Dear…
‘And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.
Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you and shall be in you…’
John 14:16-17
In my previous sharing, God reminded me that the way for us to move from our carnal man to the spirit man that He wants all who love Him to be is to look to Him, rather than our own understanding. And to look after the interest of people He places in our lives rather than be mired in our own needs and wants. For we are commanded to seek God and His righteousness, and everything else will fall in place.
God indeed affirms and just this afternoon, at our men’s prayer meeting, my brother who shared his testimony covered along the same lessons that God has taught Him. Joy, peace, faith and blessings overflows from our heart, when we learn to let go and let Him. And in doing so, we will like in John 14 above, know the Spirit of God residing in our hearts, and have the quiet confidence to move as He leads.
‘Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude…’(Matthew 14:19)
Indeed God’s grace is suffice for the day, and if we understand that, then can we truly partake in the many wonderful plans God has already laid out for us, instead of running stationary within the same circle of fear, pride and other carnal emotions that keep us rooted in despair.
‘…Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.’
Mark 9:25
In my days as a believer but not follower of Christ, I do believe in the existence of God, but I was more fearful of the perceived free roaming evil spirits or “ghosts” that seem to captivate some, but for me and most, we rather do without the cohabitation. In my moments of fear especially of the spiritual kind, I used to call upon the authority of Christ to tell the specters of my imagined fears to “go” away. Quite silly it might seem, for how can I invoke the authority of Christ when I do not even spend time to know Him? But nothing happened in most instances, those fears being more imagined than real, but the sanctifying presence of God truly was real in the thankfully few occasions when I did get oppressed by the paralyzing presence of the fallen angels, and in my desperation, my heart did truly cry out of desperation to God to come save me, for at that point of being “pressed,” my sensory faculties be it limbs or speech went into a total immobilization, much as my spirit is very cognizance of this unreal and unseen, yet very real choking fearful presence upon my very being. Indeed, it does bring a corrective nuance to the phrase, “the devil in us,” an excuse for many a recalcitrant moment of our own follies. The devil is not in us the believer of the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, but the devil is hovering around us, waiting for that opportunity to lead our spirit man into sinful carnality. The devil has been an advocate of disobedience to God since the days of Adam.
‘Set your affection on the things above, not on the things on earth…..And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom….’
Colossians 3:2, 15-16
Today being the first day of the working week, I have been quite busy with things of the world for good reason. But the Spirit of God residing in my heart seems to be drawing my attention, by giving me very little peace, to stop and take time with God and to expand upon the thoughts He has placed in my heart over the weekend. And this is what you are reading now, and may it truly be edifying as it always be, if it is from the Lord our God.
‘Search me, O God, and know my heart, try me, and know my thoughts. And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.’
Psalm 139:23-24
My heart is still a little flutter, though much lesser than before I sit down with the Lord to write this now. Is it because there are still things not right in my life, hidden in the sub-recesses of my heart that God wants to show me? There will continue to be as God perfects us layer by layer and interestingly, envy no doubt in its nascent stage was beginning to creep into my being these past couple of days, and thankfully, God put it to rest with a timely verse in today’s daily bread reading(DB Monday Oct 11th) in Colossians 3:2 ‘Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.’ Is not envy pride colored in green?
And indeed, much as many of us are professed and “practicing” Christians, in the sense that we do try to be a diligent and obedient follower of our Lord Jesus Christ, the unholy combination of our imperfect and deceitful carnal self and the still very determined and present principalities of this world is more than a match for the finite us. And God knows that and His Spirit is with us to imbue us with that assured faith to be an over comer His way.
But we need to be willing to let His Spirit speak to the spirit man in us, and not let our carnality distract and deprive us of being cognizance of the Lord’s leading.
‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it…’
Habakkuk 2:1-2
I started penning these thoughts on Monday, and my hearts was a flutter since then, and in between snatches of stillness, I have been quite distracted. But interestingly, as a friend came by to speak to me on his need to re-examine and recalibrate his life to be properly aligned to the will of God. The peace that so eluded me this week returned to my heart.
Religion can be quite strange to irrational to the cynical observer. What is truth and what is “mumbo jumbo, it is hard enough for many believers to discern, not to say for the distant non believing observer. But Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship with an omnipresent God. And much as we know that the Spirit of God resides in the hearts of the believer, how many of us truly believe nor understand nor seek to reflect upon and be willing to respond to this reality, of a God Who truly wants to journey with us, till His return?
It is easier for the beast in our outward man to manifest itself, for we the sinful man upon birth, lived in a sinful and sensory world. But deep in the recesses of our heart, is a place God has prepared for His return, if only we are willing to receive Him. And indeed His Spirit already resides in the hearts of the professed believers, but we have failed to let go and let God, hence this continued struggle between our carnal and spirit being and without full obedience to the Holy Spirit, the Helper that Christ has left with us, the beast will win.
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(15th Oct 10)
‘And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan, and was with the angels ministered unto him.’
Mark 1:13
Most of us are familiar with the record of Satan’s futile attempts to tempt our Lord Jesus Christ, at the rudimentary stages of ministry in our world. Much as Christ is perfect, as man is imperfect, are we not subjected to the same temptation every moment of our lives, and are most of us falling short, dealing with it on our own strength? But it need not be, the Spirit of God is in us.
‘But he answered and said, It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’
Matthew 4:4
How many of us truly take time to drink in the Word of God? And how many of us take time to let it minister to us. And does our hearts truly reflect what our lips mouthed, when we seek the Word of God?
‘Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.’
Matthew 4:7
How often do we do things we should not do, and unashamedly turn to God expecting Him to make it right? God forgives, but is that a reason to be recalcitrant? Is that why most of our prayers are less of thanksgiving and more of supplications?
‘Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.’
Matthew 4:10
Are the temporal things of the world of greater value than the need to be made ready for eternity in the Kingdom of God? Most of us continue to revert to the bondage of the Egypt of our lives rather than boldly stepping into the liberating freedom of the promised land of God.
Simplistic thoughts these might be, but in all brevity, are we by our thoughts and daily living, paying obeisance to the beasts that rule our present world(the devil) or giving our all to being the spirit man that God wants us to be, molded by the Holy Spirit residing in us, the temple of God?
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