Rest - Lord Give Me Strength

Haven't been posting for quite awhile as I learn to rest in Christ for the past 19 days. I do not mean to rest as not posting & simply doing nothing. Strangely, I found casting my cares & worries [rest] in the Lord quite challenging. It seems like I always like to 'help' God, I will tell myself all these problems be it from work or family belong to Jesus as I trust in Him being a Child of Most High God, yet, I will think about it, try to find solutions from my flesh. I end up being confused in perfect irony. Praise the Lord, our Pastor had been preaching about rest & our identity in Christ & I keep listening to his sermons & find myself learning & I'm determined to break the strongholds of my 'nonsense' to REST...

While I was awaiting for my parents after service for dinner, I wondered into a Christian book store, pick up a card with words that comfort me. Title, "Lord, Give Me Strength". Give us your strength, Lord. Because sometimes things get tough, & we are ready to quit. Give us your love, Lord. Because people reject us, & we are tempted to hate. Give us your eyes, Lord. Because sometimes life gets dark, & we lose our way. Give us your courage, Lord. Because often we are put under pressure, & it's hard to do what is right. Give us yourself Lord. Because our hearts were made for you, & we will not rest until we rest in you. A summary of all my thoughts...How great is our God?!

Today sermon was awesome especially when Pastor Prince shared about his revelation about our identity in Christ. "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." 2 Cor 5:17 [NASB] "They will say of Me, 'Only in the Lord are righteousness & strength.' Men will come to Him. And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame [e.g. the pathetic Satan]. In the Lord all the offspring’s of Israel Will be justified & will glory." Is 45:24-25 [NASB] Notice the words "In Christ, In the Lord" In Christ we engage the World with a new mindset where all things are new, being a new creation. In Christ we receive our righteousness & strength...

Jesus revealed this truth as being "I am". In John chapter 9, before Jesus healed the man born blind, the scripture wrote "While I am in the World, I am the light of the World." John 9:5 [NASB] Imagine a blind who lives in total darkness, since the day he was born, the "I am" finished the miracle! Halleluiah! We can do all things through Christ who strengthen us. In another occasion, the disciples asked for the bread of God that gives life to the world, "Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life..." John 6:35 [NASB] We ask for grace, only to find forgiveness already offered. We ask for food, only to find provision already made. We ask for guidance, only to find answers in God's ancient story...

What controls us doesn't control Him. What troubles us don’t trouble Him. What fatigue us doesn't fatigue Him. Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No. he rises above it. Is the whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not, he plunges beneath. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it.

If He is able to place the stars in their sockets & suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it remotely possible that God is able to guide our life? If our God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that he is mighty enough to light our path? If He cares enough about planet Saturn to give it rings or Venus to make it sparkle, is there an outside chance that He cares enough about us to meet one needs?

Inspired By:

Max Lucado & Pastor Prince

A Touch of His Presence

Migraine, flu & fever kept hitting me with no good reasons & it started to roll in on early hours of both Sundays, 31st 2006 & 7th of 2007. I miss the last sermon of year 2006 but with the wonders of technology, I manage to get hold of the sermon. Satan love to steal, kill & destroy. I believe he came to steal the words of God, our foundation with our relationship with our Lord. Yet the scripture says, "'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on Every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4 [NASB]

On the 7th, my migraine was so bad I have to take sleeping pills to 'knock me out'. I sent out distress message to my care group leader for prayer. In my heart, my only desire is to attend the first Sunday service in the year 2007. I do not know how I made it to the last service as I was feeling unwell & it is of quite a distance to drive from home to church. Pastor taught us to seek for the healer not the healing, Jehovah-Rapha. "The Lord that heal" If you are facing any lack, seek Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will provide! My migraine, flu & fever subsided when the service ended. Halleluiah, we have a good God! Amen?!

Jesus came to set us fee from hell, do you believe it deeply in your heart? We know God has a will for us. 'For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare & not for calamity to give you a future & a hope.' Jer. 29:11 [NASB] God is not the God of confusion, & wherever He sees sincere seekers with confused heart, we can bet He will do whatever it takes to help us see His will.

God has given each part of the body of Christ an assignment. One way God reveals His will to you is through Church. He speaks to one member of the body through another member. It could happen in a Bible class, a small group, during communion, or during dessert. God has as many methods as He has people...

We also learn God's will by spending time in His presence. The key to knowing God's heart is having a relationship with Him. A personal relationship. God will speak to us differently than He will speak to others. Just because God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, that doesn't mean we should all sit next to the bush waiting for God to speak. God used a fish to convict Jonas. Does that mean we should have worship services at Sea World? No. God reveals His heart personally to each person.

For that reason, our walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn His will as we take up residence in His house every single day. Walk with Him long enough & you come to know His heart. When you spend time with Him in His study, you see His passion. Welcome Him to enter the gateway of your soul & you'll perceive His will...

Want to know God's will in your life? Then answer the question: What ignites your heart? Forgotten orphans? Untouched nations? The inner city? The outer limits? Heed the fire within! Do you have a passion to sing? Then sing! Are you stirred to manage? Then manage! Do you ache for the ill? Then treat them! Do you hurt for the lost? Then teach them! What is the fire that consumes you? Mark it down: Jesus comes to set us on fire! He walks as a torch from the heart to heart, warming the cold & thawing the chilled & stirring the ashes. He was at once a Galilean wildfire & a welcome candle. He comes to purge infection & illuminate our directions...

The fire of your heart is the light of our path. Disregard it at your own expense. Fan it at your own delight. Blow it. Stir it. Nourish it. Cynics will doubt it. Those without it will mock it. But those who know it - those who know Him - will understand it. To meet the Savior is to be set aflame. To discover the flame is to discover His will. And to discover His will is to access a World like none we've ever seen...

Inspired By:

Max Lucado