Today's Word is taken from Exodus 2:23 - 3:6 (NIV)
[23] During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. [24] God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. [25] So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. [2] There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. [3] So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight---why the bush does not burn up." [4] When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." [5] "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." [6] Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
1. In my QT today, I was reminded that our God is FAITHFUL to His Promises and He NEVER forgets. He holds true and will NEVER abandon us, His people. We need to TRUST God regardless of whatever circumstances or situations we are facing. All the more when we go through times of trails & testings, we need to hold fast to God & His Promises for our Lives. It is important to NOT ONLY know our calling, we need to also know when to pursue our calling. We must NOT rush but allow God to purify & prepare us through the trials & fires of everyday life.,
2. Our God is a Holy & Powerful God. While we approach God so readily & freely in Christ, we should always do so with awe & respect. We MUST NEVER take God for granted although He loves us like a father who is friendly & approachable. Personally, I find it hard to balance between approaching a loving father yet cannot be too close for comfort. This will be an area that I hope to work at in this season. To draw close to God, to deepen my relationship with God, yet hold Him with the HIGHEST Regard, submitting & obeying everything that the Lord is instructing me to do. I believe as I LOVE the Lord with ALL my Heart, He will draw me close to Him in intimacy.
Closing Prayer:
Father, thank You that You are a God who remembers Your people and acts to do what is always good for them. Help me to remember and hold on to that. In Christ's name I pray. Amen.
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Monday, March 5, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Keys to Spiritual Victory
Woodlands CEFC Sun Service Message (4th March 2012):
The Message is entitled: Keys to Spiritual Victory
How do we overcome temptations in our life? (Luke 3:21-4:13)
(A) By being FULL of the SPIRIT of God. (Luke 4:1; 3:21-22)
1. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a Person (John 16:13), the Holy Spirit is God (Matt 28:19).
2. All Genuine Believers have the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)
3. Not all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)
To be FULL of the Spirit is like getting drunk with alcohol, where we will be under the influence of the Spirit & under control by the Spirit.
(B) By being GROUNDED in the WORD of God. (Luke 4:2-13)
"It is WRITTEN: ..."
Temptations uses the following to make us fall:
1. Basic Needs: our RIGHTS
We need to OVERCOME by SURRENDERING to GOD! Do not satisfy our rights through illegitimate means...
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with food to satisfy his hunger after Jesus had fasted for 40 days...
2. Life Goals: our Resolutions
We need to OVERCOME by taking NO SHORTCUTS! All authority is given to Jesus after He died on the cross & resurrected by God.
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with authority & splendor...
3. Self Identity: our Relationships
We need to OVERCOME by STAYING TRUE! Jesus does not need to prove Himself...
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with decption by asking Jesus, "if you are the son of God...."
(C) By being SECURE in our SONSHIP of God. (Luke 3:21-38)
1. After Jesus' baptism, recorded in Luke 3:23-38 is the geaneology of Jesus.
2. There is NO DOUBT at all that the Jesus is the SON of GOD... as we trace through the bloodline...
3. It is NOT "if we are sons of God..." WE ARE SONS of GOD! It is on this basis that we can fight and win the BATTLE for the Lord!
God says, "My SON; my DAUGHTER, I LOVE YOU, I am PROUD of YOU!!!"
God tests us to prove us (Job 23:10); to STRENGTHEN us. God does not tempt us (James 1:13). It is Satan who tempts us... to DESTROY us (John 10:10). ALL relationships must be tested...
To pass the Test of God, we need to be:
1. FULL of the SPIRIT of God.
2. GROUNDED in the WORD of God.
3. SECURE in the SONSHIP of God.
Let us be OVERCOMERS and after being tested, found to be TRUE SONS of GOD!
The Message is entitled: Keys to Spiritual Victory
How do we overcome temptations in our life? (Luke 3:21-4:13)
(A) By being FULL of the SPIRIT of God. (Luke 4:1; 3:21-22)
1. The Holy Spirit is not a force but a Person (John 16:13), the Holy Spirit is God (Matt 28:19).
2. All Genuine Believers have the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14)
3. Not all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18)
To be FULL of the Spirit is like getting drunk with alcohol, where we will be under the influence of the Spirit & under control by the Spirit.
(B) By being GROUNDED in the WORD of God. (Luke 4:2-13)
"It is WRITTEN: ..."
Temptations uses the following to make us fall:
1. Basic Needs: our RIGHTS
We need to OVERCOME by SURRENDERING to GOD! Do not satisfy our rights through illegitimate means...
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with food to satisfy his hunger after Jesus had fasted for 40 days...
2. Life Goals: our Resolutions
We need to OVERCOME by taking NO SHORTCUTS! All authority is given to Jesus after He died on the cross & resurrected by God.
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with authority & splendor...
3. Self Identity: our Relationships
We need to OVERCOME by STAYING TRUE! Jesus does not need to prove Himself...
- Satan try to tempt Jesus with decption by asking Jesus, "if you are the son of God...."
(C) By being SECURE in our SONSHIP of God. (Luke 3:21-38)
1. After Jesus' baptism, recorded in Luke 3:23-38 is the geaneology of Jesus.
2. There is NO DOUBT at all that the Jesus is the SON of GOD... as we trace through the bloodline...
3. It is NOT "if we are sons of God..." WE ARE SONS of GOD! It is on this basis that we can fight and win the BATTLE for the Lord!
God says, "My SON; my DAUGHTER, I LOVE YOU, I am PROUD of YOU!!!"
God tests us to prove us (Job 23:10); to STRENGTHEN us. God does not tempt us (James 1:13). It is Satan who tempts us... to DESTROY us (John 10:10). ALL relationships must be tested...
To pass the Test of God, we need to be:
1. FULL of the SPIRIT of God.
2. GROUNDED in the WORD of God.
3. SECURE in the SONSHIP of God.
Let us be OVERCOMERS and after being tested, found to be TRUE SONS of GOD!
QT on 4th March 2012
Today's Word is taken from Exodus 2:11-22 (NIV)
[11] One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. [12] Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" [14] The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." [15] When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. [16] Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. [17] Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. [18] When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?" [19] They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock." [20] "And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat." [21] Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. [22] Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."
1. I learnt from the Living Life today that I need to be sensitive to the purpose of God in my life. I need a better spiritual education before I can be ready for the next major phase of service to God. The personal lesson for me is to be sensitive to recognize the hand of God in my life. God is very interested to shape our Character and seeks to make us stronger so that He can use us in a greater way. It is important to be willing to let God have a free hand to move us around and change our plans or way of life... As we coorperate fully with God's guidance, God will prepare us and make us ready for our next phase of service to God. Moses' sojourn among the shepherds of Midian would ripen his ability to lead Israel in the desert.
2. Learning from failure is so important for all of us... I believe this word is so timely for me and many of us that we MUST NOT be so dissapointed with ourselves when we make mistakes. Do NOT fear failures as fear of failures will STOP us from growing, from learning, from succeeding... The critical area that we need to work on is to have the humility & courage to admit our mistakes/failures and seek God for wisdom to continue to grow and become stronger each time we face defeats in our lives...
Closing Prayer:
O God of all wisdom, I fully acknowledge that Your ways are not my ways, nor are Your thoughts my thoughts. I humbly ask for the wisdom to use failure well, to learn from mistakes and difficult sircumstances, so that I might pursue Your purposes according to Your ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.
...
[11] One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. [12] Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. [13] The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?" [14] The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?" Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known." [15] When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. [16] Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. [17] Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. [18] When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?" [19] They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock." [20] "And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat." [21] Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. [22] Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."
1. I learnt from the Living Life today that I need to be sensitive to the purpose of God in my life. I need a better spiritual education before I can be ready for the next major phase of service to God. The personal lesson for me is to be sensitive to recognize the hand of God in my life. God is very interested to shape our Character and seeks to make us stronger so that He can use us in a greater way. It is important to be willing to let God have a free hand to move us around and change our plans or way of life... As we coorperate fully with God's guidance, God will prepare us and make us ready for our next phase of service to God. Moses' sojourn among the shepherds of Midian would ripen his ability to lead Israel in the desert.
2. Learning from failure is so important for all of us... I believe this word is so timely for me and many of us that we MUST NOT be so dissapointed with ourselves when we make mistakes. Do NOT fear failures as fear of failures will STOP us from growing, from learning, from succeeding... The critical area that we need to work on is to have the humility & courage to admit our mistakes/failures and seek God for wisdom to continue to grow and become stronger each time we face defeats in our lives...
Closing Prayer:
O God of all wisdom, I fully acknowledge that Your ways are not my ways, nor are Your thoughts my thoughts. I humbly ask for the wisdom to use failure well, to learn from mistakes and difficult sircumstances, so that I might pursue Your purposes according to Your ways. In Jesus' name. Amen.
...
