Good or Bad, Name Lasts Forever

[S] Numbers 25:14-15 --
14 Now the name of the slain man of Israel who was slain with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, a leader of a father's household among the Simeonites. 15 The name of the Midianite woman who was slain was Cozbi the daughter of Zur, who was head of the people of a father's household in Midian.

[O] I am wondering why God recorded the names of these two people when they clearly died from their sin against God.  One thing I noticed was that their fathers were in leadership roles in respective nations and yet they both got wrapped up in Baal of Peor worshiping and eventually Cozbi became the reason for God's judgment of Medianites.

[A] For me, this passage speaks to me about how important it is to raise up my own children in the upright way to fear God and Him alone especially when I am in leadership roles in my social and spiritual community because my children intentionally or not learns how to influence others.  So it is very crucial for them to influence others with the right motives and faith.

[P] Dear Father, as I ponder on my own ways of influencing my children, I realize more and more how I must lean on You every moment so I don't attempt to teach my children my own ways or experiences but what You instruct me to pass on to them on daily basis.  Please continue to overflow my heart with Your love and grace.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Scriptures Can Be All Greek To You

[S] Mark 4:11-12 (NLT) --

11He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, 12so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:
‘When they see what I do,
they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say,
they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me
and be forgiven.’”


[O] God permits us to understand the truth of His word so we will turn to Him and receive forgiveness. It does not come by our efforts alone as if studying harder makes one smarter or more knowledgeable.  Unless God permits my mind to comprehend the wondrous truth, it'll all be "Greek" (or parables) to me.

[A] Seek His permissions before reading His word so that He would allow my mind to comprehend the truth directly from His Spirit.

[P] Dear Father, please grant Your truth to settle deep down in my heart.  May my life then reflect that truth to many people.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Recognition of Jesus In Every Moment

[S] Mark 3:11 --
Whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, "You are the Son of God!"

[O] Here we are trying to learn the ways of the "clean" (Holy) Spirit and yet we unrecognize Jesus in our midst and yet the unclean spirits never missed a beat of recognizing Jesus and submitted under His authority.  As a follower of Jesus shouldn't we be falling down before Him and praise Him whenever we encounter Him?

[A] Every moment, take my eyes off what I am so involved with and recognize Jesus at work and then submit under His authority with praising.  I am not doing this enough throughout the day.

[P] Dear Jesus, I want to recognize You and worship You every moment of the hour in each day.  Please let me be in Your presence at all time as I ask in Your name.  Amen.

Bearing in the Winderness

[S] Whether it was two days, or a month, or a longer time, that the cloud continued over the tabernacle, abiding there, the people of Israel remained in camp and did not set out, but when it lifted they set out. (Numbers 9:22 ESV)

[O] As simple as this looks knowing when to go or stop in sync with God is not trivial because not only I have to be alert every moment but also have to constantly look at Him for signs to know when He is on the move. On the other hand doing this will relieve me from constantly trying to figure our if I got right timing or not about when to move on or stop. This is how God led His people in the wilderness for forty years before entering into the Promised Land.

[A] There is something more than daily reading of His word to sync up with His moves. My application is to spend a chunk of time in prayer and fasting to seek out what this means for my walk with God.

[P] Dear Lord, I desperately need Your Spirit's guidance now to know where You are moving toward, or should I say where I need to move toward. I've been dealing many factors in the last year and it all seems to have whirled up in the whirlwind and feel lost in the midst. Just like how You led the Israelites in the wilderness (except for the long detour) would you guide me with affirmation through this very challenging moment in life. I nevertheless praise You God for being mindful of me despite how I feel now and for working in and around me in the "meanwhile." In Your name I pray. Amen.

God of Meanwhile

[S] Genesis 26:26 --
Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces.

[O] The word "meanwhile" in this verse refers to the period of Isaac under pressure from the neighboring nations to push him out because God bless his community to be rich and significant in size.  He had to keep moving to different wells until the herdsmen of Gerar did not challenge them anymore.  While these events were taking place -- i.e., Isaac going through some difficult times -- Abimelech was on his way to meet Isaac because (v.28) they saw clearly that the Lord was with Isaac.  It's a wonder how God works in people hearts in His timing.

[A] Whenever I am going through some challenging times (not because of my wrong doings), I feel like God has abandoned me and yet just like this passage, He works in some mysterious ways in other people's hearts and He will raise up those He recognizes to be faithful to Him.  I needed this reminder and a reset of my attitude such that I must continue to honor the God of this universe who in the "meanwhile" works in and around me.

[P] Dear Father, thank You for this wonderful passage to touch my heart to encourage me.  Please let my heart be rejoicing for who You are and what You are doing even though I do not see everything clearly.  I put my trust in You who's got my back!  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Don't Just Pass the Buck

[S] Acts 25:9 --
9 But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?"

[O] Like his predecessor, Felix, Festus also wanted to please the crowd and went through gestures to put Paul on trial when in actuality he believed Paul to be innocent.  So, when he came to a dead end, he simply passed the buck to the next level up.  It was much easier to do this than to step up to the plate and do his duty to the fullest.

[A] I am also put into some tough situations to step up to the plate and handle it myself but my mind is no different than Festus -- pass the buck and take the easy way out.  This coward attitude must go and I need to step forward not trusting in my own abilities but in God's promise of standing by me all the time.

[P] Dear Father, please allow me to be bold in You when I face these challenging situations.  I am by no means a master at these situations so I need to rely on You all the time.  Please continue to teach me Your ways.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Hearing Leads to Doing

[S] Acts 24:24,27 --
24But some days later Felix arrived with Drusilla, his wife who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul and heard him speak about faith in Christ Jesus.
27But after two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus, and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul imprisoned.

[O] Felix listened to the gospel many times and yet when the time came for his actions, he still chose to carry our his own desires.  Listening for the sake of just listening is the culture these days.  In fact, we're in the information overload phase with so much being poured into our minds through the Internet and social media apps.  It is leaving very little time to process and impact how we actually live our lives daily.

[A] When I listen to God's word and His guidance (spoken directly into my heart), I need to make sure my actions are affected to bring out more of Him and not my own will.

[P] Dear Father,  as I am currently going through some challenging moments which is really an opportunity from God for me to make adjustments in the way I think and act, I pray that I would have the right bearing to live it out in obedience of His teachings.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Clear the Old to Make Room for the New

[S] Leviticus 26:9-10 --
9 So I will turn toward you and make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will confirm My covenant with you. 10 You will eat the old supply and clear out the old because of the new.

[O] When I obey God, His plan for my life is to bless with fruitfulness and multiplication based on His covenant with me despite my failures to meet His laws 100%.  That is very assuring.  However verse 10 is a bit perplexing at first because why do I even bother with the old supply when He is about to multiply with new blessings?  Taking a simple view, unless I clear out the old stuff there is no room for God's new stuff in my life so I need to clear them out first as a preparation.

[A] I am still praying for clarity but there is a message for me in verse 10.  There is the old supply I must clear out to make room for His new blessings.  Take a new fresh view ahead and do some house cleaning now.

[P] Dear Father, please make it clear in my life so I may identify the old things to clear out of my life so I may have plenty of room to receive the new blessings You plan to fill my life with.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Preservation While I Wait

[S] Psalm 25:21 --
Let integrity and uprightness preserve me,
For I wait for You.

[O] Starting with 25:10, the writer describes a moment of struggle in his life where he had to rely on nothing other than God's providence itself and to know that God will provide the best in His time.  In the end verse 21 puts the icing on the cake by concluding that it is none other but his own integrity and uprightness which will preserve him while he is waiting.

[A] I am proclaiming that my integrity and uprightness be the soul source of strength and courage during my waiting period.

[P] Dear Father, please preserve me as I seem to be walking through the lonely and dark period because without Your promise I really have nothing else to hand on to.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Question of the Day

[A] Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalms 24:8, 10 NASB)

[O] This question is a very important one to ask every day or moment because without having the right bearing, I can so easily displace the position of my Lord Jesus in my life. He is: strong, mighty, mighty in battle, and Lord of hosts.

[A] Just this week one of the event resulted in a surprisingly opposite way than expected and caught me by surprise. This passage reminded me to ask this question despite the circumstance and my answering that He is indeed The Lord of hosts granted my heart to still look to Him and join this psalmist's praise.

[P] Dear Jesus, forgive me for relying too much on my circumstance more than on Your awesome strength. Please continue to be my solid rock in my life that never shakes. In Your name. Amen.

Bound by the Spirit

[S] Acts 20:22-23--
22 And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. 

[O] How does it feel to be bound by the Spirit?  How do I know that I am bound by the Spirit?  One thing for sure is that Paul was "audibly" clear to realize that he was bound by the Spirit in his heart.  Even though that clear message was not so good news, his already-committed heart was ready to follow the leadership of the Spirit.

[A] In the end, it's about hearing God's message clearly and good or bad, my heart desiring to follow His guidance.  Many times, I am so engulfed in my own way of "serving" God that I may not follow His ways.  As I am currently facing a tough situation, I need not try to come up with my own solutions but to listen to His small yet clear voice to guide me.

[P] Dear God, teach me to hear Your voice leading me through this circumstance I am going through.  Teach me not to take things into my own hands but to lean on You to hear Your guidance and wait upon Your coming through.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Be Known by the Devil

[S] Acts 19:15 --
And the evil spirit answered and said to them, "I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"

[O] Even the devil recognizes Jesus and His followers; in fact, the devil clearly knows who is not on his side because those are his major threat.  So as they say it's a blessing in disguise for the devil to recognize me as one of Jesus' followers and even attacks me.  It will be sad to be asked by the devil, "who are you?"

[A] Put on the marks of Jesus in my life so that not only the devil will recognize which school I am with but His love overflows into other people in the community I live in.  This can only happen when I digest His word daily and pray to Him from the bottom of my heart daily.

[P] Dear Father, please remove all dirty stains in my life so Your handy works in my life will shine through.  I cannot do that by myself but I need Your word to wash me through and through.  In Jesus' name I ask.  Amen.

Bonded Community

[S] Acts 18:9-10 --
9 And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; 10 for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city." 

[O] Jesus comforts and strengthen Paul to continue on with his mission from God without hesitation.  He notifies Paul that there are many people in this city to help him (or those with like-minded mission). The key operand here is "many" people.  It wasn't just one partner but many to rely on and from such a bonded community comes the strength to carry on.

[A] Once again, God's way of working in our midst is through a strong bonded community of believers sharing the same vision.  I am praying to seek who these "many" people I am to work with in expanding God's ministry here in my geo.

[P] Dear Jesus, would you please also allow me Your confirmation to know that there are many people to share the vision of expanding Your Kingdom right here in this Area?  Many times I feel I am pretty much alone and would like to know that there are others to build this community with.  I ask in Your name.  Amen.

Restart from Ground Zero

[S] Leviticus 14:45 --
He shall therefore tear down the house, its stones, and its timbers, and all the plaster of the house, and he shall take them outside the city to an unclean place.

[O] If the initial complete cleansing of the house from leprosy fails, then that house is to be torn down and discarded outside the city to an unclean place.  And I'm assuming a new house will be built up in place.  This is how I need to look at my own life and my community's healthiness.  When sin or wrong-teachings creep in, try the overall cleansing but if that does not work, then be ready to tear down everything and start from scratch.

[A] I need to fearfully examine my life for any spiritual leprosy and abhor it to the point of starting fresh from ground zero.  I should not try to layer over the leprosy thinking it will just go away.  I am currently toiling over a situation where I really need God's wisdom to manage it to bring out His glory.  I feel as though we need to do a deep cleansing but I desperately need His wisdom to handle it properly.

[P] Dear Jesus, please intervene in my heart through Your Spirit to speak to me for clear way of managing this circumstance so that Your will is brought forth from it and not of my own credits. Please continue to guard my heart with Your love.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Strong Faith Grows

[S] Acts 16:5 --
So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.

[O] This seems so simple and yet profound -- strong-faith churches grow (in numbers) consistently.

[A] I must prioritize to strengthen my faith first so that my life will consistently grow.  I could try to do many other things to grow, but unless my foundational faith is strong, they will just be scratching the surface only.

[P] Dear Father, please increase my faith daily so that my life will mature with power and strength to grow and to be edifying others along the way.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Communicate Encouragment

[S] Acts 15:30-31 --
30 So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.

[O] These days we have so many channels of communication -- email, Facebook, sms, twitter.com, blog, etc. -- in fact, it's an overload of communication.  As they say quantity does NOT equal quality and I am wondering how much of our overloaded communication encourage others such as this letter read to the congregation in Antioch church did.  I can just see how they were rejoicing after hearing the letter, clapping hands and hugging each other.

[A] As I communicate with others via many means I should carefully choose the words to encourage them and to report what God is doing so that when they read it, they will be uplifted rather than weighing down such as so much of what's in the news these days.

[P] Dear God, You are the message of hope and as I soak up more and more of Your hope, may it overflow to many others I come in touch with.  What I write on Facebook, email, or blog, may it carry the light of Your hope.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Fresh Spirit of Prayer and Fasting

[S] Acts 14:23,27 --
23 When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed. 27 When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.

[O] There is something beautiful about this scene where the apostles are in the beginning stages of establishing the churches with the new opened door (in their mind) to the Gentiles.  Their sincere desire to rely on God through fasting prayer and gathering the churches to report how God is breaking new grounds.  Exciting!

[A] In my observation and involvement in God's ministry, I can honestly say that the key foundation of bringing ministry co-workers together to carry out God's great plan is by prayer -- and furthermore, fasting and prayer.  I am humbly bowing down before God in repentance for lacking such a fervent prayer life to lay the foundation of the ministries I am part of.

[P] Dear God, would you forgive my calloused heart in doing Your ministry and replace it with the heart of flesh that pumps living and fresh blood in my life ultimately to minister to others?  I ask this in Jesus' precious name.  Amen.

Offering Up My Life

[S] Leviticus 3:5 --
Then Aaron's sons shall offer it up in smoke on the altar on the burnt offering, which is on the wood that is on the fire; it is an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. 

[O] I can't help but to think about BBQing at home when I read this because even though I BBQ at home to ultimately eat the meat, the aroma of BBQ is always very pleasant.  Such is the picture I see of the priests offering up the smoke of the burnt offerings.  The meat they burnt was not to be eaten but to be offered up to God as the soothing aroma.

[A] How is my life being burnt up as soothing aroma to my God?  In order to do that I must surrender what I am to be offered up to God and if I were to apply "burning" up to my life, it is about releasing what I am made of through the fire of this world.

[P] Dear God, as I go through the trials and challenges of this world, may my life be offered up to You as sweet aroma.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Power of Praying Church

[S] Acts 12:5 --
So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.

[O] I see the power of a praying church right here because as they fervently prayed, Peter was taken out of the prison miraculously.  God takes joy when the church clings on to Him desperately like this.

[A] Not that we need to add more programs at what is already a busy schedule, integrating this type of praying community is a must in order to experience God's miraculous power and a church leadership must intentionally integrate place, time, and method fit for their congregation to come together in prayer.

[P] Dear Father, wherever I go, may I be a catalyst to promote such a fervently praying community to move God-sized tasks.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Jump of Faith

[S] Acts 11:20-21 --
20 But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks also, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. 

[O] These minority group of people who were scattered due to persecution took an extra step of faith of preaching the Lord Jesus by speaking to the Greeks also.  I also noticed that they preached Lord Jesus and not just the message of Lord Jesus.  One of the potential reasons for these boldness may come from the person who literally carried the cross for Jesus up to Calvary -- Simon from Cyrene.  I wondered what had happened to him after such an impacting experience and my mind is just playing out to see if he was one of the leaders of this group.

[A] Am I willing to carry the cross for Jesus when I had no reason to do that? Am I willing to carry my own cross as Jesus did for me?  Am I constantly willing to take my faith to a new level and not be held back by my comfort of status quo?  Then I will not experience the hand of the Lord working in my life.

[P] Dear Jesus, may I carry Your cross and then realize that carrying Your cross isn't just a chore but a time of entering into Your deep and strong presence such that I may take another new step of faith to preach about You.  May Your hand be with me at all times, especially during this time of seeking Your guidance from where I stand now.  I look up to You as I ask in Your name.  Amen.

God's Bias Toward Fear of Him

[S] Acts 10:34-35 --

34 Opening his mouth, Peter said:
"I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, 35 but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.

[O] God's only bias is toward those who fear Him.  However for all those who fear Him, He treats them all the same -- as His own children.

[A] Is my day beginning and ending while my heart fears the Lord?  How can I live my day when I am not doing this because that only means I am doing things all on my own without reliance on God.  So, I must begin my day with the prayer of surrendering my life in fear of Him.

[P] Dear Father, I fear Your presence in my life and I want to order my life by placing You at the core and that I would obey Your words.  May You, just like how you created this world out of chaos through Your word, create order in my own life to glorify You.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Chain Reaction of Intimacy with God

[S] Exodus 33:11 --
Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.

[O] Just imagining how it would feel to be considered as God's friend who would meet me face to face to talk with me.  Awesome!  But it does not stop there because as noted in this passage, Joshua whom Moses was mentoring observed and desired to be just like Moses also.  Moses' intimacy with God was extended to those he was raising up as a leader.

[A] Chain reaction is what comes to my mind as I meditate on this verse:  God > Moses > Joshua > followers.  I find that I can be in any of the followers of God in this chain but the critical part is that wherever I am I need to link the two other ends together as a bridge which requires a concerted effort on my part.  In other words, this just won't happen organically but needs some methodical framework around it.  So, I must always view my position as a bridge from pursuing the above as well as grooming someone who is following me.

[P] Dear Father, I would like to be like Moses where he is like a friend to God who enjoyed such an intimate relationship and also raising up the next leader like Joshua.  Please allow me the wisdom and a clear plan of actions to be an effective bridge of raising up powerful leaders for Your Kingdom.  Amen.

God's Deeper Plan Beyond the Surface Circumstances

[S] Acts 8:4 --
Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word.

[O] Unfortunate persecution taking place dispersed believers but God had a deeper meaning than the situation on the surface -- He wanted to scatter the believers for His word to be preached out covering wider scope.

[A] Whenever I run into unfortunate situation I should take a moment and bring the situation to the Lord to discern God's deeper meaning for His greater purpose rather than simply judging based on my own perspective.

[P] Dear Father, as You dispersed the believers so Your word will reach the wider areas, please include me in Your greater plan so my life will reach wider areas with Your word and good news.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.