I put people who are lonely in families.

Psalm 68:6 New International Version (NIV)

6 God sets the lonely in families,[a]
    he leads out the prisoners with singing;
    but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.

God is all about family. In Ephesians 3:14-15 Paul the Apostle says...  14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, (ESV). God understands that we were created to be in families, so in today's promise, we read how God puts people who are lonely in families.

I believe His heart is that we would experience family life on earth through brothers and sisters in the kingdom of God as well as family life in heaven.  In John 8:35, Jesus tells us... Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. (NIV) Whether we have had a good family system on earth or not, we have a permanent place in the family of God where we will belong forever.

If you are struggling fitting into your natural family, be encouraged to know that you belong to an amazing supernatural family where we can call each other brothers and sisters because we have the same Heavenly Father. God places the lonely in families. That is good news for each and every one of us!

Announcement

SouthWest Cell Group
Date: 8th Mac 2019 (Fri)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Bro Kim Aun & Sis Jasinta Home

Senior Citizen Fellowship

Date: 16th Mac 2019 (Sat)
Time: 8:30am
Venue: Dim Sum Abu Siti Lane

International Day of Prayer for Children
Date: 31th Mac 2019 (Sun)
Theme: Dream Big, Pray Like a Child
Details: TBA

Women's Ministries One Day Conference
Date: 6 April 2019 (Sat)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Corps
Time: 9am - 3pm
Theme: Living the Royal Life
Details: Kindly see Captain Fiona for further information.

You can trust in Me for I will never forsake you.

Psalm 9:10 New International Version (NIV)

10 Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

When we know who God is, it is easy to trust in Him. When we are convinced that He is loving and kind and gentle, we will be able to risk again and entrust our hearts fully to Him. If we are not yet convinced of His goodness, we will struggle to trust Him.

I believe that giving our Father the gift of our trust is the greatest gift that we can give Him. When we trust Him, we lower our defenses and open our hearts fully to Him. When we trust Him, we will not lean to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) but completely yield to His leading in our life. I believe when we begin to trust God in a simple childlike way, it moves His heart like nothing else that we can do.

In today's promise, we read that our God and Father will never, ever forsake those who trust in Him. He is unwavering in His commitment to us. He will never leave us or forsake us. For those of us who struggle with the fear of being abandoned, I pray that the reality of our Papa's goodness and closeness would drive all fear out of our hearts (1 John 4:18) so that we can fully trust Him. 

You can know and depend on the love I have for you.

1 John 4:16 New International Version (NIV)

16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

There have been many times in my own life where I have struggled with circumstances and have not had any pat answers or quick solutions to my problems. In the midst of these seasons in my life, 1 John 4:16 has become really meaningful to me.

When all else fails, love will never fail. As the Apostle John tells us in today's promise... And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. (NIV)

Whatever challenge you are facing in your life today, you can know and depend on the love that God has for you. His love will comfort you, His love will sustain you, His love will carry you through any situation. May each one of us run into the arms of our God and Father today knowing that we can depend on His love to be enough for us no matter how difficult our journey.

God is love. He not only loves, but the very core of His being is unconditional, everlasting love for you and I. May the reality of this promise go deep into our hearts today so that we would learn to make our home living in the love that God has for us.

You will find freedom wherever My Spirit dwells.

2 Corinthians 3:17 New International Version (NIV)

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

God is completely free and He loves freedom. Galatians 5:1 says that it is for freedom's sake that Christ has set us free. In John 8:36, Jesus Himself speaks of the freedom He has for us when He said... If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. (WEB)

Wherever God lives, you will find freedom. If you are struggling with bondage today or are in controlling circumstances that hinder freedom, ask God to set you free! God's plan and purpose for us is to be free to live, free to serve, free to be generous, free to dream, free to be His beloved child...free, free, free!

My prayer today is that we would all experience a new level of freedom in our lives. Ask God for more freedom and believe in your heart that it is His desire to set you free... and watch what happens in your life!

I will bless you in times of mourning with My comfort.

Matthew 5:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.

In Matthew 5, Jesus shares a kingdom message that we lovingly call The Beatitudes. In this section of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals some of the values of His kingdom. Nine times He says that people are blessed in circumstances that would seem opposite to what the world system would see as blessed.

The Amplified Bible translates the word blessed that He uses as... (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions). (AMP)

At some point or another, we will all suffer the loss of a loved one and we will need the comfort that comes from God alone. In today's promise, we read that when we mourn we will be blessed (from a kingdom perspective) with the comfort that comes only from God Himself. Psalm 34:18 says... Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. (WEB)

If you are going through a time of grieving right now, my prayer is that this promise would be very tangible to you. I pray that you would feel God's closeness to you as He carries you through this season of mourning.

Through it all, may you truly feel blessed by God despite your circumstances as described by the Amplified Bible... (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous--with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions). 

I will heal your broken heart and mend all your wounds.

Psalm 147:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 He heals the brokenhearted
    and binds up their wounds.

When we hurt, God's heart is full of compassion towards us. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, He is called the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. When we are wounded, His desire is to bring healing to us. If you are struggling today with a broken heart, be comforted in knowing that your Heavenly Father understands everything that you are going through and wants to heal your broken heart.

In Psalm 103:13-14, the English Standard Version Bible it says... 13As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him. 14For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (ESV)

When Jesus was moved with compassion, He healed the sick. When our Father is moved with compassion, He heals us too. My prayer today is  that we would all know that we are not alone in our struggles, for our heavenly Father loves us with all His heart and His compassion will bring healing to every wounded area in our soul. 

I will keep you safe because no one can snatch you out of My hand.

John 10:29 New International Version (NIV)

29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.

I love the picture that Jesus paints in this passage of Scripture. In order to better appreciate what Jesus is saying, let's read a broader view of this promise found in John 10:27-30... 

27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give eternal life to them. They will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (WEB)
Jesus tells us in this Bible passage that those who come to Him will never perish because we are being held safely in the palm of His hand where no one can snatch us away. He then goes on to double our feeling of safety and security by telling us that we are also held in His Father's hand who is the greatest of all!

Every time I think about this Scripture passage, I envision myself being firmly held in the hand of Jesus and Jesus' hand being firmly held by the Father's. What a picture of unity in the Godhead and security for us.

No matter what comes your way, nothing can snatch you out of the loving, invincible hands of both Father and Son. May the thought of this security bring much peace to every troubled heart.

I am your Shepherd and I will meet all your needs.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

Psalm 23 is one of the most loved psalms. It has been recited in times of celebration, in times of loss and and everything in between. The author of this psalm was King David who had a good understanding of what it meant to be a shepherd. As a boy, David learned to care for the flock under his care so when he made the statement that The LORD was his shepherd, he knew what he was saying.

When David said I shall not want (KJV), he was basically saying that he would not be in need of anything because of the shepherding care of the Lord. The NLT Bible says I shall have all that I need. Shepherds look after their sheep in every way. They lead them to green pastures, they protect them and they provide all that they need to live a good life.

In John 10:12-16 Jesus tells us how a shepherd not only protects the sheep under his care but will gladly lay down his life for their safety. The truth is that Jesus is our great shepherd and because of His loving care we will have all that we need. My prayer is that the reality of this promise will go deep into our hearts today.

Hebrews 13:20-2120 Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, 21 make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (WEB)

Announcement

NorthEast Cell Group
Date: 24th Feb 2019 (Sun)
Time: 12:45pm
Venue: Corps Community Hall

SouthWest Cell Group
Date: 8th Mac 2019 (Fri)
Time: 8pm
Venue: Bro Kim Aun & Sis Jasinta Home

Senior Citizen Fellowship

Date: 16th Mac 2019 (Sat)
Time: 8:30am
Venue: Dim Sum Abu Siti Lane

Women's Ministries One Day Conference
Date: 6 April 2019 (Sat)
Time: 9am - 3pm
Theme: Living the Royal Life
Details: Kindly see Captain Fiona for further information.

My love will never fail you.

1 Corinthians 13:8 New International Version (NIV)

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

The Greek word for love used in this verse is the word 'agape', which is used to describe the everlasting, unconditional love of God. This popular chapter of the Bible is often used as the Scripture reading for weddings to emphasize the power of love.

I would encourage you to read the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 13 as often as possible to remind yourself of the priority of love in God's eyes. Paul the Apostle writes that love is the greatest attribute of God that we can pursue.

We can have faith to move mountains, give all our possessions to the poor, understand all mysteries and have all knowledge, and even die a martyr's death, but if we don't have love, it means nothing.

1 John 4:16 simply says that God is love. The very core of His being is an unconditional, everlasting love that continually flows out to us. In today's promise the message is short and sweet. God's love will never fail you. Ever.

On the day of the year that many people celebrate love (Valentine's Day), may we all be reminded of the greatest of all loves that comes from the Father to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. The love that God has for us will never ever fail. Earthly loves may disappoint us from time to time, but the love that God has for us will never change and will last forever.

If you wait for Me, I will work on your behalf.

Isaiah 64:4 New International Version (NIV)

4 Since ancient times no one has heard,
    no ear has perceived,
no eye has seen any God besides you,
    who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

God loves it when we wait for Him to work on our behalf. While many might think that waiting on God is a passive exercise, I believe waiting is one of the most active things that we can do! Waiting on God is acknowledging that He is our source for everything. When we wait on God, we choose to trust Him to act on our behalf rather than trusting in our own resources to make things happen.

I believe that when we truly wait upon God in obedience to the direction of His Holy Spirit in our lives (Romans 8:14), we are demonstrating our wholehearted trust in His goodness to lead us. When we trust Him, we honor His ability to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. My prayer today is that we would all see the incredible benefits of learning to wait on God.

May each one of us see the absolute wonder in waiting on God today. Psalm 37:7(a)... Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. (WEB) 

I am your shelter and a place of safety from your enemies.

Psalm 61:3 New International Version (NIV)

3 For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.

The New Living Translation Bible translates Psalm 61:3 this way... for you are my safe refuge, a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me. (NLT) God is a safe place and a strong fortress where your enemies cannot reach you. I believe the more we can believe this, the more we will find peace and rest in our Father's arms.

If we struggle to believe that He will be a safe refuge for us, then we will likely spend most of our time trying to be a safe place for ourselves. Living a life trying to defend ourselves can be very exhausting. However, when we really see that God Himself is our shelter and a place of safety from all those who would want to hurt us, then we can take a deep breath and relax. In Exodus 14:14 the Bible says... The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm. (NLT)

If we can truly believe that we live in the secret place of the Most High, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1) we can let down our guard because the wings of God Himself are our shield. May our God and Father give each one of us a deeper revelation of His protection and safety today.

Call on Me when you are in trouble and I will rescue you.

Psalm 91:15 New International Version (NIV)

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.

When we are in trouble, God is ready and waiting to help us. We don't have to try and convince Him to come to our aid, for that is what good fathers do for their kids. No matter what the situation, good parents are always there to help their children when they need it.

When our children were young, nothing would stop my wife and I from rushing to their side when they needed help.  I believe every good parent that is reading this devotional thought would feel the same way too.

God is no different than a loving parent ...with the exception that He is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent and the absolute most loving, best Father in the universe! Psalm 91 is full of promises of God's protection and His readiness to help us when we are in trouble.

If you are in a situation today where you need to be rescued, call out to God. He encourages you to call out to Him for He is ready, willing and able to be with you in your time of trouble and rescue you when you need to be saved! ...For that is what good fathers do. 

I will give you peace at all times and in every situation.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 New International Version (NIV)

Final Greetings

16 Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.

We live in a restless world that longs for peace.  Because the Prince of Peace lives within us, we have access to a peace that is beyond our own understanding. A peace that will bring rest and tranquility to the busyness of our soul. A peace that will be a shield and a shelter for our tender heart.

In John 14:27, Jesus promises to give us His peace. In John 16:33, Jesus tells us that His peace is available to us even in the midst of a troubled world. A peace that allows us to sleep on a boat in the midst of a raging storm. If you are in a situation today where you need the assurance of God's peace, open up your heart to God and ask Him to fill you with His peace.

The peace that rests on Jesus is the peace that is promised to every child of God as part of our inheritance.  No matter what you are going through in your life, God promises to give you peace at all times and in every situation. As Isaiah 26:3says...You will keep whoever’s mind is steadfast in perfect peace, because he trusts in you. (WEB)

I will look after you and teach you the way that is best.

Proverbs 3:5-6 New International Version (NIV)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.[a]

Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of those Scripture passages that have meant a great deal to me personally over the years. As a person who has had the tendency to trust in his own resources, the idea that I don't have to lean on my own understanding to manage life is very good news indeed.

Today's promise encourages us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and not to rely on our own ability to manage life. The Hebrew word for trust in this passage is 'batach' which Strong's concordance explains this way... to be confident or sure, be bold, confident, secure, sure, careless, to hope, to trust.

The more that we are convinced that God has our best interests at heart, the more we can put all our confidence in Him to steer our ship. The more we know that He really does love us and He is good, the more we will be able to give up control of our destiny and allow Him to lead us wherever we go.

My prayer for each one of us is that we would be more convinced of the goodness of our God and Father than ever before so that we would trust Him a little more today than we did yesterday. In doing so, may we find that He is indeed a faithful Father who we can trust with ALL our heart!

I will be a real Father to you.

2 Corinthians 6:18 New International Version (NIV)

18 And,

“I will be a Father to you,
    and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”[a]

In my opinion, this one promise summarizes all New Testament revelation. God's desire for all of us is that He would be our real Father. That is why Jesus came to the earth two thousand years ago... To make the way for each one of us to come home to His Dad (John 14:6).

Everything that Jesus did pointed us to His Father. He was the exact representation of His Father on earth (Hebrews 1:3) and Colossians 1:15 says that He was the visible image of the invisible God. Jesus loved His Father so much that His desire was to bring many sons to glory (Hebrews 2:10-11) so that God could be a real Father to those who would come to Him through the finished work of the cross.

I want to encourage you today that God is just not a 'father figure', but promises to be a real Father to you. He is not like any earthly father we have ever known, for He is the perfect Father (Matthew 5:48). Creating is what God does, but Father is who He is. The longing of His heart and the reason for the eternal sacrifice of Jesus is that we would know Him as Father from the core of our being.

When the Spirit of God bears witness with our spirits that we are His children, the only fitting response is to call back to Him and say 'you are my Abba Father!' (Romans 8:15) May the Abba cry resonate in each one of our hearts today.

I have sealed you with My Spirit to guarantee your coming inheritance.

Ephesians 1:13-14 New International Version (NIV)

13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.

The English Standard Version of the Bible says Ephesians 1:13-14 this way... 13In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is the guarantee of our  inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. (ESV)

The Bible says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Spirit of the living God that raised Christ from the dead dwells in every person that has received Jesus as their Lord and Savior. In today's promise, we read that God even sealed us with the Holy Spirit of promise to guarantee our coming inheritance.

The Amplified Bible calls the Holy Spirit the first fruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage of what is yet to come. Our God and Father so wants us to rest assured in our eternal inheritance that He gave His own Spirit to live in us as a pledge of His eternal commitment to us.

May we all be keenly aware of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit that lives within us today, and may we all know that we are sealed with the Spirit as a promise to guarantee our coming inheritance. 

2019 - Feb CNY Celebration & Lunch

Click here for more pictures

Announcement

NorthEast Cell Group
Date: 24th Feb 2019, Sunday
Time: 12:45pm
Venue: Corps Community Hall
Facilitator: Bro Choon Eng

Southwest Cell Group
Date: 22nd Feb 2019, Friday
Time: 8pm
Venue: Bro John Lee & Shirley Home

World Day of Payer
Date: 1st March Feb 2019, Friday
Theme: Come - Everything is Ready
Country Focus: Slovenia
Time: TBA
Venue: TBA
Details: TBA