More than Charisma and Conquest

Today's culture celebrates charisma and conquest. By 'conquest', I mean high achievements.
The personality cult is exalted to dizzying heights.
People are crazy over those with good looks, electrifying presence and the intelligent smooth communicator, amazing talent and of course the winners. These key indicators are todays success factors. Those who have them are hailed as today's heroes. They are considered super-sapiens, the elite of humanity.

People focus their energies running after these things and are rudely awakened by life that success is not equivalent to fulfilment and contentment. Success does not necessarily receive God's approval even though it receives tons of human praise. The truth is - Charisma and Conquest without CHARACTER makes an empty soul. It reveals an empty soul.

Character makes a person human.
Character makes a person useful.
Character makes a person truly great.

The making of character is a long and hidden journey that many chose to neglect to their misery and the misery of others. Few will chose this path but for those who do, they are the real heroes.
Work on the exterior but dont shut down the interior work. In fact, most people need to slow down or even shut down the exterior work for a while and lock in on inner development. That includes me.

GREATER!

Our God is the God of the Greater.
He promised Solomon a throne greater than his father David. (1 Ki.1:37)
The glory of the latter temple shall be greater than the glory of the former. (Haggai 2:9)
He told Nathaniel that he will see greater things. (John 1:50)
Jesus shall bring us greater revelations (John5:20)
Jesus promised that those who have faith in Him shall do the works He is doing and even greater works than that. (John14:12)

It excites my heart that God wants to lead us to greater things. 2009 and beyond shall be greater years ahead than all that we have experienced. He is not the God of the diminishing order but of the increasing order. The greatest days of the church lies ahead of us, not behind us.
Technology has progressed forward, and so have medical science, communications, education and every field of life. The spiritual aspect is no different. We are wired for greater things and wired to the God of the Greater.

2008 is now history. Today is what all we have got and every step takes us forward into a future that is brigther. So pray great prayers, dream great dreams and think great thoughts. Reach up and forward for a life of greater purpose and influence.

Path to Greatness

Power is potentially destructive!
Just look around you - you can see it in the office, school, government, community and even in the home. Those who have power easily fall into the trap of using and lording over people. This is the system of the world. Me-First. Win at all cost. And when you have won, dont let the world ever forget it.

' NOT SO WITH YOU...' were the words of Jesus to his disciples.
He is speaking on the system of the His Kingdom.
It is opposite of the world.
It is from above and not below.
It is selfless and it is serving.

To be great, be the servant.
To be first, be the willing slave.
It is unorthodox, unbelievable and some may even say unrealistic! But it is the way of His kingdom and the way of God.

Strange teaching but Jesus lived it. He came to serve and not to be served and he gave up His own life doing it. He had all power and all authority, yet he used it to serve all people.

'Worthy of worship, this Jesus' you may say.
But wait...do you hear something...He is inviting you to join Him in this path to greatness.
Hello...are you still there?

Courage

It takes courage to speak up against wrong.
It takes courage to lead others forward with real risks of failure.
It takes courage to carry on in the face of opposition.
It takes courage to do what is right even when it makes you unpopular.
It takes courage to face your problems and not run from them.
It takes courage to admit wrong than to fix the blame on someone else.
It takes courage to advance when the team wants to retreat.

Some talk about courage.
Others pray for courage.
A few feel courage.
But true courage is more than words, prayer and feelings.
How can you tell if you have courage?
True courage ACTS!!!

What is God focusing on?

Non professional shutter bugs like me, find the compact cameras so versatile and easy to use. Wide screen view finders, pocket size dimensions, anti-shake and a wide range of professional features at the turn of a dial, makes photography so much fun. One of those features that ensure a sharp image every time is the auto focus button. A simple convenience that ensures no more blurry photos. The camera automatically measures the distance of the object, light intensity and tunes the lens to catch the image clearly.

Wont it be good, if our lives had an inbuilt auto-focus on things that matter the most at every moment in time. Sadly, we dont have it in-built. This accounts for how easily we misplace our priorities, get distracted to other minor things, derailed by problems and leave important things undone. Great aspirations easily get crowded out by urgent but unimportant matters. The sweet sounds of pleasure lure us to stay longer to indulge our appetites for yet another day.

We desperately need to learn how to keep our lives in focus. Discipline the mind and the body. The book of Hebrews tell s us to 'fix our eyes on Jesus.' Philippians 3:13,14 says ' Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.'

4 areas to deal with...
# Deal with the Past.
# Deal with what is Pretty. It may be pretty but it is not the prize.
# Deal with what is Pushing you. It may be circumstances, it may be people, it may be your own desires pushing you along. You have to set your own sails. You have to set the course and not others. Move in the direction of accomplishing the greatest good. Don't drift along.
# Deal with Pleasure. Pleasure in itself is not wrong. The problem with it is that it easily interferes with strong action and the sacrifices required to do great things.

One area that you and I need to focus and turn on the spotlights is EVANGELISM - bringing people to experience the love of Jesus. Sharpen the Evangelism focus. Work while it is day. Hopelessness and anxiety is sweeping across communities and nations. It requires us to channel our energies, time, resources and talents to reach out to people. This is the period of the open door and window for the wonderful people in Malaysia. They are searching for answers. We have the key that unlocks the answers - Jesus.

Focus on God and God will help you focus on people that needs to know Him.

Petrol Price Hike

78 cents more per litre for petrol and a ringgit more for diesel. The announcement of the petrol price hike took effect on 4th June. Sighs and complains are the common expressions when you bring out the topic of the petrol price hike. The radio airwaves are jammed with such negative frequencies. Its true that the increase is significant and it will be burden to many people. Further food prices and utilities increase will follow suit. The financial outlook is bleak. The lower and middle income groups and business will face enormous challenges.

Yet, I believe as Christians we need to take the high road of praise. In everything give thanks. Learn to praise the Lord in good and bad times. Don't let difficulties dry up the praises from our lips and hearts. This positive action will lead to positive results. Though the problems exists yet your praises to God will lift the weights and heaviness over your hearts. You will be freed up on the inside cause praise brings the peace of God. Let your faith in God shine, and praise is one of the first and most obvious expressions. Your confessions positions you for defeat or victories. Dont let fear reign in you, but rather let faith rule.

Secondly, take positive steps to adjust your lifestlyle. Reduce unnecessary spendings. Car pool. Accomplish multiple tasks for every trip you make to a single destination. Plan your travel routes well. Increase your vehicle tyre pressure so that there will be less rubber-road drag. Downsize to a lower engine cc vehicle if necessary. Control impulsive buying. Cook more...............
There are many things that can be done and reduced and yet you can have a fulfilling life. Less can be more.

Thirdly, lay hold of the blessings and promises of God by faithful tithing and giving. Tithing does not reduce your finances but opens up the storehouses of God. Your tithing gives God the reasons to multiply your finances. It is God's nature to keep His word to you by opening the windows of blessings over your life. Give and it will be given back to you. It sounds strange but strangely it works. Why? because its a promise of God.

Fourthly, this is a time of ministry. God wants to bless you so much that you can be a channel to help those who do not know God, who are facing times of economic crunch. What an opportunity and privilege to be God's servants in this time of want. Be a spiritual Joseph to this generation.

Lift up your heads and raise your voice to praise the Lord. He will take good care of you and your family. Remember, He is your heavenly father and a very faithful one too. Let Him use you to take care of others and share the goodness and blessings of God with them.

If the above suggestions seems too simplistic, you can choose to ignore it. But hey, it works for me. So before you click away, think again. Life was not meant to be complicated. Walk with God, do it His way and life will turn out brilliantly.

Join the Issachar tribe

Why join the tribe of Issachar?
Is it like the Toyota tribe or some indigenious tribal group?
Let's look at who is Issachar was? At least now, you know that he is a person.
The Bible records 5 major things about him.

1. Gen.30:18 Issachar which means 'reward from God' was born as the 5th son to Leah, the wife of Jacob.
Lesson - we need to look for the reward that comes from God . Set your eyes to accomplish the goals God has for you. He has wonderful rewards for you far more precious than anything that the world and man can offer.

2. Gen.48:14-15 Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down between two saddlebags. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.
Lesson - He is strong and stubborn (in the good sense). When he sees how good his reward will be, Issachar was willing to bear the burden and stand the heat of things. He paid the price because it was worth it. Be willing to labor to achieve God's goals and bring glory to His name.

3. 1 Chro.12:32 ..men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do.
Lesson - the Issachar tribe were a wise and action oriented people. They could see things from God's perspective and knew what the Lord wanted them to do. We need to understand what God is doing in our city and nation at this time and know what He wants us to do. The NOW word, I believe God is speaking to His church is to let his love break out of the church walls to bless the community in practical ways. There are seasons in God's time and He opens doors to wide spread revivals. Do you see it? Will you do it?

4. Judges 5:15 The princes of Issachar were with Deborah; yes, issachar was with Barak, rushing after him into the valley.
Lesson - The Canaanites were the oppressors of the Israelites at that time. God raised up a judge, Deborah. She gave a call to rally the people to break the stronghold of the Canaanites. Some tribes neglected the call, but Issachar worked with the leadership and they zealously ran to the battle. They understood the times and they knew what they were to do and they did it.

5. 1 Chro.7:5 The relatives who were fighting men belonging to the clans of Issachar...were 87,000.
Lesson - Issachar had the largest number of fighting men out of the 12 tribes. They were consripted into the army and they were ready to engage the enemy. They were strong as a tribe.
We need to work in groups and with groups. I pray that the whole church will offer themselves willingly as spiritual soldiers to defeat the powers of darkness by being the light of God's love in the nation.

The nation is waiting for the Issachars of this generation to rise up. This is the time of God's favor and this is the year of Jubilee for the church in Malaysia. Don't settle for something less. Reach for the reward that comes from God and be a blessing to many others.

Prayer Dancing

The team of dancers left Kuala Lumpur last saturday afternoon and made their way to Malacca. 5 cars and the church van brought a total of 28 adults and 5 children. A larger team was supposed to travel but a number of them could not make it because of college exams.

Upon arrival they went for a quick bite, saving their stomachs for a special Portugese feast after the service. They ran two rounds of practice and then proceeded to get ready with their special attire, make up and prayer.

The time of the performance came and they moved with grace and energy. The dance was beautifully performed except for the slight hitch of one of the banners getting caught on a nail in the ceiling. They added a new feature of actually praying fervently during the music interlude where the dry bones rose up to do battle 'kung fu' stlye. I could feel the message getting through to the audience. The prohetic message was loud and clear calling the church to arise from their sleep and to pray again and again and again........

This is the 5th time that I have personally seen the dance but it has moved my heart each time. Yes, the Lord is breathing life into dry bones and joining them together. He is raising a strong army of prayer warriors. O, how the church needs to intercede especially in this season of change in Malaysia that is affecting all her citizens. Malaysia needs praying Christians today more than ever.

Sure enough, after the service was over, the whole team went to the Portugese settlement to enjoy the spicy servings of sea food. By 1.00am, the team started their way back to KL. And 'wah lah', most of them, if not all, were there in the worship service in KL on Sunday at 10 am.

The team took a total of 5 hours in travelling time to perform a 10 minute dance. Had a number of rehearsals prior to this trip and paid the cost of the trip themselves including the Portugese dinner or should I say supper. They had a lot of fun doing it and laughter was everywhere.

Thanks guys for going to bless our outreach church in Malacca. The folks in Malacca were touched by your dance ministry and more so by your commitment to be with them.

O by the way, the name of the dance is choreographed to the 'Song of Ezekiel'. This song is taken from Ezekiel 37. Go read it and who knows, you may want to dance too; but better still, you may want to pray more.