CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: CHRISTMAS VISIONS AND DREAMS OF GREEN TREES AND ISAIAH 61

On Christmas Eve, Jack had a dream. It was a vivid dream which he had not had for quite some time. He recently returned from a journey to a foreign country. It was a cold and tiring journey during which he was led to pray a lot and in the spirit. it was more like a spiritual working journey. He was relieved on reaching his own comfortable spacious home and looked forward to a good rest.

However, he was soon led to another journey overnight during which he was led to pray considerably in the spirit too. That night after all the praying he asked the Holy spirit to reveal to him more about things which he lately concerned with, i.e. his own family (and those of his siblings), their future and the work of God.

On Christmas Eve, he was given a vivid dream. In the dream he was asked to look out of his window and he did. He saw a picturesque scene of tall green pine or fir trees at a distance with shorter green trees (like cedar trees) and bushes nearby and lush green pastures everywhere (filling the empty space on the ground), with rolling green hills afar. The whole scenery was green. It was like a picture. Yet it was real scenery with real trees and not like a painting. It was a very soothing and lively scene. He woke without knowing the meaning.

On Christmas Day he had another dream. This time it was a totally opposite picture. In the same dream he went through two episodes. First, he was helping one of his younger brothers to re-process some sweet sticky food stuff in an old, run down shack (more like ruins). There was no wall on one side of the shack and rain and wind came in through the crevices despite the canvas sheet which substituted the wall. Some workers were working too. However, the owner management of the shack came over and warned that they could not use that space to process foodstuff. Jack tried to give the excuse that they were only re-processing and not manufacturing. The management then said that they (the management) were meeting that evening and would decide whether to continue to let them use that space. One worker tried to use a lot of detergent to scrub the cracked and blackened sink in vain. Jack then asked them to pack and left. It was pitched dark and they had to find a way out through the car park. He held the wrist of his younger brother and tried to lead him to the exit, crossing a dried up drain. The wrist was tiny and skinny like that of a young child.

In the next episode, he was in a warm building (a bit like the wooden quarters they used to live in younger days) with his siblings. One sister was cooking. Other siblings seemed to be around somewhere in the building too. One younger sister came to him for help. She seemed desperate and helpless. He asked the cook to work out a budget for basic survival. He woke after that.

On Boxing Day, Jack decided to search the Bible for answers to these two dreams. He found passages in the Bible which he was led to read from two sections: Isaiah 61 and Psalm 104.

Isaiah 61 prophesied the arrival of Jesus to save, heal and set free. The relevant verse (abut trees) thus promised: “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

There were a number of assurances following that verse, “And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations”,

“Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks, and the sons of the foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers, but you shall be named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants of our God. You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast. Instead of your shame you shall receive double honor, and instead of confusion they shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double; everlasting joy shall be theirs.”

Psalm 104 described how God provides all resources needed for a living on earth. The following verse declared: “The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your (God’s) works.” God’s works include causing the grass to grow for the cattle, vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart. The trees of the Lord are full of sap, the cedars of the Lebanon which He planted, where the birds make their nests, the stork has her home in the fir trees.

On reading these he was filled with peace. He realized that God has answered his prayers. It is God Who provides. God has saved his siblings and will plant them like trees. God is the expert gardener as Jesus has described. He will prune and make His plants fruitful.

There is thus nothing Jack needs to do except to obey the instructions for watchman in Isaiah 62. The relevant verses gave the following job specifications: “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 Jerusalem a praise in the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)

December 27, 2009

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-FIVE: CONTINUE TO ENTER THE NARROW GATE TO HEAVEN

Due to the constant flow of traffic of readers to read my blog on “chapter nineteen: narrow gate and difficult way to heaven? Journal Day 22-24 Enter by the narrow gate”, I am led by the Holy Spirit to write further on this subject just to remind myself and my loved ones the urgency and importance to know how to enter into heaven at this end time.

I list below the Bible verses on this life and death matter. I also append my observations in the brackets following each set of verses.

1. The narrow Gate: Jesus spoke these famous sayings in Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

(Contrary to the general and popular teaching of other religions and most modern churches, a lot of people are being excluded from entering heaven, simply because they have chosen the broad and easy way).

2. The seeker of God: “You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come”. (John 7:34)

(Although many seek God/Jesus, read up on the subject, study religious materials and Bible, and take part in evangelical rallies and other forms of spiritual pilgrimages, not every one who seeks God/Jesus could find Him or go to heaven where He has gone).

3. The doer of “religious good deeds”: “Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” “And then I will declare to them, I never know you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21, 23)

(Although many practice some forms of religions including Christianity religion, follow the required religious rituals, practice religious living, believing that they are serving God, not all who call God/Jesus as Lord and think that they have served Him could enter heaven).

4. The knower of religious knowledge: There are people who claim that they know God/Jesus because they read up the Bible, take part in church or other religious services, religious activities, religious ceremonial meetings, and so on. (Luke 13:26) but Jesus said, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity,” (Luke 13:27)

(Not all who think they know God/Jesus in their physical senses and their minds are known by God/Jesus. To God they are workers of iniquity!)

Who are those who are being disqualified by God/Jesus?

1. They are lawless and workers of iniquity: Proverbs described the characteristics of these people. They hated knowledge (of God), did not choose to honor and fear God reverently, would have none of the Lord’s counsel, and despised God’s every rebuke. (Prov. 1:29-30) Jesus warned: “Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer; they will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me.” (1:28)

(Take note that these people also seek God diligently but could not find God. Why? They go to church physically without really going with their hearts. They do not believe or want to follow God’s words. They continue to live by the world’s standards and values, and not the values and standards of the kingdom of God).

2. The prophet Hosea also stated that the people (with their flocks and herds) shall go and seek the Lord, but they will not find Him; He has withdrawn Himself from them. Why? God said they had dealt treacherously with Him. They had begotten pagan children, indulging in pagan worship and idolatry. (Hosea 5:6-7)

(These religious people try to look for God bringing their whole family too. They go to church like any other Christians do. But God said they have married the world and begotten pagan children! They have lived the lifestyle of the world, be in close intimate relationship with the world, and produced pagan offspring instead of citizens for the kingdom of God!)



3. Jesus warned about the false prophets (pastors and preaches of today’s churches) of His days. Matthew 7:15-20 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits.” Jesus also said, “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (eternal damnation). (Matthew 7:19)

(Only where Jesus and His salvation are being preached, then people can be saved. If a preacher/pastor preaches anything but Jesus and His salvation, there will be no production of Christian (good fruit in God’s eyes) for the kingdom of God, thus resulting in eternal damnation of his followers/members of the so called “church”).

How to enter the narrow gate to heaven?

Jesus said, “I am the gate/door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own”. (John 10:14)

Jesus said, “The sheep hears His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name, and leads them out. And when He brings out His own sheep, He goes before them; and the sheep follow Him, for they know His voice.” (John 10:3-5)

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (John 10:14)

(There are no other way, but to learn to know Jesus, follow His voice, and be led by Him into the narrow gate, into the kingdom of God living.)

Jack’s application: Practice living daily the sheep life (kingdom of God living) by faith. Follow Jesus daily. Make sure He knows me. Watch and pray as Jesus has commanded His followers.

2009-12-02

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: WHEN GOD COMMANDS A WATCHMAN NOT TO PRAY

In the book of Jeremiah, a watchman would find it hard to obey certain instructions. For example, in the following verses, a watchman is commanded not to pray.

Jeremiah 7:16: “Therefore do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them, nor make intercession to Me; for I will not hear you.

Jeremiah 11:14: “So do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble.

Jeremiah 14:11: Then the LORD said to me, “Do not pray for this people, for their good.

He is commanded very specifically not to pray for the people there or make intercession for them, for their good. It makes no sense. The purpose of existence of a watchman is to watch and pray (intercede) for the nations (kings, priests, people). What is the point of being a watchman if he cannot pray?

So Jack was troubled at these verses. He re-read the relevant context chapters in Jeremiah to find his answer. He found that the words of warning, that Jeremiah was asked to speak, addressed specific audience as follows:

1. Jeremiah was to “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say” them. (7:1)

2. The words were directed to “the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem”. (11:2)

3. The words were meant for those who “come and stand before God in this house which is called by God’s name” (7:9)

4. The words were from God to those who have broken the covenant with God: “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so shall you be My people, and I will be your God,’ (11:3-4) “the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” (11:9)

5. The warnings addressed those families who made offerings to the queen of heaven and other gods (7:17).

6. The warnings addressed those who practiced religious practices which God did not instruct them to do, such as making burnt offerings. (7:24)

7. God commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you that it may be well with you.’

8. God admonished them: “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD.” (7:11)

8. God had sent messengers (“all My servants the prophets”), “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”

In the modern context, the message is meant for those who are called by God’s name, the Christians. The Christians are Abraham’s descendents by faith. The Christians are under a covenant (the New Covenant set by Jesus) with God. They go to church to worship God.

God called them backsliding children. (3:14, 22)

They have committed two evils: “My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns –broken cisterns that can hold no water.” (2:13)

God described them as, “This is a nation that does not obey the voice of the Lord their God nor receive correction.” (7:28)

God described their iniquities as “refused to hear My words, and they have after other gods to serve them”; they have “broken My covenant”. (11:10)

It is frightening to note that the backsliding Israelite who went after other gods (queen of heaven, idols) went to the temple of God to worship too and even offered burnt offerings. They had no real respect for God or for His words.

Today are there such people in church? Are there churches which have broken the covenant made with Jesus’ blood? Are there churches that do not pray and thus become a den of thieves instead? God said, don’t pray for them or intercede for them!

Frightening but a reality as Solomon said, nothing is new under heaven. History repeats itself.

Reading Jeremiah is indeed a sad experience. “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night…” (9:1) A sad day for a watchman.

2009-11-30

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: A LIGHTNING BOLT AND JEREMIAH 7

One evening Jack was exercising on the stationery cycle, and watching Jeremiah the movie. He watched how young Jeremiah (the son of a priest) was called to be God’s prophet. When Jeremiah reached the age of a young priest, he was called by God to be a prophet instead. His first prophetic action was to admonish the king, priests and people who entered the temple gate to worship the Lord. Jeremiah cried out to them as the Holy Spirit put words in his mouth:

‘Hear the word of the LORD, all you of Judah who enter in at these gates to worship the LORD! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these. For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever. Behold, you trust in lying words that cannot profit. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods whom you do not know, and then come and stand before Me in this house which is called by My name, and say, ‘We are delivered to do all these abominations’?”’

No-one paid attention to him. The people did not listen. The next scene was Jeremiah being woken at night and beaten by thugs who warned him not to prophesize again.

At this point there was a huge thunder bolt and the electricity shut down. The house was in total darkness. Jack was shocked. There was no lightning or thunder or rain before or after this one thunder. The weather was fine and there was no rain cloud.

Soon after that he went to the Prayer House to worship and pray. He was hoping to hear a confirmation or clarification on this matter. But there was none from the message that night. Then he read Jeremiah Chapter seven and found the verses that Jeremiah spoke above were from Chapter seven 1-10.

He continued to read verse eleven and found this verse:

“Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of thieves in your eyes? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” says the LORD. “

When he reached home he was tired and sleepy but he managed to continue to read chapters six and eight just to see the context. Then he slept.

The next morning he woke early and re-read chapter seven. He thought of the thunder. It had to be something important and he asked the Holy Spirit to let him know what he needed to know. He wanted to know whether the message was meant for him. Is he being admonished? Is he being ignorant or disobedient of God’s instructions? He had to know.

Then he had thoughts of the children. He remembered seeing a baby boy who just had his first year’s birthday learning to walk in the Prayer House. He thought of his own family members, the younger generations. A thought appeared. What if a day comes when all grown-ups on earth vanish and the very young have to survive on their own? When he thought of today’s children who are hooked on digital games and live entirely in the virtual fantasy world, he shuddered.

The children are saturated in the values of the world, the abominations (deceptions, violence, greed, disobedience, immorality and idolatry) in God’s eyes. Even Christian children have succumbed to such strongholds. They would be no match to evil.

So he repented for not interceding for the children of the nations. As he read the verses, he repented and asked God for mercy: to wake up more watchmen, more Christians who will cry out day and night like the prophet of old, who will intercede for the nations (including Christian churches who uphold worldly values).

Meanwhile, he is still pondering on the meaning of the thunder. One thing is sure, he must remind himself that his body is a house of prayer (a temple of the Holy Spirit) too. If he does not pray, he would become a den of thieves. He shuddered at this thought.

He prays that whoever reads this blog will ponder hard and take action to pray and intercede for the nations before it is too late.

2009-11-27

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

You are Delivered! Be Free!

Many Christians do not know they are free from bondages. They live in fear and uncertainty because they believe the lies of the devil (who rules the world). They do not know that as children of God, they have power and authority to live a victorious life. The follwing verses assure that you are set free. Believe in the faithfulness of a loving God who loves you so much that He has sent His only Son to die for you in order to set you free!

Believe and do not doubt and you shall receive the joy and peace He promised. Be free!

Romans 8:15-16 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Romans 8:37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.


2 Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

John 8:36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

Colossians 1:13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

1 Corinthians 15:55 “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

Hebrews 7:25Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Romans 8:31-34

God’s Everlasting Love

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Isaiah 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.


2 Timothy 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Romans 8:15-16; Romans 8:37; 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 8:36; Colossians 1:13; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:31-34; Isaiah 35:10; 2 Timothy 4:7-8

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May your faith rise as you read these words of God.

"A Watchman on Walls"

This is a strange journal of me being called to be a watchman who cannot rest and must sit on walls and cry out day and night!

Normally I am a happy man. I enjoy a good life as a management consultant, a health care and wellness coach and  trainer in personal development and character building. I have been a Christian all my life, and a born again Christian since 1983. This journal is not about me.


I have been called to be a watchman on walls (as in Isaiah 62:6-7). I have been through God’s miraculous signs and wonders when I obeyed the call. As I obeyed, I read the Bible with fresh revelations. It has been a wonderful journey with the Lord all the way.

This is a record of God (the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit) and His Word (as written in the Bible) as revealed to me in my personal quest to seek to know God. I shall share my personal experiences and the life that the Spirit has led me to live as I proceed on this journey.

I have seen visions and words and composed songs in unknown languages in new tunes as led by the Holy Spirit.

I have written four stories in this blog, based on the visions, experiences and the Word of God, as led by the Holy Spirit:

1. Ari and Great Grandma’s Jerusalem Gates Gold Adventure Story

2. One man’s Journey in the Holy Spirit

3. Ari’s Quests (Stress Mountain Rescue Story)

4. Living Biblically by One Man – A Novice Manual

I pray that all who read these pages will be deeply touched by God (the Holy Spirit) and be fired up to seek God yourself.

Jesus promised, “Seek and you shall find.” Jesus indeed is the Saviour and Lord of all who seek Him!

Believe and you will not be disappointed.

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/aris-adventure-great-grandmas-gold-story/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/aris-adventure-stress-mountain-rescue-story/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/book-biblical-living-a-novice-manual/

http://kzlam36.wordpress.com/category/book-one-mans-journey-in-the-holy-spirit/

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: SPANISH GALLEONS, GOLD; GOD SPEAKS

It was indeed a joyous day for Jack. He has been praying to God to reveal to him whether the visions he saw were of the Holy Spirit or otherwise. Sunday morning he decided to go to a former church after a lapse of six months. He prayed that he would hear a fresh instruction from the Holy Spirit. The sermon was on Joseph. The pastor shared the usual teaching on how we need to be God-focused even during unfair treatment, adversities and great sufferings, thereby looking through God’s perspectives and not blaming self or others.

Jack read the Bible passages which the pastor did not preach on during the sermon and the following verse attracted him and he duly highlighted it:
“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God and God will shortly bring it to pass.” (Genesis 41:32)

Jack had been looking for this verse for sometime as he had earlier heard the teaching that God would let us have two (repeated) reports so as to confirm that the report is from Him. When he read this verse he knew this was the answer and fresh revelation the Holy Spirit has given to him in response to his quest.

In the evening he went to attend a worship service at the Prayer House. He went early thinking that there would be Bible study. However, when he reached there he found out that they had a prayer meeting before the worship service instead. He was asked to join in the prayers in Spirit (in tongues) which he did. They prayed for about an hour plus.
Toward the end of the prayers, Jack saw visions, in answer to his earlier prayers (at home) that he be told of his future (ministry, relationship, finances) and things to come concerning other children of God and the work of God’s hands (Isaiah 45:11).

He saw Jesus giving different things to different people who serve in key positions in the Prayer House (small keys, a big key and a trumpet-the type used by a Levite), thus dispelling his speculations earlier on. Then he saw Jesus coming to him with a lamp (the type used by traveler). He thought of the verse in Psalm 119:105 (“Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”). But it did not answer his prayer.
However, immediately after that he was with Jesus standing on shore and watching a ship sailing in. The ship was large with many sails, like the type used by the Spanish to travel round the world seeking for gold and treasures. After that he saw a laborer close up carrying a huge cargo on his shoulder, coming on shore (followed by others). The laborer was oriental, like a Chinese. Jack thought he was carrying a big fish but could not see clearly the cargo. But then he saw a lot of open boxes at the feet of Jesus with heaps of gold, precious stones and other treasures inside them. The verse that came to Jack’s mind was a verse about the treasures of the sea being given to Christians, but he wasn’t sure where it located in the Bible.

At the end of the prayer session the leader closed in her closing prayer proclaiming that God is our light. So it did confirm the vision of Jesus carrying a lamp seen by Jack earlier.

On Monday morning, Jack decided to record down his precious day’s (Sunday’s) visions and asked the Holy Spirit to reveal more about their meanings and also confirm to him that they are from God. After recording, he read the November 1st (which was Sunday’s passage) passage in “My utmost for His highest” (a little booklet he used for quiet time meditation). To his surprise, the writer ended his passage with this exhortation (from God): “Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine!”

When he read the Bible verse on “Arise and shine” in Isaiah 60, he had a bigger shock. The followings are verses 1 and 5 respectively:

V1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.” (Confirming the vision he saw of Jesus carrying a lamp).

V5 “Then you shall see and become radiant, and your heart shall swell with joy; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you.” (Confirming the vision he saw of the ship coming in from the sea with treasures being laid down at the feet of Jesus).

The vision of the lamp and the ship and treasure was one. The confirmation came from the Bible Isaiah 60:1-5. God also used the prayer leader and the writer of “My utmost for His highest” to confirm His revelation. As a bonus, God used this vision to explain and prove how things work regarding vision from Him.

The above event was significant as the Holy Spirit has illustrated to Jack the meaning of the verse he pondered upon during the Sunday morning sermon time, that God would repeat twice for things established by God and which He would shortly bring to pass.

Jack was elated as he was assured of hearing from God and more discerning in the Spirit. This is God’s wonderful way of answering his prayers! Whilst he rejoiced, his prayer partner told him that her prayer was answered too, as this morning she was praying that he be more joyous in the Lord and her prayer was answered instantly!!!

WOW! What a discovery! That God is real and in our midst and answers our prayers!

2009-11-02

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

Power in the blood

Many Christians are weak and often feel defeated and depressed, mainly because they are not aware of and/or are convinced in the power of the blood of the Lamb (Jesus). The following Bible verses clearly declare the truth that there is power in the blood of Jesus Christ. For example, how did the Christians overcome the devil? The answer is in Revelation 12:11, “And they overcame him (devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they did not love heir lives to the death.”

Knowing the Bible verses and read them often, you will have twofold benefits: able to stand and resist the devil, carrying the powerful spiritual weapon, the word of God (the sword of the Spirit); your faith will increase and it is also spiritual armour (shield of faith, with which you can extinguish the fiery darts of the devil).

All Christians should read these Bible verses, know them well, believe in and use them often. You will be amazed at the power of the word of God.

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Revelation 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

Ephesians 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Hebrews 10:19-20 Hold Fast Your Confession

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh,

Matthew 26:28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Romans 3:25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,

Revelation 1:5

5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth.

To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

Ephesians 2:14 Christ Our Peace For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

Ephesians 1:6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 2:19 Christ Our Cornerstone

Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Romans 5:10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Revelation 12:11; Ephesians 1:7; Romans 5:9; Hebrews 10:19-20; Matthew 26:28; Ephesians 2:13; 1 John 1:9; Romans 3:25; Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 2:14; Ephesians 1:6; Ephesians 2:19; Colossians 1:20; Romans 5:10

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.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: COME, LIE ALL NIGHT IN SACK CLOTH

The more Jack tries to live in the Spirit, the more he reads the Bible with an increased sense of urgency. This morning he woke at 5am after attending a late night worship service on the day. He decided to get out of bed as the last dream he had was disturbing. He could not remember the dream but he remembered seeing a bed full of people slumbering, bodies of people in fact. He could not see the faces. But he was disturbed. So he got up despite the inadequate sleep.


Then he was led to read the book of Joel (probably 835-805 BC). It was more disturbing as it was about the judgment of God and the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord. It was also comforting as it was about the grace of God too. The following are verses that made him ponder. Why? The signs are here and now in increasing intensity.

Joel 1

The Land Laid Waste

4 What the chewing locust left, the swarming locust has eaten; What the swarming locust left, the crawling locust has eaten; And what the crawling locust left, the consuming locust has eaten. 5 Awake, you drunkards, and weep; 9 the priests mourn, who minister to the LORD.

Mourning for the Land

13 Gird yourselves and lament, you priests; Wail, you who minister before the altar; Come, lie all night in sackcloth, You who minister to my God; 14 Consecrate a fast, Call a sacred assembly; Gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the LORD.

Joel 2

The Day of the LORD

1 For the day of the LORD is coming, For it is at hand: 2 A day of darkness and gloominess, A day of clouds and thick darkness, For the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; Who can endure it?

A Call to Repentance

12 “Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.” 13 So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the LORD your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.

The Land Refreshed

18 Then the LORD will be zealous for His land, And pity His people. 21 Fear not, O land; Be glad and rejoice, For the LORD has done marvelous things!

God’s Spirit Poured Out

28 “ And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. 29 And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 “ And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:

32 And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the LORD Shall be saved.

Joel 3

God Judges the Nations

1 “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there. 14 For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The LORD also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake;”

God Blesses His People

18 And it will come to pass in that day That the mountains shall drip with new wine, The hills shall flow with milk, And all the brooks of Judah shall be flooded with water; A fountain shall flow from the house of the LORD And water the Valley of Acacias.

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“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” (Romans 13:12)

“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done so to stand.”

(Ephesians 6:11-13)

2009-10-12

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: HOW TO LIVE A SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE?

Many Christians know and agree the urgent need to live a Spirit-filled life as this will empower us to live victoriously and more abundantly as promised by the Lord Jesus. A common difficulty is that one does not know how to do it.

So today Jack decides to search Bible references to better explain what he has discovered and believes. To dispel the misunderstandings and fears about being “Spirit-filled” of the traditional protestant Christians (of whom Jack had been one), Jack now shares the following excerpts and notes taken from the New Spirit Filled Life Bible*.

To lead a Spirit filled life, one has to know and understand some basic teachings on Holy Spirit in the Bible. The following are excerpts and summary notes made from an article (“Holy Spirit Gifts and Power” by Paul Walker) in the above mentioned Bible.

Historical background: Pentecostal revival in the early 1900s and the Charismatic renewal beginning in the late 1950s.

Why has this happened?

1. Evident need for renewal of mission and purpose throughout the church and among its individual members.

2. Definite movement of sincere believers to recover the dynamic power f the Holy Spirit.

3. This in-breaking of the Holy Spirit has linked the mainline Protestant and the traditional Pentecostal movement to the worship practices of the first century through the Charismatic movement.

What is this doing?

1. The Scripture is being fulfilled. (Eph. 5:18)

2. The Person of the Holy Spirit is at work.

3. Accounts in Acts are being rediscovered and applied.

How can spiritual integrity be maintained?

1. Establishing our perspective (of the traditional Pentecostal/Charismatic): agree that the Holy Spirit is operative in every believer and in varied ministries of the church. Still every believer must answer the question of Acts 19:2, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?”

a. The “baptism of the Holy Spirit” does not refer to the baptism of the Holy Spirit accomplished at conversion, whereby the believer is placed into the body of Christ by faith in His redeeming work on the cross (1 Cor.12:13). No Biblically oriented Charismatic views a non-Charismatic as “less saved” or “less spiritual” than himself. The baptism in or with the Holy Spirit was and is directed by the Lord Jesus to be “received” (John 20:22; Acts 1:8) as a “gift” given following His ascension (John 7:39; Acts 2:38,39).

b. By “a process of yielding the complete person” does not mean either (a) a passivity of mind or (b) a self-hypnotic or trancelike state. Rather, this refers to an assertive prayerful, heartfelt quest for God. The mind is active worshipping Jesus Christ, the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). The emotion is warmed, as the love of God poured forth into our hearts (Rom.5:5). One’s physical being participates, as worship is spoken an expressed, with upraised voice in prayer (Acts 4:24) or upraised hands of adoration (Ps. 63:1-5).

2. The twofold functions of the gift of tongues: In regard to those who received, the Bible described two basic functions of “tongues”; it is for personal edification and for public exhortation. Tongues function as a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence. Jesus prophesied it as a sign (Mark 16:17). Paul referred to it as a sign (1 Cor. 14:22). Peter noted its uniformity as a sign-gift in confirming the validity of the Gentiles’ experience in the Holy Spirit (Compare Acts 10:44-46 with 11:16, 17 and 15:7-9). It is not viewed as qualification for fullness of the Holy Spirit but as indication of that fullness.

As Jack has been recording and sharing his experience in living in the Spirit, the above explanation helps to answer the fearful queries of some of his friends from traditional non-Charismatic churches.

Note: Jack comes from traditional Protestant denominational churches.

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*Reference: New Spirit Filled Life Bible –Kingdom Equipping through the Power of the Word- (NKJV), Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002.

October 11, 2009

The Day of the Lord

God’s Promise Is Not Slack

1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), 2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. 7 But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 11 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? 13 Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

17 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.