" When I allowed these thoughts to assault my mind, my faith began to falter ...
That's why we need to keep our armour on - especially the belt of truth and the shield of faith. In the face of insurmountable odds, am I sure my God can keep me? Yes He can. And He will. His word says so. He is a God that cannot lie.
20 King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to heaven about this. 21 And the LORD sent an angel, who annihilated all the fighting men and the leaders and officers in the camp of the Assyrian king. So he withdrew to his own land in disgrace. And when he went into the temple of his god, some of his sons cut him down with the sword.
Hallelejah. Amen.
Prayer today: O Father, forgive me when I doubt you and listen to lies. Help me discern truth from falsehood, especially falsehood about you; that I may walk secure in who you are, and whose I am. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Sunday, June 7, 2009
To make our King known
Day 3 in Bangkok ... this afternoon, after verifying that the Thai cinemas screen Hollywood blockbusters in English, I decided to take a break from shopping to catch a movie. I was truly impressed by the cineplex at Siam Paragon - it is the ultimate in 'luxe' ... and has tiered pricing for different classes of theatres. I decided to watch "Terminator Salvation" at a digital theatre - with better sound and sharper images - at 170 baht (about SGD8) ... still cheaper than Singapore, and in amazingly grand surroundings.
Before the movie started, there was the usual dose of trailers and cinema adverts. But what was truly interesting was that at one point, among the trailers, there was a screenshot of the Thai king, and all the audience in the theatre stood to their feet. For a while, I continued to sit in my chair (thinking afterall that I was not a subject of this nation) ... then decided that that might be culturally disrespectful. I did a Wikipedia search on this occurrence after I got back to the hotel, and it said: "Before a film, the audience must stand for the "Royal Anthem", which is accompanied by a montage of images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej." Ahhh... so this is a regular ocurrence after all.
Anyway, during dinner, I thought of the Thais who immediately jumped to their feet upon hearing the anthem. They were spontaneous in their reverence. Moi? I was indifferent really. But then, I don't know King Bhumibol. I've read that he's respected as a benevolent monarch - but I have just a passing knowledge of him. It struck me that my lack of knowledge about him is what fuels my apathy. Similarly, how can they who've never known the King of Kings feel anything but indifference towards him? I love my King, but they who don't know about His goodness, cannot be expected to feel the same way. My cinema experience reminded me that men cannot be expected to love our King unless we make Him known.
Prayer today: Lord Jesus, you are the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Help me to make you known, that all men might know your goodness, your love and your greatness in all the earth. To know you is to love you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Before the movie started, there was the usual dose of trailers and cinema adverts. But what was truly interesting was that at one point, among the trailers, there was a screenshot of the Thai king, and all the audience in the theatre stood to their feet. For a while, I continued to sit in my chair (thinking afterall that I was not a subject of this nation) ... then decided that that might be culturally disrespectful. I did a Wikipedia search on this occurrence after I got back to the hotel, and it said: "Before a film, the audience must stand for the "Royal Anthem", which is accompanied by a montage of images of King Bhumibol Adulyadej." Ahhh... so this is a regular ocurrence after all.
Anyway, during dinner, I thought of the Thais who immediately jumped to their feet upon hearing the anthem. They were spontaneous in their reverence. Moi? I was indifferent really. But then, I don't know King Bhumibol. I've read that he's respected as a benevolent monarch - but I have just a passing knowledge of him. It struck me that my lack of knowledge about him is what fuels my apathy. Similarly, how can they who've never known the King of Kings feel anything but indifference towards him? I love my King, but they who don't know about His goodness, cannot be expected to feel the same way. My cinema experience reminded me that men cannot be expected to love our King unless we make Him known.
Prayer today: Lord Jesus, you are the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords. Help me to make you known, that all men might know your goodness, your love and your greatness in all the earth. To know you is to love you. In Jesus' name, Amen.
So beautiful - by Terry MacAlmon
This is a really ministering song ... just breathtakingly beautiful...!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Spiritual warfare and the glory of God
Still on spiritual warfare...and interceding for cities. We landed in Bangkok yesterday (am here for a 4-day break) - and on the way from the airport to the city, I was struck by how lining both sides of the expressway were small figurines/statues of gods...presumably gods of protection? This lovely nation with incredibly wonderful people are so steeped in their belief of Buddha...this stems from deep-seated beliefs that go centuries back, and which are tightly woven into the very fabric of society. How do we even break through ... I thought.
Anyway, on the plane-ride here, I continued to read John Dawson's book "Taking our cities for God", in between catching Liam Neeson in the movie "Taken" (a pretty good show!). One thing which John wrote about pertaining to spiritual warfare and territorial spirits struck me. Sounding a warning to what intercessors can be prone to do - which is try and delve too much into what territorial spirits are holding a city captive - he says: "God will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it."
"There has always been a danger of either denial of satanic activity altogether or focusing on it too much. If we gain knowledge of the name and nature of an evil spirit and publish it broadly, the enemy will only attempt to glorify himself openly or instill fear among the immature. Joshua warned the Israelites about this temptation. 'You shall not make mention of the name of their gods'. (Joshua 23:7)'
I liked what he continued to say. "After all, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. When our sin causes God's revealed presence to depart, the demonic swarm fills the vacuum. Therefore, our focus should be on repentance and priestly meditation rather than on becoming expert on the satanic hierarchy. Morbid fascination is a carnal appetite that can drive us to search out the hidden knowledge of the evil realm... However, the privilege of knowing God Himself should be the centre of our desire."
Prayer today: Father God, when you call us to push back the boundaries of darkness as intercessors, help us focus on the right things ... on repentance, and priestly meditation, and you. After all, even in the darkest places, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. May we be the vessels that bring light to darkness, and to show the lost your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Anyway, on the plane-ride here, I continued to read John Dawson's book "Taking our cities for God", in between catching Liam Neeson in the movie "Taken" (a pretty good show!). One thing which John wrote about pertaining to spiritual warfare and territorial spirits struck me. Sounding a warning to what intercessors can be prone to do - which is try and delve too much into what territorial spirits are holding a city captive - he says: "God will reveal what we need to know when we need to know it."
"There has always been a danger of either denial of satanic activity altogether or focusing on it too much. If we gain knowledge of the name and nature of an evil spirit and publish it broadly, the enemy will only attempt to glorify himself openly or instill fear among the immature. Joshua warned the Israelites about this temptation. 'You shall not make mention of the name of their gods'. (Joshua 23:7)'
I liked what he continued to say. "After all, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. When our sin causes God's revealed presence to depart, the demonic swarm fills the vacuum. Therefore, our focus should be on repentance and priestly meditation rather than on becoming expert on the satanic hierarchy. Morbid fascination is a carnal appetite that can drive us to search out the hidden knowledge of the evil realm... However, the privilege of knowing God Himself should be the centre of our desire."
Prayer today: Father God, when you call us to push back the boundaries of darkness as intercessors, help us focus on the right things ... on repentance, and priestly meditation, and you. After all, even in the darkest places, the problem is not the presence of the enemy, but the absence of glory. May we be the vessels that bring light to darkness, and to show the lost your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Treasure in all earthen vessels
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph 6:12)
Recently, God has been putting on my heart the idea of prayer evangelism. So I've been starting to look at my neighbourhood slightly differently these days. I usually walk down one street from my house to the main road, and the other day, as I did so, I began to notice one neighbour here burning paper money; another worshipping with joss sticks, and wondering... Perhaps its something God is birthing in my heart; I'm still waiting on Him to see where it's all leading ... but in the meantime, am studying more on the subject. Along with it, I picked up a copy of John Dawson's book "Taking Cities For God" at the YWAM talk on Saturday.
YWAM's Dean Sherman reminded us in his spiritual warfare class of Eph 6:12 - that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. People are not the problem. I've heard that teaching before. But while reading John Dawson's book, I learnt another nugget of truth: that not only are people not the problem, God has placed in each one of us a piece of Himself. Everyone, even unbelievers, has the potential to be used greatly for the kingdom, if only they might be saved.
Writes John Dawson: "It is easy to to identify the motivational gift of unsaved individuals and to see what their ministry would be if they were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. For example, John Lennon would have been a minstrel-prophet like King David, and rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix could have been an excellent worship leader."
"I once set out to convert the manager of a local pornography store. We had breakfast together on Wednesday mornings for several weeks. He believed everything I had to say about Jesus, but he would not take the final step of committing himself to follow the Lord. One morning, I said "Ron, you're a tough guy on the outside, but inside, you're soft. You have what the Bible calls a gift of mercy. If you would allow Jesus to take over, you would become the kind of person to whom others would come for healing and comfort." For the first time he looked at me with real hope in his eyes, and that was the day he made Jesus his Lord.
I can identify with that. Someone I know was the most fervent idol worshipper for years. When she was saved, she became one of the most fervent lovers of God I know. I believe firmly with all my heart, when fervent idol-worshippers come to know Christ, they are super-potent instruments in the hand of God, because they KNOW how to worship. They just changed their allegiance.
What this has taught me is that we really need to recognise that God sees beyond the flaws, weaknesses, and depravity of people. Instead, he takes note of their potential and destiny in Christ Jesus. The lesson I need to learn is to see people the same way God sees them. To recognise that even when they are difficult, God loves them and so should we. Because our war is not against flesh and blood.
And there is treasure in all earthen vessels.
Prayer today: Father God, teach me not to be quick to judge others who are flawed, or difficult, or adversarial. Help me to love them, and not to be provoked by them. Help me to see them as you see them. For our war is not against flesh and blood. And there is treasure in all earthen vessels. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Recently, God has been putting on my heart the idea of prayer evangelism. So I've been starting to look at my neighbourhood slightly differently these days. I usually walk down one street from my house to the main road, and the other day, as I did so, I began to notice one neighbour here burning paper money; another worshipping with joss sticks, and wondering... Perhaps its something God is birthing in my heart; I'm still waiting on Him to see where it's all leading ... but in the meantime, am studying more on the subject. Along with it, I picked up a copy of John Dawson's book "Taking Cities For God" at the YWAM talk on Saturday.
YWAM's Dean Sherman reminded us in his spiritual warfare class of Eph 6:12 - that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. People are not the problem. I've heard that teaching before. But while reading John Dawson's book, I learnt another nugget of truth: that not only are people not the problem, God has placed in each one of us a piece of Himself. Everyone, even unbelievers, has the potential to be used greatly for the kingdom, if only they might be saved.
Writes John Dawson: "It is easy to to identify the motivational gift of unsaved individuals and to see what their ministry would be if they were saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. For example, John Lennon would have been a minstrel-prophet like King David, and rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix could have been an excellent worship leader."
"I once set out to convert the manager of a local pornography store. We had breakfast together on Wednesday mornings for several weeks. He believed everything I had to say about Jesus, but he would not take the final step of committing himself to follow the Lord. One morning, I said "Ron, you're a tough guy on the outside, but inside, you're soft. You have what the Bible calls a gift of mercy. If you would allow Jesus to take over, you would become the kind of person to whom others would come for healing and comfort." For the first time he looked at me with real hope in his eyes, and that was the day he made Jesus his Lord.
I can identify with that. Someone I know was the most fervent idol worshipper for years. When she was saved, she became one of the most fervent lovers of God I know. I believe firmly with all my heart, when fervent idol-worshippers come to know Christ, they are super-potent instruments in the hand of God, because they KNOW how to worship. They just changed their allegiance.
What this has taught me is that we really need to recognise that God sees beyond the flaws, weaknesses, and depravity of people. Instead, he takes note of their potential and destiny in Christ Jesus. The lesson I need to learn is to see people the same way God sees them. To recognise that even when they are difficult, God loves them and so should we. Because our war is not against flesh and blood.
And there is treasure in all earthen vessels.
Prayer today: Father God, teach me not to be quick to judge others who are flawed, or difficult, or adversarial. Help me to love them, and not to be provoked by them. Help me to see them as you see them. For our war is not against flesh and blood. And there is treasure in all earthen vessels. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Winning against impossible odds
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. (Eph 6:10)
I attended a YWAM talk by Dean Sherman on spiritual warfare yesterday, and learnt so much. I will probably be blogging more on the subject in the coming days. One thing Dean shared was that the spirit of intimidation or fear is from Satan. God gives us a spirit of love and power, and of a sound mind. Why should we not fear taking on enemies greater than ourselves? Because in any warfare, he said, we are going not in our own strength, but in the strength of His might (Eph 6:10). I was thinking of this and it struck me that one manifestation of this is how when God is with His people, He always gives them victory, even when they are overwhelmingly outnumbered.
Here are some examples:
1. Battle between Israel (Jeroboam) and Judah (Abijah) 2 Ch 13:13-15
"Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah." Judah was attacked at both front and rear, and it seemed disastrous! But they cried out to the Lord and it was God who routed the enemy.
2. Battle between Assyria (Sennacharib) and Judah (Hezekiah) 2 Kings 19:35
"And that night, the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." Amazing! God's people did not even have to lift a finger in this battle, God himself smote the enemy.
3. Battle between Israel (Gideon) and the Midianites, Judges 7
"That same night the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand." With 300 Israelites versus 135,000 Midianites (Israel outnumbered 450:1), Israel won the victory, because God was on its side!
4. Battle between Israel (Elisha) and the Syrians, 2 Kings 6
"When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
5. Battle between Israel (Joshua) and the Amorites, Joshua 10
"The LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
I love this! God killed the Amorites with hailstones, and caused the sun to stand still, until victory was complete!!! Woohooo!!!
In every situation, victory was won because God was on the side of His people. It didn't matter how weak Israel/ Judah was, or how outnumbered they were. In the natural, it was unthinkable how they would win. But they won because they warred in the strength of his might.
Prayer today: Father God, when I am plagued with doubt over whether I can take on the enemy, help me remember that on my own strength, I cannot. But you are strong, and mighty, and when you are with me, surely nothing is impossible. Your word is replete with examples of how when we are weak, then we are strong! Hallelujah, Amen.
I attended a YWAM talk by Dean Sherman on spiritual warfare yesterday, and learnt so much. I will probably be blogging more on the subject in the coming days. One thing Dean shared was that the spirit of intimidation or fear is from Satan. God gives us a spirit of love and power, and of a sound mind. Why should we not fear taking on enemies greater than ourselves? Because in any warfare, he said, we are going not in our own strength, but in the strength of His might (Eph 6:10). I was thinking of this and it struck me that one manifestation of this is how when God is with His people, He always gives them victory, even when they are overwhelmingly outnumbered.
Here are some examples:
1. Battle between Israel (Jeroboam) and Judah (Abijah) 2 Ch 13:13-15
"Now Jeroboam had sent troops around to the rear, so that while he was in front of Judah the ambush was behind them. 14 Judah turned and saw that they were being attacked at both front and rear. Then they cried out to the LORD. The priests blew their trumpets 15 and the men of Judah raised the battle cry. At the sound of their battle cry, God routed Jeroboam and all Israel before Abijah and Judah." Judah was attacked at both front and rear, and it seemed disastrous! But they cried out to the Lord and it was God who routed the enemy.
2. Battle between Assyria (Sennacharib) and Judah (Hezekiah) 2 Kings 19:35
"And that night, the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies." Amazing! God's people did not even have to lift a finger in this battle, God himself smote the enemy.
3. Battle between Israel (Gideon) and the Midianites, Judges 7
"That same night the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand." With 300 Israelites versus 135,000 Midianites (Israel outnumbered 450:1), Israel won the victory, because God was on its side!
4. Battle between Israel (Elisha) and the Syrians, 2 Kings 6
"When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" He said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Then Elisha prayed and said, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
5. Battle between Israel (Joshua) and the Amorites, Joshua 10
"The LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword. At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
I love this! God killed the Amorites with hailstones, and caused the sun to stand still, until victory was complete!!! Woohooo!!!
In every situation, victory was won because God was on the side of His people. It didn't matter how weak Israel/ Judah was, or how outnumbered they were. In the natural, it was unthinkable how they would win. But they won because they warred in the strength of his might.
Prayer today: Father God, when I am plagued with doubt over whether I can take on the enemy, help me remember that on my own strength, I cannot. But you are strong, and mighty, and when you are with me, surely nothing is impossible. Your word is replete with examples of how when we are weak, then we are strong! Hallelujah, Amen.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
The right view of success
Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. (1 Chr 28:10)
I was reading this morning the account by David of his plans to build the temple. It struck me in the short passage how utterly God is the architect of our success...how utterly dependent we are on Him...and how utterly foolish we are when we are prideful, when we think our success comes from our own hands.
Here it is. In the building of the temple, a glorious structure, all the plans did not originate in the mind of David because of his intellect, but came from the Spirit (1 Chr 28:12) The courage and strength to carry out the work came from God (1Chr 28:20) The wealth and honor bestowed to David and Solomon came from God (1 Chr 29:12) The ability to stay faithful till the end, any wholehearted devotion to keep God's commands and requirements and decrees, are by the grace of God (1 Chr 29:19)
Our inspired thoughts come from God. Our desire to obey comes by His enablement. Our wealth and honour is from Him. Our ability to love Him and persist in His ways are by His grace. Everything, and everything, that I do that is good is because of Him.
So when reading the passage, the only right response to all of the above is the one given by the people of Judah:
Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king. (1 Chr 29:20)
Prayer today: Father God, forgive me when I foolishly think my hands have earned me success. Everything, and I mean everything, that I do that is good is because of you. You are the author and finisher of my faith. Help me not to forget that, and so, to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before my God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
I was reading this morning the account by David of his plans to build the temple. It struck me in the short passage how utterly God is the architect of our success...how utterly dependent we are on Him...and how utterly foolish we are when we are prideful, when we think our success comes from our own hands.
Here it is. In the building of the temple, a glorious structure, all the plans did not originate in the mind of David because of his intellect, but came from the Spirit (1 Chr 28:12) The courage and strength to carry out the work came from God (1Chr 28:20) The wealth and honor bestowed to David and Solomon came from God (1 Chr 29:12) The ability to stay faithful till the end, any wholehearted devotion to keep God's commands and requirements and decrees, are by the grace of God (1 Chr 29:19)
Our inspired thoughts come from God. Our desire to obey comes by His enablement. Our wealth and honour is from Him. Our ability to love Him and persist in His ways are by His grace. Everything, and everything, that I do that is good is because of Him.
So when reading the passage, the only right response to all of the above is the one given by the people of Judah:
Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the LORD your God." So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king. (1 Chr 29:20)
Prayer today: Father God, forgive me when I foolishly think my hands have earned me success. Everything, and I mean everything, that I do that is good is because of you. You are the author and finisher of my faith. Help me not to forget that, and so, to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly before my God. In Jesus' name, Amen.
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