If you walk in the light, the blood of My Son Jesus will cleanse you from all sin.

1 John 1:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.

Jesus is called the Light of the World. In Him is no darkness, only brilliant, glorious light. The good news of the gospel is that when we receive the free gift of God, which is the life of His own Son, we are completely cleansed from all unrighteousness and forgiven from all our sin.

We have become children of the light because we are now joined completely into the holy life of Jesus. Romans 8:1 says because of this exchange, there is therefore now no condemnation for us. 

Our adversary the devil is called the accuser of the brethren. His aim is to continually bring accusations against us that would somehow cause us to feel ashamed and hide from God. When you hear these accusing voices, declare the finished work of the blood of Jesus over your life, for it is the cleansing power of Jesus' blood that keeps us walking in the light! 

We have no need to hide in shame from God. Jesus Christ has secured our place in His Father's heart and His blood has covered our past sins, our present sins and our future sins. You can rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ. When He cried it is finished! on the cross, He meant it. 

Does this mean that we can go on living  a sinful life? God forbid! However, we can rest assured that if we walk in the light as Jesus is in the light, His blood cleanses us from ALL sin.

Through faith in Christ, you can boldly approach Me with confidence.

Ephesians 3:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

The NIV Bible says Ephesians 3:12 in this way... 'In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.' What a glorious promise! Through our new life in Jesus Christ, we have complete and unrestricted access to our Heavenly Father. Though angels bow down in reverence to Almighty God, we can call Him our Abba (Romans 8:15). Though He holds the earth in the palm of His hand, He calls us His little ones.

Praise God for giving us an amazing salvation through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In the great exchange that happened on the cross, Jesus exchanged His life for our life. We no longer live apart from Christ (Galatians 2:20), so being in Christ, we have full access to our Father just like Jesus does. As a matter of fact, in Colossians 3, Paul says that we actually are hid with Christ in God, seated in the heavens!

As a father, I would be disappointed if I felt that my children were afraid to come into my presence. They are my children after all! They are welcome any time, night or day! If dads are intended to be a shadow of the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48), how much more is it His desire that we come boldly into His throne room with freedom and confidence? 

May each one of us be encouraged today to come into our Papa's presence with a new boldness. Not because of anything that we have done, but because our big brother, Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, has made the way for us to approach God with a confident expectation that He will receive us and put us on His lap, day or night.

I have even numbered each hair on your head.

Matthew 10:30 New International Version (NIV)

30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

The entire context of this promise can be found in Matthew 10:29-31...
29 “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, 30 but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. (WEB)

In Matthew 10, Jesus is commissioning His disciples to go out into the world to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. Heal the sick, cast out devils and freely give what you freely receive. In the midst of His charge to go, Jesus does talk about the reality that they will encounter opposition to this message. There will even be those who will want to kill them for what they represent. But all the while, Jesus is encouraging them not to be afraid.

He goes on to tell them that although sparrows are insignificant in the eyes of men, Father God always keeps a watchful eye on them. Jesus encourages His disciples that they are worth more than many sparrows, so if God watches over the birds, He will watch over them too! The source of much of our worry and anxiety is fear. Fear is rooted in a feeling that we are on our own and we have to try and manage life by ourselves.

Jesus encourages us to not fear because we are not on our own. We have a Heavenly Father who loves us and is in control of our lives. He even has taken the time to number each one of the hairs on our heads! What attention to detail! What involvement in our lives! We have nothing to fear when the God of the universe is for us and is so intimately involved in our lives.

Knowing the Father's love for us will not necessarily shield us from heartache, pain and suffering because Jesus did tell us that in the world we will have trouble. However, in the midst of all our struggles, He promises that perfect love will cast out all fear from our hearts (1 John 4:18). May each one of us go deeper into our Father's love today, knowing that our worth to Him is far more than many sparrows.

I have cared for you from the moment you were born.

Psalm 71:6 New International Version (NIV)

6 From birth I have relied on you;
    you brought me forth from my mother’s womb.
    I will ever praise you.

In this Psalm, David makes a declaration that it was actually God that took him out of his mother's womb. In The Message Bible, this verse says 'I've hung on you from the day of my birth, the day you took me from the cradle;'.  The NIV Bible says 'From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb.'

What an amazing promise! Our God and Father was there on the day you were born! Many people carry around the feeling that their parents didn't plan their birth, so they feel like their life was an accident. This Bible promise says the exact opposite! Not one person who has ever been born has been a mistake! God planned each birth and was in the delivery room to welcome all of us into the world. 

If you struggle to feel that you belong in this world, I pray that this promise will go deep into your heart. God knit you together in your mother's womb and He has cared for you from the moment you were born until today. And He will never stop caring for you because you are the apple of His eye! 

I am good and My mercy is everlasting.

1 Chronicles 16:34 New International Version (NIV)

34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever.

In the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Adam and Eve, he was primarily questioning the goodness of God. "Did God really say..." He tried to portray a view of God that was skewed and distorted... That God was insecure and didn't want the best for Adam and Eve. That God wasn't good.

The enemy's tactics are the same today as they were back then. He continues to question the goodness of God at every turn. My encouragement to you is to simply believe the truth about God and make a declaration to the heavens that He is really good and His love endures forever!

The love that God has for us will not change today, tomorrow or in eternity. It will endure forever! The very foundation of our God and Father's heart is goodness and love. No matter what happens in life, I would encourage you to not side with the accuser and question your Father's goodness. Our God is good and He is loving beyond comprehension. 

In the midst of any storm that you are going through, His love will cause even the worst situation to turn for good (Romans 8:28). May faith rise up in our hearts to know this on a level that is deeper than we have ever known it before and declare that the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever!

You can trust in My faithfulness because My Word is true.

Psalm 33:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 For the word of the Lord is right and true;
    he is faithful in all he does.

If I would make a promise to my children and they would question the integrity of what I promised, that would hurt me deeply. As a father, it is my hope that my children would have confidence in my character and my word. If they doubted what I said, then I would feel that they question the very core of who I am.

I believe that the foundation of any relationship is trust. If there is no trust, then the relationship is on shaky ground. In today's promise, the Psalmist is singing praises to God and makes the declaration that the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth. The NLT Bibles says Psalm 33:4 this way... For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does. 
If we struggle to believe that God's word is true, then we are in effect doubting God's very character. Every time we question God's Word or His goodness, we are agreeing with the father of lies and the continual accusations he brings against God. Just as this would hurt an earthly father, I believe that it deeply grieves the Father of Lights. 

The Bible says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith, it is impossible to please God. I believe that our God and Father loves it when His kids simply believe every word He says... Just like a little child believes everything their mom or dad has to say to them. 

My prayer today is that Holy Spirit would make us aware of the unbelieving thoughts that come into our mind and we would break any power of agreement with them, for the Word of the LORD is right and we can trust everything that He does and says! 

I rule the earth and all the kings belong to Me.

Psalm 47:7-9 New International Version (NIV)

7 For God is the King of all the earth;
    sing to him a psalm of praise.

8 God reigns over the nations;
    God is seated on his holy throne.
9 The nobles of the nations assemble
    as the people of the God of Abraham,
for the kings[a] of the earth belong to God;
    he is greatly exalted.

God is the King of all the earth. Jesus is proclaimed as the King of kings and the Lord of lords. There is no disputing the absolute and complete power of the living God. He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. While our adversary the devil, has limited power for a short season as the prince of the power of the air, the earth is the Lord's and all that is in it!

When everything around us seems to be shaken... Wars, economies, governments, etc., have no fear! God is seated in the heavens and He rules the earth. May we rise up and worship Him today for His goodness and His mercy and His majesty!

Hollywood often projects the battle of good versus evil as two equal, opposing forces clashing for victory. The truth is that our God is all powerful and ever present. He is so huge, that the universe cannot contain Him. We are not locked in a battle between good and evil that has an uncertain outcome. We win! Jesus has already declared the victory through His death and resurrection!

While we know that in this world we will have trouble, may each one of us be encouraged today in knowing that Jesus has overcome the world and that our Heavenly Dad is the God and Father over all creation (Ephesians 4:4-6). 

The heavens declare My glory and reveal My handiwork.

Psalm 19[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

In Romans 1:20 in the NLT Bible it says... For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (NLT)

Nature is continually revealing the character and nature of God. Every tree, every stream, every animal on the face of the planet bears witness to the glory and majesty of the Triune God. There is simply no excuse. Nature proves not only that God exists, but that He is kind and gracious to all that He has made.

Today's promise simply states that the heavens declare His glory and the skies show off His handiwork. My prayer for all of us today is that there will be a heightened awareness to the eternal power of God that is clearly displayed in the world around us. 

The next time you look at a sunrise or sunset, may the love of God overwhelm you and may you see His glory revealed through all that He has created. 

Every promise that I make is true for I do not lie or change My mind.

Numbers 23:19 New International Version (NIV)

19 God is not human, that he should lie,
    not a human being, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
    Does he promise and not fulfill?

In today's promise, Numbers 23:19 clearly tells us that God is not a man, that he should lie. One of the problems that we have relating to God is the ability to trust Him completely. The reason why we struggle to trust him is that we have learned from life's experiences that people do not always keep their promises.

While I don't think we intentionally make the same assumptions about God, there is something in the human heart that can sometimes project onto God the same disappointments that we have experienced with people close to us.  Many times we can assume that God will treat us just like our earthly fathers did.  If we struggled to trust our parents, then we may struggle to trust God.

But this promise clearly says that God is not like any person on earth. He does not lie or change His mind. Every promise that He makes is completely and absolutely true! The work that God has called us to is to simply believe that He is who He says He is. May faith rise up in our hearts today and cry out 'Yes and Amen!' to every promise that God makes! He is true! He is faithful! ...And He always keeps His promises.

One day, you will see My face and My name will be on your forehead.

Revelation 22:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

In the book of Genesis, the story begins with our God and Father creating the heavens and the earth and all that is in it. In the book of Revelation, the Bible ends with the promise that we will see God face to face and His name will be written on our foreheads.  What an amazing hope that we all have to look forward to. 

In the Old Testament, no man could see God and live. When we get to heaven, we will be able to look face to face into His loving eyes and have His name imprinted upon us.  I pray that God will open the eyes of our hearts today so that by faith we will be able to look forward to that day when He will wipe all our tears away. 

This is our destiny. This is where we are headed if we have received the free gift of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ's life. We have nothing to fear. We have nothing to dread. Just an eternity of glorious bliss, gazing into the eyes of the One who loved us before the creation of the world. Hallelujah! 

You are My children now, and you will be just like Jesus when He appears.

1 John 3:2 New International Version (NIV)

2 Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears,[a] we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

When Jesus returns, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is. This Scripture tells us that at this point, we don't know what that will look like. All we know is that when we fix our eyes on Jesus, there will be a final transformation that will take place to conform us into His image completely. 

While this promise gives us hope for the future, it also speaks directly into our present situation. The Apostle John encourages us that we are sons of God now! We do not have to wait until we see Jesus face to face to experience the tangible reality of being God's kids. We are His children now, and one day, we will see all of the human trappings of our flesh consumed in the fire of the presence of Jesus when we see him face to face. 

But until then, we have an amazing promise that we are already the children of God right now! May each one of us be able to see with our spiritual eyes today that the promise of God is not only for the future, but for the present! 

Those who overcome will be made pillars in My temple forever.

Revelation 3:12 New International Version (NIV)

12 The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem,which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.

The Bible says that life is but a vapor. The span of a person's life is but a twinkle of the eye in the perspective of all eternity. That is why it is so important for us to have an eternal mindset rather than a temporal one. In 2 Corinthians 4:18, the NIV Bible says ... So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (NIV)

When the pressures of life are too much. When the worries of an uncertain future cloud our thought life. When we are discouraged with the circumstances around us. No matter what situation you find yourself in today, take a moment, and think about eternity.  In today's Scripture, Jesus Himself, promises that He is going to make us as pillars in the temple of His God forever and write on each one of us a new name! 

When all around us begins to shake, be encouraged that God is giving us a kingdom that cannot be shaken. One day, all those who belong to Jesus will stand firm forever in the city of our God, the New Jerusalem! 

When problems arise, call to Me and I will answer you.

Psalm 86:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
    because you answer me.

Jesus told us that in the world, we would have trouble. He went on to encourage us that we could be cheerful because He had overcome the world. In this Psalm, David is calling out to God to help him. David is aware of the many promises that God made to Israel and was confident that when trouble came, God would answer him.

Sometimes I think that God is there for the really big problems, but He is leaving me to my own resources for the little problems that pop up in every day life. I believe that God is ready, willing and able to help me in whatever problems I face today. Big or small. He promised to be a Father to me (2 Corinthians 6:18) and fathers are there for their children all the time. 

Whatever trouble you might face today, be encouraged in knowing that when problems do arise, you can call out to your Heavenly Father and He will answer you.

Announcement

Cell Group (SouthWest)
Date: 25 Aug 2019 (Fri), 8pm
Venue: Bro John Lee & Sis Shirley home.

Young Adults Retreat 
Date: 26-28 Oct (3D2N)
Venue: Templar Park Rainforest Retreat
Cost: RM300 (Early bird) RM400 (After 1 Sept)
Age: 18-35 years old

Penang Open Day 
Date: 12th Oct 2019 (Sat)
Time: 9am - 1pm
Venue: Penang Children's Home
Details: Once again, your help is needed to sell the coupons, your support and assistance is greatly appreciated. Please look for Lt. Daniel for the coupons. Thank you.

I am near to you whenever you cry out.

Deuteronomy 4:7 New International Version (NIV)

7 What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?

In this particular Bible verse, the nation of Israel is marveling that there is no other nation on the earth that has a God that is so close to them that He is near whenever they cry out. What an advantage over every other nation of the day!

They worshiped a God who was near and attentive to the cries of His people.

And that was the Old Covenant relationship with God. In the New Covenant, God is even closer! He lives within those who have accepted the free gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are the very temple of the living God! He is closer to each one of us than we could possibly imagine.  

My prayer today is that each one of us would be aware of the tangible presence that dwells within us and that we would know that our God is really close to us when we cry out to Him.

If you enter into My rest, you will find rest from all your striving.

Hebrews 4:9-10 New International Version (NIV)

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[a] just as God did from his.

One thing that marks the orphan world system that we live in is the absence of the ability to rest. Busy, busy, busy. There is so much to do in too little time to do it. Rushing from work to home, rushing from home to work. Rushing to do the groceries, driving the kids to sports, going to church, etc. Throw in the thousands of media messages that we all get bombarded with every day. Busy, busy, busy.

It is exhausting just thinking about it. God is calling each one of us into a deep Sabbath rest in the very core of our being. While on the outside this might appear like pure inactivity and therefore unproductive, I believe the very opposite is true. When we allow ourselves to come into a place in our hearts where we cease from our own works, we are demonstrating in a very practical way that we are relying on God to work on our behalf.

This very real form of trust moves the heart of our Heavenly Dad in a way that nothing else can. As long as we try to do all the work ourselves, carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders, we will be trying to do the work in our own strength. When we come to a place where we can slow down in our hearts and quiet the busyness that resides in the depths of our soul, we will find the Prince of Peace waiting for us to join Him.

Sure work needs to get done, groceries need to get bought, kids need to be driven to their various activities. But I believe it is our Papa's heart that we enter into a deep Sabbath rest in our hearts where we cease from all our own striving and join Him in His rest. May God give each one of us wisdom today to show us how we can labor to enter into that place of rest.

If you share with the needy, My glory will guard your back.

Isaiah 58:7-8 New International Version (NIV)

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness[a] will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

God's heart is always for the poor and those who are in need. It is simply a foundational part of the heart of God. He protects the widows and the orphans. He says that the poor of this world are called to inherit the riches of His everlasting kingdom. 

In this promise, God says that if we look after the needs of the poor and our own family, there are many benefits that will come our way. Our light will break forth like the dawn, healing will quickly appear, righteousness will go before us, and the glory of the Lord will be our rear guard. 

I love how the NLT Bible says verse 8... “Then your salvation will come like the dawn, and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward, and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind. (NLT)

God's heart is always for the underdog. He is always thinking of those who are need. When we really connect to the heart of our God and Father, we will share His concern for those around us. The stronger His heart beat becomes in us, the more we will share what we have with others and the more His glory will guard our back. May each one of us become more aware of the immediate needs of those around us today. 

I will strengthen you with feet like a deer so you can reach great heights.

Habakkuk 3:19 New International Version (NIV)

19 The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
    he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
    he enables me to tread on the heights.

Have you ever watched a deer or a mountain goat walk on the side of a mountain? It is really quite an amazing sight to see. They are so sure-footed that they can walk on ledges so thin that it would seem impossible in the natural. 

In this promise, Habakkuk says that since the Lord is his strength, God will make his feet as steady as those of a deer so he can walk in high places. I believe that God wants to take us all to greater heights and walk in the confidence that only comes from walking not in our own power or self-effort, but from the strength from Almighty God.

In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul says that eye has not seen, nor has ear heard what God has prepared for those who love Him, but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit. There is a great adventure calling each and every one of us to come up higher in the Spirit. 

May we not allow our fear of heights to prevent us to go today where He is calling. He will equip us with the strength we need to go where He is calling us to go. All we have to be is willing vessels.