Everyday a battle!

I'm doing this at 2 a.m in the morning, everyones probably asleep. Work load had been crazy but i've decided to give the time to God and note down what came to my mind.

Titus 2:11-14 (New Living Translation)

11 For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. 12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

"Once a saint, always a saint" - This is a statement many chirstians had made. I do not agree with the fact that once we are saved we are forever save.

The grace of God has been revealed and bring salvation to us because we choose to turn away from the godless and sinful pleasures of this world. Our everyday life is a constant battle, every day, hour, minutes and seconds we are constantly fighting our own flesh, the pleasures of this world.

We have to fight it! We have to press in and ATTACK, not defend!

Joyce Meyer wrote a book called "The mind is the battlefield", just last Sunday my Pastor talks about "Victorious Christian life" starts with changing our mindset. I came across this passage in Titus 1:15, says: Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.

What we put in our mind will affect our being. We choose what we want to put into our mind, not what others say. In the world of media today where there are a overflow of infomation, people choose what they wants to take in (unlike in the past where people only obtain information through TV and newspaper, the era without computer or internet).

That's why Paul encourages the people in Ephesians 6:10-20; to put on the whole Armor of God, to go into battle, not physically but spiritually (V12, against principalities, powers, the rulers of darkness and spirit of wickedness).

Piece of Amor:

1. Belt (Truth) - Lies of Satan decieved us rationally, only by God truth can defeat the lies. Truth is like the light and lies are like the darkness and when the light comes into the darkness, all things exposed! Have you told a lie? All of us did! Have you ever felt good after telling a lie? I don't think so. A lie cause us to be in darkness. We feel uneasy, but when truth comes into place, peace naturally accompanied with it. Truth brings freedom. The bible say: The truth shall sets you free!

2. Breastplate (Righteousness) - Our emotions, hearts which Satans oftens attack. The pleasures of this world often cost us to "want to" causing us to fall into temptations by using "emotions". God's rightousness is like the breastplate protects our heart, so that we do not be affected easily by heart felt issues.

3. Footgear (Readiness to spread the good news) - The footgear is to get us going, to spead His word, His Good News... Have you ever felt once you were going through difficult times and you do not feel like doing anything? I did, many times and once I remembered going through it and God give me a person to reach out to. In my mind, I felt that I shouldn't because I'm bothered with my issues. As I encouraged the person with God's word, me too was re-energized. When I put on the Footgear and am ready to testify Him, I put away "selfish issue".

4. Shield (Faith) - The shield to protect us from setbacks, challenges, any form of temptations, insults etc. Faith helps us to see things are unseen, it helps us to the the impossible! The Life Application Study bible says: With God's prespective, we can see beyond our circumstances and know that ultimate victory is ours. Because of the Cross, because of the blood, because of His resurrection, we believe that the ALL POSSIBLE God is at work. Put on that Shield and let God!

5. Helmet (Salvation) - "Our mind the battlefield"... If seen how believer experience God and when issue arised, they start to doubt God. There's this saying: Change your mind and you'll change your attitude and you'll change your action and you'll change your life. What are we filling our mind with today? In 2 Tim 3:10 - 17 talks about the Word of God. V15 says that the Holy Scripture (The word of God) makes us wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. The word of God is given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, for reproof and correction and for instruction in rightousness. We will be equipped as we put the word of God into our mind. As we do that, Satan has no hold of our mind.

6. Sword (The Spirit and the Word of God) - In Point 5 mentioned the Word of God and it's benefits to our walk with God. We have to fill those Words into our mind, use it as a weapon to fight against tough times and temptations. In continued in 2 Tim 3, V17 says that when we apply the word into our life "that the man of God may be complete, throughly equipped for every good work." Proverbs 4:5 says: Get wisdom, Get understanding! What are we filling our minds today?

"Fight a good fight of faith" - Don't let others determine your walk with God, stop doing what is wrong and start doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, our God.

Be blessed!

Glue our eyes on Wisdom!

Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom, but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.
Proverbs 17:24

Many people say "Dream Big". Many say they want to be multi-millionaires, want to have their own business empire, want to be a change maker, want to be famous, cars, girls, credit card, big house, the list goes on!

In Proverbs 12:11 it talks about the person who chase after fantasies has no sense!

Lately, many thoughts had came to my mind especially in my final year of the university and many things are coming in term of "what's next". I've got big dream, dreams that is bigger than me, I wanna do so much in life, for God. The things that kept me thinking is if my dreams and goals are align with God's.

Been "Pod-casted", so blessed with Pastor Phil Pringle's messages on "Success" and three words or the main message that came across are "Faithfulness", "Integrity" and "Discipline".

(Some are what I came up with and some are what I've learnt from it )

1. Faithfulness - It is important to have faith. The Bible says that faith is a substance of the things hoped for, the evident of thing not seen! (Heb 11:1) We believe that we gonna be rich because God wants to prosper us... Yes, he do want to prosper us in many ways! BUT, a big But... If we have only faith and not being faithful to God's word we are heading off His way, if we are not faithful to what is given to us, not faithful to the one that God had given us to groom us... we are heading off to title called "The Loser".

2. Integrity - This is one of the most important character we have to adopt. It have to instill in us so that we can be successful in life. It talks about moral, honesty and ethic. A person who fraud is deception made for self-gain, he/she is against the civil law violation and it is a crime. See! people who does not have integrity does not succeed in life. Just a little lie may not seems to be as bad, we don't break the civil law or crime? but we break God's law! To have integrity, we have to follow the law of our country, and most importantly God's. Little white lies does affects us too...

3. Discipline - One of the thing that strikes me is that we all know that God wants to prosper His children BUT, another big BUT we have our part to do what we are suppose to do. Was on one of the program on Discovery Channel called something like "How it is made"... They showed the process of making a church bell. The whole process took very long, from melting, to molding, and surfacing, putting it into high temperature and cooling. We talk about wanting to be successful but are we discipline enough to get into the process? That's why Paul talksabout "Forgetting what's behind. I press forward" very phycically liked term and terms that are used like Soilders, Sportsmen, Farmer... They are all pictures of people who have a lifestyle of discipline.

Conclusion:
Sensible people keep their eyes glues on wisdom, and the wisdom comes from the word of God. He is the reason why we have the wisdom! We are successful not because we made a million but are we willing to stay in the cause of Integrity, Faithfulness, Discipline and aligning what we have with God's...

Be Real,
Be Blessed!

How clean is our hand?

Click here to go to verse:
Numbers 15:31
2 Sam 22:21

What's UP?

1 Cor 9:24-26

• V24, Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

Our life is like a race, especially when we are believers of Christ. Our prize and that one goal is Eternal Life and that is our focus to be with the Lord when we finish our earthly life. However it says in v24 that only one will receives the prize, it does not means only one person in the entire human race have eternal life, but it means that many Christians thinks that by being a christian they gets to heaven. It's not once saved forever saved! Our life, just like running a race, either we do our best and finish or quit! This verse encourages us to run in a way that we will win, that means put on your Sonship authority and run, persevere and be victorious.

• V25, Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

It never take a lazy person to win a race! It will never take a wimp to win a race! Lance Armstrong probably one of the greatest road race cyclist of his time underwent many challenges. In his teenage years he won numerous triathlons, in 1993, he became world number 1 and the youngest to win 10 single day event in World road race.

Unfortunately, in 1996, he was diagnosis with nonseminomatous testicular cancer which spread to his lung, abdomen and brain. His survival chance is 50%. At the peak of his career he probably would had given up. But he survived!

He did not gave up, during his recovery he made baby steps cycling from short distance to longer and in 1998 he made a comeback! He finished fourth and in 1999, he won 4 stages in Tour De France. Until about 2005, Lance Armstrong achievements were 7 Tour de France wins, Armstrong won 22 individual stages, 11 time trials, and his team won the team time trial on 3 occasions.

Discipline! after Lance Armstrong recovered he takes baby step, discipline to get back to where he is and even better. He knows who he want to be, he want to be the best in his profession!

The illustration was about natural thing. We as christian need to strive for things that are of even higher purpose. There are times in our life we have to give up something that holds dear to us! I don't deny that we goes through alot of trails as we decide to walk according to the purpose of God, many temptations, discouragements, rejections, decisions comes. Along the way we have to learn self-control and discipline (The word of God is the most best encouragement I can get). James 1:12 says, Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

Remember we are doing it for a prize that is imperishable.

• V26,Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;

I was so blessed by this verse when I was reading T.D. Jakes's "Reposition Yourself". Many times we tends to do some many things, put so much effort into it but we still don't see any results. two things he mentioned: (1) You cannot win against that which you will not see and confront - talks about Ostrich style of fighting. (2) Effort doesn't necessarily means you are effective. We must be strategic to obtain the prize! That's why people without purpose are lost! No goals, no aim, beating the air.

It reminds me of the volleyball days in my secondary school, my coach asked us to spike at the empty space, not directly at our opponents, even how powerful the spike may be if my team doesn't make our opponent run and exhaust them and look out for the one that is the weakest and just aim at him, We won't had won the National Youth open volleyball championship if we did not have strategy.

If we only depend on our effort and approach different issue like the ostrich style, putting its head into the ground and not look and think why we went wrong, what we did wrong, we will be just wasting our time!

Let's be Strategic!

Many of my previous posts talk alot about purposes and many others issues, to add on to those I realized one thing that we can have; is to strategically attain our goals and dreams.

The strategy is this: look upward! Jesus!

Wait you're in the different Time Zone!

Soar!

The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. Isa 40:28-31




















Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jer 17:7-8

Wise or Fool?