Refresher of My Spirit and Yours

[S] 1 Corinthians 16:17-18 --
17  I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. 18  For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.


[O] What a refreshing picture of the brotherly love and communion in the Holy Spirit.  Being able to refresh one another's spirit is truly a blessing.  In this world, so many people are out to do the exact opposite -- cut throat so they can get ahead of others.  But these three brothers presence alone edified the people and they infused the energy that wasn't there before.

[A] I would like to be such a person wherever I go I can fulfill the needs as well as refresh people's spirit.  One way of doing this is to use my words wisely when speaking to others.

[P] Dear God, please grant me the depth of Your love and joy in my heart so I may share that with others that I come in touch with.  May Your Spirit overflow out of my life to others.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Availability As a Conduit of Miracle

[S] Gideon 6:13-15 --
13  Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."14  The Lord looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?"15  He said to Him, "O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house."

[O] When God called Gideon, we can see that he was aware of what God has done before through His miracles and wondering why He isn't doing anything about their stark situation. Gideon's hope had diminished at this point to nothing ("Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian").  Then God calls him to be the one to deliver His people; that is to say, that "I am here to do just that, however, this time it's going to be through your own life."  To this Gideon's response wasn't jumping up and down rejoicing but to say to God, "You sure you got the right person?  It just cannot be me."  There was a disconnect between his knowledge of knowing God's miraculous power and how that same power can work in his own life.

[A] God is all powerful.  Nothing is impossible for Him.  If I believe this, then I should also make myself available for Him to use my life to do anything He desires to accomplish His purposes in this world.  Without this understanding in my own life, I will not be ready to be used by God.

[P] Dear almighty God, let Your power reign in my own life and may my meager life take part in the amazing plan of Yours for the people on this earth.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Singing Songs of Victory

[S] Judges 5:1 --
1  Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

[O] Once again God wonderfully delivered His promise to Deborah and Barak and they praised God through this song of "victory."  Recently our Sunday message was on telling God Story to others -- the thing that only God could've achieved in my life because I totally relied on Him and realized this is what Deborah and Barak were doing.

[A] It seems so many times I'm so busy taking care of business I neglect to recognize the God Story in my own life.  I really need to sing praises more in my own personal time singing about those instances where He came through in my life, giving me the victories in this world.

[P] Dear Jesus, I want to sing for You, for how great a work You're doing in my life all the time.  I'm so caught up in my own world that I just moved on as if I deserved what You are doing for me.  I want to take a moment to give You the praise You deserve through my songs for You.  In Your name.  Amen.

Don't Let the Judge Die

[S] Judges 2:15,19 --
15  Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.
19  But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways. 

[O] As I read this cyclical statement of how the people went from being at peace following behind what God was doing from corruptness after the judge God had sent died, I'm seeing my own life where I am constantly under the pull of the desire to go my own ways (other gods) and pursue them to the max (i.e., career) and whenever a blip of God's grace fades away from my weak memory I'm so ready to jump on my own doings.  Even though God knows so well of how I'm wired to do this over and over, He, nevertheless, answers my distressed call to Him every time also by sending the "judge" to relieve me from the misery I find myself under.

[A] Pray and memorize Scripture so God's presence will not depart from me and keep in on the right path.  It's like not having the judges die in my heart.

[P] Dear Father, please protect me and my family to not fall into the trap of forgetting what You did.  I am praying for my children such that their lives will be disciplined to dig in the Word so when I'm gone from this world they will continue to carry on that legacy.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Cling Not to the Surrounding Nations

 [S] Joshua 23:12-13 --
12  "For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13  know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

[O] This message seems to fit many nations in today's world including the one I'm living in now.  How blessed to know how this nation was founded on the principles of God which was led by those who trusted in God and yet over the years, the people's hearts were led away from backbone of the founding fathers' spirit but clung to the values of our own systems.  As how we know the types of a fruit tree by its fruits, the fruits of this nation tells us that we had veered away from God as outlined in verse 13 -- other nations will be a snare and trap to us, and a whip on our sides and thors in our eyes until we perish from off this good land.  This is scary thought but a reality in God's promises.

[A] Even though trying to change a whole nation is not a simple matter that I can take on, I believe I can tackle on how to let my family stick to God's values because I especially desire my children to be ruling lives which are filled with God Stories of how he fought for them and how great "nations" surrounding them will not be bothering them at all.

[P] Dear Father, please allow time in my mind and schedule to remind and discipline my children to put You very first in their lives no matter what they do.  This is where You will guide and guard their lives for them despite their lack of efforts.  Please consider my prayer for our family as I pray in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Bull's Eye Promises

[S] Joshua 21:45 --
45  Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

[O] This statement coming from Joshua has a special emphasis for me because he was the one who fearfully started to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan to conquer that land according to the promise came from God.  Not only that his clinching on to the promise started 40 years prior and still going strong and then some.  His saying of God's delivering on all of his promises is a true and genuine testimony coming from a man after God's own heart.  Can I give such a confident testimony about how none of God's promises failed in my household?

[A] Simplifying to the irreducible minimum, my daily life should be about knowing what God's promise for me is and then claiming it to see it come true every time; and compilation of these will become my life's testimony which when I pass from this world will display my aim in life.

[P] Dear Father, may You seal in me the same spirit that drove Joshua to conquer the land that You promised for him to rule over (not without challenges) so my life will fight the challenges ahead and yet claim the lost grounds for You and Your people.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Circumcision Does Not Matter

[S] 1 Corinthians 7:19 --
19  Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

[O] Physical obedience is preceded by willingness to obey from the heart.  Any signs of outward "circumcision" does not equate to having a heart after God's own heart because we are so vulnerable to the pull of this world and can so easily compromise our covenant with God.  As Paul wrote, keeping the commandments of God is the foundation of one's faith in God.

[A] I can easily get wrapped up with the rules and policies of small group ministry.  Although we need some level of this to put some order, I need to be careful not to focus too much on this as that is not going to do much for the ministry itself because it's built based on people's willingness to server one another.

[P] Dear Father, please circumcise my heart so I may follow all of your commands and may I not rely on the outward appearances of spiritualism.  May You take joy in my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Forget to Ask His Counsel

[S] Joshua 9:14 --
14  So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord.

[O] Whether intended or not the Israelites acted based only on their own reasonings and as a result they were fooled by the Gibeonites resulting in not following God's commands completely of destroying the Canaanites out of the land.  After Jericho, recovery from Achan's sing at Ai, and the confidence they had gained must have made them proud enough to take matters into their own hands rather than relying on God's guidance.  God wants me to lean on Him every step of the way so I won't fall short of anything as well as to give all the glory to God -- as then, it will be clear who was actually at work.

[A] Daily devotion is a good start, but based on that, I also need to rely all the decisions I make during the day so that I will not forget to ask for the counsel of the Lord.

[P] Dear Father, please protect me from going on an auto-pilot of making decisions throughout the day.  May I seek Your guidance regardless of how big or small the decision may be because I want to practice and train my heart to seek You in all things.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Worse Than Immorality

[S] 1 Corinthians 5:1 --
1  It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.

[O] The statistics I read show that those attending evangelical churches are not necessarily keeping higher moral standards than those not attending any church and it seems like some things don't seem to change much over all these (2,000) years because Paul is addressing the Corinthian church's immorality that is even more corrupt than the Gentiles.  Corinthian church was growing and lots of good works came out of there but when immorality seeps into the church community it will spread like yeast and before anyone is aware the church will suffer much like where the Corinthian church was.  Thankfully, Paul was ready to tackle it directly and that's type of a fight we need to fight in order to preserve the purity of our church.

[A] While pursuing the growth of our church community, I must also make sure to watch out for "sin" that may be creeping into the community and if found must check it so it will stop.

[P] Dear Father, may Your Spirit of holiness and righteousness permeate through our church so none of the enemy's tactics will mature into fruition.  Allow me the discernments to identify these immorality in our midst and stand up for Your ways.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Settle for Muddy Ground

[S] Joshua 3:17 --
17  And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

[O] What amazes me is how the mud at the bottom of the river became dry ground for the Israelites to walk across. That is, couldn't God have just let the people walk across through the muddy ground?  This is where I am so blessed by God's perfect and complete provision for us in order to fulfill His purposes and to reveal His glory in the midst of that.  God doesn't just put together some solution to barely meet the goals.  He will provide it all and in completion. Serving such a God is a good thing but the only catch is that we need to fully abide in Him in order to receive His complete blessings.

[A] Don't settle for a muddy ground when God has a dry ground for me to walk on.

[P] Dear Father, I want o pursue Your perfect provisions for my life and not settle for the muddy ground.  I want to do that by learning Your heart through Your word.  Please show Your grace for my life to be molded for Your glory.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

School of Arise Leadership

[S] Joshua 1:2-3 --
2  "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.3  "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.

[O] This message from God to Joshua tugs my heart today because being in a leadership position is constantly like being Joshua in this phase of his leadership. And come to think of it, when God called Moses by the burning bush wasn't quite ready to run with the ball and was full of fear and inadequacy.  I don't think I will ever graduate from this school of leadership where I need to continuously learn about arising to go into the enemy territory and claim it as I trust in God's provision 100%.  And that is what I need to pass on as a legend to my children, so they will carry it onward with the same attitude.

[A] The keyword, arise, spoke to me significantly as I need to arise despite the circumstance I am/will be in because that's the life of a spiritual leader to claim what God has already won for me.

[P] Dear Father, I am going to arise and be the claimer of Your fame and glory in the enemy territory (this world).  May I be faithful at my own church and in my own community I belong.  Please continue to remind me that You have given all these to me already.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Eagle's School of Hard Knocks

[S] Deuteronomy 32:11 --
11 "Like an eagle that stirs up its nest,
That hovers over its young,
He spread His wings and caught them,
He carried them on His pinions.

[O] The story of eagles being trained to fly is an incredible one because the mother eagle will basically push the baby eagles from the nest which is high above the cliff so they will flap their little wings to start flying but since the little ones' wings are not developed yet they will fall downward at which point the mother eagle who was hovering over will dash down and catch the baby eagle on its pinions and repeat the process again until they learn to fly on their own and as we see the grown eagle which flies so gracefully above the sky it did come at a high cost of the mother taking the risk and then carrying them through their development period.  My spiritual growth is much like that because I will flap my little wings so fast and yet cannot help but to drop downward fast until I rest in the pinions of Jesus Christ on the Cross; and processes are repeated again.  So grateful for God's care and saving grace for me to strengthen up to fly on my own.

[A] Continue to stay humble and learn from His ways because unlike the eagles I have many phases of learning how to "fly" in my spiritual growth and so I need to avoid thinking that I have graduated (which usually leads to spiritual pride) but continue to learn while Jesus catches me again and again.

[P] Dear Father, Your amazing pinions that catches me so I would grow in You to strengthen.  How would I learn to do Your ministry here if You weren't there to catch me?  Thank you for allowing me to learn and for You to teach me each step of the way.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Choose Cross, Not Cleverness

[S] Deuteronomy 30:6; 1 Corinthians 1:17 --
6  "Moreover the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
17  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. 

[O] The original circumcision was a painful process in order to display the belongingness to God and then during the period of the Laws, this physical sign was a significant mark to set apart who was or was not part of God's people.  Today, however, through the works of the Holy Spirit the circumcision takes place in one's own heart by renewing the heart.  Even though this does not involve physical pain of cutting away flesh, but in some sense the same "pain" of renewing the heart must take place because why would it mean anything if it's attained so easily without much effort?  This is not about attaining some intellectual level of understanding but a supernatural way of change taking place in one's heart as it says in v.17 above, it is based on the message of the gospel, the cross of Christ.

[A] I feel like I am living out a watered-down way of living a Christ-follower's life these days.  I'm too comfortable to stay within the boundaries of non-conflicting relationship with not-yet believers.  I of course do not want to go around stirring up people for the sake of arguing but I should be challenging enough for others really hear the true message of the gospel without trying to be too "clever."

[P] Dear Father, I want to live out your disciple's life so the message of the cross be revealed to others who I work with.  Please continue to remind and teach me through the Holy Spirit to know what I should say when with others and allow me to have the boldness to say what I need to say, not what I feel comfortable saying.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

A Complete Blessing Package

[S] Deuteronomy 28:3-6 --
3  "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4  "Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.
5  "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6  "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

[O] God really wants to bless me in every facets of my life.  He's got it all covered: My country and city I live in, children, family/home, even offspring of my pets (if I have any), possessions, workplace, commuting or traveling to places.  This is all possible as long as I abide by His ways of honoring Him first and centering my life and value system around His principles.

[A] I need to affirm daily that God wants to bless me in all facets of my life.  He's already promised me that as long as I surrender my life to Him daily.

[P] Dear Father, You are so awesome in caring for what I do here on earth.  Please continue to remind me that You indeed want to bless all aspects of my life so I will always give You the honor for providing everything for me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Remove Your Sandal

[S] Deuteronomy 25:10 --
"In Israel his name shall be called, ‘The house of him whose sandal is removed.’

[O] Not a good name to be called in those days because it means one who disgraced his family.  Everyone knew what this name meant because their culture and social standard was clearly understood by everyone.  Contrary to then, our society today seems to lack this (moral) "standard" of living because everyone has their own gauge and can justify to be all "right."  Almost everything we do have a standard such as STP (Standard Temperature and Pressure) in chemistry, sea level in altitude measurements, etc. because they will indicate how far we are from the norm.

[A] Teaching these types of moral standards is getting more scarce these days and I need to take up this responsibility at home with my children.  This doesn't come from textbooks or their school classes but will only come by on-the-job training on daily basis and this is why I need to not thin out the time I spend with them on daily basis (although going on an extended vacation together is a good thing too).

[P] Dear Father, please use me as their dad to instill in them the moral rights from the wrong and for them to live out lives which will adhere to the standards of living that You teach them in their hearts through Your Spirit.  Please encourage them to do their personal devotions faithfully each day so You may speak right into their hearts.  In Jesus' name.  Amen

What Makes Me Cry Out, Abba!

[S] Galatians 4:6 --
Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

[O] Not everyone can call any other man his or her father legally unless they are related legally.  Likewise, the only way for us to call heavenly Father "Abba" is when His Spirit seals our relationship to be genuine and official.  So, not everyone who calls God, "Father" (or more accurately "Daddy") is genuine child of God unless she or he has established a relationship by accepting Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross as the way to reunite with God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  This is what Paul is referring to regarding the Spirit "into our hearts" which allows us to cry out "Abba! Father!"  So it may seem very simple as verbalizing the words, Abba and Father, but a lot more goes behind the scene for us to say these words with true meaning.

[A] Praise God for allowing me to call Him my daddy.

[P] Dear Father, the creator of the universe, Your reaching down to little me here through Your awesome Spirit to reunite my heart with Your just amazes me and ignites a special praise from within me.  Thank You for saving me and call me Your child.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Tapping Into God's Omnipotence

[S] Deuteronomy 20:3-4 --
3  "He shall say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel, you are approaching the battle against your enemies today. Do not be fainthearted. Do not be afraid, or panic, or tremble before them, 4  for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

[O] It seems that I am facing new (spiritual) battle every day and in light of that this passage provides great strength in my heart because God promises me to go with me to fight for me.  This actually puts the ball on my court because I need to position myself correctly such that I would be right behind Him.  Otherwise, I'm not going to be covered by His fighting and will definitely be hit by the enemy's attacks.  I believe one of the key ways for me to be in line with God is through my dedicated prayer time because more I'm engaged to God's working through my prayer, the more God's working will take effect in my daily life.

[A] I've been focusing on my daily devotional of reading and meditating on God's word through Life Journaling and now I need to move into the phase of consistent prayer in well-structured and disciplined way to tap into the awesome power of God right in my daily living.

[P] Dear Father, I'm so grateful for Your fighting for me and I want to be right in the midst of Your working experiencing the great strength that can only come from you.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Boldness and Bold Brothers (BBB)

[S] Galatians 2:14 --
14  But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas in the presence of all, "If you, being a Jew, live like the Gentiles and not like the Jews, how is it that you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?

[O] Paul refers to Cephas (Peter) and Barnabas along with others who veered away from the truth and spoke to them directly to point out and correct their hypocrisy.  First of all, Paul's boldness and zeal to stand up for truth really shakes me even harder than last night's 8.9 magnitude earthquake in Japan.  What drove him to be such a committed servant of God?  What makes me such a coward compare to Paul's boldness?  Secondly, even though it might've been difficult to initially accept it, I feel Cephas was a blessed man to have a co-worker like Paul who can point out areas to correct for God's glory. I have not experienced a time when I enjoyed being corrected by others but if they come with genuine care and heart for bringing out the truth, then I would also be a blessed person to have friends and co-workers like Paul around me.

[A] Be discerning and humble whenever I receive "corrections" or even "complaints" from other co-laborers in Christ because if Peter and Barnabas went off the tangent, I am 100X more likely to do that and I would need someone to point that out to me.

[P] Dear Father, I want to wear the boldness of Paul in my walk with You.  I desire to be next to Your godly people who is not afraid to set me straight when I do venture off the main truth. May You be glorified in all aspects of my life and I realize that can only be done through my humbleness.  Thank You for a great lesson (again).  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Arabian Pit Stop

[S] Galatians 1:17b-18 --
but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.18  Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

[O] Calling from God does not necessarily means immediate installation into a role in His ministry's front line because there may be a trip through Arabia just like Paul where God uses as a refinement period.  Paul's conversion was definitely a powerful one and his transformation was amazingly clear and Jesus' direct revelation to Paul made it even more significant.  However, he had to spend three years in Arabia before God plugged him into the ministry.  And the rest is history as we know how God used Paul to bless us even now.  After following Jesus, the excitements of learning more about Him and His ministry through the studying of His word is a great source of strength.  Along this path, God narrows down the path for us to follow and for the most part He will reveal His calling for our lives.  Receiving such a calling is quite special for sure but need to realize that there may be the journey through "Arabia" before He we will be used in His ministry.

[A] Why does it always seem to take longer than how I like it to be in developing God's ministry in my community?  I need to be careful because behind such a statement is my pride.  As Paul took three years in Arabia to be refined by God before he is put into His ministry, I must also realize I need to be refined by God before He can use me effectively.


[P] Dear Father, here I am.  Use me and take me through Arabia for my refinement.  I am sure it will be a period of loneliness and many tests but I want to come out as a refined gold or silver to be used to fulfill Your calling for my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Less Processing, More Practicing

[S] Mark 16:17-18 --
17  "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18  they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

[O] As I read what Jesus said to His disciples prior to His ascending into Heaven, I thought of Paul who shook off the viper who bit his hand which amazed the local villagers and brought many to be healed by Paul.  (Acts 28:3-9)  I wonder if Paul remembered this commissioning of Jesus when he shook of that viper.  He probably did that and drew much strength from it I'm sure.  It's almost claiming what Jesus foretold of what was going go happen to those who believe in His name purely based on trust and complete faith.

[A] I feel I am processing too much information rather than believing simply what God promised in my life.  If He says I will not be hurt by deadly poison,and heal the sick by laying hands on them, then that's what I should be doing purely out of my faith letting God to take care of the outcome.

[P] Dear Father, increase my faith so I may take in Your words as is completely to move towards putting them into actions. I need to do less processing and more practicing so please prompt me to take more specific actions throughout my days.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Rebelled from Start to Finish

[S] Deuteronomy 9:7 --
7  "Remember, do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness; from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you arrived at this place, you have been rebellious against the Lord.

[O] What surprised me here was that the Israelites were rebellious from the beginning (day that they left Egypt) to the end (when they entered Canaan).  I thought they were mostly ok except for grumbling and complaining phases they went through.  This is actually pathetic come to think of it but also comforting because that's the reality of us people; and also the reality of how God's grace embraces such a pathetic people.  Not only am I grateful for God's grand grace, I am also grateful for reminding me that when I am in a leading position of other believers, I should lower my expectations on the people's efforts because they are prone to be rebellious from the start to finish.

[A] In light of this insight, I need to keep my eyes on the Cross and lead others not based on their performance or achievements but on God's grace for me.

[P] Dear Father, Your amazing grace shined through once again through this message of the 40 years of wandering -- how Your people just rebelled from the beginning and yet You brought them into the promised land.  Thank You for doing what You promised and not what I deserve (which is nothing).  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

When Vision Vanishes

[S] Mark 14:26-28 --
26  After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27  And Jesus said to them, "You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’ 28  "But after I have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."

[O] Usually singing of hymn or praise begins a movement and it appears that's what was taking place after they had the (last) supper, they all went out to the Mount of Olives to start another activity.  Jesus on the way explains a depressing and discouraging news which I'm sure confused His disciples.  His words of comfort following that was even more confusing about being raised and going ahead to Galilee.  My walk with God is similar.  I get all excited to sing praise songs to move forward to do some great things for God, but soon I run into a dead end (at least to my perception) where I see no way out, but through God's miraculous intervention I am able to go further ahead.  It seems this is a routine cycle of spiritual maturity in God even His disciples experienced here.

[A] As I remember Bill Gothard explaining the "Death of a Vision," so may times I run into that dead end where the most exciting vision I perceived to have come from God shatters away.  It is this time when I must remember the power of His resurrection to lift me out of that place.

[P] Dear Father, as I face my death of a vision, I surrender my situation to You so Your resurrecting power will work through my life.  May Your name be lifted up through my circumstances and nothing else (especially my own fame).  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Preparing Against Future Fear

[S] Deuteronomy 3:21-22 --
"I commanded Joshua at that time, saying, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so the Lord shall do to all the kingdoms into which you are about to cross. ‘Do not fear them, for the Lord your God is the one fighting for you.’

[O] God prepares our hearts for the challenges we're about to face and that's what He did for Joshua before he was to enter the land of Canaan because it wasn't going to be walk in a park but instead facing the "giants" of that land which would have easily scared Joshua.  God sets an example that Joshua should remember by defeating the two Kings Bashan and Og.  "Do not fear them" is what God tells Joshua and that's the same message for me now because as His ministers we're to embark on un-chartered territories filled with unknown fear and challenges but as long as I'm with God He will fight for me again and again.

[A] Right now my fear is how I'm going to handle my work, ministry, and family time especially when I need to cover all of my department's task because the other employee left the company.  I only have 24 hours a day but seems like what I need to do is much more than that.  I'm going to claim the message, "Do not fear" and take each day to live out a victorious life because not I but He will fight ahead of me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for desiring to shower my life with victories, not fear.  I am going to claim that in my life and live it out starting now.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Small Group Leadership

[S] Deuteronomy 1:11-13 --
11  ‘May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand-fold more than you are and bless you, just as He has promised you! 12  ‘How can I alone bear the load and burden of you and your strife? 13  ‘Choose wise and discerning and experienced men from your tribes, and I will appoint them as your heads.’

[O] After the Israelites left Egypt and over a million people journeying through the wilderness, God provides the wisdom to assign wise and discerning and experienced men over small groups of people to provide an orderly way of leading His people without over burdening a few leaders like Moses and Aaron.  The criteria of wise, discerning, and experienced in leading others was invaluable to be used by God in these positions.  However, just because these leaders have been chosen and placed to lead others, it does not mean they will magically lead the community of people.  In fact, when we see that out of the twelve spies who returned from Canaan, ten of them displayed lack of trust in God, becoming a godly leader of people is no simple matter.

[A] As we mature our small group ministry, this passage convicted me to develop training materials for our leaders.  I need to follow up on the task of inviting external "consultant" to help us better prepare our leaders of the small group ministry.

[P] Dear Father, I can see so vividly how You desire to take care of each member of the community we belong by assigning leaders and that is so comforting.  You don't want anyone to fall through the cracks or get lost in a crowd.  Please continue to put wisdom in my heart to follow after Your principles of leading the small group ministry.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

How To Avoid Blood Avenger

[S] Numbers 35:27 --
27  and the blood avenger finds him outside the border of his city of refuge, and the blood avenger kills the manslayer, he will not be guilty of blood 28  because he should have remained in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. But after the death of the high priest the manslayer shall return to the land of his possession.

[O] This chapter addresses manslaughter cases and for those those premeditated murderers are subject to be avenged by the blood avenger so in order to avoid that they can take refuge in the city of refuge until the death of the high priest when he can return to where he was before.  We have murdered Jesus and the blood avenger, His Father will wipe us clean.  However, we can take refuge by trying to follow His Law but that's not a permanent place to be for everyone so the Father sent us the High Priest who came to die in order to provide us the freedom to be back in the original relationship with God without being avenged for murdering His Son.

[A] Grateful for Jesus' dying to provide the permanent refuge for me to be in right and wholesome relationship with God once again.  Without this, my life would be very short-sighted and temporal instead of planning for the eternal life I'll be living.

[P] Dear Father, I'm so grateful for Your sending Jesus to provide that permanent refuge for me as one of the descendants who murdered Your Son.  May I enjoy that life here on earth.  Please provide wisdom to shun non-essential burdens of this world which are about to snatch away that joy in me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Item for My Testimony Journal

[S] Numbers 33:8-9 --
8  They journeyed from before Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness; and they went three days’ journey in the wilderness of Etham and camped at Marah.  9  They journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and in Elim there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they camped there.

[O] This chapter of Moses' testimony of how God had led them out of Egypt through the wilderness he records these significant milestones.  He lists next to cross through the Red  Sea, the pitstop via Marah and Elim.  At first this pass-through didn't seem too significant but found out that there is a reason for Moses to record it in his testimony of God's mighty works.  The message of the wood that was thrown into the  bitter water to turn it into sweet water must have been a defining moment for him.  He was faced with grumbling Israelites and when they finally reached the pool of water they couldn't drink it due to its bitterness.  What a let down and a potential discouragement against God -- why did You even lead us here for?  Then the process of God's guiding him carefully to find that wood to throw into the water must have been significant because not only it was just a plain wood, in his mind he must have been thinking how can this be the solution God carefully guided me toward?  I can see how 1 Corinthians 1:18 -- For the word of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us who are saved it is the power of God -- applies here because the message of the cross is nothing but foolishness to those who do not understand the true meaning and power behind it.  This wood is that message of the cross.

[A] Whenever I feel like God is asking me to do some "foolishness" thing, I should discern carefully to see if that is an invitation from God to join into His message of the cross.

[P] Dear Father, may my life be filled with the testimonies of Marah experiences where what I think to be foolishness turn into Your amazing saving grace and the message of the Cross shining right through.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Eventually Have to Return to the Dark Reality

[S] Mark 9:14-15 --
14  When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15  Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him.

[O] Jesus took Peter, James and John to a high mountain where they experienced the transfiguration of Jesus while hearing God's voice affirming Jesus' validity as His Son.  When they came back down, they were injected immediately into the problems of this world.  No matter how powerful or how long-lasting my spiritual high may be, I am bound to face the reality of this world because that's where God expects me to shine His light.  In the midst of the arguing, they immediately recognized Jesus and began to run after Him in amazement.  If the arguing were like the darkness of this world, Jesus was like the shining star and people were drawn to it.  This is the model Jesus wants me to follow -- be the shining star that will attract the people lost in the darkness of this world we live in full of arguing with one another without any clear guidance.

[A] I'm re-thinking about my commitment to the workplace ministry.  This is not easy, but as today's passage encourages me to think about how the workplace is so dark and constantly seeking some light to shine.  I need to re-strategize my approach to becoming the light in the workplace.

[P] Dear Father, how I want to be the light in the workplace and yet I seem to be the one putting the lamp under the basket.  Please forgive me for being so passive and give me the new strategy to move forward in the workplace ministry arena.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Picking Up My Left-over Joy

[S] Mark 8:8 --
And they ate and were satisfied; and they picked up seven large baskets full of what was left over of the broken pieces.

[O] The key operand here was "satisfied."  Not only the impossibility of feeding 4,000 men with just seven loaves of bread and a few fish, they were fed to their satisfaction; and then some left overs on top of that.  The principle I see here is God will not only feed me but feed to my satisfaction despite what the circumstance or the amount of resources may be.  The question is am I satisfied with His feeding or am I always hungrier for something more or something else besides what God provides for me?  Satisfaction is subjective with respect to my own desires and so no matter what God provides for me, if my desire is somewhere else, then I will never be satisfied.  One of the indicator of unsatisfied life is there is no surplus, or left over, of joy.

[A] Is my walk with God a satisfying one such that the joy in my life will overflow out?  Lately it's been more on the dry side and this passage has turned around my perspective so I will live out my life picking up the left over crumbs of joy.

[P] Dear Father, fill me with Your joy so much that it will just overflow out of my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.