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.

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.

Baalbusters

[S] Judges 6:12,31-32 --
¹²The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior."

¹⁵He 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."

³¹But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar."
³²Therefore on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.

[O] From verse 15 I can see that Gideon did not quite see himself as a valiant warrior. In fact, he specifies that he is the youngest of the least family in town. However, through the angels God calls him "O, valiant warrior." So, it is safe to conclude that God sees things from a different perspective than us. In fact, in 1 Samuel 16:7 God says the following: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." God already saw a valiant warrior in the mere Gideon who was thrashing to save some wheat before the Medianites attack. And once again God was right! I wonder what God sees in me?

Soon after that encounter, Gideon takes some steps of courage and faith by destroying the village's idol belonging to his father. In verses 31-32, I am quite surprised by his father's response when the villagers came to kill Gideon for destroying their altar. He wasn't upset and angry also at his son. Instead he covered for his son saying that if the people's god is strong enough then it should deal with Gideon directly. It's as if Gideon's father was proud of his son's actions even though it had destroyed his own idol. Perhaps God has moved his heart to realize that the idol that cannot even protect itself from his "lowliest" son, then it's not much of a god at all. Because of this valiant action, Gideon is now known to be the "Baalbuster."

[A] Just like Gideon, I find myself one too many times seeing how small I am against the "giant" oppositions in life, especially as a follower of Jesus Christ. God may call me to take up a bigger tasks for His Kingdom on earth but being filled with fear and doubts, I hesitate and calculate again and again while sitting still. I want to be like the "new" Gideon who began to take the steps of standing up for God and taking the bigger steps one step at a time and experience the workings of God right through my own life leading me to victorious life -- the "Baalbuster" kind of a life.

[P] Dear God, just like Gideon's father who approved the actions of his son, I realized that You approve of my actions when I take them with faith and commitment in Jesus' name. I am willing to take the baby steps trusting in You and so please allow me to move forward and be used like Gideon to fight against the enemy and to lead Your people into victory here on earth. In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen.

Hornets or Swords and Bows?

[S] Joshua 24:12-13; Psalm 44:2-7 --

 ¹²'Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow.
 ¹³'I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.'

    ²You with Your own hand drove out the nations;
         Then You planted them;
         You afflicted the peoples,
         Then You spread them abroad.
    ³For by their own sword they did not possess the land,
         And their own arm did not save them,
         But Your right hand and Yourarm and the light of Your presence,
         For You favored them.
    ⁴You are my King, O God;
         Command victories for Jacob.
    ⁵Through You we will push back our adversaries;
         Through Your name we will trample down those who rise up against us.
    ⁶For I will not trust in my bow,
         Nor will my sword save me.
    ⁷But You have saved us from our adversaries,
         And You have put to shame those who hate us. 


[O] Which is mightier weapon of war: hornets or swords/bows?  My answer would be swords/bows.  However, the right answer is whichever is used by the hands of God because He used the hornets to drive out the enemies not by the Israelite's swords or bows.  The key takeaway here is God provided the land which the Israelites did not earn for, or deserve to own.  I may think that I've earned my material possessions with the money I worked so hard for but in a big scheme of things, they too were provided by God for me.  I may have gotten a job to earn the money to purchase my belongings but who provided my health, safety, and spiritual well being such that I may work in the first place?  It's none I did (or can do to achieve).

The Psalmist repeats this same amazing wonder God gifted the Israelites with and in the end commits to trust in the Lord instead of trusting in my own strengths (my own sword and bow).

[A] What are my swords and bows that I am relying on as my weapon of war against the enemy who has been throwing many attacks?  Is it my own efforts of reading the word to find an answer, comfort, strength?  Although this sounds good, this, too, can be my own stumbling block if I do not totally surrender first to His provision in my life even though I do not deserve it through His grace.  He wants me to just trust Him that He will fight ahead of me.  I don't need to try and fight it on my own.  Trust!

[P] Dear God I trust in Your wonderful power and omnipotence.  I am laying down my swords, bows and arrows because I trust in the big God who will cover me and to lead me through the attacks coming my way.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Legacy of Victory

[S] Deuteronomy 30:14; 31;13 --
 ¹⁴"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.
 ¹³"Their children, who have not known, will hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live on the land which you are about to cross the Jordan to possess."

[O] This was a reminder that I don't need to look far for God's guidance for me as it's already in and around me all the time.  So I really don't have any excuse for not knowing about what God wants me to do.  Along the same line, my children also have the same privilege of being near God word and in addition to that as long as I live out the victorious life God intended for me to live, my children's generation will learn to fear God.  Living out the victorious life means conquering the Canaan in my life where I must face oppositions that are far larger than what I can handle and yet wiping them out by obedience to God's calling for my life.  As long as my children witnesses this, their hearts will absorb the goodness and the strength of God and they will in turn trust in the same God.

[A] Continue to encourage my children to attend BSF and keep up with the lessons.  Continue to care for the small group leaders.  In some sense my "children" are both my biological and spiritual children and God wants me to teach them God's provision through my own obedience.

[P] Dear God, I'm so thankful for showing me to see beyond my own needs but to expand my vision to my children's generation.  I want to pass on the spiritual legacy of trusting You especially when going gets tough.  Please raise my children to be the "Joshua's" who will continue on to conquer their Canaans.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Consuming Fire Ahead

[S] Deuteronomy 7:3-4; 8:4,5; 9:3--
^7:3"Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor shall you take their daughters for your sons.
⁴"For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.
^8:4"Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years.
⁵"Thus you are to know in your heart that the LORD your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son.
^9:3"Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, so thatyou may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.

[O] God made it clear about how the Israelites were to completely destroy the Canaanites as they conquer that land because of the reasons He laid out here which, in a nutshell, was so they would not veer off from following God wholeheartedly. As this veering off takes place gradually through small compromises God commands the Israelites not to intermarry with the Canaanites because even though it may seem harmless on the surface, over time this will draw the people's hearts to server other gods and since we have a jealous God, He won't like that at all. If I stop here, the image of our God is the strict and stern one demanding His people to conform to His harsh rules and procedures. But He reminds His people that He is a caring and loving God who desires us to fully enjoy our lives as He had intended in the first place; He reminds His people how for forty years even their clothing and sandals didn't wear out (not by coincidence). How much more would He have cared for people's future well being then? As noted in 9:3 -- very much! He goes ahead to prepare the path for us. He will destroy and subdue them so the Israelites would wipe them out quickly and completely.

I am encouraged by His going ahead of me to prepare me to conquer my life's obstacles. What a comfort that is because my life does have more than enough challenges for me to tackle. At the same time, I also noticed from 9:3 that He involves me in completing His plan for me to live a victorious life. He didn't wipe clean the Canaanites for His people to enjoy the "virus-free" lives in Canaan. The people still required trust and faith to obey God's commands of completely destroying the Canaanites. However, as we read from other parts of the Bible, we know they failed to follow this through and did not destroy and drove out the Canaanites completely. This is the story of my life where I struggle to completely drive out my old nature in me while God desires for me to do that in order for me to bask in His amazing presence while on earth.

[A] What "intermarrying" in my life should I avoid? The list is not short, but for now I need to focus on not giving in to undisciplined use of my daily schedule. This starts with my getting up early to start the LJ and time of prayer with so many needs around me. So, my intermarrying is giving into making myself too busy with non-essential items first so end up spending late hours to get to all the tasks and thus starting the vicious cycle of unable to get up early, etc.

[P] God, You've given me the same 24 hours everyone else has in a day. I want to be more disciplined about utilizing my hours so I am maximizing to tackle the essential items first so I can also be disciplined about my sleeping and waking up time. Even though this may not bear much spiritual aspect, I am convicted this would allow me to draw closer to You every day. So, please help me through Your Holy Spirit to guide me. I trust in You who said will fight ahead of me as a consuming fire. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Have You Seen God at Work?

[S] Deuteronomy 3:5,21-22 --
 ⁵"All these were cities fortified with high walls, gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.

 ²¹"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.
 ²²'Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you.'

[O] The Israelites are up against an obstacle as they are about to enter Canaan according to God's commands.  They know they have to enter there and conquer but what they see with their eyes puts fear in their hearts and are afraid to enter that land.  Here, God is reminding Joshua about how He had defeated the two kings and that He will do exactly that when they enter Canaan.  The Israelites were no match for these two kings they fought but God provided them the victory because He fought ahead of them.  In verse 21, "your eye have seen" made me to reflect on what my eyes have seen God do His miraculous works.  I shouldn't forget about these to remind me whenever I face obstacles that God is bigger than any road blocks I may face.

[A] The small group ministry is facing some challenges right now and as Joshua should have remembered how he witnessed God's victorious battle against the two kings (Og and Bashan), I need to remember how God had blessed and grew the previous small group ministry I was involved in and persevere forward.  And I also need to pray for the leaders so they would also remember the great things God had done in their own lives so they would also see what's ahead of our ministry rather than focusing too much on where we are and what issues we are facing.

[P] Dear God, I want to live my life totally relying on Your going ahead to fight for me against the enemy's power.  I want to see the invisible dreams and I want to live my life reflecting such a faith.  May I learn to cling on to You 100%.  Thank You for training me at all times.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Sign of Your Pleasure

[S] Psalm 41:11-12 --

¹¹By this I know that You are pleased with me,
         Because my enemy does not shout in triumph over me. 
¹²As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
         And You set me in Your presence forever. 

[O] Many times, I wonder whether God is pleased with what I do for Him or not.  I feel defeated many times and seek for His sign of approval.  Today's passage provided me a new perspective to hear God in these situations -- even though my enemy may have scored some points against me, as long as the enemy does not shout triumph over me, I should know that God is pleased with me.  He is the one who will uphold me and embrace me into His presence.  In fact, the game score is already settled to be a victory for God's Team so I should not fall for the trap of discouragement in these situations.

[A] Unfortunately, I am going to face setbacks as I do God's work.  So, this will be another weapon under my belt for times of discouragments.

[P] Thank You, God, for being victorious PERIOD.  Even though I may fall here and there sustain my mind to retain the fact that You will prevail.  And may that knowledge affirm my heart to know that you are pleased with me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Consequences of Lame Excuses

[S] Joshua 17:12-13 --

¹²But the sons of Manasseh could not take possession of these cities, because the Canaanites persisted in living in that land.

¹³It came about when the sons of Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but they did not drive them out completely.

[O] To me, this scene is nothing but "lame excuses."  The Israelites had their chances and opportunities to wipe out the Canaanites but they did not and as it says in verse 13, so even after they grew stronger, they could not drive them out.  The consequence of not wiping clean our sins they seem to linger on longer and longer.  When it comes to our sins we must be brutally clear on removing them from our lives.  Any exuses for leaving behind residue of sin is "lame excuses."

[A] No ands or buts -- when God identifies my sin, simply stop and remove from my life completely.

[P] Dear God, I'm learning from the Israelites who even though Your Promised Land was already provided for them they did not conquer completely by driving out the Canaanites completely.  I'm learning that in addition to Your promises for me, my complete obedience is necessary for me to fully enjoy the fruits of your promises.  So help me and my family to live out Your promises by complete obediences according to Your word that we study daily.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

I Am Still As Strong Today

[S] Joshua 14:11-12; 15:14 --

¹¹"I am still as strong today as I was in the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so my strength is now, for war and for going out and coming in.  ¹²"Now then, give me this hill country about which the LORD spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the LORD will be with me, and I will drive them out as the LORD has spoken."

¹⁴Caleb drove out from there the three sons of Anak: Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai, the children of Anak.

[O] Caleb professes to be as strong as 38 years ago when he was sent to spy out the Promised Land with 11 others.  He was filled with the conviction of God allowing them to conquer the land even though it was occupied by huge and strong people.  His zeal for living a victorious life persisted through all the years of wandering the wilderness and then conquering the land of Canaan.  He was ready to finish the job that he was unable to complete 38 years ago and to do that, he was as strong today as he was back the.  What is driving my life; and what is providing the strength for me to carry on my life for God's glory?  In 15:14 we see that he indeed defeated the sons of Anak and took over that region to accomplish the task for God.

[A] What is the area in my life that needs to be followed through according to God's promise?  Am I as strong as before to accomplish this task with flying colors?  If my desire has decreased along the way, this is the time to refresh my commitment and charge forward.

[P] Heavenly Father, please allow me to carry on the full strength even though I age every year in physical sense to carry out the ministry at Pathway for expanding and equipping the second generation Asian American Brothers and Sisters.  You've given me this purpose 25 years ago and I, too, wanna say to You that I am still as strong today as then.  Thank You for sustaining this zeal.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

When vs. If

[S] Joshua 2:14; Pslam 37:29 --

¹⁴ "... when the LORD gives us the land."

²⁹ the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.

[O] In verse 14, the two spies Joshua sent into Jericho assures Rahab that "when the LORD give us the land" they will honor what she had done for them.  It was not a "If ..."  And when they safely return to Joshua their report was that the LORD indeed has given them the land because the people's hearts were melted.  To the spies, the mighty Jericho fortress with sealed shut gates, or their army mattered to them because they saw it through the eyes of what God had already promised them.

[A] With many uncertainties in life, I tend to say "If God allows, etc." but from now on I should have the faith of "When God wills ..."

[P] Dear God, who has promised me this land, forgive my lack of faith in You.  As in Psalm 37:29, I will stay upright for You and enjoy the inheritance of this land to dwell in for me and future generations of believers.  Grant me the victorious life as I claim what You had already given me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Preparation for Conquering Jericho

[S] Deuteronomy 3:21-22 --  ²¹ At that time I commanded Joshua: "You have seen with your own eyes all that the LORD your God has done to these two kings. The LORD will do the same to all the kingdoms over there where you are going. ²² Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you."

[O] From today's reading I realized that God allowed the Israelites to have some victories over Amorites and Bashanites before entering into Canaan (thus Jericho).  As God says in verse 21, these two victories were to be a reminder and examples of what God will do through the Israelites once they enter the Promisde Land.  It was almost like the warm-up drill for them and it must have helped the Israelites to obey God's leadership when He told them to circle around Jericho for 7 days instead of breaking through the walls of Jericho.  I'm very comforted to know that God prepares for our battles mainly because of our forgetful hearts of what He can do in our lives.  We forget because we rely too much on what we only see with our human eyes rather than seeing with our spiritual eyes.

[A] Treasure the war victories in my heart such that when I'm about to fight the spiritual battles I will be gold and faithful to His calling.  Whatever the "Jericho" is standing in front of me, I should take the steps of faith while trusting His victory.

[P] Dear God, thank You so much for always preparing my weak heart before calling me to take on the battle in front me which always seems so much larger and powerful than what I can bear.  May I take my steps knowing that even though my strength may seem insufficient, Your power is more than sufficient.  Additionally, may I be encouraging to those at Pathway to take on the similar mindset especially when we're just beginning to take steps to move forward into the areas of the "Promised Land" for our spiritual community in this Bay Area.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Marched Out Boldly In Full View Of Egyptians

[S] Numbers 33:3,4 --
 ³ The Israelites set out from Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month, the day after the Passover. They marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians, ⁴who were burying all their firstborn, whom the LORD had struck down among them; for the LORD had brought judgment on their gods.

[O] This chapter summarizes the history of when Israelites came out of Egypt up to the time just prior to their entering into Canaan (Jericho).  The Israelites were under the slavery of Egyptians regardless of their outnumbering population.  They had no rights or freedom under their rule, but when God sent Moses and dealt with the Egyptians until they came to the point of burying all of their firstborns because they refused to submit to God, the situation has reversed such that the Israelites "marched out boldly in full view of all the Egyptians."  During this Lent period the message of boldness or victory seems to be highlighted more to me.  Perhaps as I'm studying the Life of Moses (Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) in BSF may have influenced me to see in light of how the Israelites wandered the wilderness for 40 years and finally they go into Canaan boldly to claim the Promised Land -- no matter how discouraged or tired I may get due to the circumstances I face, ultimately I must stand up and march out of there boldly in full view of the situations.

[A] Do not dwell on the past hang-ups/failures/frustrations, but pick myself up and march onward in boldness!

[P] Dear God, I would like to reflect Your boldness through how I deal with my life's situations.  May I not hide Your power with my lack of confidence in Your presence in my life.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Ephphatha!

[S] Numbers 21:2 --
Then Israel made this vow to the LORD : "If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities.

Mark 7:34 --
He looked up to heaven and with a deep sigh said to him, "Ephphatha!" (which means, "Be opened!" ).

[O] The vow made by Israelites caught my eyes because it wasn't just a crying out to God for "help us!" but they clearly spelled out what they vow to do -- totally destroy their cities.  I am reflecting on my own attitude toward God's leadership whether it's just a mediocre desire to follow Him without having a clear conviction of actions from my part.  I'm especially focusing on totally destroying the enemy along the way.  It's not just a partial victory but a complete victory over them.  To me, "If you will deliver"means, if you empower me to carry out your plans, I will fully (100%) utilize your power to eliminate the influences of the enemy in and around my life.

[A] When I pray for His power, I am going to commit to exercise it fully to destroy the enemy's works that come my way.  When I ask for His power, I plan to use it to the max.  As Jesus said in the Mark passage, I want to claim "Ephphatha" for His power to openly flow through me to claim victorious life every day.

[P] Dear Heavenly Father, Ephphatha! (Not even sure if this is grammatically correct.)  I request Your unlimiting power to work through me and my family's life such that we will claim every day as victorious over enemy's schemes.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.