HARD HEARTED

by Max Lucado

Hardhearted people are hopelessly confused. Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity. (Eph. 4:17-19)

A hard heart ruins, no only your life, but the lives of your family members. As an example, Jesus identified the hard heart as the wrecking ball of a marriage. When asked about divorce, Jesus said, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because our hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.” (Matt. 19:8) When one or both people in a marriage stop trusting God to save it, they sign its death certificate. They reject the very one who can help them.

My executive assistant, Karen Hill, saw the result of such stubbornness in a pasture. A cow stuck her nose into a paint can and couldn’t shake it off. Can-nosed cows can’t breathe very well, and they can’t drink or eat at all. Both the cow and her calf were in danger. A serious bovine bind.

Karen’s family set out to help. But when the cow saw the rescuers coming, she set out for pasture. They pursued, but the cow escaped. They chased that cow for three days! Each time the posse drew near, the cow ran. Finally, using pickup trucks and ropes, they cornered and de-canned the cow.

Seen any can-nosed people lately? Malnourished souls? Dehydrated hearts? People who can’t take a deep breath? All because they stuck their noses where they shouldn’t, and when God came to help, they ran away.

When billions of us imitate the cow, chaos erupts. Nations of bull-headed people ducking God and bumping into each other. We scamper, starve, and struggle.

Can-nosed craziness. Isn’t this the world we see? This is the world God sees.

Yet, this is the world God loves. “For God so loved the world…” This hard-hearted, stiff-necked world. We stick our noses where we shouldn’t; still, he pursues us. We run from the very one who can help, but he doesn’t give up. He loves. He pursues. He persists. And, every so often, a heart starts to soften.

Let yours be one of them.

When my daughters were small, they liked to play with Play-Doh. They formed figures out of the soft clay. If they forgot to place the lid on the can, the substance hardened. When it did, they brought it to me. My hand were bigger. My fingers stronger. I could mold the stony stuff into putty.

Is your heart hard? Take it to your Father. You’re only a prayer away from tenderness. You live in a hard world, but you don’t have to live with a hard heart.

From 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2007) Max Lucado

Standing In The Gap

Is this not the fast that I have chosen to loose the bonds of the wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? - Isaiah 58:6

The Lord is looking for you to stand in the gap to intercede fro the man of God and woman of God. The Lord is looking for you to stand in the gap and bring before Him the ministry of God with burdened heart to keep it from failing. Will you be willing to be the one? Will you pray that the man or woman of God will not be deceived, will not fall into temptations and viles of the wicked one but will be sensitive to the voice of God to hear rightly from Him for His people and lead them?

Choose a man of God and unceasingly stand in the gap for him that he may be bold and strong for the Lord. Choose a woman of God and fall on your knees battling against the works of the enemy for her. Choose a ministry of God and bring it continually before the presence of God.

1 Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ears are attentive to their prayer." Your prayer is heard in heaven. Do not while away precious hours and minutes in vain and unfruitful thoughts but spend those times to bring the people of God before His throne. Beloved. Ephesian 6:18 commands us, "Pray at all times in Spirit, with all prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints."

What is the result of such prayer? James 5:16 tell us, "The earnest prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available," Your prayer is very effective and strong. It works. It brings result in the life of the man or woman of God and the ministry. It also revives you and fills you with the power of God. So will you start to seriously uphold a man or woman or ministry of God in unceasing power? Will you be alert to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in special moments of need to stand in the gap for this person or ministry?

Belove, make a serious commitment and start today. Apply the scripture and pray for the man or woman of God. For a start if you do not know how, apply Colossians 1:9-11. Pray that " may be filled with the full, deep and clear knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things, that may walk worthy in a manner worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to Him and growing increasing in and by the knowledge of God. That may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory ..." Pray that they may have a bold utterance to preach the word of God in truth (Ephesians 6:19-20), holiness in their lives and word. Take other bible passages and pray like Ephesians 6:10-18, Philippians 1:9-11, etc. Pray in tongues. Pray in the spirit and be sensitive to special needs as God burdens you.

Beloved will you stand in the gap for the people of God? God bless you as you do!

- Daniel O.C

WHAT MAKES HEAVEN HEAVENLY?

by Max Lucado

You will be you at your best forever. Even now you have your good moments. Occasional glimpses of your heavenly self. When you change your baby’s diaper, forgive your boss’s temper, tolerate your spouse’s moodiness, you display traces of saintliness. It’s the other moments that sour life. Tongue, sharp as a razor. Moods as unpredictable as Mount Saint Helens. This part wearies you.

Just think what Satan has taken from you, even in the last few hours. You worried about a decision and envied someone’s success, dreaded a conversation and resented an interruption. He’s been prowling your environs all day, pickpocketing peace, joy, belly laughs, and honest love. Rotten freebooter.

But his days are numbered. Unlike he did in the Garden of Eden, Satan will not lurk in heaven’s gardens. “There shall be no more curse” (22:3 NKJV). He will not tempt; hence, you will not stumble. You will be you at your best forever!

Christ will have completed his redemptive work. All gossip excised and jealousy extracted. He will suction the last drop of orneriness from the most remote corners of our souls. You’ll love the result. No one will doubt your word, question your motives, or speak evil behind your back. God’s sin purging discontinues all strife.

No sin means no thieves, divorce, heartbreak, and no boredom. You won’t be bored in heaven, because you won’t be the same you in heaven. Boredom emerges from soils that heaven disallows. The soil of weariness: our eyes tire. Mental limitations: information overload dulls us. Self-centeredness: we grow disinterested when the spotlight shifts to others. Tedium: meaningless activity siphons vigor.

But Satan will take these weedy soils to hell with him, leaving you with a keen mind, endless focus, and God-honoring assignments.

We might serve in the capacity we serve now. Couldn’t earthly assignments hint at heavenly ones? Architects of Moscow might draw blueprints in the new Liverpool. We will feast in heaven; you may be a cook on Saturn. God filled his first garden with plants and animals. He’ll surely do the same in heaven. If so, he may entrust you with the care and feeding of an Africa or two.

One thing is for sure: you’ll love it. Never weary, selfish, or defeated. Clear mind, tireless muscles, unhindered joy. Heaven is a perfect place of perfected people with our perfect Lord.

From 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2007) Max Lucado

31 AUGUST 2008

Siow KW
Shankar R.
Hong Lu, Foong Yee, Siew Pin
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Jessica Lee
Jun Fhui
-
Anna Sim
Kai Yew
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Richard, Meng Fhui
Hiew FF, Tommy Quek

Pray Regularly

As for me, I will call upon God; And the LORD shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon, I will pray, and cry aloud. And He shall hear my voice. - Psalm 55:16-17.

Are you waiting for something awful and terrible to happen before you seriously get down to pray? That's what happens in the lives of most people. Spiritual awakening and the reality of prayer strikes in the hearts of some people only when there is a shaking in the concerns of those near and dear or themselves or something precious and important.

My dearly beloved, do not wait for such moments for you never know what the next moment brings - life or death, loss or gain. Pray now. Start praying for others, praying for the church, praying for yourself. Know that prayer works in your midst where nothing else is of avail.

Jesus Himself knew the importance of prayer. That is why in the Garden of Gethsemane he told Peter, James and John, "All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and actinve) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41)

Satan taps on the weakness of flesh and its confidence in itself. When everything goes well and there is no trouble, you begin to rest confidently on the peace of that situation. You will begin to get a little lax in prayer. Soon you will find that you can easily pass off some days without praying and still be 'protected'. Arise, beloved give yourself no room for such negligence of prayer. This false security soon pass when tragedy occurs and then you will begin to realize that there is meaning and power in prayer. Pray! Pray now! Begin to pray like you have never done before. Though you do not see what is happening with your physical eyes, there is much happening in the spirit when you pray constantly, unceasingly and for one another.

The New Testament church saw miracles happening, the Word growing mightily and the church increasing because they were willing to give themselves steadfast to prayer. "But we will continue to devote ourselves steadfastly to prayer .. " (Acts 6:4). The Apostles separated themselves to prayer and the Word while others took care of the daily administration.

How much of yourself have you given to prayer? How serious is praying in your heart that you would spare yourself to stand in the gap for concerns of others? The Word of God wars us, "But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers" ( 1 Peter 4:7 )

There are many people whose faith fails them because they are looking only at what they can see and touch.

- Daniel O.C

HEAVEN'S "WHOEVER" POLICY

by Max Lucado

“. . . whoever believes in him shall not perish . . .”

Some years ago I took a copy of God’s “whoever” policy to California. I wanted to show it to my Uncle Billy. He’d been scheduled to visit my home, but bone cancer had thwarted his plans.

My uncle reminded me much of my father: squared like a blast furnace, ruddy as a leather basketball. They shared the same West Texas roots, penchant for cigars, and blue-collar work ethic. But I wasn’t sure if they shared the same faith. So after several planes, two shuttles, and a rental-car road trip, I reached Uncle Billy’s house only to learn he was back in the hospital. No visitors. Maybe tomorrow.

He felt better the next day. Good enough to come home. I went to see him. Cancer had taken its toll and his strength. The recliner entombed his body. He recognized me yet dozed as I chatted with his wife and friends. He scarcely opened his eyes. People came and went, and I began to wonder if I would have the chance to ask the question.

Finally the guests stepped out onto the lawn and left me alone with my uncle. I slid my chair next to his, took his skin-taut hand, and wasted no words. “Bill, are you ready to go to heaven?”

His eyes, for the first time, popped open. Saucer wide. His head lifted. Doubt laced his response: “I think I am.”

“Do you want to be sure?”

“Oh yes.”

Our brief talk ended with a prayer for grace. We both said “amen,” and I soon left. Uncle Billy died within days. Did he wake up in heaven? According to the parable of the eleventh hour workers, he did.

Some struggle with such a thought. A last-minute confessor receives the same grace as a lifetime servant? Doesn’t seem fair. The workers in the parable complained too. So the landowner, and God, explained the prerogative of ownership: “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” (v. Matt. 20:15 RSV).

Request grace with your dying breath, and God hears your prayer. Whoever means “whenever.”
And one more: whoever means “wherever.” Wherever you are, you’re not too far to come home.

bookFrom 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2007) Max Lucado

From RBC Ministries' Discover The Word Series:

Improving Our Work Ethics
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What Motives You ?
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Working In A Way That's Commendable
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PURPOSE: To help Christian workers understand that there is significance in their labor.

Do you enjoy your work?

We sometimes think that other people have dream jobs and that work for them is a constant delight, but that is seldom the case.

Paderewski was one of the most diligent concert pianists about practicing. He once played before Queen Victoria. She said, "Mr. Paderewski, you are a genius." He replied, "That may well be, but before I was a genius, I was a drudge."
It’s not what we do, but the attitude with which we do it that can make a difference in our jobs.
In Ephesians 6:5-8, Paul gives Christians a new way to look at their jobs.

I. Your job is a calling.
Studs Terkel, in his book Working, reminds folks that most people find their jobs confining and stifling. He illustrates that with Nora Watson, an editor, who put her concern this way: "I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit, jobs that are not big enough for people."
What is a calling?
A calling is a place in which we sense we are doing the will of God.
In the film Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddell remarks, "When I run, I feel His pleasure."

II. Think of your job as service rendered to Jesus Christ.
Look again at Ephesians 6:5-8 and look at the attitude that comes when you are serving Jesus Christ on the job.
We do our work as sacred service with fear and trembling (with reverence and awe, with respect and trembling) (v.5). We fear and tremble before whom?
We do our work in sincerity of heart (v.5).
We do our work with integrity, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ (v.6).
What picture comes to mind when you think of "eye-service"? Paul coins this word.
We do it with goodwill, a good spirit (v.7).
We do it with goodness (v.8).
You do good for your employer, you do good for those who get your product, you do good for those around you by the way you work.

Working For A Boss Who's Always Around

From RBC Ministries' Discover The Word Series:

Working For A Boss Who's Always Around
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PURPOSE: To help listeners see the dignity in their work.

There was a factory in England where the workers pushed their wheelbarrows, except for one slow worker: he pulled his wheelbarrow. A visitor asked the foreman why this man was so different from the others. "Oh, him!? He hates the sight of the bloomin' thing!"

Do you think many people feel what that worker felt about his job?
What are the consequences of being in a job you hate?
It’s a tragedy when you spend the greater part of your life doing something you despise.
It affects your family, your attitude toward recreation, free time, etc.
What are some of the changes Christians can make as they look at their job?

I. If you can’t change your job, you can change your attitude.
Paul demonstrates this in Ephesians 6:5-8.
You can understand that your job is the will of God for you: ". . . doing the will of God from the heart."
What difference does that make?

II. Realize that on the job you serve Jesus Christ.
Look at what Paul writes to Christian slaves and masters.
Look at the way the workers and the owners are to think about what they do.
Whom are they serving?
What is the vision of God in this passage? Jesus Christ is your employer.
In the passage, what difference should it make if you know that when you’re doing your work, you’re really doing it for your Lord or Master, Jesus Christ?

III. Do you think the church has really underlined this truth for workers?
For example, if you think of a carpenter or plumber or housewife going to church, what do they hear about their Christian duty?
What should we have told these people?
If in the work we do, we fail to do it up to its own standard, the work becomes a living lie.

Your Attitude and Your Job

From RBC Ministries' Discover The Word Series:

Your Attitude and Your Job
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Investing Your Life
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Looking at Your Job From God's Perspective
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Viewing Your Job As A Service To God
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PURPOSE: To help people evaluate the kind of work they do.

Did you ever have a call to ministry?
Do you believe that what you’re doing today is really doing God’s will? Why?
What do you mean by saying "a call"?

I. Every Christian needs to consider God’s call in their lives.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to consider becoming a pastor or a missionary. It does mean that you need to think seriously about how you invest your life.
Paul wrote to slaves in the Roman Empire and said, "Your job is the will of God for you." It’s always important to ask two things about a biblical passage:
In what ways are we like the people Paul is addressing?
In what ways do we differ from the people Paul is addressing?
How does a worker today differ from a slave in the first century?

II. The choices of a slave were limited. Ours may be much more varied.
We have a responsibility to think about the work we do. Where we have a choice, we have a responsibility.
What is the responsibility we have?
How do you go about making the choice for a career or for new employment opportunities?
Is the amount of money you make a legitimate criterion?
Is it the only one?
What makes your job the will of God for you?

Your Work Is A Sacred Service To God

From RBC Ministries' Discover The Word
You Work Is A Sacred Service To God
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'Sacred Work' and 'Secular Work'
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PURPOSE: To help people realize that secular work is as significant to God as religious work.

Have you ever heard of the "bull’s-eye" theory of the will of God? Who would most religious people put in the center?
Basic to that whole concept is that we think of some occupations as being more central to God’s purposes than others.

I. People who have a bull’s-eye theory of the will of God might be upset by what Paul writes to slaves who lived in Ephesus (Ephesians 6:5-9).
Paul tells slaves that they are to do the will of God from the heart. When he talks about doing the will of God from the heart, what is it that he is referring to? Is it their work at the church?
He’s referring to their daily work. Does he imply that they were several points off-center?

II. The idea that only religious workers are in the center of God’s will was a heresy in the early church. It was called Docetism.
The heresy maintained that there was a distinct difference between the body and the spirit. They maintained that Christ was not a real human being who actually suffered and died on a cross, but who only seemed to do so. They could not believe that God would have anything to do with what is human. They denied the incarnation.
In wider terms, that led people to believe that God was concerned about the sacred, but not at all concerned about the secular. It was part of a Gnostic heresy.

III. The Church condemned the heresy.
The early church affirmed the incarnation of Jesus, that He really became a human being.
When you say that Jesus is human, what do you actually mean by that?
In affirming the incarnation of Jesus, they were saying that He is both human and divine.
In the wider realm, they were saying that there is not a difference between the sacred and the secular. There is not one realm in which we are more pleasing to God than in another realm. That is why Paul could say to slaves, "your job is the will of God for you."

What The Bible Has To Say About Work

From RBC Ministries's Discover The Word:
What The Bible Has To Say About Work
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IDEA: We can find significance in work if we realize that our jobs are the will of God for us.

TEXT: "Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free. And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him" (Ephesians 6:5-9).

PURPOSE: To help listeners feel the significance of their daily work.

We sometimes talk about "making a living." What is implied in that?
Is it possible to be glad you have a job but not see much significance in the job you have? For example, in a recession, people who get laid off are usually glad for any work they can get.

I. It is sometimes helpful to start with hard cases to establish principles.
Do you think it would be difficult to convince a physician or a nurse that their jobs are significant?
Do you think it would be more difficult to convince people flipping burgers in a fast food restaurant that their work is significant? Why?

II. When Paul talked about the significance of work for Christians, he made his strongest case when he wrote to slaves.
What do you know about slaves in the first century?
There were abut 60 million of them in the Roman Empire.
Roman citizens felt that work was beneath their dignity, so they turned most work over to slaves.
Slaves did all kinds of work: they served as teachers, scribes, physicians, manual laborers, farmers; they were also the garbage disposal system.
Slaves had no rights before the law. Aristotle referred to them as "living tools." He argued that a free man would not have a slave as a friend any more than he would make a friend out of a hammer or a saw.
The lot of the slave was not an easy one in the Roman society. Even though they did important work, they were still slaves.

III. Several times in the New Testament, Paul writes directly to slaves and gives them significance in their daily work.
Paul writes that "your job is the will of God for you."
When you think of the will of God, what does that mean?
If God had a missionary map in heaven, where do you think He would put the pins or markers? Why?
How does thinking about your job as "the will of God" give it significance?

24 AUGUST 2008

Liong KC
Foong Yee
Gigi Lim, Peggy Tan, Richard
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Lydia Sim
Meng Fhui
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Terry Choong
Jaemy Choong
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Tian Sia, Moses Tan
Tom Cheryan, Manjit Singh

Fast And Pray

The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones, you shall be like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. - Isaiah 58:11

This is a special time for you as you have decide to fast and pray. This is not a time of fasting where you forego your food and wait for the time to reach 6.00pm to break your fast, eat all you can, then 'top up' for the next day. This ia a time of fasting and praying. These days should be dedicated to intense prayer where you come to the presence of Lord.

Set apart some time in the day when you seek God. Seek Him with all your heart that you may grow in fellowship with Him. Do not bring all your requests to Him but to seek to know Him better at this time. If praying and spending time with the Lord is not accomplished with your fast, it is as good as dieting.

If you do not have self-control to keep your wandering mind focused on the Lord and discipline your thoughts so that you are always found to be in his presence, this fast is in vain. Desire to have growth in your spiritual life. Desire to be a changed person walking in the way of holiness that your life may be changed from the filth of this world to be the light of the world.

The Bible is full of examples of the lives of those who fasted and prayed. When Nehemiah heard about the wall of Jerusalem being broken down and destroyed, he sat down, wept, mourned for days and fasted and prayed constantly before the God of heaven confessing the sings of his kinsmen and interceding before God on behalf of God's people and God granted him favour with the king (Nehemiah 1:2-4).

Esther and her maids and all the Jews of Shushan neither ate nor drank for three days and night that she would find favour to go before the king when it was not lawful to do so. God intervened and the decree for the destruction of the Jews was reversed.

Daniel fasted for 21 days for the return and restoration of God's people and Jerusalem.

Anna the prophetess a widow at the age of eighty-four lived worshipping God night and day with fasting and prayer.

Moses fasted twice for forthy days and nights without food or water when he went up to the mountain to meet the Lord. (Deuteronomy 9:9, 10:10). "Fasting empowers prayer to push back and repel Satan's darkness, to remove Satan's roadblocks, and to defeat Satan's attacking forces,' Duewel said.

Persevere in your fasting and believe the Lord for great and mighty works and let His zeal and fire fill your heart.

He who cannot reach the mission field on his feet can reach it on his knees.

- Daniel O.C

How Can I Find Satisfaction in My Work ?

From RBC Ministries' Discovery Series How Can I Find Satisfaction In My Work? :

Is there any way that I can find significance in a job that seems to be going nowhere? What if I feel overworked and underappreciated? Do I care too much or not enough about my job? What does God think about my work? Does my job really matter to Him?

These are the kinds of issues that staff writer Kurt De Haan addresses in this booklet. As you read these pages, you will be encouraged by what the Bible has to say about work and your attitude toward it.

EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW

by Max Lucado

“. . . whoever believes in him shall not perish . . .”

How could a loving God send sinners to hell? He doesn’t. They volunteer.

Once there, they don’t want to leave. The hearts of damned fools never soften; their minds never change. “Men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory” (Rev. 16:9 NKJV). Contrary to the idea that hell prompts remorse, it doesn’t. It intensifies blasphemy.

Remember the rich man in torment? He could see heaven but didn’t request a transfer. He wanted Lazarus to descend to him. Why not ask if he could join Lazarus?
The rich man complained of thirst, not of injustice.
He wanted water for the body, not water for the soul.
Even the longing for God is a gift from God, and where there is no more of God’s goodness, there is no longing for him. Though every knee shall bow before God and every tongue confess his preeminence (Rom. 14:11), the hard-hearted will do so stubbornly and without worship. There will be no atheists in hell (Phil. 2:10–11), but there will be no God-seekers either.

But still we wonder, is the punishment fair? Such a penalty seems inconsistent with a God of love—overkill. A sinner’s rebellion doesn’t warrant an eternity of suffering, does it? Isn’t God overreacting?

Who are we to challenge God? Only he knows the full story, the number of invitations the stubborn-hearted have refused and the slander they’ve spewed.
Accuse God of unfairness? He has wrapped caution tape on hell’s porch and posted a million and one red flags outside the entrance. To descend its stairs, you’d have to cover your ears, blindfold your eyes, and, most of all, ignore the epic sacrifice of history: Christ, in God’s hell on humanity’s cross, crying out to the blackened sky, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). The supreme surprise of hell is this: Christ went there so you won’t have to.


bookFrom 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (W Publishing Group, 2007) Max Lucado

17 AUGUST 2008

Barnabas P
Terry Choong
Phoebe Sim, Jocelyn Choong, Jaemy Choong
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Grace Lee
Jun Fhui
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Anna Sim
Nicholas Teh
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Meng Fhui, Richard
Tommy Quek, Hiew FF

HE'S BEEN THERE

by Max Lucado

“. . . shall not perish but have eternal life . . .”

On a trip to China, I rode past Tiananmen Square in a bus full of Westerners. We tried to recollect the causes and consequences of the revolt. Our knowledge of history was embarrassing. One gave one date; another gave a different one. One person remembered a certain death toll; someone else disagreed. All this time our translator remained silent.
Finally one of us asked her, “Do you remember anything about the Tiananmen Square revolt?”
Her answer was solemn. “Yes, I was a part of it.”
We quickly grew quiet as she gave firsthand recollections of the bloodshed and oppression. We listened, because she’d been there.
-
We who follow Christ do so for the same reason. He’s been there . . .

He’s been to Bethlehem, wearing barn rags and hearing sheep crunch. Suckling milk and shivering against the cold. All of divinity content to cocoon itself in an eight-pound body and to sleep on a cow’s supper. Millions who face the chill of empty pockets or the fears of sudden change turn to Christ. Why?

Because he’s been there.

He’s been to Nazareth, where he made deadlines and paid bills; to Galilee, where he recruited direct reports and separated fighters; to Jerusalem, where he stared down critics and stood up against cynics.

We have our Nazareths as well—demands and due dates. Jesus wasn’t the last to build a team; accusers didn’t disappear with Jerusalem’s temple. Why seek Jesus’s help with your challenges? Because he’s been there. To Nazareth, to Galilee, to Jerusalem.

But most of all, he’s been to the grave. Not as a visitor, but as a corpse. Buried amidst the cadavers. Numbered among the dead. Heart silent and lungs vacant. Body wrapped and grave sealed. The cemetery. He’s been buried there.
You haven’t yet. But you will be. And since you will, don’t you need someone who knows the way out?
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bookFrom 3:16, The Numbers of Hope
Copyright (Thomas Nelson, Inc, 2007) Max Lucado

Prayer Is The Highest Honour

As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me; Evening and morning at noon; I will pray, and cry aloud; And He shall hear my voice. - Psalm 55:16-17

Bow your head, close your eyes (standing, sitting, kneeling or prostrating) and speak from your heart to God. Whether you do this for just thirty seconds over a special meal in the form of giving grace or for thirty minutes over a special request for a friend, relative or church member, you are praying. It is that simple.

But many people would rather play around than pray. They would rather beg men than bow before God. They would rather shut their conscience than close their eyes in prayer. They would rather flatter princes than speak to God. Indeed, they would rather be hypocritical before the world than bare their hearts to the Maker and Creator. Yet, prayer is delight to God. Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. ( Jeremiah 33:3 ).

Prayer is a weapon in the hands of man. It is a handle to hold onto in times of trouble. It is a pleasure to relish in the day of joy. It is a balm to soothe the wounded soul. It is music to the spirit of man. And it is a searing fire to the enemy, Satan and all his agents. Prayer is like a scepter in the hands of the king. It is a staff of authority in the hands of intercessors and warriors alike. Prayer is the greatest power in the world. It moves God's hands to action on behalf of His children. Prayer is the mightiest force. To wield it is the loftiest privilege.

Church of the living God, understand that prayer is the highest honour for mortal man to be able to speak to the Immortal Almighty God. So why then do many people shy away from the golden scepter of prayer ? Why do multitudes of men and women refuse to take advantage of this priceless privilege ?

Some say they do not know how to pray. Some give the excuse that they are too busy. A few will tell you it is not for everybody. And there are many who say they want to do it but not now. Beloved, your chief enemy is yourself, your flesh. Flesh does not like spiritual things and prayer is spiritual exercise for the spiritual people.

If you are controlled by your flesh, you will scarcely handle the staff of prayer. But if you want to breakthrough the barriers and search for God, you can. Just tell Him about it sincerely and ask Him to help you. And you are praying already !

What a great honour, what a wonderful privilege for the little human being to commune with the Great Almighty God.

We are called to pray not to play. Begin the journey of prayer today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Pray today, pray tomorrow, pray everyday, pray always, pray at all times.

- Daniel O.C

THE BLACKSMITH'S SHOP

by Max Lucado

In the shop of a blacksmith, there are three types of tools.
There are tools on the junk pile:
outdated, broken, dull, rusty. They sit in the cobwebbed corner, useless to their master, oblivious to their calling.

There are tools on the anvil:
melted down, molten hot, moldable, changeable. They lie on the anvil, being shaped by their master, accepting their calling.

There are tools of usefulness:
sharpened, primed, defined, mobile. They lie ready in the blacksmith’s tool chest, available to their master, fulfilling their calling.
-
Some people lie useless:
lives broken, talents wasting, fires quenched, dreams dashed. They are tossed in with the scrap iron, in desperate need of repair, with no notion of purpose.

Others lie on the anvil:
hearts open, hungry to change, wounds healing, visions clearing. They welcome the painful pounding of the blacksmith’s hammer, longing to be rebuilt, begging to be called.

Others lie in their Master’s hands:
well tuned, uncompromising, polished, productive. They respond to their Master’s forearm, demanding nothing, surrendering all.
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We are all somewhere in the blacksmith’s shop. We are either on the scrap pile, in the Master’s hands on the anvil, or in the tool chest. (Some of us have been in all three.)
From the shelves to the workbench, from the water to the fire…I’m sure that somewhere you will see yourself.

Paul spoke of becoming “an instrument for noble purposes.” And what a becoming it is! The rubbish pile of broken tools, the anvil of recasting, the hands of the Master- it’s a simultaneously joyful and painful voyage.
And for you who make the journey—who leave the heap and enter the fire, dare to be pounded on God’s anvil, and doggedly seek to discover your own purpose—take courage, for you await the privilege of being called “God’s chosen instruments.”
-
From On the Anvil:
Stories On Being Shaped Into God’s Imagebook cover

This is a new edition of Max’s first book.
It contains an updated forward, written by him, as well as thoughtful questions for each chapter.

© (Tyndale House, 1985, 2008) Max Lucado

Corporate Prayer

"May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you; may He sane you help from the sanctuary, and strengthen you out of Zion." - Psalm 20:1-2

Beloved saints of the living God, let us always have the attitude of prayer in sincerity of faith to seek for everything in our lives. Remember as God of the Omniscient has spoken, this year would be another year of supernatural encounters and divine visitations, a year of natural disasters, disappointments / sorrow and disheartening events. We must not be lax but be watchful in order to stand in the gap. Therefore, we must always consider the following for our corporate prayers:

Praise God for all answered prayers from the beginning of this year to the end.
Sing praises to God for His long-suffering with us.
Worship God for His infinite wisdom.

Now Pray for The Following:

1. More victory in your personal life
2. Success in your evangelistic and soul winning efforts
3. Salvation for unsaved ones.
4. Spirit of prayer and burden-bearing to come upon you
5. Ability to pray without ceasing especially in tongues.
6. Grace to pray until your joy is full.
7. Church readiness for the rapture that can happen anytime and unexpectedly.
8. Deliverance from evil works.
9. God's protection upon your children.
10. Journey mercies for travelers.
11. Increase in the spread of righteousness in the entire nation.
12. Grace to forgive offences and offenders.
13. Good health for the family.
14. Grace to please God in everything.
15. Maturity in understanding others.
16. Needs to met in all families.
17. Protection from all false doctrines.
18. More insight and revelation in the Word of God.
19. Victory over inexplicable trials and temptations.
20. Victory over youthful lusts.
21. More love amongst all breathren.
22. Purity of heart.
23. Pray for those in authority.

Then Pray Against the Following:

1. Walking in the counsel of the ungodly.
2. Laying false accusations on the innocent.
3. Luke-warmness.
4. Backsliding.
5. Compromise and adulteration of the Word of God.
6. Sharing the fate of the foolish virgins.

Beloved, begin the journey of prayer now!

- Daniel O.C