Devotion (ODB, Sun 13 Nov) - Be Who You Are

SCRIPTURE - 1 Pe 3:8-17
"13 Who will harm you if you follow what is good? 14 If you suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are you; be not afraid or troubled by their terror. 15 Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts; be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you the reason for your hope." - 1Pe 3:13-15

OBSERVATION
It's better to suffer for the cause of Christ, than to let the cause of Christ suffer.
We should stand up for our faith in an increasingly secular and pluralistic society. If we are criticised or marginalised, we should respond with gentleness and respect.

APPLICATION
On secular platforms, where appropriate, I should testify of what God has done.

PRAYER
Give me courage to do so.

Power! Power! Power!

Adapted from Hughes, S. (2007, May/June). Power! Power! Power!.
Every Day with Jesus, Wed 30 May.

Acts 2:2-3
"2 Suddenly a sound like a violent wind blowing came from heaven and filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And tongues spreading out like a fire appeared to them and came to rest on each one of them."

Acts 1:8
"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the farthest parts of the earth."

Romans 15:18a
"I will not dare to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me."
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On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended on the believers in the form of a mighty wind. We sing songs like Wind of God, asking for the wind of God to blow in the church and in our lives.

This bestows power upon us to do great things for God; yet, this is nothing to boast of, since God has given this power to us.

He gave us the power of utterance [Acts: 2:4], vision [2:17], conviction [10:44], continuance [2:42], love [2:44], unity [2:1], contentment [2:41] and addition [2:47].

But remember: this power only came about after ten days of prayer. Let us pray steadfastly for His power.

Spiritual poliomyelitis

Adapted from Hughes, S. (2007, May/June). Spiritual poliomyelitis. Every Day with Jesus, Fri 25 May.

Ezekiel 37:6b
"I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD."

Psalms 20:7-8
"7 Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we depend on the Lord our God. 8 They will fall down, but we will stand firm."

1 Corinthians 11:29-30
"29 For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead."

We need to do our daily devotion, or we are like the valley of dry bones: Everything needed for life is present, but nothing happens without the breath of God. This only comes with sensitivity to God.

We must learn to depend on God and not our own strength [the Psalmist's chariots and horses].

Finally, disprespect God at your peril. Whether in Holy Communion, prayer or ministry, God takes it seriously. All the more we should give God the utmost reverence and respect.

I will laugh!

Went to Maggie's place so we could pray together for my healing. Jasmine was there too, of course.

What followed was an amazing time of fellowship, sharing and learning, full of the richness of God's word and truths. Not to mention a great dinner!

I realise now that there are so many things about God that we don't understand and that we've only scratched the surface. Through my daily devotion and prayer, I hope to know God in a deeper way and for Him to reveal His word for me through his Word.

I also shared quite a bit about my life for the first time, my frustrations and setbacks, my victories and God's deliverance. It felt really good to open up.

Towards the end, after we had finished praying, Maggie said she had a word from God about me. She said simply that I would laugh. I had to check myself. "I will what?" I asked, not believing what I had heard.

"In days to come, you will laugh. Laugh at your enemy, at your eczema," among other things, she explained. Unfortunately, "in days to come" is an indefinite adverbial of time. It doesn't literally mean days; instead it means "at some time in the future". And so I don't know when my healing will come, but I know it will come sooner or later. Pastor Koo had corroborated this yesterday. Maggie did warn that God gives us a word sometimes to prepare for spiritual attack. But God's grace is sufficient for me.

As I've shared recently, I am now at peace, because I am comfortable in my own skin. Pardon the pun. But what I mean is that I know that whatever happens, God is in control. Good or bad, He's in control. And I know He will come through for me, as He has promised.

As God (not luck) would have it, Joshua and Benjamin called me up and said they wanted to meet. So they cycled over and though we did not spend long and I spent most of the time scratching from sweat and mosquitoes, I stayed long enough to encourage them both and give my testimony. I'm sure it spoke to them, else God would not have arranged it as such.

As I type this, I am preparing to go to my practicum school (Rosyth School). And I feel a little less nervous knowing my God is going with me. I believe He will let me excel there, eczema notwithstanding.

I wait eagerly to laugh loudest, longest, and last. Muhahaha! =]

PS: Manfred has his own drum set!