20120114:Can Kingdom be INVADED?

Luke17:

²⁰And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:

 ²¹Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

 ²²And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.

 ²³And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.

Recently I came to hear about the above conference coming to this little red dot.

The conference title "Kingdom Invasion" set my little brain ticking. I asked myself "Can Kingdom be invaded?"

Well, in many sense, kingdoms can be invaded. The following short youtube which showed 100 years history in 10 minutes from 1911- 2011 would explain technically what invasion is all about - the world of wars.

Having seen the youtube above, one must think that if this is happening in the physical realm of wars between countries and nations, what then about the spiritual invisible wars that is currently being fought right now? Yes - this very minute you are reading this - you are at war with the principalities - the kingdom of darkness merely because you are in the Kingdom of Light. Look at the old logo which says "CONFLICT_ REFLECT_OVERTHROW" with the coat of arms and the sword : Isn't what wars is all about in the days of old? 

That flyer "Kingdom Invasion" really sets me really thinking.

 Read Luke 17:20-23 .

"The kingdom of God cometh not with observation" V20

"The kingdom of God is within you" V21

""Go not after them.."V23.

Also Luke 21:8 "Take heed that you be not deceived; for many shall come in my name....go not after them"...umm

There is a kind of strange teaching going on right now advocating that the "kingdom" is coming down to earth.  Wait a minute, go and have a look at blog date

20111021 : Altar#2 What really is Kingdom of God?


The Holy  Spirit - is within us after pentacost.  Jesus departed earth - He gave us His HS.  Our body is the temple of the HS. The kingdom is within us. Prior to that , before pentocost, Jesus often said, behold the kingdom is near - while He was on earth. But if you do read the bible carefully, after pentacost, the Kingdom is within us...(INSIDE)  We are commanded to expand His kingdom with righteous living in His grace from inside out after our salvation which cannot be earned or bought or taught .YHWH....His kingdom comes not with observation of miracles signs ..the ummmh and ompp and arrhh..

Hence,  the kingdom is WITHIN US!!There is only one Kingdom - ie the Kingdom of YWHW! The true Kingdom that does not need to have inverted commas!!!

If there is white, there is black, where there is darkness, there is light, where is there heaven, there is hell, so henceforth where there is a true holy Spirit, there is a false counterfeit spirit, where there is YWHW the true and righteous reigning king, there is a devil who is all out to invade the territorial and usurp the kingdomship - going all out to steal , kill and destroy.


These are the times or last days we are living in. Even the elect can be deceived.

(Matt 24:24) Remember the movie "Clear and Present Danger"? 


Hosea 4:6 says

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you shall be no priest to me: seeing you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children.

Remember JOhn 1:1-5 "IN the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning wiht God.  All things were made by him ;and without him was not anything made that was made.  In him was life and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not"

Any banner or conference flyers that elevate the human speaker/s more than Jesus Himself is already a big red alarm bell. Seek knowledge in the One who is able to open our eyes to see the invisible realm.  For without that we can be deceived.

Reflection

Jesus is the true Light, which lights every man that come into the world.  John 1 :12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

Have you received him into your heart? Do you believe in His name? If you have, He has given us the right to become children of God, children not born of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. He is living in you. His kingdom is now within you. Human beings cannot give further impartation of power.  That is already a done deal by Jesus Himself who promises anyone who has faith in him will do what he has been doing.  He will do even greater things than these (John 14:12)

Food for thoughts indeed.

Who is invading who? That's a good question to ponder!


A beautiful song by Bob Fitts - Take my Healing to the Nations 
(wars...they will never end... Matthew 10:45? Jesus said"

I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" Like the "Kingdom Invasion " old logo - beside the coat of arms,  there is a sword.  But what kind of sword is Jesus talking about here? It is the sword of division that God's word brings. It is the division of truth from error, and the reaction of the darkness
against the light.

20120121 Double Rainbow heralds the Year of the Dragon

Above fantastic full arc taken from Bishan by Sean's friend on 21/01/12

 This quadrant of double rainbow was taken also in Bishan by Gina

This quandrant of also double rainbow was taken in Tiong Bahru market by XR & LC!

Deut 7:9 "Know therefore that the LORD thy God, 

he is God,

the faithful God,

which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him

and keep his commandments to a thousand generations"

Just about 2 days before we usher in the lunar new year of the dragon, the Lord gave us our little red dot this awesome arc of covenant of His everlasting love and faithfulness.

An old man once said to his son that this little red dot might become a black dot if we do not pay the right people to rule the country. There was so much talk about the monetary rewards and sacrifice to serve the nation.

Alas, YWHW is the ruler of this nation. He is the reigning King of this beloved little red dot.

This awesome rainbow , a double one too, reminds me that He is our sovereign God. He is watching over those who love him and keep his commandments.

The servant King, who really sacrificed himself for us on the cross. His personal sacrifice is worth much more that the millionth of dollars. It cost him His very own life which no amount of money can buy.  Solely for the one reason - He came down to earth to serve and not to be served. It is an honour and privilege to serve this supreme King in return for what he had done for us. That's nothing compared to a sacrifice. That is a joy and privilege - the highest honour of any subject.

I love rainbows! Oh Yeah! So uplifting, so awesome to behold, shout it out!! Wheeee!!!
In Chinese culture, a double rainbow is considered auspicious and a reason for reflection and meditation.  Indeed, would you reflect on what the Father and Son has done and prepared for us? Love this song too! Latest addition of my rainbow collection : THIS ONE on 21/01/2012.....fantastic date to remember...like my earlier collections...WOW WOW! WOW!

20120112 :HeBrews 3 The thing called "T0-DAY"

Heb 3:7-11 "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost says, TODAY IF YOU WILL HEAR HIS VOICE, HARDEN NOT YOUR HEARTS, AS IN THE PROVOCATION IN THE DAY OF TEMPTATION IN THE WILDERNESS.  WHEN YOUR FATHERS TEMPTED ME, PROVED ME, AND SAW MY WORKS 40 YEARS.  WHEREFORE I WAS GRIEVED WITH THAT GENERATION AND SAID ,'THEY DO ALWAYS ERR IN THEIR HEART; THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN MY WAYS.  SO I SWEAR IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST'
The phrase "Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts " was repeated again in v 15. IN fact the spoken words were written in the Psalm 95 - a call to worship the Lord sing, make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation..to come before his presence with thanksgiving. In fact 2 old songs were written out with the Psalm.


I reckon that "TODAY" is always an important DAY for anyone of us. To me it is like waking to a new morning each day, being alive and granted another "T0-day" to start with. Like Ground Zero, we do have Day Zeros.. I am not sure of the next T1, or T2 or T3 days to be added on. Simply because we won't know if we were be given yet another day by the Maker of the heavens and earth. Our times is in his hands (Ps30:15)


The faithfulness of YWHW is fresh every morning. Likewise His grace and mercy and forgiveness is unending. The mistakes we make of yesterday, we can restart the new tomorrow with T0. What a great assurance!


YWHW grieves for a generation who errs in their hearts, who do not know His ways. So while He is Loving, He can be in wrath too. And when He does that - umm we shall not enter His rest. Heb3:19 "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief"


Coming back to YWHW is simply to repent.
Repentance is simply a change of heart.
The heart is simply the beginning source of the way we decide what we do about the T0.
We cannot determine what is in store in the DAY for us - beyond our control.
But we are able not to err in our hearts - ie to change our attitude towards things beyond our control.


Our little red dot prides herself for efficiency and productivity, good clean government. Yet, last month we saw our MRT having major breakdowns that created havoc in human transportation.  We experienced "ponding" in Orchard area due to the incessant rain. Both incidents were revealing.  The very railway lines and canals system simply cannot be blocked! It is dangerous . Just as the blood vessels and our heart valves are hardened or blocked - we get heart attacks and we die.


So T0DAY, harden not our hearts! We may not have a T1 or T2.  Never take this for granted.
So if you are someone like me who is now in her T17,100th day on earth, and YET do not know Him and His ways, it is not too late T0DAY! If you are TXXth in knowing the awesome Creator God, then I pray that the Lord teach you to number your days, that you may apply your hearts into wisdom (Ps 90:12) Amen!


It is a privilege to know Him. He grants us that REST that all of us needed each day. Open our hearts. Invite Him in. 


Below is a extract I received yesterday. Great insights!

Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life. Never ask for a lighter rain. Just pray for a better umbrella. - That is attitude.

When flood comes, fish eat ants and when flood recedes, ants eat fish.  - Only time matters. Just hold on, God gives opportunity to everyone!

Life is not about finding the right person, but creating the right relationship, it's not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end.

Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them. A Wall or a Bridge? - Remember you are the architect of your life.

Search for a beautiful heart, but don't search for a beautiful face. Coz beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful.

It’s not important to hold all the good cards in life. But it’s important how well you play with the cards you hold.

Often when we lose all hope & think this is the end, God smiles from above and says, 'relax dear it’s just a bend, not the end.' - Have faith and have a successful life.

One of the basic differences between God and humans is, God gives, gives and forgives. But the human gets, gets, gets and forgets.

Be thankful in life....

20120108: HeBrews : A cuppa of Prayer thoughts

Martha's biz and her reflections below received this morning kind of resonates in my heart.."ultimately it is God alone who decides if is going to work.  We can be good farmers and plant good seed but it is God who does the watering and  the growing.  Prayer is critical to me"

Of late I have been thinking of the prayer part. I am a bit like Martha "Prayer is critical to me". Attending corp prayers had always been on high priority list for me in the past.  Many pp thot that prayer is a kind of "highly spiritual matter" so many attend cells but when it comes for corp prayer, many skipped. Many confessed they cannot 'pray'. I used to wonder why as we know that the corporate prayer life of the church & it is the thermometer for the church. I too  used to "wowed' at those who woke up at 3 or 4 am and prayed for hours! But until today, I am not able to do this . So, unfortunately sometimes such notions where we are brought up after being saved - indeed created the fear factor in young believers and old ones continue to be deceived that this area too.

But prayer is a lifestyle thing. It is like breathing in and out - not localised in one area to a particular blocked out time like a corp prayer in church or a nation. It is not about the eloquence of the quantity of words uttered out but more of a quality of content coming from the heart. It is not always praying out of 'gimme' list but rather it is more of  "give them" & is a conversation of all sorts with our Creator God.  Out of the heart the mouth speaks.  The Lord does not look at the outer appearance but the heart. Else,why would Eph 6:18 (comes after we are equipped with the whole armor of God) exhorts us to ? "And pray in the Spirit ( inner heart)  on all occasions (ya everywhere, anything, anyhow) with all kinds of prayers and requests (yep- wide range communications) " Inserts are mine. Corporate prayers are merely intense sessions for the body of Christ.  But the Lord expects us to be in communion with him all the time in the personal capacity. If we were just to hold our breathe for a min, we would burst out in the last second. Try it. Have some fun. That lungs of ours just couldn't contain the air within.  We are made to breathe in and out naturally. Likewise is prayer - our conversation with God. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Rom 8:26" We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts know the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Reflections

Like to be like Enoch? A man who walked with God? 

Yes indeed "Prayer is critical " to all of us. Let us be in syn at all times.

We are living in a rather tecnologically advance era. We tweet, we sms, we what's apps, facebooked, email - just one press of a button, it can become viral.

I used to wonder how the Lord process our prayers from earth to His ears. When I am bombarded with some mass chats at times, I was already overwhelmed. So how did God do it? I cannot reply instantaneously at times, processing through is no joke. Well, He can. He hears. He even acts in that split of a nano second. And we awed! 

My bread experiment in July 2010 - our words uttered - they are powerful. Prayer with the right words and intent - is therefore powerful too!

Beautiful song by Casting Crown : If all I have is just one breath...

Martha's Personal Letter 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) For we walk by faith, not by sight. As we enter this year celebrating 25 years of Sew Beautiful publication, I have to marvel at God’s goodness in doing this monumental feat - allowing us 25 years to prepare it for you. And at his blessing this publication so much as to have it travel all over the world several times a year. I can assure you it is God who has known how to keep this business going when I had no clue what to do next other than pray. Truthfully, is there any other way to run a business? After all of the written plans, the networking, the “this and that and the other,” ultimately it is God alone who decides if it is going to work. We can be good farmers and plant good seed but it is God who does the watering and the growing. Prayer is critical to me. I am especially praying for the orphans and sewing ladies I met and saw in Rwanda last September. I marvel at the thousands of people who contribute financially so the Africa New Life Team can minister so beautifully to so many people. Simply amazing. But that is the way God works. In amazing ways. I am reminded of the famous evangelist George Muller (1805-1989) who was director of the Ashley Down Orphanage in Bristol, England. He cared for 10,024 orphans in his life and established 117 schools that offered Christian education to over 120,000, many of them being orphans. He was well known for never asking for financial resources but always praying. There is a well-documented story about one morning when not a speck of food or milk was on hand to feed the hundreds of hungry orphans breakfast. Mr. Muller prayed, “Father we thank Thee for the food Thou are going to give us.” There came a knock at the door and a baker stood there. The baker said, “I felt at 2am this morning that I should wake and bake some bread for you. Here it is.” A few minutes later another knock came at the door. A milkman said, “My milk wagon just broke down in front of your place. I must get rid of these cans of milk.” Mr. Muller testified over and over that thousands of times they were without food for even another meal and also without any money; however, God never failed to provide food. God has never failed me. I thank God for this magazine’s chugging along better than ever twenty-five years later. For still being in business. For all of my blessings. And I thank God over and over for you, my beloved sewing family.

20120107: HeBrews2 Because of Who You Are

Heb2: 5-18  "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?You made him a little lower than the angels , you crowned him with glory and honor and put every thing under his feet.

In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him.

Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him

But we see Jesus,

who was made a little lower than the angels,

now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death,

so that by the grace of God

he might taste death for everyone....

Since the children have flesh and blood,

he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him

who holds the power of death - ie the devil-

and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.

For surely is is not angels he helps,

but Abraham's decendants

For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way,

in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God,

and that he might make atone for the sins of the people.

Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, 

he is able to help those who are being tempted."

Ps8.....2 Cor 3

Yes indeed, because of who You are

I give you glory, praise &worship...

20120103: HeBrews1: The Crown :Firstborn-Son-Heir

Heb 1: 2-4" but in the last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right  hand of the Majesty in heaven.  So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs"

A new 2012 has begun. When God brought his firstborn into the world, the angels were commanded to worship him. His throne will last forever and ever and righteousness will be the scepter of his kingdom for he loved righteousness and hated wickedness.

Above Ps 65:11 ushers us in with a blessing from the Lord who crown the year with his goodness and our paths dripping with abundance.  I like that crown of water in the picture.

At the mention of 'crown', I am reminded of Matt 27:29, when the people platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in Jesus' right hand and they bowed their knee before him and mocked him, saying "Hail, King of the Jews!" What a humiliation! Pilate himself called out "Behold the man! in John 19:5.

Is Jesus merely a man who had to be crucified? Hebrews opening verse talks about him being appointed heir of all things - born into this world, provided us with the purification of sins which we cannot cleanse ourselves and yes Jesus sat at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven thereafter!

Why did he have to do that? Well simply to give us different crowns in exchange.

There are several crowns which we can now wear because of what Jesus had done for us, not because of what we have done.

1. Incorruptible crown (1 Cor 9:25)
2. Crown of rejoicing (1 The 2:19)
3. Crown of righteousness ( 2 Tim 4:8)
4. Crown of life (Js 1:12)
5. Crown of glory (1 Pt 5:4)
6. Crown of life (Rev 2:10)
7. Crown of steadfastness (Rev3:11)
8. Crown that conquers (Rev6:2)

Reflection

Let's pray that we will receive those crowns in due time by remaining to be that servant whose flame is on fire (Heb1:7), who loves Him and His righteousness and hates what He hates - sin and wickedness.