詩篇149
榮耀，榮耀，我的王。你以救恩為我榮耀冠冕
我因主寶血得以稱義
我因所得榮耀歡呼
我口中稱讚我神為至高
我手裡有兩刃的刀
刑罰惡者，破除黑暗
這是聖民榮耀的禱告
榮耀，榮耀，我的王。你以救恩為我榮耀冠冕
你喜愛我，賜我公義
我因主聖靈寶血得以成聖
我因所得榮耀歡呼
我口中稱讚我神為至高
我手裡有兩刃的刀
奪回靈魂，朝見耶穌
這是聖民得勝的禱告。
Category: Poems
Listen and discern
The praying warriors are the comrades God unites to bring out His force.
You are lifting up the banner of God’s love together.
You are the conduit of gushing out His power.
You are speaking God’s Rhema to shake the spiritual and natural world.
You are determined to listen to God’s commands alone and nothing else.
You take captive all the voices including yours to submit them to Jesus Christ’s truth.
You rebuke and command any ungodly voices to go away from you in Jesus Christ’s name.
You practice this skill over and over again in your whole life.
You are worthy of being God’s servant and soldier if your spirit is willing and your soul follows it to listen and obey and your body reacts to His voice alone.
Prayer:
Abba Father, El Shaddai, I totally depend on You.
“May we shout for joy over your victory and lift up our banners in the name of our God. May the LORD grant all your requests.” (Psalm 20:5)
No time to waste
No time to self pity or fret over ungodly comments.
No time to waste on worrying about the chaotic rumors.
No time to judge others’ sins.
Your time is saved for doing God’s work, saving the lost and those who are being dragged to death.
Your time is spent on loving the poor and the needy.
Your time is outpoured to glorify Father God’s name in the stories He is writing in your life.
“Teach us to number our days,
that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
Who is bewitching you
Who is making you feel guilty or condemned?
What do you hear?
Is it from God?
Who is telling you that you should set up rules for yourself to be a good Christian?
What rules can make you more holy like Heavenly Father?
Are those rules for pleasing yourself or God?
Doesn’t the Bible say: you are allowed to do anything but must not become a slave to anything (refer to 1 Corinthians 6:12).
Why not confess to God if you worry you cannot overcome the desires of flesh and ask for His help?
Why not praise God for His grace is bigger than your sins?
In the name of Jesus Christ, I rebuke the spirit of hypocrite to get behind me.
You cannot have any place or control in me.
You told me to live a lie with godly appearance by restraining myself with self wills;
And then you try to crush me to depression when I cannot do it on my own effort.
You grab my hand to slap on my cheeks;
My face is blushed, feeling hurt and ashamed.
But when I call on Jesus Christ’s name, He reminds me of Heavenly Father’s mercy of forgiveness is new every morning.
Jesus Christ came to set me free by His truth through His blood shed on the cross.
If He set me free, I am free indeed. (refer to John 8:36)
His blood has purchased me from enemies.
He has loved me with His everlasting love. (refer to Jerimiah 31:3)
He has made His covenant with me and been keeping it for me faithfully.
So that I am empowered through the Holy Spirit to stride out and run freely,
Like a lamb, free out of cage,
Joyfully leaping on Abba Father’s meadow,
Resting beside His stream of living water.
Jesus Christ has been covering me with His righteousness like a royal robe.
I shall take off my shabby old self,
And put on the full armor of God: With His truth as belt to repel lies, His righteousness as breastplate to guard my heart, His gospel as shoes to walk in peace, His granted faith as shield to extinguish the flaming arrows of the devil, His helmet of salvation for submitting my thoughts to the truth, and God’s word as the offensive double-edged sword.
Jesus Christ has made me bold as a lion (Proverbs 28:1b).
He has made me more than a conqueror—
I may fall but meanwhile, I look around for collecting the treasures on the ground of suffering,
When He lifts up my head and leads me through the valley of troubles,
I shall stand firm in His promises which are always Yes to the end.
我心寧靜
安的先生傳來簡訊，
安中風不能說話，不能傳簡訊，
但是她想告訴我，
她愛我，希望很快能跟我聯絡。
我為安禱告，
父神啊，求您讓安感受到您的同在、平安與大大澆灌在她心中的慈愛。
我流淚禱告，心裡恢復平靜，我知天父神已經垂聽，祂的大能會保護安。
安得腦瘤而軟弱的身軀，因為主耶穌的寶血遮蓋，使她心裡卻日漸更新強壯。
這是生命的韌性，是掌管生命的創造主所賜予的恩典。
願天父上帝在安的生命中得榮耀。
Will you really…?
Peter said to Jesus: I will lay down my life for you.
Jesus said to Peter: Will you really lay down your life for me? (John 13:38)
When I say that God loves me freely and unconditionally,
Ask God and my conscience, if I love God with all my heart.
When I say that God is just to avenge for the oppressed and punish the wicked,
Ask if I repent for my sins and want to receive His forgiveness and then I can rest in His peace.
When I say that I trust God,
Ask if I still have fear in certain areas.
When I say that I love God,
Ask if I cannot love someone or forgive him/her/myself.
When I say that I am obeying God,
Ask if I choose only what I prefer to do.
When I say that I want to serve God,
Ask if I am faithful in small things God has entrusted to me.
When I think that I know God’s mind,
Ask if I have a bias or pride in my heart.
When I quickly teach people what to do,
Ask if I pray for them in love before I speak.
When I worry about being influenced by the world without discernment,
Ask if I am determined to put on God’s armor to fight against lies.
When I want to go to fight with God in the spiritual battle,
Ask if I have repented for my hidden sins and follow God’s commands humbly.
Is Jesus saying to you like to Peter: “You are not ready as you think you are.”
Ask and let God’s word prepare you in His way and His timing, rather than your way and the schedule you see fit, because Jesus is gracious and willing to tell you the truth if you ask and listen to Him. Jesus’ truth is meant to give you hope, not frustration.
Therefore, never lose hope because God of hope promises you: Ask and you will receive the Holy Spirit God sends to dwell in you to empower you, so that you will grow to be like Jesus Christ in His way and in His time.
Affirming People is Glorifying God
“Sing to Him, sing praise to Him; tell of all His wonderful acts.
Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.”
(1 Chronicles 16:9-10, NIV)
“A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words.”
(Proverbs 12:14a, NAS)
To affirm people is from a heart of glorifying God.
It’s not nourishing pride with empty flattering, but it is putting the sincere appreciation into words to recognize a soul which is made in God’s image.
If you ask God for a mouth which speaks truth in love, you will find yourself speaking compliments and encouragement to people more than criticizing and putting down.
Therefore, the first step of glorifying God as the Creator of all human kinds is to humbling yourself and ask God’s wisdom and love for words to affirm people around you.
Up and down.
When the politicians talk about right or left, we forget about the up and down. Up is the God, and down are the humans.
When God creates us, He put Himself in our heart: our greatest longing is to be accepted by God. Our greatest fear is to be rejected by God.
That’s why Adam and Eve hid themselves behind the bush and covered their naked body with leaves, for they feared their rebellion was not accepted by God.
What is sin?
It is that this God we ought to long and fear is replaced by other idols: longing to be accepted by other people and fearing rejected by other people.
Other people, including self, become our center.
The Fall of humans brings the tragedy: there’s no God in our hearts. That is the sin we have by rejecting and forgetting all about God.
What does sin cause?
Our sin is deadly causing our shame and guilt.
We look for remedy by going to idols: religions, philosophy, fame, money, lust, drug, all kinds of desires which never quench our guilt.
Sooner or later, that unquenchable guilt ignites the fire of anger, either blowing to others or self.
We could run away from another person, from a relationship, from the society, even from our lives.
But the guilt follows us, for it’s in the self.
We could meditate on religious words and try to empty ourselves.
But the ego is still in the self because that’s the subject who meditates.
Pause and Pray
However,
If you pause and pray to God, you may hear His gentle voice: “Who are you?”
Are you the one who cheats on yourself and others by being someone else, just like Jacob cheated his father, Isaac, to get the blessing for his older brother Esau?
Are you trying to run for your life and not confessing your sorry to the people you offended, just like Jacob to Esau?
God is pursuing you.
However,
God is pursuing you.
God is coming down to meet you in the wilderness, through the ladder of the cross.
God says to you: nobody can replace you, for I give you the unique DNA.
Falling is not the worst, but staying on the ground.
So, getting up quickly, not bowing down in shame anymore,
To look up to the God, who lifts up your face and gets you up with His strength.
God sent Jesus to come to the world and wants to assure you:
Your shame and guilt have been completely dealt with through Jesus on the cross.
No shame. No guilt. Only love is lavished on you by this God of love.
Come to God. Just pray with simple faith. And He promises to come near to your heart.
Don’t lose your heart, for God’s Holy Spirit living right there with you.
2019 母親節 Mother’s day
上帝藉由孩子的口告訴我，他們看到我的改變。
我何等感恩能成為母親，從失敗到站起來，都是上帝的恩典。
我自己知道，孩子也看見：我的跌倒卻見證神的扶持。
只有上帝能使水變成酒，使不好的變為好，叫萬事互相效力，使愛神的人得益處。
When I thought about my regrets and mistakes, my children affirmed me with the changes they see in me.
How thankful I am to God for giving me the affirmation from my children.
Falling is not the worst, but staying on the ground.
So, get up, for God of love and power lifts you up.
