More ‘spiritual’ information on Yom Kippur

More information on Yom Kippur -spiritual aspect (as expressed by those who practise) as follows:

Quote: ” Introduction -Yom Kippur is the spiritual pinnacle of the Days of Awe. On this day, God moves from the throne of Justice (where God was metaphorically “seated” for Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment) to the throne of Compassion. As we approach God on Yom Kippur, it is with the conviction that our sincere prayers will be heard and our sincere repentance accepted. For this reason, there is a Hasidic tradition that Yom Kippur, or Yom Hakippurim, should be K’Purim, as joyous as Purim.”

Inui Nefesh (Afflicting the Body) and Spiritual Rebirth

quote:”The most well-known characteristic of Yom Kippur is that it is a day of fasting. This fasting is actually part of a larger framework created by the rabbis called inui nefesh, the afflictions of the body. There are five things that we are prohibited from doing on Yom Kippur: washing, eating, drinking, having sex, and wearing leather. On Yom Kippur we refrain from activities, like eating, taking care of our bodies and making love, that affirm life. In addition, it is customary in some communities on Yom Kippur to wear a kittel, a shroud – the garment worn by Jews when they are buried. Finally, at the end of the Yom Kippur service, we recite the sh’ma, the words that are supposed to be the last ones on our lips before we die. On Yom Kippur, the peak of the period of self-transformation and teshuva (turning), we symbolize the death of our old selves and a spiritual rebirth as a new, pure soul. ” unquote

Quote: ” Torah Readings -The Torah reading for Yom Kippur morning is Leviticus 16, the account of how the sacrificial service was conducted on Yom Kippur by Aaron, the High Priest. The haftarah is Isaiah 57:14 – 58:14, a passage chosen because it discusses the true purpose of fasting. God seeks only the fast that will inspire us to begin to act with more justice and mercy, that will lead us to take greater care of those in need in our society. The Torah reading for Yom Kippur afternoon is Leviticus 18, which describes prohibited marriages and illicit sexual relationships. Some communities choose to read Leviticus 17, the “Holiness Code” in place of the traditional reading. The haftarah is the book of Jonah.”

(internet information from: The Abraham Joshua Heschel School)

Watchman's Adventure: An evening with two messages

Indeed it was a wonderful day for the watchman. He received two different messages in one evening. The first message was Psalm 47. He was in a ward praying (for an elderly frail man to get well), together with two others in the Spirit. Then he was told to read this psalm, especially verse 2 “For the Lord Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.”
After that he went to a worship and prayer meeting. Prior the meeting he received Psalm 84 and to his surprise, he was praying part of the psalm on his way there! During the meeting, he was pleasantly surprised that the worship was indeed centred on the kingship of Jesus.

After the worship, prayer started and the time was spent almost entirely praying in the Spirit. He was led to understand why he read psalm 84:5-8. It describes the spiritual journey of an intercessor praying in the Spirit. (Words in brackets are what the watchman received in the Spirit).

Psalm 84

5 What joy for those whose strength comes from the Lord, who have set their minds on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

(Praying is like a pilgrimage journey)

6 When they walk through the Valley of Weeping,

(it is not easy to start as an intercessor has to know what to pray for and needs to enter the spiritual realm to intercede accurately. Even weeping and tears are expected. In this instance a group of intercessors are praying together)

it will become a place of refreshing springs.

The autumn rains will clothe it with blessings.

(But as they allow themselves to be led by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of intercession, they will soon find that out of their bellies flow rivers of living water!)

7 They will continue to grow stronger,

(the group of intercessors who pray together will pray from strength to strength as they press on together in one Spirit of Christ)

and each of them will appear before God in Jerusalem.

(But each individual intercessor must appear before the Lord personally. No one can substitute him. If anyone does not pray he will not appear before God. God is Spirit.)

8 O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies, hear my prayer.

Listen, O God of Jacob.

(Only after he enters into the spiritual realm, getting into the presence of the Lord, he can pray this verse!)


Psalm 47

For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.

1 Come, everyone! Clap your hands!

Shout to God with joyful praise!

2 For the Lord Most High is awesome.

He is the great King of all the earth.

3 He subdues the nations before us,

putting our enemies beneath our feet.

4 He chose the Promised Land as our inheritance,

the proud possession of Jacob’s descendants, whom he loves.

Interlude

5 God has ascended with a mighty shout.

The Lord has ascended with trumpets blaring.

6 Sing praises to God, sing praises;

sing praises to our King, sing praises!

7 For God is the King over all the earth.

Praise him with a psalm!

8 God reigns above the nations,

sitting on his holy throne.

9 The rulers of the world have gathered together

with the people of the God of Abraham.

For all the kings of the earth belong to God.

He is highly honored everywhere.

Days after Quakes and Tsunami: “Never Let me Go”

A sixty year old Japanese man was rescued from a piece of floating roof after two days. He told the rescuers that he had lost his wife.



The watchman once got to know someone through sharing the same interest of reading books written by Kazuo Ishiguro . Here are some quotes from Kazuo Ishiguro. The excerpts are from “Never let me go” (2005) and “The remains of the day” (winner of the Booker Prize, 1989)


Quotes_____________

“I keep thinking about this river somewhere, with the water moving really fast. And these two people in the water, trying to hold onto each other, holding on as hard as they can, but in the end it’s just too much. The current’s too strong. They’ve got to let go, drift apart. That’s how it is with us. It’s a shame, Kath, because we’ve loved each other all our lives. But in the end, we can’t stay together forever.” (Never Let me go)

”Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”

“You say you’re sure? Sure that you’re in love? How can you know it? You think love is so simple? “

“The evening’s the best part of the day. You’ve done your day’s work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.”

“Sometimes I get so immersed in my own company, if I unexpectedly run into someone I know, it’s a bit of a shock and takes me a while to adjust.”

“What can we ever gain in forever looking back and blaming ourselves if our lives have not turned out quite as we might have wished? The hard reality is, surely, that for the likes of you and I, there is little choice other than to leave our fate, ultimately, in the hands of those great gentlemen at the hub of this world who employ our services. What is the point in worrying oneself too much about what one could or could not have done to control the course one’s life took? Surely it is enough that the likes of you and I at least try to make our small contribution count for something true and worthy. And if some of us are prepared to sacrifice much in life in order to pursue such aspirations, surely that is in itself, whatever the outcome, cause for pride and contentment.” (The remains of the day)

“It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed.”

“Indeed — why should I not admit it? — in that moment, my heart was breaking.”

“…and I half closed my eyes and imagined this was the spot where everything I’d ever lost since my childhood had washed up, and I was now standing here in front of it, and if I waited long enough, a tiny figure would appear on the horizon across the field and gradually get larger until I’d see it was Tommy, and he’d wave, and maybe even call.” (Never Let me go)

“Your life must now run the course that’s been set for it.”

“Memory is quite central for me. Part of it is that I like the actual texture of writing through memory…”

“When we lost something precious, and we’d looked and looked and still couldn’t find it, then we didn’t have to be completely heartbroken. We still had that last bit of comfort, thinking one day, when we grow up, and we were free to travel around the counry, we would always go and find it in Norfolk…And that’s why years and years later, that day Tommy and I found another copy of that lost tape of mine in a town on the Norfolk coast, we didn’t just think it pretty funny; we both felt deep down some tug, some old wish to believe again in something that was once close to our hearts.”

“The problem, as I see it, is that you’ve been told and not told. You’ve been told, but none of you really understand, and I dare say, some people are quite happy to leave it that way.”


“There was another life that I might have had, but I am having this one.”

“As a writer, I’m more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened”

“You’re always in a rush, or else you’re too exhausted to have a proper conversation. Soon enough, the long hours, the traveling, the broken sleep have all crept into your being and become part of you, so everyone can see it, in your posture, your gaze, the way you move and talk.” (Don’t we all?)

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LAND OF THE QUEEN?

Seeing the small should not limit our eyes to detecting the big picture in the spiritual realm, the watchman has learned. What is happening in Queensland Australia is only the tip of an iceberg. The name of the state is a type (just like the name ‘ChristChurch’ in NZ was invoked previously as a sign of things to come to the churches of Christ all over the world) to signify events that will come to all the ex-colonies of the Queen.


In the case of Queensland, the Lord has these following verses for watchmen and intercessors all over the Commonwealth to ponder upon. All the former daughters (of which USA is one) of Great Britain too!

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Job 27:20-23 (New Living Translation) 20 Terror overwhelms them like a flood, and they are blown away in the storms of the night. 21 The east wind carries them away, and they are gone. It sweeps them away.

22 It whirls down on them without mercy. They struggle to flee from its power. 23 But everyone jeers at them and mocks them.

FLOOD COMES FROM THE ALMIGHTY GOD

ORIGIN: Job 12:15 If he holds back the rain, the earth becomes a desert. If he releases the waters, they flood the earth.

JUDGMENT OF THE UNBELIEVERS

Isaiah 8:7 Therefore, the Lord will overwhelm them with a mighty flood from the Euphrates River —the king of Assyria and all his glory. This flood will overflow all its channels Isaiah 28:2 For the Lord will send a mighty army against it. Like a mighty hailstorm and a torrential rain, they will burst upon it like a surging flood and smash it to the ground. Isaiah 30:28 His hot breath pours out like a flood up to the neck of his enemies. He will sift out the proud nations for destruction. He will bridle them and lead them away to ruin. Nahum 1:8 But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night.

WARNING THE BELIEVERS

Isaiah 28:17 I will test you with the measuring line of justice and the plumb line of righteousness. Since your refuge is made of lies, a hailstorm will knock it down. Since it is made of deception, a flood will sweep it away.

Ezekiel 13:13 “Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will sweep away your whitewashed wall with a storm of indignation, with a great flood of anger, and with hailstones of fury.

Amos 5:24 Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.

Isaiah 28:19 Again and again that flood will come, morning after morning, day and night, until you are carried away.” This message will bring terror to your people.

Isaiah 59:19 In the west, people will respect the name of the Lord; in the east, they will glorify him. For he will come like a raging flood tide driven by the breath of the Lord.

THE FLOOD CAN COME IN THE FORM OF THE ENEMIES (physical and spiritual)

Jeremiah 46:8 It is the Egyptian army, overflowing all the land, boasting that it will cover the earth like a flood, destroying cities and their people.

Jeremiah 47:2 This is what the Lord says: “A flood is coming from the north to overflow the land. It will destroy the land and everything in it—cities and people alike. People will scream in terror, and everyone in the land will wail.

Revelation 12:15

Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth.

WARNING OF END TIME

Daniel 9:26 “After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.

Daniel 11:10 However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.

Daniel 11:40 “Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood.

AS SIGNS FOR ENT TIME: NOAH WILL ARISE

Matthew 24:38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.

Matthew 24:39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

Luke 17:27 In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all.

Hebrews 11:7 It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes by faith.

1 Peter 3:20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

2 Peter 2:5 And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.

2 Peter 3:6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.

_____________________________________________

NOAH’S FLOOD: What happened in the past will happen again!

(substitute the word ‘flood’ with ‘end time disaster’ and see the sequence and type of events that will take place again)

Genesis 6:17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with a flood that will destroy every living thing that breathes. Everything on earth will die.

Genesis 6:19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you to keep them alive during the flood.

Genesis 7:1 [ The Flood Covers the Earth ] When everything was ready, the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.

Genesis 7:3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.

Genesis 7:6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.

Genesis 7:7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood—he and his wife and his sons and their wives.

Genesis 7:10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.

Genesis 8:1 [ The Flood Recedes ] But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.

Genesis 8:4 exactly five months from the time the flood began, the boat came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

Genesis 8:13 Noah was now 601 years old. On the first day of the new year, ten and a half months after the flood began, the floodwaters had almost dried up from the earth. Noah lifted back the covering of the boat and saw that the surface of the ground was drying.

Genesis 9:11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

Genesis 9:20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard.

Genesis 10:1 This is the account of the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the three sons of Noah. Many children were born to them after the great flood.

Genesis 10:32 [ Conclusion ] These are the clans that descended from Noah’s sons, arranged by nation according to their lines of descent. All the nations of the earth descended from these clans after the great flood.

Bible Reading: Be part of the big picture of prophecy!

Zechariah (continued)
God used the prophets to reveal His plans and send His messages to His people. But we also must know that our knowledge is partial and incomplete and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture.
Seeing Visions:  Zechariah received eight prophetic visions for Israel, which all follow the same pattern, a) introductory words, b) a description of the things seen, c) a question by Zechariah to the angel for the meaning, and d) the explanation by the angel.

In the visions we see that God is righteous as well as merciful. He judges and blesses too!

Zechariah 1:8, “In a vision during the night, I saw…” 1:9, “My lord, what do these horses mean?” 1:18,1:19,1:21, 2:1,2:2,3:5,4:2,4:4 (Read all the verses of how he saw visions and asked the angel what they meant)
1. The Man Among the Myrtle Trees (Zechariah 1:7-17) Meaning: God’s anger against the nations and blessing on restored Israel.
2. The Four Horns and the Four Craftsmen (Zechariah 1:18-21) Meaning: God’s judgment on the nations that afflict Israel.
3. The Surveyor with a Measuring Line (Zechariah 2:1-12) Meaning: God’s future blessing on restored Israel.
4. The Cleansing and Crowning of Joshua, the High Priest (Zechariah 3) Meaning: Israel’s future cleansing from sin and reinstatement as a priestly nation.
5. The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees (Zechariah 4) Meaning: Israel as the light to the nations under Messiah, the King-Priest.
6. The Flying Scroll (Zechariah 5:1-4) Meaning: The severity and totality of divine judgment on sin in Israel.
7. The Woman in a Basket (Zechariah 5:5-11) Meaning: The removal of national Israel’s sin or rebellion against God.
8. Four Chariots (Zechariah 6:1-8) Meaning: Divine judgment on Gentile nations.
 
God promised prosperity to Israel and Jerusalem
1:17 “The towns of Israel will again overflow with prosperity…” (also read 8:1-3) 2:4 “Jerusalem will someday be so full of people and livestock that there won’t be room enough for everyone! Many will live ouside the city walls. Then, I, myself, will be a protective wall of fire around Jerusalem, says the Lord. And I will be the glory inside the city!”
 
Prophecy of Jesus Christ, the Branch (the divine High Priest, the King)
2:10 ” Shout and rejoice, O beautiful Jerusalem, for I am coming to live among you.”
3:8-9 “Listen to Me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring My servant, the Branch. ..and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day.“
6:11-13 “…make a crown…Here is the Man called the Branch. He will branch out from where He is and build the Temple of the Lord. Then He will receive royal honor and will rule as King on His throne. He will also serve as Priest from His throne…”
Zechariah 9:9, “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet He is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey colt.”
 
On That Day” (Future Deliverance); Second Coming of Christ
12:10 “Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on Me whom they have pierced and mourn for Him as for an only son.”
13:1 “On that day a fountain will be opened… a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.” 2 “I will remove from the land both the false prophets and the spirit of impurity that came with them.”
13:9, “This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.”
14:1 “Watch, for the day of the Lord is coming…” 20 “On that day…and the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be sacred as the basins used beside the altar.”

Foreshadowings: Prophecies about Jesus Christ through Zechariah: Messiah would come and dwell in our midst (Zechariah 2:10-12; Matthew 1:23); the symbolism of the Branch and the Stone (Zechariah 3:8-9, 6:12-13; Isaiah 11:1; Luke 20:17-18); His Second Coming (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:33-37). Jesus is the Savior of Israel, a fountain whose blood covers the sins of all who come to Him for salvation (Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:7).

Practical Application: Today, we too must prepare to meet our Lord’s Second Coming. We are called to:

1. Listen to the Holy Spirit and be led by the Spirit.
2. Obey God’s word and live His Word.
3. Live a life ministering to God (as chosen people, royal priests, holy nation).
4. Be the the living temple (the Holy Spirit lives in you) for the holy God.
5. You are called to be a part of the big plan too! Are you praying for Jerusalem?

Who we are in Christ:

1 Peter 1:2 “God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and His Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed Him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.” 14 “So you must live as God’s obedient children.” 2:1 “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.”
2:4-5,9 “You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple… And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What is more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God…for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.”

End Times Witnessing: And then God answers

1 Kings 8:10-11
¹⁰ When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. ¹¹ And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple.
1 Kings 9:1-9
The LORD Appears to Solomon
¹ When Solomon had finished building the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had achieved all he had desired to do, ² the LORD appeared to him a second time, as he had appeared to him at Gibeon. ³ The LORD said to him:
“I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
⁴ “As for you, if you walk before me in integrity of heart and uprightness, as David your father did, and do all I command and observe my decrees and laws, ⁵ I will establish your royal throne over Israel forever, as I promised David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’
⁶ “But if you ^[a] or your sons turn away from me and do not observe the commands and decrees I have given you ^[b] and go off to serve other gods and worship them, ⁷ then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples. ⁸ And though this temple is now imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and will scoff and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’ ⁹ People will answer, ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD their God, who brought their fathers out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshiping and serving them—that is why the LORD brought all this disaster on them.’ “
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
¹⁶Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? ¹⁷If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
1 Pet.2:4-5
⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
1 Pet.1:13-16

Be Holy

¹³Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. ¹⁵But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”^[a]

End Times Witnessing: He shields us!

Being shielded by God is an honor. The first incident recorded in the Bible whereby a mortal man received the shield of God is about Abraham, the father of faith. Similarly many men of faith received the shield against the enemy throughout Christian history.
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Genesis 15:1 [ God's Covenant With Abram ] After this, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. “
Deuteronomy 33:29 Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD ? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places. “
2 Samuel 22:3 my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior— from violent men you save me.
2 Samuel 22:31 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
2 Samuel 22:36 You give me your shield of victory; you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 3:3 But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my head.
Psalm 5:12 For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
Psalm 7:10 My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart.
Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:35 You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.
Psalm 33:20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
Psalm 35:2 Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid.
Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
Psalm 89:18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Psalm 115:9 O house of Israel, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.
# Psalm 115:10 O house of Aaron, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.
# Psalm 115:11 You who fear him, trust in the LORD— he is their help and shield.
# Psalm 119:114 You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
# Psalm 140:7 O Sovereign LORD, my strong deliverer, who shields my head in the day of battle-
# Psalm 144:2 He is my loving God and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.
Proverbs 2:7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Isaiah 31:5 Like birds hovering overhead, the LORD Almighty will shield Jerusalem; he will shield it and deliver it, he will ‘pass over’ it and will rescue it.”
Psalm 18:30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
Zechariah 9:15 and the LORD Almighty will shield them. They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.
Zechariah 12:8 On that day the LORD will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the LORD going before them.
Ephesians 6:16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 1 Peter 1:5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Chapter Seventy-Seven: A watchman cries, "Your face, Lord, I will Seek!"

Jack is led by the Spirit to share a series of his action steps for END TIME SURVIVAL WITH JESUS OUTSIDE THE CAMP complete with Scripture verses to help to cast out unbelief and let mustard seed faith come forth and produce tangible result.
Survival Step One: How to live by the Spirit?
Action One: Seek God diligently daily. Why? By end time, Christians would have realized that they just have to depend on God to get them out of the horror. There is no one but God Who can save them. All who choose to follow and identify with Jesus will need to know how to seek God and hear His voice.
SEEK GOD NOW. This is the Number One preparation action for end time survival. You need to TRAIN NOW in worship, prayers and reading of His word.
God wants us to seek Him. In Psalm 27:8 David declared to God: "When You said, seek My face, my heart said to You, Your face, Lord, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8)
Indeed, God looks down from heaven to see if anyone who understands, who seeks Him. (Psaalm14:2; 53:2)
God even says He rewards those who diligently seek Him! (Heb.11:6)
God is our refuge, fortress, and strength in the day of affliction (Psalm 46; Jeremiah. 16:19).
He is our protector against evil, destruction and pestilence. (Psalm 91)
God delivered His people from evil for the purpose of meeting with them and dwelling among them as their God! (Exodus 20:24; 29:42-46)
Jesus said He needs to know you first before He will allow you to enter into heaven. (Matt. 7:21-23) Get used to seeking and meeting God (The Father, the Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) now daily so you would not be caught in end time without knowing Him.

Jack has over many years, with intensity building up in the last 12 months, been seeking God consistently. The result is indeed amazing and rewarding. What God has promised in His word have come true! What happened?
1. He started by reading the Bible as a young Christian. A lot of Christians do this as a routine. Over many years, the word of God has been stored in his heart (spirit).
2. He meditated on God's word. He memorized them. But he was not satisfied when he could not receive any illumination from the word. So he persisted in seeking. He listened to sermons with his whole heart. He thirsted and hungered for the word of God to feed his inner man.
3. After many years, he realized that the problem was with his mind and not his heart. The mind is well trained, to analyze, rationalize and organize. All these actions have no input from faith and/or from the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth.
God says, without faith it is impossible to please Him. (Heb.11:6)
Jesus says, the Holy Spirit comes to guide us into all truth. (John 16:13)
4. A breakthrough came last year. Jack was asked to sign up to pray for the churches and the city he lived in. So he did. That was  the beginning of a journey in the Holy Spirit. He found that the prayers were empty and lifeless and came from mechanical recitation of written guides from his church or a copy from somewhere in his mind archives. His heart was sincere but his flesh (body and mind) blocked him from really reaching the level that God has intended for him.
5.  He recalled how he was filled with the Holy Spirit many years ago, the joy and love he felt flowing from God's presence to him then. He read the Bible day and night then with zeal and passion, believing that the word of God was real and they spoke to him. However when he started going back to church he was soon caught in the snare of man's tradition. He built up considerable Bible knowledge. He clocked in numerous hours of ministering to others. But he soon became malnourished spiritually.
6. So Jack started to practice worshiping God and waiting upon the Lord. That was the breakthrough. God's presence becomes real to him. He read the word of God afresh and listened to the still small voice within if any. God started to get through to him. He saw visions. he dreamed dreams. He saw Bible verses in his heart. He receives Biblical confirmations for the visions and dreams.
7. When he prays, he no longer utters familiar routine words that sound good to hear but empty (which the Lord Jesus described as babbling like pagans), knowing that he is in front of the great, awesome and holy God. How can he simply say things? When he hears his own previous prayers he feels ashamed.

END-TIME SURVIVAL is all about knowing how to hear God and follow His voice. The Holy Spirit will lead you in your spirit to listen and follow. The word of God that you have stored in your heart will rise to the occasion and become alive, bring forth life as you pray it and meditate on it and proclaim it by faith.

How else do you think Jesus has expected you to overcome? Just practice now. You will hear God. You will see what God wants you to see in your spirit. You will become real. A son of God. A kingdom of God citizen. A royal priest. A special national. An elect. A victorious remnant. A faith person. Jesus becomes your real life.

It is a marvelous and wonderful life in Christ Jesus. A divine lifestyle on earth as it is in heaven. No fear for end-time.

CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX: HOW DOES A WATCHMAN KNOW HE IS BEING CALLED?

A young man discussed this matter regarding special calling with Jack one day. Is it difficult to know what one’s calling in life is? How does one know he is being called to be a watchman? Jack has never thought of this before. He himself has stumbled his way into this spiritual journey in the first place. Surely there are other more focused ways!

As they discussed, he asked the young man what he thought his calling was. The young man told him that he felt more inclined to be an intercessor too. He said his favorite character in the Bible was Elijah. It was indeed an interesting and unusual choice. The Holy Spirit has been working on him! Jack thought about his own favorite Bible character. He could only think of two with whom he sort of identified: the prophet Jeremiah and the wall builder Nehemiah.

Are there similarities in these two Bible characters? How were they called to be watchmen? Jeremiah was called when he was a young man. He was a reluctant watchman. He was asked to speak to audience who rejected his messages. He had been ridiculed and even persecuted for his messages. He saw visions and spoke prophecies. God’s words burned inside him and he had no choice but to speak them. Yet he was most unwelcome for speaking the truth.

Jack of course had not encountered such experiences as he never saw significant visions for nations and assigned risky duties. All he ever saw and did was mostly limited to within his personal and sometimes wider church/mission scope. At times he was urged to pray in the Spirit although he did not know the content of his intercessions. He definitely has an easier watchman life than the ancient watchmen! However, deep in his heart he wanted to identify with Jeremiah. He felt as if he could see how Jeremiah wept for his city and nation who rejected his prophecies. This picture touched his heart.

Nehemiah was not called until he was already an established official (cupbearer) well trusted by the King in the Persian court. There was no mention of his calling by God. Nevertheless, he was touched and interceded fervently when he heard the sad news about his city and nation back home. He prayed until he knew God has answered his prayers. He was indeed granted favor by the King to return to Jerusalem to re-build the walls. He was different from Jeremiah as he was not only an intercessor he was a builder too. How could a cupbearer (a man who tested the wine before handing the wine to the King so that no one could poison the King) become a capable and efficient governor and city builder? This sounds impossible, yet Nehemiah had succeeded. What he completed was physically evident, in the form of the duly completed walls of Jerusalem, built in 52 days despite external political and military threat and harassments and internal discouragement among the workers.

Jack would like to identify with him in that he stayed close to God and prayed through the whole building project. It appeared to Jack that during Nehemiah’s intercessions, God had revealed to him His plan for the walls of Jerusalem and thus all Nehemiah did was to listen carefully and obeyed God’s instructions! It was no easy task but certainly exciting and worthwhile! The picture of Nehemiah kneeling down before the great God in heaven, interceding day and night until God answered (complete with a wonderful work plan and supplies) is certainly inspiring to Jack.

How does a watchman know he is being called? Looking at the above two cases, there is no one definite answer. God’s way cannot be limited. However, the certainty is that when one stays close to God, and is sensitive to the Holy Spirit, God will let him know. In the above two examples, one watchman was selected by God even when he was in his mother’s womb. Another watchman became one when he paid attention to news about God’s people and cared about matters that touched God’s heart. No matter how they were called, both had chosen to obey the calling. Both are models for emulation for all watchmen-to-be. Thus Jack concluded.

2010-01-24

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR: WATCHMAN, WALLS OF MY HEART AND MORNING STAR

A time has come for Jack to take stock as a watchman.

He has gone on this journey in the Holy Spirit for almost a year during which he has experienced the reality of the spiritual and supernatural realm as described in the Bible. He has also discovered the ability of man to communicate with the Holy Spirit. He has encountered God.

The year can be compared to that of a class conducted by the Holy Spirit. Although he was not exactly the responsive and sensitive student, he has managed to see and hear important messages at random and responded accordingly. He knew that there had been times he failed as watchman and other watchmen must have stood in for him. He is grateful for that.

Even now he is still not sure of how he could receive the interpretations and explanations to some of his visions. He relies on others to interpret for him if possible. Otherwise he takes a long time to decipher the message by reading relevant passages in the Bible over and over again and asking for more signs from the Holy Spirit. He used to think that it would get easier as he continues his quest. He is wrong. When he first sought God in the Holy Spirit, he saw visions easily and had the related interpretations almost immediately. As the year went by he lost momentum and could not settle down to seek God’s presence quietly. He did not even enquire of God and he saw less and less visions. Lately when he resumed his quest he found that he saw visions without any clue to interpret them!

The recent events were good illustrations of how he had to go through a lot of channels before he understood the message the Holy Spirit was trying to pass to him. On this subject he still has promptings in his heart that the message is more than just a personal one for the young man who is seeking to become godly. He needs to look further beyond the walls of Nehemiah. He needs to search his heart and see if there are walls there to be pulled down as well. He needs to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His greater purpose if any for making him read the book “Walls of my heart” after reading the book of Nehemiah.

Surely it was no coincidence that he was led to read both books. He has determined in his heart to find out more about this message which he is yet to decipher. Indeed, he has been listening to teachings about a Christian being the temple of the Holy Spirit and that the body of Christ consists of individual Christians together becomes a church. Church building is in fact body building for Christ. Each member of the body of Christ needs to be built up. The walls are made up of each brick (member of the body of Christ). Hence, re-building the ruined walls require regeneration and rebuilding each individual member of the church.

What is a watchman’s role in this rebuilding effort? He needs to really listen and watch. When he receives a message it is his role to pass it faithfully to the intended target. Like in the rebuilding project in Nehemiah, the job of a watchman is never completed until the walls are completed. But he dared not presume anything, knowing the serious consequences of human presumption.

Apostle Peter warned us of this, “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)

Carry on watching and praying!

2010-01-20

CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE: watchman saw visions of wolves, serpent and one young man

Something amazing happened. Jack found out lately how patient the Holy Spirit has been in trying to give him an important message. The following is a summary of the sequence of recent events illustrating this:


He attended Sunday morning worship and was filled with the Spirit.

The following Tuesday he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to read the Book of Nehemiah. He thought the book has something to do with church building. But he kept this thought to himself at the back of his mind.

After the above experience he was fired up to read the Bible, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more to him so he would know God’s will and obey.

He was reminded one day by his prayer partner that he was yet to read one little booklet about God’s creative power for finances. She gave him that booklet sometime ago and he forgot all about it. So he finally located it in an unused briefcase and read it.

While reading the booklet he said amen to the Bible verses and repented his past careless words about finances. He also asked the Holy Spirit to show him what seeds he should plant in accordance to the inspired teachings.

The minute he finished the booklet he received a phone call. Someone from a Christian organization invited him to give a talk on managing finances in two weeks time. He knew this was the seed he asked for, so he agreed without hesitation.

One morning he decided to do research on what the Bible says about finances. He spent the whole morning before God reading God’s words and meditating on God’s matters.

By the afternoon he was a bit tired and sleepy so he decided to rest by reading a book. He took one book at random from the shelf of some new books he bought about a month ago while travelling overseas. The book is “Walls of My Heart” by Dr. Bruce and Barbara Thompson.

When he had read a few pages he closed his eyes to rest. He saw a clear vision of a young man from his church. The young man was walking alone outdoor (with tall grass nearby and no building in sight). He was followed by a pack of wolves (or wild dogs). He seemed troubled but he was not aware of the presence of the wolves and the danger! Jack responded in surprise and opened his eyes. He had not been praying for the church and had no reason to see this young man at all. But he thought it would be better to wait for clearer instruction from the Holy Spirit before he told the young man or anyone.

He spent the whole afternoon reading the book in between doing his usual chores. By night time he almost finished reading the book. He felt tired and closed his eyes to rest for awhile. The minute he closed his eyes a second vision appeared. He saw the young man close up and there was a pole by the side of the young man. There was a serpent coiled round the pole and its mouth was open. Its head was at level with the young man’s ear as though it was speaking to the young man. Jack was stunned so he opened his eyes. He knew he should not delay and he called the leader of the church, who confirmed that he should communicate with the young man about the visions.

Later at night the young man (who was contacted by the church leader) called him. Jack thought the leader had already told him the visions so he asked the young man what he had been doing. The young man said he was concentrating on character building and wanted to learn to become a godly grown man. He said he was no longer a child. So he should learn to be a grown up from godly people. So Jack shared how he was led to read Nehemiah and later the book on “Walls of My Heart” which makes use of Nehemiah’s example for character building. He suggested that the young man read Nehemiah.

The next morning Jack re-read the introduction of the book and discovered that the writer in fact quoted a verse from Ephesians 4:13, “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Verse 14 says, “That we should no longer be children…” So the answer to the young man’s quest is in the book of Ephesians!

The young man called and said Jack had not yet told him the visions so Jack told him accordingly. Jack also shared with him about his discovery and asked him to read the book of Ephesians chapter 4, which aptly ends with the verse, “And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you.” (By the way, the dangers of the enemy, the lying serpent and angry wolves were all described in that chapter too!)

The Holy Spirit summed up His instruction with this verse from Ephesians 5:1, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”

Imagine the long suffering the Holy Spirit must have gone through in order to accommodate Jack in his dull in hearing and seeing in the spirit. On the other hand Jack was elated that God has not given up in revealing to him important visions like this so that he can continue to learn to carry out the task of a watchman. The books of Nehemiah and Ephesians have benefitted him too. The book “Walls of My Heart” is a must-read for all hurting Christians, aspiring counselors and watchmen.

January 19, 2010

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: VISIONS OF COOKED PIG HEAD, NATIVE INDIANS WITH AX ON MULTI-STOREY CAR PARK SCAFFOLDING OF BIG CHURCH

Lately Jack had not been seeing much in his spirit. However, he has learned not to focus on seeing visions or trying to remember dreams. He had a lot of dreams in which he discussed matters with the Holy Spirit. But he could not remember them when he woke. He reminds himself daily he seeks God alone and not visions or signs and wonders or what God can do for him.


As he will embark on a journey to a distant land shortly he has been preparing himself physically and spiritually. He prayed for divine slimness and fitness so he would not feel cumbersome when required to walk a long distance which requires good stamina as well.

Soon after his prayer for divine slimness he saw one vision which revealed the humorous (though direct and even hurting to a man’s ego) side of the Holy Spirit. One day Jack was praying in tongue (in the Spirit) a lot as he knew he had lagged lately. He remembered the teaching that the more one feels unspiritual the more one should pray in the Spirit and let the Holy Spirit work into oneself. So he persisted. Then by the time he went to an evening service in the Prayer House, he saw a clear vision after worshipping awhile. He saw the head of a piglet in a ring like a cartoon. So he thought this could be an unclean spirit and he cast it out in Jesus’ name, though he did not grasp the meaning then. Immediately the picture changed. The piglet head became a cooked piglet head (with the word “cooked” and “cake” appearing in his mind), followed by a clear phrase in his mind “the spirit of gluttony”! It dawned on him that he had the spirit of gluttony so he repented and renounced and cast it out!

He felt good after that day and realized how fast the Holy Spirit acted in response to our crying out for help.

Another day he went to his former church to hand over some stuff to someone. When he wanted to leave a thought came to him to go and pray in the prayer room as it was a day of intercession for churches and nations. So he went. This was the first time he prayed there. He prayed in the Spirit for sometime and saw a vision. On that church’s construction scaffolding of the new multimillion dollars multi-storey car park, he saw two American Indian chiefs complete with headgears, carrying an ax and standing with legs apart.

He thought it was not a good sign so he prayed against whatever evils it could mean. When he went home he was troubled. He asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to him and confirm whatever report it means in a second time as God repeats twice to show things established by God and that He will shortly bring it to pass. (Gen. 41:32) No further revelations. So Jack read the Bible on interpretations on ax and native.

He found that John the Baptist warned the Pharisees of their arrogance and impending judgment, “And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matt.3:10) Jesus warned of the fig tree that was barren for three years and agreed to give it one more chance before cutting it down. (Luke 13:7-9) He also read about how God warned the arrogant spirit of Assyria in Isaiah 10:12-19. In Isa. 10:15, “Should the ax boast itself against him who chops with it?” The verses that followed were frightening, “Therefore the Lord, the Lord of hosts, will send leanness among his fat ones; an under His glory He will kindle a burning like a burning of a fire…will consume the glory of his forest…then the rest of the trees of his forest will be so few in number that a child may write them.”

He was more troubled. That evening he attended an over midnight worship and prayer meeting. During the sharing of God’s words, the preacher spoke on the topic of “self-righteousness” (hypocrites and judgmental) which is a religious spirit of the Pharisees. He ended his sermon with the example of the Laodiceans which boasted, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing” and the Lord rebuked them as those who “do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked”. Jesus called the Pharisees blind guides and hypocrites (Matt.23). He noted a frightening correlation between the Laodiceans church and the Pharisees.

Jack is in a dilemma. He does not know whether to share the vision about the Indians with ax on scaffolding of the multi-million car park he saw with the leaders of that church. Is he being judgmental? Is he the one who is self-righteous? Is he the Pharisee? He searches his heart. He finds that he has nothing of himself that he seeks to honor and/or thinks highly of. He does not covet big construction. (He tends to remember how God caused the downfall of the Tower of Babel and he shudders). He was a part of this big project in fact as he had financially supported the building with a considerable monetary donation and an interest free loan. He should have been proud and boasted of it if he was a Pharisee.

On the other hand, he is still looking to the Holy Spirit to raise another watchman to speak to that big church. (Sigh)

2009-12-14

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: SPIRITUAL NOVICE COUNTING BLESSINGS!

One thing Jack learns to tell himself is not to give the false impression that he is so spiritual that he can hear God loud and clear, knows God and practices perfectly all things pertaining to godliness. That is false. He must admit that he is still a novice in all spiritual matters and all things pertaining to God. He has a long long way to go to live in the Spirit and by the Spirit.


He is still concerned with two things: Is he living in the Spirit correctly as instructed in the Bible? Is he known by Jesus?

The worst thing that can happen to any Christian is to be addressed by Jesus as worker of iniquity and to be told to depart from the living God forever and ever when that day of the Lord comes.

Things continue to happen to him and his family and friends. As they seek God they discover the positive intervention of the Holy Spirit to make their paths easier. The Holy Spirit indeed provided guidance and arranged for people and events to work together for them.

Recently Jack found that some major prayers were answered in ways that he never thought could be possible. God is a worker of the impossible!

He also learned not to give up hoping and seeking God.

In review, he found that he has again received a big bonus from the Holy Spirit. Two years ago the market crashed and all that he had invested previously in the fund market lost significant monetary value. He was led by the Spirit to read Jeremiah and trusted in the Lord’s faithfulness. He was asked to read “Enter by the narrow gate”.

After reading Jeremiah, he trusted God and hanged on to the original funds. During this year he listened and bought more of certain funds (which value he had earlier lost) at lower cost.

At the lowest time he was led to buy a particular stock at the time that everybody was selling. He sold the stock earlier this year when he made a good profit. The benefits of this one deal were as follows:

1. He used part of the sale proceeds to buy a similar stock at the same earlier buying cost of the sold stock. However, the new stock is worth twice the value of the sold stock.

2. A month later he made a second profit from the new stock which gave right issue at a cost way below the market value.

3. Within two months the stock gave dividends at an earning rate way above other stocks.

4. Within half a year, the stock gave further dividends, totally the best earning in the market.

5. He banked in the remaining unused profit after giving one-tenth of the total to support his church evangelical and healing ministry.

During the last month of this year the original funds which had lost value two years ago had regained their values and gained considerable further value. He just sold some to reap the promised harvest. All in all, just as promised in Jeremiah, God’s steadfast loving kindness and faithfulness are new every morning!

Lean year or fat year, a Christian’s hope and security rest in the Lord.

No wonder God asked His people to come out of Egypt and enter the Promised Land prepared for them. All they had to do was to follow Him, obeyed His command and sought His presence all the time.

Translate the above to today’s scenario, all we need to do is to deny ourselves (be separate from the world and the worldly values), follow Jesus (including His cross), obey His words (carry our crosses), and seek His presence daily, i.e. living by the Spirit.

Another year is over soon, have you come out yet?

P/s: Jack is not a stock market pundit and never has much interest in stock market. The one stock he invested was in plantation as he was led to read the particular passage in Jeremiah, meditated on it and trusted the Holy Spirit to lead him to the right counter at the right time. The same applies to the funds.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: AN OPPRESSED AND DEPRESSED CHRISTIAN

The more Jack asks the Holy Spirit for guidance so that he could know God more and understand the reason why Christians live like the yo-yo (up and down, wandering and wondering in the wilderness of life,) are often weak, sick and powerless, the more the Holy Spirit responds and reveals to him from the Word of God, the Bible, which is life and Spirit.

For quite sometime he was led to read psalms and detected how the psalmist suffered from oppression and depression too! King David was one example. As he read, he saw a pattern emerging from the confessions of King David. Today he read Psalm 13 and summarized below what he has learned:

Psalm 13

1 How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?

How long will You hide Your face from me?

2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul,

Having sorrow in my heart daily?

How long will my enemy be exalted over me?



3 Consider and hear me, O LORD my God;

Enlighten my eyes,

Lest I sleep the sleep of death;

4 Lest my enemy say,

“I have prevailed against him”;

Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.



5 But I have trusted in Your mercy;

My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

6 I will sing to the LORD,

Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

The psalmist was deeply depressed. He was oppressed by the spirits of death, rejection, and darkness. These are revealed in the following verses:

Verse 2: The adverse situation affected his emotion and mental state. He was sorrowful daily. “Having sorrow in my heart daily”. His mind was affected. He suffered mental agony. He could not help thinking about his problems over and over again. “Take counsel in my soul”.

Verse 3: The situation affected his sleep. He slept like a dead man. “Lest I sleep the sleep of death.”

Verse 4: The situation affected him spiritually. “I am moved (fallen)”.

In fact he had suffered this sickness for quite sometime. He used the word “long” to describe his inability to tolerate anymore. Verse 1-2, he asked God “how long” three times and strong word like “forever”!

The cause of his sickness can be summarized as follows:

1. The psalmist looked at God in a negative way (he suffered from unbelief). In verse 1-3 he was blaming God for his condition. He accused God for forgetting him, ignoring his plead (not answering his prayer), not seeing him and talking to him. The truth was, the psalmist could not feel God’s presence, see God, or hear God. Instead of acknowledging his own distance from God, he projected his problems to God, “You forget me”, “You hide Your face from me”, “consider and hear me”, “enlighten my eyes”. (Verse 1, 3)

2. The psalmist was obsessed with his enemy. He felt oppressed. In verse 2 and 4 he complained that his enemy might win over him. “Exalted over me” and “prevailed against me”. He was worried and indignant that his enemy would “rejoice” at his fall. He was oppressed by the thought of his enemy winning, laughing at him and saying things that hurt him!

However, as he persevered and prayed with honesty, the Holy Spirit revealed the solutions to his depression, in verse 5-6. He remembered the goodness of God, which God had given him in the past: mercy, salvation and abundant life! “Your mercy”, “Your salvation”, “has dealt bountifully with me”.

Then the faith that God has given to him rises. He “trusted” God afresh, his “heart rejoices”, and he “sings to the Lord”. Indeed, he worshipped and praised God despite his depression illness. His focus was on Jesus, the salvation of Jesus on the cross.

Thus, the depressed psalmist was healed!

2009-11-22

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: MORE HOLY SPIRIT STORIES

The way that the Holy Spirit works is amazing. Jack can never figure out what will happen next. As he wanted to know more about God the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), one evening he was given a breakthrough experience.

That evening he was in the worship service and found that neither the pastor nor the senior worship leader was around. An alternate preacher preached a short sermon ending by urging those who have been in the church for quite sometime to come out and serve God instead of sitting there.

Jack repented and told the Holy Spirit quietly that he was willing to be obedient. The Holy Spirit responded immediately.

After the service the alternate preacher called three persons to go out and minister to those who needed healing or deliverance or just wanted to be blessed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Jack was one of the three called!

So he went to the front by faith. He told the Holy Spirit he had never done this before and he did not know how to pray for those people in front of him and the Holy Spirit would just have to take over. He then encountered four different scenarios:

1. When he prayed, the person in front of him fell down without him touching.

2. When he prayed, the person in front of him fell down by his gentle placing a thumb on that person’s forehead.

3. In one incident, he asked the person what language the person understood, and the person merely fell down without answering or waiting for him to pray!

4. In one incident, the person fell down without him finishing his prayer.

So Jack came home knowing that the Holy Spirit had given him another wonderful lesson by showing that there was no way anyone could predict or limit the Holy Spirit to any pattern. The Holy Spirit is the key to touching the lives and/or healing all those believers who came to the front of the church by faith and what happened had nothing to do with Jack.

Jack concludes that the works of the Holy Spirit are indeed real and all He needs is a willing and obedient heart to demonstrate His power. He is thankful for being a witness to the power of the Holy Spirit.

He now understands more when he reads about the wonderful and powerful events concerning the Holy Spirit in the Bible.

11/21/09

CHAPTER FIFTY: CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO THE HOLY SPIRIT WITH PATIENCE AND DETERMINATION

Learning to listen to the Holy Spirit is not that simple. Jack continued to persevere. As he tried to intercede for the previous day’s issue he found that he had nothing in his mind or spirit. He read that we can ask the Holy Spirit for verses. So he asked for a verse to guide him on the right path when interceding for this specific case.

He prayed in tongue and waited for quite sometime and interceded for other matters as well. Finally he received (as he thought) a verse. But it was in the form of numbers for chapter or verse. He received the number 11 (5?) and nothing else. He decided to search the Bible for the relevant chapter and/or verse. He went through the New Testament and could not find his answer. Then he decided to go to the first book of the Bible. Again he received no prompting.

Suddenly he realized that the case involved asking God to set the captives free, so it had to be in Exodus! He read chapter eleven and the answer was there! Exodus 11 described how the Lord told Moses He would bring one more plague on Pharaoh and Egypt, the plague wherein all first born of Egypt would die. The children of Israel who applied the blood of the lamb on their door posts would live and be set free.

By then Jack knew he had to pray for the blood of Jesus to cover the captives and waited for the Lord to strike and rescue them. So he obeyed and prayed.

Indeed, only the blood of Jesus could set the captives free (bearing in mind the war is spiritual, Ephesians 6:12). He should have thought of that earlier. But the Holy Spirit had been a patient teacher, even though Jack needed to go one full circle to get to the answer and finally intercede for the particular case.

Amazing grace!

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: UNDER THE TUTORSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

When Jack told the Holy Spirit he was sorry for not listening and also for not obeying the Holy Spirit’s instructions, he did not expect the Holy Spirit to be so quick in responding. Jack has been listening to teachings and reading books on the subject of prophetic functions that one may be called to carry out, either for specific occasions or as an ongoing role.

He was very interested as he occasionally felt he could be doing something of this nature (not the ongoing type). He has read some very relevant books lately on this topic. Prophets, Healers and the Emerging Church by John and Paula Sandford, and Authority In Prayer by Dutch Sheets are two examples.

He summarizes below the 12 major functions of the prophet as taught by John Sandford and places his own remarks in brackets:
1. Blessing: pronounce blessing and enable God’s blessing. (He was suddenly called to pronounce blessing for someone).
2. Healing. (He was suddenly asked to do this on one occasion within the same week as above).
3. Pronounce judgment.
4. Warn of impending judgment or tragedy.
5. Protect or rescue. (In his intercessions he carried out this function).
6. Give direction, guidance or confirmation. (He was called to do this when being asked to pray for two different persons within the last month).
7. Rebuke, reprove or correct.
8. Edify, teach and interpret dreams and visions. (He thought he was called to do this in his writings).
9. Equip the saints for ministry. (Same as above)
10. Work for unity.
11. Call for intercession and repentance. (He has been praying for others on this line).
12. Express and model God’s love in Christ.

However, except for one case where there was an immediate result, there was no way he could know of the other outcome if any. He merely obeyed and did not jump to any conclusion. Today’s teaching from Oswald Chambers reminds that we have to learn that the aim in life is God’s, not ours. God has taken us up into His purpose by the Holy Spirit.

Sandford wrote that no one in his right mind should want to be a prophet. No prophet becomes a prophet by his or her own choice. Jack was fully aware that what he experienced did not mean that he was called to be a prophet or that he was necessarily carrying out prophetic functions. On the other hand, why was he given the opportunity to experience them? Today something happened to reveal more about God.

This morning Jack reviewed his previous days’ activities and thanked the Holy Spirit for being a good teacher and a personal spiritual tutor for him. He had nothing specific to pray for so he prayed in tongue generally for the bulk of the morning. What happened after that and through out the remains of the day was unbelievable.

Towards noon time, Jack received an urgent intercession call. As the matter involved the lives of people (strangers in a very far off land) in danger, he took Holy Communion for them. When he started to intercede he couldn’t as he did not know how. He asked the Holy Spirit to help him. He waited and nothing came to his mind or heart. So he decided to finish his own chores and take a bath instead. After that he quieted down and continued to pray in tongue and began to see a clear picture and a sentence (of three words) describing the scene, in his mind. He saw what he had to intercede. So he obeyed. It was indeed a spiritual breakthrough as he would never have thought of that aspect with his mind.

Later he was led to sing a hymn, “It is well with my soul”, for those people in captive. Then he was told to take a break. He continued with other chores while praying in the Spirit all the time. He then read the Dutch Sheets’ book and was led to use Psalm 24 to pronounce the arrival of the King of glory and that all gates are to open. So he stood up and obeyed. After that he discovered a song bursting forth in his heart and it was “Majesty” (written by Jack Hayford)!

The whole day was thus spent learning from the Holy Spirit. He was led by his Spiritual Tutor to worship and intercede like never before. He was led to practice the priestly intercessory function as well as using the authority of the King (Jesus) to proclaim and pronounce (as taught by Sheets). He was also able to practice some of the prophetic functions described by Sandford.

At the end of the day, he concluded that the whole episode was part of an answer to his prayer of wanting to know more about God. The whole intercession event was another demonstration by God of the readiness of the Holy Spirit and how He could communicate with us the minute we are willing to listen and obey. It was like sitting in a classroom learning an intensive course with a lot of practical!

Another wonderful and meaningful day of living in the Spirit!
2009-11-11

chapter forty-eight: “I have set watchmen on your walls”

“I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes and till He makes Jerusalem praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

Jack has been reading these verses over and over. He was woken one morning to re-read them. About nine months ago he was called to pray for his city and the churches therein. He thought he was merely doing his duty as a Christian.

As time went by he was more and more aware that there was a spiritual reality of which he was not aware previously. Prayers and intercessions were spiritual. When one prays, one in fact acknowledges the reality of the spiritual God. When one prays, one invokes spiritual forces. Things happen in the spiritual realm. The reality in the spiritual realm becomes reality in the physical realm.

His awareness of the spiritual became more sharpened. He developed spiritual discernment.

When reading the Bible, which is Spirit and Life, the word indeed became alive and real.

When praying he became more and more led by the Holy Spirit to intercede for things/people of whom he had hardly or never thought before.

But he was still far from a committed watchman on the walls whom God has set to cry out day and night for the establishment of Jerusalem (the ideal city of God which God has designed to materialize for the benefit of all nations on earth). He could not figure out how this call would impact all nations as one city on earth was such a tiny dot on the map.

Today he awoke and read the passage again. It suddenly dawned on him that there were many like him all over the world in every city of the world, awoken daily just to call out to God and give God no rest until the ideal plan of God has been established.

It also dawned on him that the ideal plan will be established all over the world as God is not limited to one tiny dot on the map of mankind!

So when he and the other watchmen cry out and intercede for their respective cities, the plan of God would equally be realized in those cities too (all being the New Jerusalem of God)!

This discovery made Jack’s heart leap up. Yes. This makes sense to his little mortal human mind.

Wherever you are, watchmen on the walls of your cities do not lose heart. Your city will be made praise in earth too as promised.

2009-11-08

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: HOW TO KNOW WHETHER TONGUE SPEAKING IS FROM GOD?

When Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit some speak or sing in an unknown language. How do we know if they are filled by the Holy Spirit and that the tongues (unknown language) are from God? This is a commonly asked question. Lately Jack has been pondering on this question. It is common prior a Christian meeting that all are asked to pray in the Spirit (i.e. speak in tongues) to prepare oneself. Speaking in tongues edifies the speaker. To some this is a wonderful experience. For those who would like to have the same experience and thereby draw closer to God in the Spirit, the answer to this question is essential.

Last night when the Bible teacher asked if all the attendees could speak in tongues, one of the participants wanted to know how she knew the tongue she spoke was not made up by her. The teacher asked her to ask the Holy Spirit. Another lady said she could not speak in tongues but she wanted to do so. So the teacher asked all to lay hand on her and pray for her to be Spirit-filled and receive the gift. All prayed fervently for her and indeed after awhile she did speak in tongues.

Jack tried to recall how he first had the experience. He and his prayer partner were praying and both wanted to pray in the Spirit as instructed by Paul the Apostle as the last item on the full armor of God. They prayed and asked the Holy Spirit to teach them (by the simple faith of a child). When they opened their mouths and tried to utter sounds, they started making terrible sounding baby gibberish noises. But the two of them persisted and ignored the sounds. Whilst both started together by faith, they produced very different noises. The partner’s tongue was like repetitive monosyllables. Jack’s tongue was quite complicated with variations.

When they continued after sometime, they each developed their own distinct tongues. Someone told them that the prayer partner’s tongue was like engaging in specific spiritual warfare. Jack’s tongue which was like train moving was various intercessions. When he sang in the Spirit he was said to be worshipping. Indeed he felt that he was. He could not simply decide he wanted to sing and worship God or intercede. Many times he wanted to intercede but ended up singing and praising God in the Spirit. The unknown language switched to understandable words and sentences at intervals. The flow between the unknown sounds and the audible words was natural and smooth. He felt comfortable and at ease.

Jack was a shy and reserved man and did not normally like to display his new-found singing skill. However when he prayed in tongues he often switched to singing in the Spirit as led by the Spirit and was not self-conscious anymore. He knew he was led to do an important mission and he merely obeyed.

This happened even when he prayed in public. (He certainly felt embarrassed after the event. However, he was comforted when he believed that the spiritual songs had served a specific purpose of God).

What sort of a character sings in the Spirit? Jack tried to analyze. He could not find a perfect answer. On the other hand when he compared himself with the prayer partner he realized that their major difference was their temperament. She was more an efficient, methodical and scientific person. He was more an artistic and spiritually sensitive person. However they were both rational and trained to use a lot of their mental faculties in their respective profession.

Did their tongues manifest what was in their respective spirits? The warring and the creative? Did their tongues reflect what their respective temperament could best detect in the Holy Spirit’s respective instructions (which were in tune with their characters)? He had no answer.

Was his tongue from God? Jack was quite sure on this. He knew he could never produce such varieties of sounds and music as he had never had any formal training in fine art and music. He was by profession in the business management line. His second profession was in the health psychology and wellness promotion line. When he sang he knew those songs sounded very nice to listen to (at least to him) and he felt he was joyously praising God and thanking God.

Someone may argue that his tongue could have come from the second heaven (i.e. counterfeit spiritual sources) and not God. But Jack knew that he was drawn nearer to God and Jesus like never before. He took Holy Communion daily, remained in the Covenant (instituted by Jesus through shedding His blood on the cross, and having His body broken and hung on the cross) and kept himself covered under the blood of the Lamb. He read God’s word like never before with fresh revelations. He lived a more focused life giving top priority to fulfilling the eternal goal set by God.

Power from the second heaven (counterfeiter) would draw people away from Jesus and the cross. They would be drawn to the world instead. In the temptation of Jesus the devil offered Him the world and all its power. That was what the counterfeiter (who was the ruler of the world) could do. But Jesus had chosen the cross and all the power that comes thereof.

Therefore the distinction should be whether tongue speaking makes one draw nearer to Jesus and the message of the cross or closer to the world and its ways. The apostle John told us not to love the world and warned that the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, are not of God. They are of the world. Does your speaking in tongue makes you continue in these “attractions” or worse increasing your interests in them?

Jesus told us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Does speaking in tongues makes you deny yourself more and more? One consolation is that as Jesus has promised, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Being filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues help our faith to rise in the spirit.

P/s: Please be assured that speaking in tongue is only one way of the Spirit in you manifesting its power. There are many other ways. There is no condemnation for those who do not speak in tongue.

2009-10-31

Declaration of victory of Jesus

For those who seek to know more about our God, here are the verses to declare the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read them aloud daily and let the Holy Spirit help you to see and understand how great our God is!! Be assured, you will be greatly and wonderfully blessed.

(Revelation 5:12; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 5:5; Matthew 28:18; Psalm 110:1-2; Romans 16:20; Luke 4:18-19; Acts 26:18; Colossians 2:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, John 3:16; 1 John 3:8; 2 Timothy 2:26; Matthew 12:28; Luke 10:19; Psalm 107:14; Psalm 107:16; Matthew 16:18-19; 1 Samuel 17:47; Isaiah 49:24-25; John 10:10; Acts 10:38; Isaiah 42:3; Luke 5:31-32; Ephesians 1:19-23; Numbers 10:35; Psalm 144:1-2; Psalm 24:8; Psalm 60:12; Isaiah 42:13)

(New King James Version)

Revelation 5:12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:17-18 And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 5:5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.”

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

Psalm 110:1-2 The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies!

Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

Luke 4:18-19 “ The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.’

Colossians 2:15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-9 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

2 Timothy 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Matthew 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Psalm 107:14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces.

Psalm 107:16 For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.

Matthew 16:18-19 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed[a] in heaven.”

1 Samuel 17:47 Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

Isaiah 49:24-25 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, Or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the LORD: “ Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, And the prey of the terrible be delivered; For I will contend with him who contends with you, And I will save your children.

John 10:10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Acts 10:38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.

Luke 5:31-32 Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Ephesians 1:19-23 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

Numbers 10:35 So it was, whenever the ark set out, that Moses said: “Rise up, O LORD! Let Your enemies be scattered, And let those who hate You flee before You.”

Psalm 144:1-2 Blessed be the LORD my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, And my fingers for battle—My loving kindness and my fortress, My high tower and my deliverer, My shield and the One in whom I take refuge, Who subdues my people under me.

Psalm 24:8 Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.

Psalm 60:12 Through God we will do valiantly, For it is He who shall tread down our enemies.

Isaiah 42:13 The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies.