Announcement

Helping Hand Project
Date: 6th July 2019 (Sat)
Venue: Air Itam Dam
Time: 8:00am
Theme: Help Rebuilt Palu, Indonesia

TSA Youth Council 2019
Date: 15 - 16 Aug 2019 (Thu-Fri)
Venue: Banting Corps & Tadom Hill Resort
Cost: RM20 (Early Bird Rate) / RM150 (After 30 June 2019).

Senior Citizen Fellowship
Date: 13 July 2019 (Sat)
Venue: Dim Sum at Abu Siti Lane
Time: 8:30am

My goodness will lead you to a change of heart.

Romans 2:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearanceand patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?

I love this promise. Romans 2:4 basically says it is the very goodness of God that leads people to repent. Many times, when we think of repentance, we think of it as a shame based response to some form of judgment in our lives. But really, it means to go in another direction or to change our mind.

When Jesus said, 'Repent for the kingdom is near', He was calling people to go in a new direction, a new way of thinking where they would know the truth and the truth would set them free. For too long, the word repentance has had far too many negative connotations.

There may be a place for a fire and brimstone, or a turn or burn message in the proclaiming of the gospel. But there is also a place when we simply proclaim God's goodness and His love and the result is that people will respond by going in a new direction... towards their loving Father through Christ. I  believe that it is the love of God that will cause people to truly repent. In John 4:19, it says...We love because He first loved us.

God loved us while we were still His enemy (Romans 5:6-10). I believe it is the love of the Father that will melt the hearts of humanity and draw each one into His bosom through the free gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is our Papa's goodness that will lead us to change our minds and go in a new direction.

When I think of this promise in this light, it changes the way I see evangelism. It is the goodness of our Heavenly Father that will cause the biggest transformation in a person's heart. 

My Spirit will rest on you when you suffer for Christ's sake.

1 Peter 4:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

The Bible says that those who live a godly life will suffer persecution. We live in an orphan world with orphan values. Jesus told us that if people would reject Him, then they would reject us too. At some point in our lives, we will all suffer some form of persecution for Christ's sake. Since I live in the west, I wouldn't even try to dare to compare the suffering in my country to the persecution that is happening in many other places around the world.

Needless to say, God's grace will be sufficient in whatever level we need it to be for our circumstances. It is reassuring that we can rely on the Holy Spirit to rest on us when we are spoken evil of because of our faith in Jesus. In this KJV translation, the Apostle Peter actually says we should be happy if we are persecuted for the glorious name of Christ.  May each one of us count it all joy when we suffer even a little bit for Christ's sake.

May our God and Father give us the strength and courage not to back down when people who oppose Christ oppose us. May we consider it an honor to suffer for His name! 

I will give you a garment of praise in exchange for your spirit of heaviness.

Isaiah 61:3 New International Version (NIV)

3     and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.

Isaiah 61 is full of amazing promises from God that were fulfilled when Jesus came to the world two thousand years ago. Verse 3 alone contains at least 4 promises that we could take all day to talk about! But in this devotional, I will stick to the promise where God says that He will give us a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.

Many of the translations that I studied agree with the KJV that God promises a garment (or mantle) of praise for a spirit of heaviness (or despair - NIV). The Amplified version describes the spirit of heaviness as 'a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit' that God wants to lift off of us.

We all get discouraged. We all despair at times. Some of us struggle with this more than others. It is part of the human condition. I am thankful that modern medicine has helped us to better understand issues surrounding depression. Through the wisdom that God has provided, there are many helpful medical solutions to treat these issues. We need to be wise and continue to follow our doctor's advice if we are being treated for such a condition.

But what about those instances in life where a fearful thought or a discouraging thought makes us feel heavy and burdened? What can we do to combat these negative thoughts that come from the enemy of our soul? In today's promise, we read that God will give us a garment of praise in exchange for our spirit of heaviness.

I am not sure how it works for other people, but for me, when I take my eyes off my circumstances and begin to praise God, then I seem to get a new perspective on things. All of a sudden, my eyes are fixed upward rather than inward and my outlook on the problem starts to change.

My prayer today is that we would all see the bigness and greatness of our God and Father. I pray that we would all receive a supernatural perspective from heaven itself and the result would be that God would clothe us with a garment of praise in exchange for a spirit of heaviness. 

No weapon created for your harm will succeed against you.

Isaiah 54:17 New International Version (NIV)

17     no weapon forged against you will prevail,
    and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord,
    and this is their vindication from me,”
declares the Lord.

It is a reality that we have an enemy that is prowling around like a lion who would like to harm us. We do not have to be fearful or paranoid about this, but it is helpful to be aware of his opposition. In this promise found in Isaiah, God makes the promise that no weapon that is formed against us by any enemy will prosper. He goes on to say that every tongue that judges us will be condemned.

It is encouraging to be reminded that God is on our side and He is fighting for us. No matter what or who opposes us, our Father promises to be with us through every storm and protect us by His great power. This is the heritage of the Lord. This is our birthright! ...To live under the protection of the Most High (Psalm 91).

I realize that this does not mean that we are completely insulated from trials in life. Jesus said in John 16:33 that as long as we are in this world, we will experience trouble. Praise God though that Jesus has overcome the world!

When I think of any opposing forces that are against me, whether they are earthly or demonic, I take great comfort in this promise from my Father... No weapon that has been created for my harm will succeed against me! That is my inheritance and it is your inheritance too! 

When you walk through the fires of adversity, you will not be burned.

Isaiah 43:2 New International Version (NIV)

2 When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.

I took this photo when my wife and I were in New Zealand a few years back. These volcanic geysers continually release boiling hot water onto the earth's surface and it is a truly amazing sight to see. In the natural, no one could walk through these gushing waters without getting burned.

Yet in this Bible verse, God says that even if we walk through fire, we will not be burned. When I think of this promise, I do not think of passing through literal waters or fires, but the raging waters and fires of adversity that we all face in life.

The NLT Bible calls it 'the fire of oppression' that we sometimes experience. I find great comfort in knowing that God promises that He will be with us as we go through our trials and that ultimately these trials will not overcome us. 

One day when Jesus comes back or we go home to be with Him, we will be in a place where there is no more pain or suffering. But in this life, we will continue to experience hardships simply because we live in a fallen world. The next time you go through a difficult experience, remember God's promise to be with you in the midst of the trial.

My prayer is that the flames of adversity will not consume you as you pass through them. May you be kept safe in the secret place of the Most High (Psalm 91) no matter what life throws at you!

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine.

Ephesians 3:20 New International Version (NIV)

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,

After you read this promise, take a moment and try to imagine the biggest, out-of-the-box thing that you could possibly think of for your life. No matter how big you think, God's plans for you are way bigger! The NLT Bible translates the bigness of God's plans as 'infinitely more' and the NASB Bible says 'abundantly beyond'.

No matter what version of the Bible you choose to read this Scripture in, God is able to do way more for us than we will ever be able to comprehend according to His incredible power that is at work in us...right now! When I think that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me and how that power is greater than any other power in the universe, it simply amazes me!

Unfortunately many of us limit the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives by what we have experienced thus far. If we haven't seen too many miracles around us, we don't expect to live a miraculous life. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will give us the power to take off all of the limitations that we have placed around ourselves so that our Papa can show us the incredible bigness of His plan and purpose for our lives.

May each one of us open our hearts and minds to things that are exceedingly abundantly beyond what we could ever dare to ask for. Are you willing to ask God for a revelation of His great power that is already at work in you?

I reveal My secrets to those who fear Me.

Psalm 25:14 New International Version (NIV)

14 The Lord confides in those who fear him;
    he makes his covenant known to them.

King David is the author of this psalm. Today's promise talks about how God shares His secrets with those who fear Him. It is important that we know that the word 'fear' isn't intended to mean that we are afraid of God, rather that we revere Him and deeply respect His awesome power.

This promise paints a very intimate picture for me. I imagine a father taking time out of his busy day to put his arm around one of his little ones to share a secret with them. After making sure no one else is around to hear their conversation, he whispers something so quietly that no one else can hear them talk.

Isn't it amazing to think that our God and Father wants to share His secrets with us? Doesn't it blow your mind to think that we are friends of God? I am convinced that the Lord is always looking for those whom He can share His heart with. 

When I think of this promise and God's desire to share His secrets with ME, I am humbled by the thought. My prayer is that we will be able to quiet ourselves from all the distractions and noise of the day so that we might hear the gentle whispers of our Father's voice as He confides in us. 

Announcement

Southwest Cell Group
Date: 28th June 2019, Friday
Time: 8pm
Venue: Bro John Lee & Sis Shirley's Home

Northeast Cell Group
Date: 30th June 2019, Sunday
Time: 12:30pm (after coffee fellowship)
Venue: Corps Community Hall

Helping Hand Project
Date: May - July 2019
Theme: Help Rebuilt Palu, Indonesia
Details: Penang Corps, Walkathon card is out. Please see Sis. Jasinta. Thank you.

TSA Youth Council 2019
Date: 15 - 16 Aug 2019 (Thu-Fri)
Venue: Banting Corps & Tadom Hill Resort
Cost: RM20 (Early Bird Rate) / RM150 (After 30 June 2019).

Call out to Me and I will show you wonderful things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchablethings you do not know.’

Little children are the most inquisitive people on the planet. They are filled with awe about their surroundings and continually asking their parents questions about what, where, when, why, how, etc.  I love to see the interaction between these little ones and their loving parents. Daddy, why is the sky blue? Mommy, how come I have five toes?

It is wonderful to see the patience that loving parents have for all of these questions. Though most of the time their children cannot comprehend even the most simple of answers, it isn't the answers that are what's important. It is the fact that parents have made themselves available to their wee ones and have all the time in the world to answer their questions.

When I think of this promise and how God has invited us to ask Him all the questions we want, I am reminded of the loving interaction between a parent and a small child. To think that the God of the universe has all the time in the world to answer my questions is amazing! If you have had parents that weren't available to answer your questions when you were younger, you might think that God will respond the same way to you.

The truth is that God is the perfect Father and He invites us to ask Him questions and His promise to us is that He will answer us and show us wonderful things that we do not know!

Nothing will be impossible for those who have even a little faith.

Matthew 17:19-20 New International Version (NIV)

19 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

20 He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

In this promise, Jesus tells us that even if our faith is as tiny as a mustard seed, we are able to tell a mountain to be thrown into the sea. Since I haven't seen many mountains hurled into the sea lately, I often wonder what Jesus meant when He said these words to His disciples.

Of course we all have many figurative mountains in our lives that we face on a daily basis. Perhaps it isn't the literal mountains around us that need moving, but these figurative ones? Maybe one day we will see literal mountains cast into the oceans, but in the meantime, what are the mountains in your life where you need a miracle? I love the fact that Jesus encourages us that we don't need much faith at all to make a big impact.

From what I understand, a mustard seed is a very small seed, yet Jesus says even if our faith is that small, nothing will be impossible to us. Maybe it is time to start exercising the faith that you have? Start speaking to the mountains in your life with a childlike simplicity, just believing that they have to go away in Jesus name. Who knows what may start to happen?

When I think of this promise, I am reminded of the man who came to Jesus to ask Him to deliver his son and Jesus asked him... Do you believe?. The man responded Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! Jesus didn't rebuke the man for this response but healed his son instantly.

God understands our frailty, yet He continues to encourage us to simply have faith and watch what happens. Today I am going to speak to the mountains in my life, how about you? 

Every good gift that you receive comes directly from My hand.

James 1:17 New International Version (NIV)

17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Just think of this promise for a moment. God is saying that anything good that you receive in your life comes directly from Him. That beautiful sunrise, the twinkle in a loved one's eye, even that raise at work. All good gifts come from the one true Father.

The Bible says that the sun shines on the just and the unjust. So that means His gifts are not just reserved for those who have received the free gift of eternal life. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights.

In James 1:17, it also says that God does not change like shifting shadows. He is the same yesterday, today and forever! Hallelujah for such a gracious, loving Heavenly Father who is a giver at the very center of His heart!

In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus encourages us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking because God is a good Father and delights to give good gifts to His children. Like any healthy father/child relationship, it breaks the Father's heart if we only seek Him for the things He gives us. The gifts He gives are really only the icing on the cake.

The most amazing thing that we can ever receive from God is the gift of Himself! It humbles me to think of this promise. To think how kind and loving, and generous our Heavenly Father is. It just makes me want to run to Him again and again and thank Him for being so good to me!

I have anointed you with My Spirit as a down payment of what is yet to come.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 New International Version (NIV)

21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

It is amazing to think that God gave us His own Holy Spirit to anoint us and to seal us with His very presence. The gift of His very own heart is but a down payment of what is yet to come! In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul's says that we only see in part, but one day we will see Him face to face. The proof of our citizenship in heaven is that God has placed His own Spirit in the very core of our being now.

The NIV Bible says that He set His "seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." What an amazing promise. We belong to God! There is so much we have to look forward to throughout all eternity because of His desire to make us His own!

When I think of this promise, my prayer is that we will all become more and more sensitive to His loving presence that already lives inside of us. May we all rejoice in the knowledge that Almighty God has given us His own Spirit as a down payment for what is yet to come!

You can enjoy freedom because Christ has set you free.

Galatians 5:1 New International Version (NIV)

Freedom in Christ

5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

This promise exhorts us to stand firm in the freedom in which Christ has set us free! This is not an option, it is a command. Another version of the Bible says that it is for the very sake of freedom that Christ has set us free. God loves it when we agree with Him and choose to live a life free of bondage and condemnation.

In all of the letters in the New Testament, the saints are always referred to as being new creations in Christ. There is no reason why we should retreat back into the yoke of bondage that we used to live in. Christ has set us free! So enjoy your freedom! Tell others how they can get free too!

Religion will try to keep us in bondage but Jesus came to set us free. In John 8:36, Jesus says that we shall know the truth and that truth will set us free. Anything that keeps us in captivity is not from God. God loves freedom!

When I think of this promise, I am thankful for the freedom that Christ bought for us and it is my prayer that we would not get entangled with the things that used to keep us in bondage. We were all created to live a free life, so enjoy your freedom!

I have removed your sins from you as far as the east is from the west.

Psalm 103:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 as far as the east is from the west,
    so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

How far is the east from the west? Since these two anchors point in polar opposite directions for all eternity, I would say that there is no greater way to express the farthest distance than east from west. I love how God has used this analogy to illustrate the promise of what He has done with our sin. He has removed every speck of our sin from us as far as the east is from the west! They could not have been removed any further than that!

Many of us struggle with the continual, ever present awareness of our sinful condition. Somehow we think that our sin consciousness is actually pleasing to God. That somehow we will stay in a posture of humility by remembering how wretched we are.

I believe that the very opposite is true! We are justified by our faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ and we know by Hebrews 11:6 that it is our faith that pleases God. So next time the enemy of your soul wants to remind you of all your past failures, declare this promise aloud... God has removed all my sins from me as far as the east is from the west!

I made you holy by the once for all sacrifice of My Son, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

I love the finality of this promise. We are made holy by the once and for all sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross. The price He paid two thousand years ago covers our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. There is nothing else that needs to be paid or could be paid. As Jesus cried out on the cross, "It is finished!"

Hallelujah for such a promise! Our sanctification is secure for all eternity because of the finished work of our elder brother, Jesus Christ! As Paul says in Romans 8:1, there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus! What a glorious promise.

Sometimes it is easy for us to vacillate between living in the forgiveness that God has already given us and feeling guilt and shame. The blood of Jesus has settled this issue once and for all! All we need to do is simply accept this free gift and walk in the assurance that we could never add anything to the amazing, extravagant gift that God the Father has already given us.

When I think of the permanence of Jesus' sacrifice, and how my redemption and sanctification has been secured for eternity, it brings me into a reassuring peace and rest knowing that when God looks at me, He doesn't see all my sin and my shortcomings. ...He sees me through the once and for all finished sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. What good news! 

2019 June 16, Father's Day Service and Celebration

Click here for more pictures

Announcement

Helping Hand Project
Date: May - July 2019
Theme: Help Rebuilt Palu, Indonesia
Details: Penang Corps, Walkathon card is out. Please see Sis. Jasinta. Thank you.

TSA Youth Council 2019
Date: 15 - 16 Aug 2019 (Thu-Fri)
Venue: Banting Corps & Tadom Hill Resort
Cost: RM20 (Early Bird Rate) / RM150 (After 30 June 2019).

My lovingkindness is more precious than life.

Psalm 63:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.

In this promise, the psalmist is making a declaration of God's amazing lovingkindness and how His love is better than life itself. The writer goes on to say that the only appropriate response to such a wonderful love is to live a life of loving God back in the form of presenting our bodies as living sacrifices.

I really believe that every person on the planet was created to respond to love. In 1 John 4:19, it says that we love because He first loved us. God is the ultimate initiator and we are His ultimate responders. When we truly begin to receive His lovingkindness in every area of our lives, the only appropriate response is to love Him back with every fiber of our being and praise His wonderful name!

Our God and Father's desire is that we live in His love all the days of our lives, and be a vessel in which His love can flow to us and then through us. The more that I experience Papa's amazing, unconditional love for me, the more that I join with this verse and declare that God's lovingkindness is better than life!

I love you as deeply as a father loves his children.

Psalm 103:13 New International Version (NIV)

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;

The point of this promise is that God the Father loves us just like a loving father would love and have mercy on his own children. I am continually amazed to see the ongoing analogies throughout the Bible where God wants us to know that He is really a Father to us! Not just a 'father figure', but a real Dad!

Some of you might be reading this promise and thinking about negative past experiences that you have had with your own father and shudder to think that God would treat you in the same way. I think that is one of the most common roadblocks that many of us experience in our journey to know God as Father.

It is very natural for us to project onto God many of the same life experiences that we have had with our earthly fathers. Over the years, we have even heard some comments where people have said to us... "I have had one father and I don't want another one!"

The truth is that God is the perfect Father and He loves us completely and infinitely better than even the best earthly dad. Jesus came to show us what His Father was really like and to bring us into a real, authentic relationship with God as Father. If you don't feel safe relating to God as Father, ask Jesus to show you what He is really like and He will be glad to do it.

A few years ago, I produced a short boasting on the goodness of my Heavenly Dad. It is called... My Dad is the Best Dad in the Universe. If you would like to watch it, click here . You can even copy and paste the script listing all of the verses that I used to produce this video. 

I will not abandon you, for I am glad to make you my own.

1 Samuel 12:22 New International Version (NIV)

22 For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own.

Many people live with an abiding fear that they may be abandoned at any moment. Some of us feel like this because people have let us down in the past while others just don't live with a deep sense of belonging to anything or anyone.

I love this promise because the LORD is settling the issue once and for all by declaring that He has purposed in His heart to not abandon us because of His own great name's sake. Isn't it good news to think that it doesn't depend on you and your good works... but on Him?

This Bible verse says that God is actually very pleased to make you part of His family and for that reason, and that reason alone, He has promised to always stay close by.

When I read this promise and think that I belong to God it blows my mind. Why does He want me? Why am I so valued to Him? The reality is that it is about His great heart for me and not my ability to earn or deserve His affection. The more that I can believe that it is about God's love for me and not my love for Him, the more that I will begin to walk in the tangible reality of living in His love every day of my life.

I do not always live in the knowledge of His love for me because there is still a little orphan in my soul that sometimes strays away from the truth that I belong to God. Maybe you struggle with the same things. If so, my prayer for all of us is that we would know that our Heavenly Father was pleased to make us a part of His family...forever!