Prayer is Warfare!

It shocked me to realise how things in life link up.
I read through on chapter 5 of the book 'Praying effectively for the Lost', which I thought was like the very essence of the book, the heartbeat of the book.
The 'spiritual warfare' this chapter talks about is no doubt prayers. I like how he categorised the stronghold's in the mind of 'lost' people.
The primary stronghold is UNBELIEF, with many other smaller strongholds (greed, lust, selfishness) compounding up. This had made this stronghold almost infallible.

Prayer breaks this stronghold of UNBELIEF.

I somewhat witnessed how this stronghold was broken down in a person's life, how God was faithful and was greatly blessed by it.
-----------------------

Remembering Prayer as an essential tool. Many things to pray for, and always remembering to start praying before I even start thinking on my own.
It's good to have praying partners, to pray together in one accord. Yet, that can't be an excuse for not praying alone. For I learnt that when I pray for others, Satan loses power over them. Satan engage in a losing war against the Almighty God whenever a prayer is made.

Note: It's good to keep a personal prayer list. :)

A season to reflect

There's this ice skating event at novena square, which I chanced upon yesterday. This had me admiring the gracefulness and elegance of the act of combining dance with skating. Good to see many young and aspiring local skaters around.
The other form of ice skating I can think of is that of entertainment- those 'disney on ice' kind. These are the kind that can bring lots of excitement and thrill.
This also in a way reminds me of the Christmas season coming ahead.

Is Christmas meant to be joyous, or merry?
How then do people 'celebrate' Christmas?
It is because of Christ's birth that we can have Christmas. Only by knowing who He is and acknowledging His love and power, we can have Christmas with praise in our heart.

- Posted using BlogPress

Thankful still.

Down with slight flu and sore throat. This has caused my voice to sound kinda muffled and weird. Haha.
I sort of got very tempted to go and see a doctor, or 'report sick' in army lingo. Yet, I guess it was not necessary after all.

Anyway, this week was indeed eventful. One thing that really got stucked in my head was the fragility of life. The images that are gathered from some videos our instructor show on traffic accidents involving deaths had me really gross out and in shock.
James 4:14 writes:

whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away

Human beings on the road have become like pins that are just easily knocked down and killed in the most gory of ways, just because of non-compliance to traffic rules and regulations.

I am beginning to appreciate the Driver's Creed we all pledge each day before going for our drive.
Driver's Creed:
I, as a Driver of the Singapore Armed Force,
Pledge to comply with all traffic rules and regulations,
To be courteous and considerate to all road users,
To drive safely and defensively,
To maintain my vehicle.

There's no need to end this off with the 'with my life' (as seen in the soldier's pledge), which is quite logical and make sense.

Looking forward to the end of this driving course and the activities as the year draws to an end. Learning to ask God for journey mercies and grace each day I am on the road.

His Grace is sufficient. (2 Cor 12:9)

Faith

Amid all the uncertainty in my life in army now, I thought it will be appropriate to evaluate what the faith in which I had cling on to.
What does it really means to have faith?
For what is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 writes:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

So how can we get this faith?
Romans 10:17 writes:

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

In essence, someone needs to share their faith with us.

It's easy to say, "I believe in God". Faith comes in only when tasked to do something extra for that statement being made.

Someone once said something which I will paraphrase: "If you still do not act on your faith when life is at its worst, then you are graceless."
Salvation, though is free for all, needs to be act upon, that faith needs to be active, seeking and reaching out to redeem it.
I enjoyed the ending of the song 'Only faith',: "Only by Faith, only by faith, only by faith, the Grace applies."

Thus, its quite certain ONLY BY FAITH then can we get God's grace.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That sort of sums up faith that amounts to salvation.
Now onto faith in the daily walk and life.
Some say our faith can increase or decrease, by how close we yearn ourselves to God in our quiet time, worship and prayers. It can also be affected by life's event, where God may seems silent, or He had answered prayers.
Can we measure faith? Or rather our Christian faith? The bible says that if we are to have faith as a mustard seed, we are able to move 'mountains'!

I believe that prayer is one means we can act upon our faith. In fact, prayer can be said to be the most strenuous exercise based on that act of faith.
To have faith in the Holy Spirit interceding for us,
To have faith in God answering them according to His riches and glory,
To have faith in Jesus, to love us enough to die and rise again on Calvary.

I think faith does changes, for God is faithful even when we lack faith.
Using the analogy of driving an automobile down a road, when our road of life gets bumpy, its easy to lose that faith in the captain driving the car. We thought we can never make it, often causing stalls and resulting in delay in the journey.

Our walk with God is one that is directly linked to our faith, and this faith I believe cannot be stagnant, it cannot remain status quo. Just like how our muscles will deteriorate if left unused, our faith needs to be exercised and worked out, always pumping even assisting others through your act of faith.

As the year draws to an end, I am indeed thankful for how God has increase and renewed my faith in Him. Though at time when the events in life seems bad, which had me almost doubting and losing faith, I do know He is still faithful.
Philippians 1:6

being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

Outlining some thoughts

A quick update on how my week has been (Joseph was telling me to get a timetable and follow it so that time can be wisely spent): The pace of learning driving inside seems real fast, I had already started travelling on public roads 3 times as this week draws to an end. Nevertheless, a scary and learning experience, which makes me appreciate more of my dad's driving skills.

I saw Jem Tay inside camp this week. What a pleasant surprise I will say. Apparently he is about to become a transport officer and is learning how to drive the landrover also.

Had been wondering on the idea of evangelism and parables.

Mark 4:13-20
And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

This had me thinking of the use of parables, how different people responded differently to the gospel and how we are to avoid sowing such seeds on not so fruitful grounds.

I was reading through on how many people have avoided or turned away from the gospel because of ONE BIG AND IMPRESSIONABLE unpleasant experience that radiantly changed or impacted their life. This has often become the stumbling block whenever the gospel is shared to them.
Along with this thought, I was thinking of how we Christians have unknowingly excluded people from knowing the gospel, how we have grown complacent with life and not been sensitive to the real 'needs' of the lost ones. Only by knowing the 'inner man' in others can then we break the 'barrier', shine forth our 'light' in us onto them.

Charles Surgeons once said:

"It very often happens that the converts that are born in excitement die when the excitement is over."

Its often during tiring times, during times of great 'revival experiences' that people cling on more unto God, call upon Him more. This somewhat selfish mindset needs to be changed. May the word that is preached be rooted deep in them, bringing forth mighty and great fruit, just with faith as a mustard seed.

A quick update on how my week has been (Joseph was telling me to get a timetable and follow it so that time can be wisely spent): The pace of learning driving inside seems real fast, I had already started travelling on public roads 3 times as this week draws to an end. Nevertheless, a scary and learning experience, which makes me appreciate more of my dad's driving skills.

I saw Jem Tay inside camp this week. What a pleasant surprise I will say. Apparently he is about to become a transport officer and is learning how to drive the landrover also.