This is what everyone tells you to do but no one really tells you how. Most will just give you the rather unhelpful "why don't you go home and pray about it?" Finally, how to find God's will for your life in 5 'easy' steps. (well not that easy...)
The following steps apply whether you are trying to decide if you should change jobs, what JC or uni you should go to, whether you should go out and marry this girl or guy, whether you should buy the next ipod when you already have one, or whether you should obey your parents who tell you to stop going to church...essentially, it applies to all moral decisions. The following steps do not apply however to what you should eat for dinner or whether you should wear the red or blue T-shirt.
STEP ONE - DECIDE THAT YOU WILL OBEY GOD
George Mueller writes, "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter". It is important to decide in our hearts at the very beginning that we will obey God on this issue. If we have already set our minds on a certain option, we should be aware that there is a tremendous capacity for self-deception in us, to try to "force" God's will to somehow support our own decision. Our bias will prevent us from truly hearing from God and we will hear only what we want to hear. Only the obedient heart will hear from God.
STEP TWO - CHECK YOUR MOTIVES
99.9% of all the major decision we make in our lives are moral decision. Even the issue of choosing a partner, or a JC or a new job. These decisions are moral decision because we have hidden motives behind each choice we make. And these motives can either be right (pure) or wrong (sinful) motives. For example, we may want to date a certain girl because it improves our popularity 'profile' among our peers rather than because we really care for this person, or we dont want to break off a bad relationship because we find our security and worth in being in the relationship rather than turning to God for our security and worth. Where the motives behind particular choice are wrong (sinful), the choice is definitely not the will of God. Where the motives behind the particular choice are mostly pure, the choice has a higher chance of being the will of God. Most decisions will have resolved itself by this stage or at least narrowed our options, provided we are honest with ourselves. A helpful tip at this stage is to look for a sense of peace. Where a decision is motivate by sinful motives, there will often be a sense of deep unease and lack of peace in the decision. Do also realise however that this unease is the voice of conscience which can be dulled by frequent wilful suppression and disobedience to it.
STEP THREE - LISTEN FOR THE RHEMA (VOICE OF GOD)
When faced with two or more choices, all of which are motivated by mostly pure motives, the next step is to wait on God for His prompting. Here we move into the subjective experience of the spiritual interaction between God and us. The 'rhema' is the voice of God that speaks directly to our hearts and we learn to recognise it by the sudden increase of faith and conviction in that area. Here, we plough through the Word of God, immerse ourselves in it and meditate on it. We attend prayer meetings and ask other to pray for us, all the time, we place ourselves in a still but expectant posture of the mind that God will speak to us and wait for His voice. How God will speak to you individually depends on Him, but it is a common Christian experience for Him to speak though impression, promptings, words or phrases that drop into our minds or jump out from a verse, and a deep sense of abiding peace. The good news is that overtime, practice in this area will increase our sensitivity to the voice of God.
STEP FOUR - GET THE ADVICE AND COUNSEL OF OTHER MATURE CHRISTIANS
Sometime, after God's speaks to us (in STEP THREE) we are quite sure. Othertimes, we may feel God may be prompting us in a certain direction but we are still not sure. Here we seek the advice and counsel of other mature Christians. Advice can come in the form of good practical wisdom about why one university is better than another or which JC is more suitable for you. Counsel can come in the form of prophesy or getting someone who can hear from God to pray for you and to sense what God is telling him about your situation. To be balanced and to minimise error, we need both advice and counsel. To reject either is foolishness.
STEP FIVE - JUST CHOOSE
You have come this far. You have checked your motives and have a sense of peace about two decisions. You have sought and waited on God and you feel He does not seem to disapprove of either decision. You have sought the advice and counsel of mature Christians and both options still seem equally valid. In such a situation, God may be giving you a choice. The will of God may not be a one option or die thing. God actually does give us choices. When God created Adam, He allowed him to choose the name for each animal. In such a situation, both choices are within His will. So relax, just make your choice and commit it to God.
Ending Note: The above steps greatly reduce the error of our decision making and promotes godly and wise decision making. However the frailty of the human heart still means that despite good intentions, sometimes we will get it wrong. But take heed that the grace of God is large enough to accomodate our mistakes. At the end of the day, God works for the good of those who love him and will make all things beautiful in His time.
Do my choices really affect God's will for my life?
At every step of life, we are asked to make choices. Do we go abroad to study or stay in Singapore? What course do we take in the university or poly? What JC do we go to? Do we stay in the same job or move? Do we date or marry this person or not? For the most part, most of us Christians feel that it is important that we are somehow aligned with God's will in our choices.
On this point, two very different theologies are taught in our churches. Some Christians teach that no matter what choice you make, God's will will definitely be fulfilled in your life. Meaning, if I choose to marry this person or if I choose to quit my job or if I choose to go abroad to study, I will always be in the will of God. For God is sovereign and His perfect will will always prevail. Those who teach such a theology often stem from the Presbyterian or Bible Presbyterian denominations with strong roots in Calvinism. Essentially, the theology stems from the Calvinist teachings that God's will is sovereign and will prevail regardless of man's choice. Our choices do not impact God because He is supreme. This, the Calvinist will extend into issues of predestination by the choice of God, ie. you are saved because God has chosen you; the immutability of God in the face of prayer, ie. prayer does not change God, it changes us; and in the issue at hand, do my choices really affect God's will for my life.
On this issue, others like me take a different theological position, that is, that my choices do really affect God's will for my life. This is in fact the theological position of the Armenians, who emphasise the reality of free choice and corresponding moral responsibility. Let us reason together. If we say our choices do not affect whether God's will is fulfilled or not in our lives, then our choices only have moral consequences, and not destiny consequences. Let me explain. If I say my choice does not affect God's will, that means if I make a choice to date and marry a non-Christian girl, I may be disobeying God if but ultimately His will for my life will be fulfilled. To assert this is true, I feel, is a bit of an absurdity and is inconsistent with scripture. It is absurd because we can never sin and still be within the will of God. Sin cannot be within the will of God.
I would like to discuss three possible scenarios where our choices DO affect the outplay of God's will:
(1) It is God's will for us to be saved. If we reject God and are disqualified from salvation, God's will for our lives is unfulfilled. This is because it is His desire for all man to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.(1 Tim 2:3,4) In every life who rejects God, the will of God for salvation is not fulfilled in that person's life.
(2) It is God's will for us to serve in a particular ministry. If we are disobedient to our calling, ie. we refuse to serve in a particular ministry for which God has intended for us to serve, God's will for the ministry will remain unaffected because He will simply raise up someone else to do the job. This principle is illustrated in the story of Esther. In Esther 4:14, Mordecai tells Esther, "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish". Essentially, God's unfolding plan of salvation in the world today will not be thwarted by our disobedience however we in our own lives forfeit the blessings of God by our disobedience. Which brings us to our third scenario.
(3) It is God's will to bless us. However if we are morally disobedient, ie. we persist in unrepentant sin or rebellion against God and His will, we may enter into the discipline of God and suffer the consequences of our sin, thus stifling the blessing of God in our lives for the period of our active rebellion. However if we turn back to God in repentance, we enter into His blessing and thus fulfill His original intent to bless us. In this situation, there are two routes to the final place of blessing - the first is the route of obedience leading to blessing. The second route is the more painful route of disobedience leading to discipline leading to repentance leading to blessing. The final end point is the same in both cases but the alternative routes taken are very different. This principle is illustrated in the story of Jonah. Jonah could have been obedient the first time and gone to Nineveh. However he chose the path of rebellion and fled to Tarshish from the presense of the Lord. Though ultimately he repented and God's will for Him to preach to the people of Nineveh was fulfilled, the route to which Jonah had to take to reach there was one of calamity and distress and discomfort. The same situation is seen in the people of Israel entering the promise land. The 40 years in the wilderness could have been avoided had they obeyed first time round. Two paths to the same end, one straight path of obedience, or the difficult path of disobedience.
In conclusion, we see that our choices do affect the outplay of God's will in our lives. In certain situations, we put ourselves through unecessary pain to get to the same end point. In other situations, where we never repent, we miss the will of God for our lives and God raises up someone else in our place to fulfill His will. Your choice?
On this point, two very different theologies are taught in our churches. Some Christians teach that no matter what choice you make, God's will will definitely be fulfilled in your life. Meaning, if I choose to marry this person or if I choose to quit my job or if I choose to go abroad to study, I will always be in the will of God. For God is sovereign and His perfect will will always prevail. Those who teach such a theology often stem from the Presbyterian or Bible Presbyterian denominations with strong roots in Calvinism. Essentially, the theology stems from the Calvinist teachings that God's will is sovereign and will prevail regardless of man's choice. Our choices do not impact God because He is supreme. This, the Calvinist will extend into issues of predestination by the choice of God, ie. you are saved because God has chosen you; the immutability of God in the face of prayer, ie. prayer does not change God, it changes us; and in the issue at hand, do my choices really affect God's will for my life.
On this issue, others like me take a different theological position, that is, that my choices do really affect God's will for my life. This is in fact the theological position of the Armenians, who emphasise the reality of free choice and corresponding moral responsibility. Let us reason together. If we say our choices do not affect whether God's will is fulfilled or not in our lives, then our choices only have moral consequences, and not destiny consequences. Let me explain. If I say my choice does not affect God's will, that means if I make a choice to date and marry a non-Christian girl, I may be disobeying God if but ultimately His will for my life will be fulfilled. To assert this is true, I feel, is a bit of an absurdity and is inconsistent with scripture. It is absurd because we can never sin and still be within the will of God. Sin cannot be within the will of God.
I would like to discuss three possible scenarios where our choices DO affect the outplay of God's will:
(1) It is God's will for us to be saved. If we reject God and are disqualified from salvation, God's will for our lives is unfulfilled. This is because it is His desire for all man to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.(1 Tim 2:3,4) In every life who rejects God, the will of God for salvation is not fulfilled in that person's life.
(2) It is God's will for us to serve in a particular ministry. If we are disobedient to our calling, ie. we refuse to serve in a particular ministry for which God has intended for us to serve, God's will for the ministry will remain unaffected because He will simply raise up someone else to do the job. This principle is illustrated in the story of Esther. In Esther 4:14, Mordecai tells Esther, "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish". Essentially, God's unfolding plan of salvation in the world today will not be thwarted by our disobedience however we in our own lives forfeit the blessings of God by our disobedience. Which brings us to our third scenario.
(3) It is God's will to bless us. However if we are morally disobedient, ie. we persist in unrepentant sin or rebellion against God and His will, we may enter into the discipline of God and suffer the consequences of our sin, thus stifling the blessing of God in our lives for the period of our active rebellion. However if we turn back to God in repentance, we enter into His blessing and thus fulfill His original intent to bless us. In this situation, there are two routes to the final place of blessing - the first is the route of obedience leading to blessing. The second route is the more painful route of disobedience leading to discipline leading to repentance leading to blessing. The final end point is the same in both cases but the alternative routes taken are very different. This principle is illustrated in the story of Jonah. Jonah could have been obedient the first time and gone to Nineveh. However he chose the path of rebellion and fled to Tarshish from the presense of the Lord. Though ultimately he repented and God's will for Him to preach to the people of Nineveh was fulfilled, the route to which Jonah had to take to reach there was one of calamity and distress and discomfort. The same situation is seen in the people of Israel entering the promise land. The 40 years in the wilderness could have been avoided had they obeyed first time round. Two paths to the same end, one straight path of obedience, or the difficult path of disobedience.
In conclusion, we see that our choices do affect the outplay of God's will in our lives. In certain situations, we put ourselves through unecessary pain to get to the same end point. In other situations, where we never repent, we miss the will of God for our lives and God raises up someone else in our place to fulfill His will. Your choice?
Where is the lighthouse?
The sea was charged with anger. The storm raged like a lion out of a cage, smashing its watery fists against the pitiful vessel, tossing and throwing it around the heaving waves. A black fog covered the tempestuous sea like a suffocating blanket, its darkness tempered only by the blinding swords of light that slashed from heaven to earth. At the stern of the vessel, the captain clawed in vain to regain control over his battered vessel. He was well aware that scattered beneath the darkness was a minefield of rocks. Even the slightest of contact with any of them could prove deadly in this madness. O where is the lighthouse? For without it, how can we see in this present darkness?
In an age where the storms of conflicting morality rage, where is the lighthouse? For without it, how can we see in this present darkness? If we were to trace the development of western society through last few centuries, we will see a progressive secularization of society. By secularization, I mean the deliberate removal of religion and God from public life and government. Religion and God is now something relegated to the private sphere. Man is free to believe whatever he chooses in private but woe is the man who tries in public to impose it on his fellow citizens. Don’t talk to me about your Jesus Christ. That is a only matter between you and Him. In this reign of secularism, God is removed from the vocabulary of public life. In the once Christian America, prayer has been banned from schools; Christianity and Jesus Christ cast out from public life. Yet, rather than reduce division, secularism has created even more confusion. For we cannot run away from the issues of right and wrong. What should our stand be on abortion, on capital punishment, on freedom of speech, on the legalizing of casinos, on the recognition of gay rights, etc? How can a society decide on issues of the conscience, on issues of right and wrong? What basis do we have to determine these issues that mean so much to us?
With the dethroning of God from the vocabulary of public life, we have lost our moral point of reference. Every opinion of morality made by anyone is just that, an opinion. We have no basis, no reference point for judging that opinion. Morality is reduced to mere opinion and the conscience to the arbitrariness of feeling. The reason - having relegated religion to the private sphere, to each man his own, no one can now lay claim to a higher moral reference point to which he can judge conflicting moral view points. For a society devoid of a moral reference point, anything can be justified through sufficient persuasion and politics. History has seen the mayhem wrecked by a madman who tore the shackles of conscience from a society in the quest for the super-race. We are still bleeding from the senseless murders of Sep 11 done in the name of religion.
It is a dangerous thing when issues of right and wrong have no other legitimacy than the fact that our leaders say it is or that the majority of man say it is. It is a sad day when a society has to vote on its values. For if there is only you and me in the boat, how do we know who is right? In an age where the storms of conflicting morality rage, where is the lighthouse? For without it, how can we see in this present darkness?
In an age where the storms of conflicting morality rage, where is the lighthouse? For without it, how can we see in this present darkness? If we were to trace the development of western society through last few centuries, we will see a progressive secularization of society. By secularization, I mean the deliberate removal of religion and God from public life and government. Religion and God is now something relegated to the private sphere. Man is free to believe whatever he chooses in private but woe is the man who tries in public to impose it on his fellow citizens. Don’t talk to me about your Jesus Christ. That is a only matter between you and Him. In this reign of secularism, God is removed from the vocabulary of public life. In the once Christian America, prayer has been banned from schools; Christianity and Jesus Christ cast out from public life. Yet, rather than reduce division, secularism has created even more confusion. For we cannot run away from the issues of right and wrong. What should our stand be on abortion, on capital punishment, on freedom of speech, on the legalizing of casinos, on the recognition of gay rights, etc? How can a society decide on issues of the conscience, on issues of right and wrong? What basis do we have to determine these issues that mean so much to us?
With the dethroning of God from the vocabulary of public life, we have lost our moral point of reference. Every opinion of morality made by anyone is just that, an opinion. We have no basis, no reference point for judging that opinion. Morality is reduced to mere opinion and the conscience to the arbitrariness of feeling. The reason - having relegated religion to the private sphere, to each man his own, no one can now lay claim to a higher moral reference point to which he can judge conflicting moral view points. For a society devoid of a moral reference point, anything can be justified through sufficient persuasion and politics. History has seen the mayhem wrecked by a madman who tore the shackles of conscience from a society in the quest for the super-race. We are still bleeding from the senseless murders of Sep 11 done in the name of religion.
It is a dangerous thing when issues of right and wrong have no other legitimacy than the fact that our leaders say it is or that the majority of man say it is. It is a sad day when a society has to vote on its values. For if there is only you and me in the boat, how do we know who is right? In an age where the storms of conflicting morality rage, where is the lighthouse? For without it, how can we see in this present darkness?
Breaking Satanic Strongholds
God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:3). The Cross has bought freedom, blessing, healing and grace. Yet we see so little of it in our families, our schools, our churches and our lives. Spiritual blindness prevails in our society and our schools. Many Christians suffer under demonic oppression and addiction to sin and negative emotions. Families and lives are progressively destroyed. Dissatisfied with our current state of existence, we long to enter into the 'fullness' of God and experience revival. I have begun to realise that the main obstacles that prevents the rain of blessings and grace from reaching our lives are satanic strongholds and bondages. For the blessing and grace of God to reach our lives, these strongholds and bondages must be broken. There is no other way. To understand and deal with satanic strongholds and bondages, it is important to first understand how Satan works.
There are three primary sources of satanic strongholds and bondages. These are (1) Unrepentant Sin, (2) Generational Curses, and (3) Lack of Knowledge of the Truth.
Unrepentant sin forms the single most prevalent causes of satanic bondage. An unrepentant sin is a cherished sin that we know is wrong but persist stubbornly to hold on to it. We refuse to repent and renounce the sin because we enjoy the pleasure it brings. But what we are not aware of is that very soon, that sin becomes a bondage, trapping and enslaving us. We loose control over this area of our lives, unable to resist temptation when it comes, descending into addiction and bondage. Sometimes, unrepentant sin is fueled by false justifications. We convince ourselves of the lack of seriousness of the sin, justifying our actions behind some perverted rationalising until we are able to sin without feeling any guilt. At other times, we fall into a helpless cycle sin, confess, sin, confess yet never feeling that God has really forgiven us. Each time, we grow more convinced that if we do it one more time, we will cross the line into eternal damnation and apostasy. Soon the Accuser hits us with his wrecking ball of condemnation, destroying our hope that God will ever forgive us again. Our faith is then shipwrecked on the rocks of condemnation.
The second cause of satanic strongholds is generational curses. Exodus 20:4 tells us that idolatry of the father brings a curse to the third and fourth generations. When our ancestors engage in idol worship, ancestor worship or engage in temple medium activities, or any manner of false religion, this causes the generations that follow to be brought under a curse. These curses may manifest themselves in hereditary disease, illness or deformity, in crushing and continuing poverty, in early and sudden deaths among family members, or acute spiritual blindness and non-receptivity to the gospel.
The third cause of satanic strongholds is the lack of knowledge of the truth. God pronounces in Hosea 4:6 that "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The cross brings a message of salvation, blessing and freedom. But our entire society and system is engineered by the devil to hide this truth from man. For if man were to know the truth, the truth will set him free (John 8:32). Our generation is one that is pervaded by sensationalism and sensualism. The mass media of television, movies, advertisement, computer and video games bombards us with sensations and sound and pictures and information, yet cleverly drowning out truth in the process. Our academia has cast out God from intellectual thought, replacing Him with the empty foolishness of rationalism and existentialism. "God is dead... we have killed him" (The Parable of the Madman, Nietzsche, 1882). We must open our eyes to see that there is a satanic 'mind' behind the systems of this world, that we live in a world controlled by the 'prince of this world'. There is nothing is neutral about contemporary society. Contemporary society is engineered to the hiding of the truth about God, to the closing of the minds of our youths and to the ultimate destruction of our souls.
The path to the destruction of satanic bondages and strongholds is threefold. (1) Warfare prayer, (2) Repentance, and (3) Truth Affirmation.
In warfare prayer, we take the authority of the Name of Jesus and pray against strongholds and bondages. For unto us has been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever we let loose on earth shall be let loose in heaven (Matt 16:19). Unto us has been committed the authority to trample on scorpions and serpents and to overcome all the power of the enemy and they will by no means harm us (Luke 10:19). In warfare prayer, we put on the full armour of God so that in the day of battle, we will be able to stand (Eph 6:13-17). In warfare prayer, we do not speak to God, but to the demonic and satanic principalities of this world, casting them down in the Name of Jesus.
The next path to the destruction of satanic strongholds is repentance. As unrepentent sin and idolatry form the main roots of the strongholds, repentance cancels of the power and curse of sin and uproots the stronghold. To repent, there is need to first identify the root sin underlying the stronghold. I believe that the root sin behind our Nation is the sin of insignificance. We are a small island trying to survive in a large world, and the spirit of anxiety and fear of loss pervades ever level of our society, enslaving us in crushing strife. To those in my church, I believe the root sin that is preventing revival from coming to our church is the sin of judgementalism. We judge and criticize and ostracize. We form cliques and exclude others, emasculating agape love with our middle and upper class pride. There is a need for us to repent as a church, to repent as a nation for these enslaving sins. There is a need for true Christians to stand in the gap on behalf of our nation, our schools, our churches and our families and repent before the throne of God for the sins of our nation, our schools, our churches and our families. Let us fall to our knees and pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins of our generation. He who has ears to hear, let him then hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Lastly, we must affirm the truth to set us free. The battle for our generation is for the minds of our youths. We must therefore preach the word in season and out of season. We cast down every argument and high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4,5) We must be ever ready to give a reason for our faith, to defend our faith in our schools, our colleges, our universities and in our workplaces. We must train our minds and saturate our churches with the power of the Word, transforming our minds to the minds of Christ. For only then will we know the truth and the truth will set us free.
There is a spiritual war that is taking place in the spiritual realm for dominion over heaven and earth and over the souls of man. We have to duty to reclaim our lives, our families, our schools, our workplace, our churches and our society back to God. For Christ has already won the victory.
There are three primary sources of satanic strongholds and bondages. These are (1) Unrepentant Sin, (2) Generational Curses, and (3) Lack of Knowledge of the Truth.
Unrepentant sin forms the single most prevalent causes of satanic bondage. An unrepentant sin is a cherished sin that we know is wrong but persist stubbornly to hold on to it. We refuse to repent and renounce the sin because we enjoy the pleasure it brings. But what we are not aware of is that very soon, that sin becomes a bondage, trapping and enslaving us. We loose control over this area of our lives, unable to resist temptation when it comes, descending into addiction and bondage. Sometimes, unrepentant sin is fueled by false justifications. We convince ourselves of the lack of seriousness of the sin, justifying our actions behind some perverted rationalising until we are able to sin without feeling any guilt. At other times, we fall into a helpless cycle sin, confess, sin, confess yet never feeling that God has really forgiven us. Each time, we grow more convinced that if we do it one more time, we will cross the line into eternal damnation and apostasy. Soon the Accuser hits us with his wrecking ball of condemnation, destroying our hope that God will ever forgive us again. Our faith is then shipwrecked on the rocks of condemnation.
The second cause of satanic strongholds is generational curses. Exodus 20:4 tells us that idolatry of the father brings a curse to the third and fourth generations. When our ancestors engage in idol worship, ancestor worship or engage in temple medium activities, or any manner of false religion, this causes the generations that follow to be brought under a curse. These curses may manifest themselves in hereditary disease, illness or deformity, in crushing and continuing poverty, in early and sudden deaths among family members, or acute spiritual blindness and non-receptivity to the gospel.
The third cause of satanic strongholds is the lack of knowledge of the truth. God pronounces in Hosea 4:6 that "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The cross brings a message of salvation, blessing and freedom. But our entire society and system is engineered by the devil to hide this truth from man. For if man were to know the truth, the truth will set him free (John 8:32). Our generation is one that is pervaded by sensationalism and sensualism. The mass media of television, movies, advertisement, computer and video games bombards us with sensations and sound and pictures and information, yet cleverly drowning out truth in the process. Our academia has cast out God from intellectual thought, replacing Him with the empty foolishness of rationalism and existentialism. "God is dead... we have killed him" (The Parable of the Madman, Nietzsche, 1882). We must open our eyes to see that there is a satanic 'mind' behind the systems of this world, that we live in a world controlled by the 'prince of this world'. There is nothing is neutral about contemporary society. Contemporary society is engineered to the hiding of the truth about God, to the closing of the minds of our youths and to the ultimate destruction of our souls.
The path to the destruction of satanic bondages and strongholds is threefold. (1) Warfare prayer, (2) Repentance, and (3) Truth Affirmation.
In warfare prayer, we take the authority of the Name of Jesus and pray against strongholds and bondages. For unto us has been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatever we let loose on earth shall be let loose in heaven (Matt 16:19). Unto us has been committed the authority to trample on scorpions and serpents and to overcome all the power of the enemy and they will by no means harm us (Luke 10:19). In warfare prayer, we put on the full armour of God so that in the day of battle, we will be able to stand (Eph 6:13-17). In warfare prayer, we do not speak to God, but to the demonic and satanic principalities of this world, casting them down in the Name of Jesus.
The next path to the destruction of satanic strongholds is repentance. As unrepentent sin and idolatry form the main roots of the strongholds, repentance cancels of the power and curse of sin and uproots the stronghold. To repent, there is need to first identify the root sin underlying the stronghold. I believe that the root sin behind our Nation is the sin of insignificance. We are a small island trying to survive in a large world, and the spirit of anxiety and fear of loss pervades ever level of our society, enslaving us in crushing strife. To those in my church, I believe the root sin that is preventing revival from coming to our church is the sin of judgementalism. We judge and criticize and ostracize. We form cliques and exclude others, emasculating agape love with our middle and upper class pride. There is a need for us to repent as a church, to repent as a nation for these enslaving sins. There is a need for true Christians to stand in the gap on behalf of our nation, our schools, our churches and our families and repent before the throne of God for the sins of our nation, our schools, our churches and our families. Let us fall to our knees and pray to the Holy Spirit to reveal the sins of our generation. He who has ears to hear, let him then hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Lastly, we must affirm the truth to set us free. The battle for our generation is for the minds of our youths. We must therefore preach the word in season and out of season. We cast down every argument and high thing that sets itself up against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4,5) We must be ever ready to give a reason for our faith, to defend our faith in our schools, our colleges, our universities and in our workplaces. We must train our minds and saturate our churches with the power of the Word, transforming our minds to the minds of Christ. For only then will we know the truth and the truth will set us free.
There is a spiritual war that is taking place in the spiritual realm for dominion over heaven and earth and over the souls of man. We have to duty to reclaim our lives, our families, our schools, our workplace, our churches and our society back to God. For Christ has already won the victory.
Battleground Earth
There is an unseen war raging in the spiritual dimension, a war more deadly than you and I can ever imagine. Underneath the surface of world politics, cross-cultural missions and church ministries, the struggle for dominion rages on. Yet many of us go on living our mundane lives, oblivious to the deadly struggle beneath. The stakes of this battle: dominion for heaven and earth and the souls of man. The forces: the Kingdom of God vs the kingdom of darkness. Here is how the story unfolds...
From eternity past, since the creation of heaven, the sovereignty of the Almighty was unchallenged. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was all in all. The reign of the Holy Trinity supreme over the vast creation. Then there was Lucifer, the archangel of worship, the anointed cherub whose glorious wing covered the throne of God (Eze 28:11-15). He was perfect in all his ways, the most powerful and most glorious of the angels. Till the day pride was found in him. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. His glory corrupted him. And Lucifer proclaimed "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like God." With him, a third of heaven rebelled. A war waged in the heavens. Michael, the archangel of war fought against the Lucifer and his fallen angels and quashed the rebellion (Rev 12:7-9). Lucifer, the once great archangel, was cast to the dark and formless earth to await final judgment.
In the midst of the deformed earth, God created man, the pinnacle of creation. And God recreated the earth (Gen 1:2,3). To man was given dominion over all of creation (Gen 1:26, Psalms 8:4-6). To man, the only created being who reflected the very likeness and glory of God, nobility was conferred. But that dominion was shortlived. Like Lucifer, man chose the path of self-glorification and independence. "You will be like God" (Gen 3:5) said the tempter, and man ate of the fruit. The fall of man brought sin and death into the beautiful earth, condemning it to decay. Now in bondage to sin and death, man forfeited the dominion of the earth to the tempter. Seizing dominion, Lucifer, now called Satan, installed himself as the prince of this world, the "kosmokrator" (Greek: ruler of the world), a title even the Christ Himself acknowledged (see John 12:31). The whole world was now under the dominion of the prince of darkness (1 John 5:19)
Yet the fall of man had long been prophesied and the Christ ordained before the creation of the world to execute the most mind-boggling plan of salvation and conquest creation had ever seen. Into the dominion of Satan, the Messiah was born. For the first time, was born a man Satan had no control over (John 14:30). As that God-man grew, the prince of darkness sensed his impending downfall. Satan tried unsuccessfully to derail the plan of salvation by offering the Messiah the path to self-glory, but faithfulness triumphed that day in the desert. As Christ entered his ministry, demons were cast out, the sick healed, and the truth of salvation preached. With each exorcised demon, with each converted believer, soul by soul was freed from the dominion of darkness and the dominion of God re-established in that life. The kingdom of God had come upon the kingdom of darkness. The messianic invasion had begun. Yet Satan plotted and schemed, gaining control of the hearts of one of the Messiah's 12 disciples, Judas, moving him to betray his Lord to death. Yet the cross proved to be a catastrophic miscalculation on the part of the unholy one. As the nails were driven into the hands of the Messiah on that bloodstained cross, those nails proved to be the final nail in Satan's coffin. As the Messiah uttered his last breath and cried "it is finished", Satan was finished. What Satan thought was to be his greatest triumph by killing the Messiah, turned out to be his greatest undoing. With the shedding of sinless blood and the sacrifice of the perfect life, sin was wiped away forever. The curse of sin and death was broken over the souls of man and the dominion of Satan over the souls of man disarmed (Col 2:15). Satan was made a public spectacle.
"All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me" the resurrected and victorious Christ proclaimed (Mat 28:18) The dominion of heaven and earth and over the souls of man now lay in the hands of the Messiah. At His name, every knee would bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:9-11). Yet in these end times, the battle rages on for dominion for Satan refuses to acknowledge the dominion of Christ. Very soon, the anti-Christ will rise and for 3 and a half years persecute the saints and all who do not bow their knee to him. He is the Beast, a representation of violence and cruelty, and his number is the number of man: His number is 666. Satan will make one final stand against the God of heaven and His chosen people. At the end of the great tribulation, the anti-Christ will gather all the armies of the world under his Satanic control to lay siege against the chosen of God, the greatest demonstration of military might the world had ever seen, in a place called Armageddon. And scripture reveals that in that hour, the heavens will open and Christ will return with the armies of heaven. On him will bear the glorious name, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Rev 19:11-21). His feet will touch the mount of olives (Zech 12:4). And he will overcome the beast and his armies by His very Word (2 Thess 2:8). As the King speaks, a plague will fall upon the armies of the beast and their very flesh will dissolve from their bones (Zech 14:12). There will be wholesale carnage of the armies of the beast and anyone who dares challenge the authority of God and of His Christ. On that day, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever (Rev 11:15). And the end will come, and the victorious Christ will enter the throne room of heaven and deliver the kingdom to God the Father, that God may once again be all in all (1 Cor 15:24-28).
Until the time of the end, the battle for dominion rages in heaven and on earth and over the souls of man. Though Jesus has won it by right, Satan continues to hold families and churches and nations in bondage. To us has been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt 16:19), the mark of the supreme authority of Christ. Our task, to enforce the dominion and authority of Christ against Satan and forces of darkness. For in this last days, Christ will build His church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it (Matt 16:18). The time has come for the people of God to arise and to claim back the ground seized illegally by the devil. In the Name of Jesus, we break the dominion of Satan over our families, our schools, our churches, our nations and our lives and bring them into the glorious freedom of Christ. We submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the devil, and he will flee from us (James 4:7).
You see my friends, there is a battle raging over heaven and earth and for the souls of man. And there are only two sides. Jesus says if we are not for him, we are against him. There is no place for indifference. Which side are you fighting for?
From eternity past, since the creation of heaven, the sovereignty of the Almighty was unchallenged. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit was all in all. The reign of the Holy Trinity supreme over the vast creation. Then there was Lucifer, the archangel of worship, the anointed cherub whose glorious wing covered the throne of God (Eze 28:11-15). He was perfect in all his ways, the most powerful and most glorious of the angels. Till the day pride was found in him. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. His glory corrupted him. And Lucifer proclaimed "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like God." With him, a third of heaven rebelled. A war waged in the heavens. Michael, the archangel of war fought against the Lucifer and his fallen angels and quashed the rebellion (Rev 12:7-9). Lucifer, the once great archangel, was cast to the dark and formless earth to await final judgment.
In the midst of the deformed earth, God created man, the pinnacle of creation. And God recreated the earth (Gen 1:2,3). To man was given dominion over all of creation (Gen 1:26, Psalms 8:4-6). To man, the only created being who reflected the very likeness and glory of God, nobility was conferred. But that dominion was shortlived. Like Lucifer, man chose the path of self-glorification and independence. "You will be like God" (Gen 3:5) said the tempter, and man ate of the fruit. The fall of man brought sin and death into the beautiful earth, condemning it to decay. Now in bondage to sin and death, man forfeited the dominion of the earth to the tempter. Seizing dominion, Lucifer, now called Satan, installed himself as the prince of this world, the "kosmokrator" (Greek: ruler of the world), a title even the Christ Himself acknowledged (see John 12:31). The whole world was now under the dominion of the prince of darkness (1 John 5:19)
Yet the fall of man had long been prophesied and the Christ ordained before the creation of the world to execute the most mind-boggling plan of salvation and conquest creation had ever seen. Into the dominion of Satan, the Messiah was born. For the first time, was born a man Satan had no control over (John 14:30). As that God-man grew, the prince of darkness sensed his impending downfall. Satan tried unsuccessfully to derail the plan of salvation by offering the Messiah the path to self-glory, but faithfulness triumphed that day in the desert. As Christ entered his ministry, demons were cast out, the sick healed, and the truth of salvation preached. With each exorcised demon, with each converted believer, soul by soul was freed from the dominion of darkness and the dominion of God re-established in that life. The kingdom of God had come upon the kingdom of darkness. The messianic invasion had begun. Yet Satan plotted and schemed, gaining control of the hearts of one of the Messiah's 12 disciples, Judas, moving him to betray his Lord to death. Yet the cross proved to be a catastrophic miscalculation on the part of the unholy one. As the nails were driven into the hands of the Messiah on that bloodstained cross, those nails proved to be the final nail in Satan's coffin. As the Messiah uttered his last breath and cried "it is finished", Satan was finished. What Satan thought was to be his greatest triumph by killing the Messiah, turned out to be his greatest undoing. With the shedding of sinless blood and the sacrifice of the perfect life, sin was wiped away forever. The curse of sin and death was broken over the souls of man and the dominion of Satan over the souls of man disarmed (Col 2:15). Satan was made a public spectacle.
"All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me" the resurrected and victorious Christ proclaimed (Mat 28:18) The dominion of heaven and earth and over the souls of man now lay in the hands of the Messiah. At His name, every knee would bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue would confess that Jesus is Lord (Phil 2:9-11). Yet in these end times, the battle rages on for dominion for Satan refuses to acknowledge the dominion of Christ. Very soon, the anti-Christ will rise and for 3 and a half years persecute the saints and all who do not bow their knee to him. He is the Beast, a representation of violence and cruelty, and his number is the number of man: His number is 666. Satan will make one final stand against the God of heaven and His chosen people. At the end of the great tribulation, the anti-Christ will gather all the armies of the world under his Satanic control to lay siege against the chosen of God, the greatest demonstration of military might the world had ever seen, in a place called Armageddon. And scripture reveals that in that hour, the heavens will open and Christ will return with the armies of heaven. On him will bear the glorious name, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords (Rev 19:11-21). His feet will touch the mount of olives (Zech 12:4). And he will overcome the beast and his armies by His very Word (2 Thess 2:8). As the King speaks, a plague will fall upon the armies of the beast and their very flesh will dissolve from their bones (Zech 14:12). There will be wholesale carnage of the armies of the beast and anyone who dares challenge the authority of God and of His Christ. On that day, the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever (Rev 11:15). And the end will come, and the victorious Christ will enter the throne room of heaven and deliver the kingdom to God the Father, that God may once again be all in all (1 Cor 15:24-28).
Until the time of the end, the battle for dominion rages in heaven and on earth and over the souls of man. Though Jesus has won it by right, Satan continues to hold families and churches and nations in bondage. To us has been given the keys to the kingdom of heaven (Matt 16:19), the mark of the supreme authority of Christ. Our task, to enforce the dominion and authority of Christ against Satan and forces of darkness. For in this last days, Christ will build His church and the gates of Hell will not overcome it (Matt 16:18). The time has come for the people of God to arise and to claim back the ground seized illegally by the devil. In the Name of Jesus, we break the dominion of Satan over our families, our schools, our churches, our nations and our lives and bring them into the glorious freedom of Christ. We submit ourselves to the Lord and resist the devil, and he will flee from us (James 4:7).
You see my friends, there is a battle raging over heaven and earth and for the souls of man. And there are only two sides. Jesus says if we are not for him, we are against him. There is no place for indifference. Which side are you fighting for?
The slavery of freedom
That is a pretty ironic statement, "the slavery of freedom". Many of us seek freedom. The freedom to enforce our individual rights, the freedom to exercise our preference and choice, the freedom to express our thoughts without fear of reprisal, the freedom to enjoy life the way we want to. Freedom is equated with happiness. The greater the freedom, the greater the happiness. Every teenager growing up in every home across the world sits his bedroom looking out of the window at the world and dreams of freedom. Sons and daughters fight and rebel against their parents to win their freedom. The right to go where we want. The right to do what we want. The right to mix with whoever we chose. After all, freedom equals happiness. All across the world, men fight for freedom, the freedom of self-governance, the freedom of civil liberties, the freedom of democracy. After all, freedom equals happiness. Yet what are we really fighting for, this illusive freedom? When we finally seize that freedom, are we rewarded with happiness? Is life and society all that better once freedom is wrenched from the jaws of restraint?
Absolute freedom, my friend, does not equal happiness. The reason - for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Deep within the heart of man lies a terrible curse, the curse of sin. Like a cancerous disease, sin controls, consumes and slowly destroys. Its devastating effects are only slowed by the moral restraints of religion and the legal restraints of civil society. When man is left to his own devices, when there absolute freedom, like a car parked on a slope with the handbrake suddenly lifted, man inevitably slides to anarchy and society into destruction. The selfishness of the human heart will only use freedom to disregard another. The lustfulness of the human heart will only use freedom to violate another. The pride of the human heart will only use freedom to destroy another.
Freedom is not the right to do what you want. True freedom is the right to do what you ought. True freedom is moral freedom - the ability to do what is morally right. In God's moral universe, anything else is slavery. I have seen family after family in court destroyed because of the selfishness of the human heart. I have seen youths in bondage to gangs, immorality, self-mutilation, violence and substance abuse. To say that it is freedom to express themselves in this way is to mock the very meaning of freedom. The path of happiness lies to the one who does the will of God. For that is the entire duty of man (Ecc 12:13).
So the next time we decide to fight our parents, our bosses, our leaders and our government for freedom, let's ask ourselves what we are actually fighting for.
Absolute freedom, my friend, does not equal happiness. The reason - for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Deep within the heart of man lies a terrible curse, the curse of sin. Like a cancerous disease, sin controls, consumes and slowly destroys. Its devastating effects are only slowed by the moral restraints of religion and the legal restraints of civil society. When man is left to his own devices, when there absolute freedom, like a car parked on a slope with the handbrake suddenly lifted, man inevitably slides to anarchy and society into destruction. The selfishness of the human heart will only use freedom to disregard another. The lustfulness of the human heart will only use freedom to violate another. The pride of the human heart will only use freedom to destroy another.
Freedom is not the right to do what you want. True freedom is the right to do what you ought. True freedom is moral freedom - the ability to do what is morally right. In God's moral universe, anything else is slavery. I have seen family after family in court destroyed because of the selfishness of the human heart. I have seen youths in bondage to gangs, immorality, self-mutilation, violence and substance abuse. To say that it is freedom to express themselves in this way is to mock the very meaning of freedom. The path of happiness lies to the one who does the will of God. For that is the entire duty of man (Ecc 12:13).
So the next time we decide to fight our parents, our bosses, our leaders and our government for freedom, let's ask ourselves what we are actually fighting for.
God is interested in the secular
It's been almost 5 years now since I left law school to work. The calling to become a full time pastor has always been a consideration at the back of my mind, although at this point of my life, I dont feel called to do so. Well not yet anyway. So I entered the secular world, pursued a secular career and relegated my ministry to the weekends. Was I somehow less of a Christian for becoming a lawyer rather than a pastor? Many of us struggle to make our Christianity compatible with our secular endevours, whether studies or work. Somehow we feel that God would be more pleased if we spent all our time in church, or ministry or evangelising or preaching etc. Time spent in school or in the office is time spent away from God. Interestingly, in the book the Contemporary Christian, the great Christian writer John Stott writes, "the God many of us worship is altogether too religious." This is true of many of us. We feel that God is only interested in church services and evangelism and other religious stuff. Exams and work are 'secular' things which God has no concern of. And if it is not his concern, there is no reason why should he help us in our studies or in our work. In fact, we almost expect him to be displease if we serve less in church because of our studies or work. Then I came across Col 3:23,24 -
"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
These verses clearly tell us that God is as interested in our secular pursuits as he is in our church service. Paul was talking about servants obeying their masters, clearly a very 'secular' thing. And what is even more surprising is that he says we will be rewarded for this 'secular' efforts! John Stott goes on to write "The whole of our life belongs to God and is part of his calling, both before conversion and outside religion. We must not imagine that God first became interested in us only when we were converted, or that now he is interested only in the religious bits of our lives." Many Christians feel that if there is a toss-up between serving in YM or church, and their studies or work, ministry should take priority. We must realise however that there are seasons in our lives. If you are a student, then you been called to be a student at this point of your life. Your calling is then to honour God in your studies. If you are a lawyer or a doctor, then it is your calling to be a lawyer or a doctor at this point of your life. And we are to honour God by using the abilities and position that we have to serve him.
When we begin to shine the light of eternity on our secular pursuits, we will begin to see them as God sees them. We study and work hard, but we do so with the perspective that we are working for something greater than that A grade or the next promotion. We do so because we are stewards of the opportunities, abilities and talents God has given us, and are therefore responsible to develop and use them for His glory and for the futherance of His kingdom. We are able to put work and studies in their proper place, not to use them for self-glorification but in surrender to His eternal purpose and perfect plan. It is amazing then cos in the grand scheme of eternity, there is eternal reward for every secular thing we do on this earth. That includes passing your Chinese exam...
"And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."
These verses clearly tell us that God is as interested in our secular pursuits as he is in our church service. Paul was talking about servants obeying their masters, clearly a very 'secular' thing. And what is even more surprising is that he says we will be rewarded for this 'secular' efforts! John Stott goes on to write "The whole of our life belongs to God and is part of his calling, both before conversion and outside religion. We must not imagine that God first became interested in us only when we were converted, or that now he is interested only in the religious bits of our lives." Many Christians feel that if there is a toss-up between serving in YM or church, and their studies or work, ministry should take priority. We must realise however that there are seasons in our lives. If you are a student, then you been called to be a student at this point of your life. Your calling is then to honour God in your studies. If you are a lawyer or a doctor, then it is your calling to be a lawyer or a doctor at this point of your life. And we are to honour God by using the abilities and position that we have to serve him.
When we begin to shine the light of eternity on our secular pursuits, we will begin to see them as God sees them. We study and work hard, but we do so with the perspective that we are working for something greater than that A grade or the next promotion. We do so because we are stewards of the opportunities, abilities and talents God has given us, and are therefore responsible to develop and use them for His glory and for the futherance of His kingdom. We are able to put work and studies in their proper place, not to use them for self-glorification but in surrender to His eternal purpose and perfect plan. It is amazing then cos in the grand scheme of eternity, there is eternal reward for every secular thing we do on this earth. That includes passing your Chinese exam...
The well is deep.
There is an aching emptiness in each of us. Scars and wounds in our hearts caused by hurt and rejection. Many of us have been hurt by the people closest to us, people we look to to protect us only to be betrayed and disappointed by their hurtful words and selfish actions. Sometimes, these scars and wounds are so deep that we do not even realise they are there. We do not realise that our entire psychological set-up has developed in response to those emotional scars and wounds. To fear being hurt again, some of us build huge defensive barriers, not allowing ourselves to ever to vulnerable again. Others strive for power and achievement to compensate for the shame within. Still others turn to ddictive and destructive behaviour to sooth our wounds and escape from facing the intolerable pain within. Often the most driven people are the most insecure. The most powerful and accomplished are the most fearful of insufficiency. The most charismatic and charming are the most fearful of rejection. When we open the window to our souls, we realise that the mechanisms and wires that run beneath the surface are far from God-pleasing. There is a cry within each of us for love and acceptance and protection. Yet all our attempts at false comforts to provide for ourselves these things only leave us more insecure, more fearful and more helpless.
"The well is deep", said the Samaritan woman to Jesus. How will you ever be able to fill it? How will you ever be able to fill chasms and voids of my emptiness within? Who can ever heal these deeply buried hurts and pain? Yet the love of God is like a fountain of living water, not only enough to fill the deep wells of hurt, but to cause it to overflow in love. When we encounter the person of Jesus, bit by bit, little by little, those wells are filled. The embrace of His love, the security of His presence, the joy of His approval. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
"The well is deep", said the Samaritan woman to Jesus. How will you ever be able to fill it? How will you ever be able to fill chasms and voids of my emptiness within? Who can ever heal these deeply buried hurts and pain? Yet the love of God is like a fountain of living water, not only enough to fill the deep wells of hurt, but to cause it to overflow in love. When we encounter the person of Jesus, bit by bit, little by little, those wells are filled. The embrace of His love, the security of His presence, the joy of His approval. He will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
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