On 2 May
During Children's Church revival fire conference, Bill Wilson (in the video) said the need is the calling.
Very often, we listen to God's voice and when God doesn't say anything, we don't do anything.
He gave us an example, when he went to Africa, where he saw a hut in a land where everybody had forsaken. There he saw skinny children that nobody remembered. Then he said, "at that point of time, do you still need to pray about it?!"
As I was singing,
"One with Jesus
One with my Lord"
I then wondered, how do I be one with Jesus? I prayed to God that I want to walk in His perfect will, that I will not stray from the left to the right, nor from the right to the left. That is how I can be "one with Him" :)
On 4 May
I read Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,[a] 2because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.[c] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,[d] 4in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[e] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[f] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. 9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.[g] And by him we cry, "Abba,[h] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."[l] 37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
In conjunction with the above, the book that I read later in the afternoon, "Creative Ministry", says, "He has to be and become more and more an obedient man - that is, a man who allows himself to be guided by the voices he hears, He has to be obedient to the voices of nature, to the voices of people, and to the voice of God."
(this book is about creative evangelism, and this chapter "Celebration" speaks about the celebration of life in all its glory, joy, sorrow and misery. To be able to celebrate the present along with the past)
My revelation here is that we are no longer enslaved to sin, sin is no longer our master. We have a new covenant with the law, with the Spirit. I need not struggle with sin. All I need to do is to yield to the Spirit.
The same night, as I was walking home, I prayed to God to bless my life to bless the others, to use me to minister to my friends and to encourage those around me.
I happened to speak to N, who was feeling a little tired, finding it hard to pray recently. After sharing with her on my revelations, she got very excited and said that she couldn't wait to hang up the phone to do her quiet time immediately! I was glad and of course we ended our conversation there. I thank God that I can be used by Him to encourage my friend :D
To wrap this series, lemme end off with something light.
Before I blogged, I wrote a list of things God has blessed me with & my revelations:
1) His comforting words from the bible
2) Ps Derek prayed for me
3) I do not live for the approval of man
4) Not to be a lukewarm Christian
5) The need is my calling
6) Rom 1, 2, 3 on homosexuality
7) Romans 8, I am set free
- Creative Ministry on obedience
8) J's sis, A's trust
9) God used me to encourage N
10) Preserve my body
- Body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
11) J thinks I am a Godly person. All the more, I should live for His glory.
(However, I took out point (11) subsequently cos I thought it wasn't so much a revelation.)
Afterwhich I started to pray and give thanks to God.
As I was praying, I received a shock when I suddenly remembered what I prayed for a week ago, when I was feeling weary, I told God, "God I know that You will never let me go, and pastor says that if I take one step towards God, God will take 10 steps (or was it 100 steps?) towards us."
When I looked at my ten points, I was just shocked! It couldn't have been a coincidence! I know it is God telling me if I draw close to Him, He will draw close to me. (Don't let go of God and God won't let you go.)
"Lord You are always here with me
There is no changing God in thee
You are the same yesterday and today and forevermore
Here on Your promises I stand
You hold my future in Your hands
My solid rock
Almighty God I worship You"
Amen.
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