We miss our bearings at some point of time. And humility is definitely not the first thing we go to seeking back the right direction.
The godly and tender before God will sometimes fail to uphold what they have promised onto the Lord.
It is also through such occasions do we understand the need for renewal and restoration. How easy for people of God to gather in His name and do His works, sing praises and pray powerfully, yet missed the whole point of total adoration onto Him.
It is essentially necessary for believers to check if our lips have went before our hearts. If we did, it will be in vain, useless. Matt 15:9
The ultimate reason of those spiritual disciplines in all areas of our lives, is because He first loved us. And that reason itself propels men and women of God to abandon their lives onto Jesus.

O our hearts.
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Not with the lips. But your heart first.

Manoah and his wife had an encounter. They have met the Most High.
What is more important isn’t their action or response. They watched on as the Lord did wonders, i prefer the other version that describes ‘The Lord did an amazing thing’.

Modern days believers must come back to the fundamental of seeing God at work. We cannot do anything to amaze Him.
And at His works, we cannot do or say anything but watch and marvel. Marveling His glorious grace and power.
At this, men are unable to claim any glory.

Are we His masterpiece? Yes.
Does He want to use us? Yes.
Does He want to show us? Yes! (Remember how much God wants our attention)

The showing is the best part. Because it displays only He can.
When we try to grasp Him or certain part of the attributes. He answers : It is beyond understanding(v18)
Yet God never gives up on us and leads us to a standstill.
He always completes what He starts. He amazes us as we just watched.

Be amazed because the Lord will show you things you have never seen.

___

“In an effort to get the work of the Lord done we often lose contact with the Lord of the work and quite literally wear our people out as well.”
– A.W Tozer, That Incredible Christian

“God wants worshipers before workers; indeed the only acceptable workers are those who have learned the lost art of worship”
– A.W Tozer, That Incredible Christian

“The secret of praying is praying in secret.”
– Leonard Ravenhill

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?
– Corrie Ten Boom

Our ordinary views of prayer are not found in the New Testament. We look upon prayer as a means for getting something for ourselves; the Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.
– Oswald Chambers

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it. A man is powerful on his knees.”
– Corrie ten Boom

“The little estimate we put on prayer is evidence from the little time we give to it.”
– E.M. Bounds

“Four things let us ever keep in mind: God hears prayer, God heeds prayer, God answers prayer, and God delivers by prayer.”
– E. M. Bounds

“Prayer is the acid test of devotion.”
– Samuel Chadwick

“What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use— men of prayer, men mighty in prayer”
– E.M. Bounds

“Time spent in prayer will yield more than that given to work. Prayer alone gives work its worth and its success. Prayer opens the way for God Himself to do His work in us and through us. Let our chief work as God’s messengers be intercession; in it we secure the presence and power of God to go with us.”
– Andrew Murray

“Prayer is not learned in a classroom but in the closet.”
– E. M. Bounds

“Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence.”
– W. S. Bowd

“There is no power like that of prevailing prayer, of Abraham pleading for Sodom, Jacob wrestling in the stillness of the night, Moses standing in the breach, Hannah intoxicated with sorrow, David heartbroken with remorse and grief, Jesus in sweat of blood. Add to this list from the records of the church your personal observation and experience, and always there is the cost of passion unto blood. Such prayer prevails. It turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings power. It brings fire. It brings rain. It brings life. It brings God.”
– Samuel Chadwick

“Closet communion needs time for the revelation of God’s presence. It is vain to say, ‘I have too much work to do to find time.’ You must find time or forfeit blessing. God knows how to save for you the time you sacredly keep for communion with Him.”
– A. T. Pierson

“Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ, and expect great things!”
– Andrew Murray

There are times when we dwell in the valley of darkness. Matters in life seemed so big, God is so far away.
The Lord have hidden Himself. No bread, no presence – there is a spiritual drought. I prefer to call it ‘desert’ in some case.
Who would have considered this? That men can survive in a physical drought for a significant amount of time. Not likely we will live.

Those in spiritual desert where God is not present. How do you survive? How long can you survive?
Remember that the Lord is the one who sustains, He does not reveal Himself at this point of time. But He is the God that holds your life dear, carefully watching your every steps. Psalm 121.
You are amazed yourself,sometimes how did you survive the last spiritual drought.

It is through such condition that we can recount the goodness of the Lord. In there, is this starvation formed.
In Psalm 84, it speaks of hunger and dryness. The body faints, cries out for the Living God.

And such occasion that we can recount the best moments of my walk.
I recalled all the victories and failures in my Christian walk – answered prayers, anointed worship and preaching, personal successes.
But, nothing could compare to my most intimate times with God. I walked with Him.
When was yours with God? What was it?

We understand enough that the Lord can be moved by our cries. His heart is never hardened towards us. His love is unfailing.
I cried to God many times ‘If you are willing…’(Mark 1:40)
The Lord answered….’I am willing’(Mark 1:41)

And i know that He walk with me. And be assured, He is Emmanuel – God with Us.
This is my 最幸福的事.

——-

最幸福的事

I came across this song title a few weeks ago. Which made me ponder about the best moment of my life.
I began with all my friends and former relationships. Then it came to a standstill that those weren’t my best.
I know it and recounted those days. A smile came along…

什么是您最幸福的事?

What do you call your God? 

Someone whom you love and adore. Is there a personal pet name between the both of you? 

Many times, God to people are strictly God. He wants to be more than just God. 
But an intimate relationship with us. 
Real relationship comes from real(honest) communication and seriously committing to it.

It will come in communion with the Lord. The moment you wanted to say something to Him – He interrupts you with ‘I know….’  

And you can leave everything to His hands.

God speaks
He obeyed
A donkey
Two servants
One son
Three days
A sacrifice

Wood was placed on Son to carry
And he carried the fire and knife

The man who had his only beloved son given by God.
Is going to offer him back to God.
The man who had everything from God is going to offer his most precious gift from above.
He learnt that God is enough.

His son asked, ‘Where is the lamb for burnt offering?’
The beloved son’s loving question to his father.
This son, meek and gentle who have brought joy and laughter to the father.
He is going to be a sacrifice on the third day.

There was an exchange of sacrifice, the Son was spared.

The Lord Will Provide, He said.
He might unknowingly spoke about what God is going to do in the future.

The son was spared from being a burnt offering.
But The Lord’s Son became a offering, for our sake. Indeed, Lord provided the sacrifice and He did not withheld His son from dying so to save us all.

One father
One Son
Came to dwell with Men
12 Disciples
Three days
A lamb became sacrifice
Two thieves

One took ALL the blame
All got saved
One savior.
All gained life

A relationship is established only through one man who went so far from Genesis till now to show me He loves me so much that He is willing to die for me, to die in my place.

Jesus I love you
Jesus I worship You
Jesus, I thank You for the cross
O Lord, You saved my life
Through Your precious sacrifice
Jesus I thank You for the Cross

Our contentment of God has such shallow depth. May we not chose to take Sundays to seek the manifestation of God, but take every moment of of our life to seek for that personal manifestation!

Manifestation, it comes in after a time of preparation and sanctification. Carefully moulded into God’s desired vessel. This process must happen before God can come and meet him. 

‘And the Lord said, Behold, there is a place beside Me…’ Exodus 33:21

Before God can say there is a place beside me. Men have to go through numerous process of purification and trials in the relationship. 

What are you living for? What truly counts in your life?

Let not the wise and skillful person glory and boast in his wisdom and skill;
let not the mighty and powerful person glory and boast in his strength and power;
let not the person who is rich [in physical gratification and earthly wealth] glory and boast in his [temporal satisfactions and earthly] riches;

But let him who glories glory in this:
that he understands and knows Me [personally and practically, directly discerning and recognizing My character],
that I am the Lord,
Who practices loving-kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight,
says the Lord. - Jeremiah 9:23-24

Let the believers of this generation awake and know what the Lord delights.

My heart ached for a time where men and women of God will no longer look onto themselves, but seek God. A time when godly men and women will carry the heartbeat of God and rise to take the position of a true Christian – life overflowing with Holy Spirit and ever thirsting desire to serve God and His people. 

If there is a indulgence that men should have, let it be God.
And may that indulgence never cease.

Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You? Psalm 85:6

A wonderful Psalm given to men, many of God’s promises and attributes was written for us to understand what men should do to gain the heart of God.

Being delighted in a relationship places you in a situation where you are on the positive natural high. In Emotions spiritual and mental state. Finding oneself more strength and ability then before. The relationship with God is the same – Love onto God.     

Many believers do not know the secret of having their prayers answered. Usually answered prayers of petitions and request does not come by long hours of pleading and struggling. It is all found in Loving your God and delighting in Him alone. The secret of each Christian’s spiritual life stands on this principle alone.
The Christian does not need to try hard to grasp God, if he tries hard yet achieve nothing, the ablility to have a wonderful relationship with God is lost. He struggles with motion and methods of returning to walking with God. He must go back to reasoning with the Cross and humble himself once again.

When there is a lack of understanding of God in a believer. He loses focus of God.

‘…to love the Lord your God and to walk always in His ways…’ – Deut 19:9
 

When life matters threatens your stand in God. And questions arises to challenge you. Circumstances pushes you around. Decisions tripping you to failures. 
Can you believe that the God that you believe will bring you out of your troubles? Can you trust God to lift you up even after you fall?
Christians need not know how what is in the mind of God, or how His mysteries work. For He will reveal to those whom He wills in His good pleasure. 

He just need to delight himself in the Lord.