REPENTANCE = A CHANGE OF LIFE
30 May 2020
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me
— Psalm 51:10
After committing adultery and murder as a cover up, King David knew that the change of his desires and thoughts could only come by REPENTANCE to God. While repentance includes being sorry about what we did wrong, its meaning is deeper than that.
Repentance or Metanoia in Greek means a complete change of:
· Mind
· Heart
· Direction
Metanoia transforms us into a whole new person with new personalities totally reborn in Jesus! But we must first perceive that we need a change in our life. It could be our temper, self-centeredness, worldly idolatry or a judgemental mind.
The next step is to surrender our life to God as the bible teaches that no one has the ability to change himself and spiritual change (Metanoia) comes only from God. Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your son Jesus who's perfect to be sin for us so that now we walk righteous before you forgiven. Lord, we ask for your grace to give us understanding so that we are transformed by your word living as a new creation. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Identify an undesirable behaviour or mindset of yours and if it has affected your relationship when it flared up.
2) Are there any steps taken to change that and how has it been ?
Eddie Lee
BLESSINGS COME BY BEING DEEPLY ROOTED IN CHRIST
27 May 2020
“He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.
— Jeremiah 17:8
The tree (us) grows its roots so deep that it draws nourishment directly from the stream (God) instead of having to rely on or be shaken by external factors Are we living a life of trusting God or a life trusting in human strength and ability?
Trusting in humans strength and ability is like having shallow roots easily uprooted or influenced by worldly views. Trusting in God is like having deep roots planted in him anchoring us, providing wisdom and growth for us. Godly wisdom then give us the right mindset and builds correct priorities to receive his blessings and bear fruit! Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our Heavenly Father, we thank you for pouring out your mercy, grace and love to us by sending Jesus Christ who is perfect to be sin for us so that we now wall righteous before you ready to receive your grace by faith. In a society that is morally, politically, and economically shifting, I boldly proclaim my trust in you and that you my solid rock guide me always! On Christ the solid Rock I take my firm stand! We trust in you Lord and stand secure in your love knowing that everyday has been planned for us according to your will. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection
1) Reflect on a situation in your life where you felt out of control?
2) What was its effect on you?
Eddie Lee
NEW COMMANDMENT PART 2 OF 2
26 May 2020
“And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind
— Matthew 22:37
Just like human relationships grow with effort and time, love and for God grows as we put effort in getting to know him. I believe that we all want the 9 fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) to manifest in our lives. But I also wonder if we are chasing the FRUIT rather than the SPIRIT.
Would the term "do not test my limits" be familiar to you? Trying to chase love or being kind by ourselves, we will eventually meet our limits. But when we chase the love of God first, God will fill us with his limit and melt away any frustration, anger or bitterness.
Jesus can give us this because his love is not TRANSACTIONAL like ours and is a free gift.
When we are sincerely eager to:
1) Spend time absorbing his word
2) Communicate with God through prayer
The love for God will grow and mature in us leading to us bearing fruit by the power of the holy spirit. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father We thank you for loving us even when we were not deserving of it. Lord, please increase our faith and confidence in you so that we learn love you deeper and deeper everyday relying on your grace and mercy for us. Please open our hearts and impart wisdom to us as we learn to seek you through your word everyday. In our lord jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Have we been trying to read Gods word or pray?
2) What are certain things we can give up to make time for this?
Eddie Lee
NEW COMMANDMENT PART 1 OF 2
25 May 2020
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these”.
— Mark 12:31
The new commandment to love one another is one we all need. Even Jesus's disciples had not started out loving each other. They were a mismatched crew from different backgrounds and experience rough around the edges, sinful, and selfish as anyone else.
But, in the three years that they followed Lord Jesus, they had experienced the love of God as no one ever had before. Jesus had showed that love is not dependent upon the worthiness of the one being loved. Instead love embraces flaws and weaknesses. Love seeks to encourage and build. Living with this kind of love was the new commandment Jesus gave to everyone who wants to be His disciple.
The only way to love anyone like that is to first experience the love of Jesus by inviting him into our lives! Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us. Even as the world gets more unkind and ungracious, please give me a spirit of gentleness and patience so that people around me may see your grace in me and come to know more and more about you! In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Do you find yourself loving more or complaining/judging more in your daily lives?
2) Let's reflect on why it's easier to hate or complain then accept and love?
Eddie Lee
GOD CAN DO WHAT'S HUMANLY IMPOSSIBLE
23 May 2020
“Is anything too HARD for the Lord? At the APPOINTED time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.
— Genesis 18:14
God promised Abraham (100 yo) and Sarah (90yo) old in years the MIRACLE of a son at his TIMING. Are we looking for restoration today? It could be the restoration of our marriage, health, finances or spiritual faith.
All of us struggle, at different levels, with unbelief. We may have prayed for something for years, but God has not answered. No matter what we are going through today, we can cling to the truth that God is all sufficient and will give us the sustenance we need.
It didn’t matter that Abraham was 100 years old or that Sarah was 99 years old as the laws of nature do not apply to God who created them. What God did then, he can do today as he is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Let's believe that nothing is too difficult for God and trust him to do what is humanly impossible at his timing. Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us. Lord, in the midst of this ever-changing world environment we am so thankful that Jesus Christ never changes! He was in the past exactly who He is in the present and precisely who He will be forever! No matter what situation we are in or how hard it is please increase our faith to keep looking towards you for guidance and peace. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) What is the hardest thing you’ve ever had to trust God for?
2) Why was it so difficult?
Eddie Lee
OUR MOUTH IS A POWERTOOL, USE IT WISELY
22 May 2020
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear
— Ephesians 4:29
God wants us to use our words to build others up showcasing his love through us. Sometimes our words swing away like a sledgehammer without thinking, and all of a sudden we look around leaving a pile of rubble. Thoughtlessly slinging our words around and speaking without thinking, our relationships are bound to suffer.
Our words are very powerful and people remember them. We have got to think of our mouth as a power tool and be careful with it by:
1) Talking less. Speaking too fast or talking more causes us to jump to speculative conclusion.
2) Listening more. Listening more, we can better understand people’s needs and their true thoughts.
3) Start building. Let our first thoughts be using words of encouragement to build and make a difference in people's life.
All by his grace!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us. Lord, please teach us self control especially with our words so that we can reflect the love that you have for us to others. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Do you notice how people are like around you especially when in a topic discussion?
2) Would your conversations with most people be the honest open or superficial type?
Eddie Lee
OVERCOMING THE STING OF LIFE BY MAINTAINING AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
20 May 2020
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. — Philippians 3:20
Have we thought about the meaning of our life on earth and if there is more after death? We are all born into this world ruled by Satan seemingly enslaved having to study, work, have kids, pay off loans constantly trapped in suffering.
But there is a difference for all who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
1) Maintaining Perspective of Our Eternal Life in heaven
Earth is transient while heaven is eternal. Keeping this perspective in mind changes our actions and priorities to embrace the teachings of Jesus making them part of our lives going through each day at its best on earth while waiting for our glorious eternal life in heaven.
2) Reborn as a New Creation transformed by the holy spirit
The devil will distract us during our earthly walk with things that are seen and it can be hard to cling on to unseen things such as the grace of God. But God has not left us alone and gave us the holy spirit to help us so that we learn to cast out sin, not placing confidence in earthly things and just focus on leaning on and trusting in God for everything.
Our life on earth can be akin to staying in a hotel (temporal) whilst awaiting for our real home which is heaven (eternal). Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us even before we knew you. Lord, even as the devil keeps trying to whisper lies into us with what's seen (our struggles, our physical needs, etc) please strengthen us everyday and renew our minds so that we no longer become conform to this world which is dying everyday. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection
1. Define an area of your life that is making you busy and distracting your relationship with God.
2. What are steps you can take to take your relationship with God further?
Eddie Lee
EXPERIENCE FREEDOM THROUGH GOD'S LEADERSHIP
19 May 2020
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake
— Psalm 23:1-3
We think that we can control situations or change our destiny by attending, doing or implementing something. More often than not we end up disappointed. God controls everything but he also gave us free will. We can choose to let God lead our lives or we do not. The opening of Psalm 23 beautifully shows what we can gain from surrendering and allowing God to lead our lives.
In bullet points and my humble sharing of what this verse means to me:
· God will show us the way (includes making us contented and not yearning things of the world).
· God will exceed our expectations and provide for us according to his will not what we think is good for us.
· God will give us peace in all situations good (to be humble and give all glory to God) or bad (to lean and trust in him for a way out).
· He will lead us down a path of righteousness (godly living) and not destruction (seeking the desires of the world).
Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God our loving Father, we thank you for your living word that is readily available to us today. Lord, please give us an increase in faith all that we will learn to rely on your word more and more as guidance so that our minds will be renewed and hearts transformed. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Is there an area of your life that requires peace?
2) Have you asked Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior?
Eddie Lee
PRIDE ENDS BY FIRST UNDERSTANDING THE GRACE OF GOD
18 May 2020
“For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not RECEIVE? If then you RECEIVED it, why do you boast as if you did not RECEIVE it?
— 1 Corinthians 4:7
The materialistic world today has made it easy for us to fall prey to pride thinking of ourselves as superior to others because we have more talents, achievements, money or biblical knowledge. In this short verse, the word RECEIVE is mentioned three times and it means to be GIVEN or PRESENTED with.
We can't control which family we are born in or which country what more claim to be the source of what we have. All of us are unique in our different ways and all we have is strictly given to us by Gods grace. Yes, we should diligently cultivate our gifts but it should be done in a spirit of humility and not pride so as to bring glory to God and not US. Being humble, we can then start seeing more and more of Gods grace by living in his plan for us. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly father, We thank you for being the provider of all that we have. Today the devil seeks to distract us from your truth and wants us to think we are in control. Lord, please grant us a spirit of humility all that we realign our thoughts and minds to you instead thanking you for all that we have. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Think back on a time when you had an achievement or a compliment.
2) How did you feel about it?
Eddie Lee
SELF CONTROL BY LIVING UNDER THE POWER OF CHRIST
16 May 2020
“In your anger do not sin; do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.
— Ephesians 4:26-27
The recent episodes of sovereign woman and stabbing of a safe distancing national park officer clearly shows the undesirable sinful effects of uncontrolled anger. Experiencing anger is natural, an emotion and not wrong. It is how we act on those emotions that can be sinful.
Therefore, there is a difference between self-controlled and uncontrolled anger.
Uncontrolled anger leads to sin (using harsh hurtful words, shouting or domestic violence) leading us into the darkness of the devil whereas self controlled anger shows love and forgiveness leading us into the light of God.
Handling anger correctly comes by not dwelling in it but dealing with it calmly, constructively and yielding to the holy spirit so that bitterness and hatred will be released from our hearts. Praise the Lord!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us even before we knew you. Lord please grant us a spirit of patience and love so that we will use our words and actions to encourage and build those around us. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) What comes to your mind first when you get angry?
2) Define your anger trigger and find ways to calm down before that.
Eddie Lee
GETTING THROUGH FEAR BY HAVING BOLDNESS IN GOD
15 May 2020
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
— Isaiah 41:10
God tells us in this verse, “I am with you.” When we are tempted to fear, let's remember that God is with us. God created us and knows each and every specific fear we have. If God parted the waters for Moses, he can certainly part the seas of doubt and fear for us as he is not REACTIVE, but PROACTIVE in our lives.
The power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that is at work in us by God’s Spirit. God wants us to be filled with hope and trust, not fear as he has given us the promise that he alone upholds us. And this promise comes to all who have faith in Jesus Christ for their salvation. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank thank for having heard us and for always hearing us. Lord, we ask that you strengthen us everyday with your grace so that we will not be bogged down by the daily stresses and demands of life. We commit all that we do and all that we are into your hands!! In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) What do you fear most today and how has it been for you?
2) Do you have a encouraging, learning support system (friends or family) to overcome this fear?
Eddie Lee
FAITH WITH WORKS
13 May 2020
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.
— 1 Timothy 6:18
The Bible does not say, “They will know that we are Christians by our fancy houses and golden gates.”
It says they will recognise us for our good works. But, our works does not make us righteous before God just that good works is evidence of real saving faith.
Our renewed life is the evidence of salvation. One who claims to be a believer but lives in wilful disobedience to Christ has a dead faith and is not saved. God offers us a life radically changed by his amazing grace, and that is what sets us apart in society.
Let's ask God to help us love in a way that when the world looks at us, they don’t see a brand of clothing, they see a follower of Jesus.
Jesus put it this way: “By their fruits you will know them. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our loving father, we thank you for your grace poured upon us the undeserving. Living in this ever changing times which is growing more selfish and more evil, please grant us a spirit of love so that we may not just be hearers of your word but doers as well. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) How can we go a step further to help those in need?
Eddie Lee
ARE WE ESCALATING OR DE-ESCALATING CONFLICTS TODAY
11 May 2020
“The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.
— Proverbs 17:14
Just as a small opening made in a dam quickly eats away turning a small trickle of water into a flood so will a fight grow quickly if not ended at the beginning.
Are we the AGGRESSOR or APPEASER in a conflict today? Our words and actions are powerful and can have a lasting effect especially on our children/spouses and cannot be taken back. Prideful arrogance makes us want to press our point with an aim to win even in trivial matters but humble wisdom teaches us to choose our battles and back down treasuring and knowing that a peaceful ending is true victory!
The believer chooses his/her Battles and strives to be a peacemaker and problem-solver!
Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us even before we knew you. Lord, please grant us a spirit of peace and calmness so that we learn how to handle our anger and relationships in a way that your love for us will be shown. In jesus mighty name we pray!
Amen!
Reflection:
1) Define an area or person that you have problems remaining calm with.
2) Confess the anger to our gracious God and ask for calmness and wisdom to handle the situation.
THE KEY TO BEING RESILIENT IN LIFE!
12 May 2020
“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
— 1 Chronicles 16:11
Being Jesus's disciples does not make us resistant to weakness but makes us resilient to the curveballs that life throws us. Relying on our own strength, it is easy to fall apart. But we have a choice to FACE THEM ALONE or REST IN THE SOVEREIGN WILL OF GOD, knowing that he will work things out for his glory.
At times it may seem as though God is not there or we are unable to see God but we need to know that our loving Father will never leave us or forsake us.
This is a reminder for us to never lose our ability to seek God in difficult times or good times. Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our loving Father, We thank you for always hearing us and for having heard us. Lord, the devil only wants us to rely on ourselves and our strength to go through life but I know that I am limited and can only do so much. Please keep me strengthened by your grace and give me focus so that I will seek you always. In Jesus mighty name we pray!
Amen!
Reflection:
1) Have there been a moment where pride has taken over and we forgot God?
2) How can we seek God in our daily lives?
Eddie Lee
CHEERFUL AND JOYFUL LIFE = POSITIVITY IN ACTION
9 May 2020
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
— Proverbs 17:22
Optimists choose to focus on the positive things in life whereas pessimists choose to dwell in the negative outcomes of life. Negativity makes our blood pressure rise, makes us tensed and we end up feeling drained. Positivity on the other hand calms us down, make us cheerful and is "medicine" or "food" for our soul. Negativity builds up bitterness in our heart whereas optimism builds up sweetness in our hearts. We then have the bandwidth to be THANKFUL in the other things that God has given us and to give him PRAISE for it.
Lets learn to laugh at ourselves, put some play in every day, relax and have fun even in an otherwise negative experience today!
Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, We thank you for loving us even before we even knew you. Lord, we ask that you grant us a spirit of love, joy and peace so that we may learn the true meaning of life contented in your grace. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) What is the one situation that irks us the most ?
2) How can we add more cheerfulness into our lives ?
LIVING A PRACTICAL LIFE BY GODS WISDOM
8 May 2020
“Making your EAR ATTENTIVE to wisdom and INCLINING your HEART to understanding
— Proverbs 2:2
Practicality is highly important in our lives as it makes us efficient and effective especially when we have so much to balance family, marriage, career and health. Truth is, God has said everything about life for us to come up with our own ideas. What we hear and see influences our hearts and actions.
Just like a child who does not listen to his wiser parents heads for a bruising in life, so will we if we do not learn and take our heavenly father's words as golden nuggets of advice.
Opening our hearts to God and his teaching, he instills his wisdom into our hearts and helps us in our daily life decisions and choices.
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, We thank you for loving us. Lord, as the world gets more and more distracted about what's important looking to worldly things please keep us looking and focused on you instead. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) Define an area of our lives that we are having difficulty with.
2) Have we truly submitted it to our Lord and asked for his help ?
GROWING SOLID THROUGH SUFFERING
7 May 2020
“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you
— 1 Peter 5:10
In this fallen world, suffering is a certainty. One of the most crucial lessons to learn as a believer is how to handle and grow through trials. It may be physical, grief, bad habits, setbacks in business/work or just simply paying the bills.
Suffering will make us grow BITTER or BETTER, depending on how we handle it. Humbling ourselves and asking our ABBA God for help in a time of trial is crucial as our pride will make us think that we can handle things by ourselves.
If we who are LIMITED knows how to give good gifts to our children, how much more will our LIMITLESS heavenly father give good things to all who ask him! Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our loving Father, we thank you for having heard us and for always hearing us. Father, the world today seeks to distract us away from you with our circumstances and situation. Lord, we ask for you to strengthen our faith so that we continually seek your grace to be in our lives. We thank you for all that we have and for always protecting us. In our Lord Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1) What are your expectations of a life in Christ?
THE KEY TO STAYING GUIDED
6 May 2020
“He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
— James 1:8
One is double-minded when uncertain or doubting. Akin to a drunken man unable to walk straight and swaying one way or the other, being uncertain makes us believe at times and sometimes not. We end up having no defined direction. Right and wrong will be following what is trending at the moment or next.
We believe and are righteous by faith and the devil wants to take away our child of god position by constantly shooting arrows of doubts. Just as it is normal to struggle with faith when we are but human, it is also crucial to know what are your weapons to intensify your faith.
Please find my humble 3-prong attack to ward off unbelief:
1. Keep yourself around people strong in faith as Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
2. Pray for God to increase your faith just as The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5).
3. Constantly bath yourself in the word of God as the bible says that faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17)
Prayer
Dear God our loving father, we thank you for your living word today. Lord, we ask for your wisdom so that we can be guided by you always. In Jesus name we pray! Amen!
Reflection:
1. What stage of spiritual growth are you at with God currently?
2. How can you take that growth to the next level?
KNOW OUR POSITION IN CHRIST
5 May 2020
“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
— Romans 5:17
When Adam sinned, it resulted in condemnation of the entire human race subsequently leading to our death. When God sent his only son Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us and to be our unblemished sacrificial lamb, Jesus absorbed Gods wrath against our sin for us and we are made righteous before God in Christ.
Believing that we are righteous before God through Jesus by faith:
1. We can claim victory over sin by claiming our righteousness before God in jesus name.
2. It also means that the sting and fear of death are removed as we know where our true eternal home is
3. While in this earthly world, we will be able to reign in life and experience breakthroughs and blessings in our lives (it's not always about material blessings for God is greater then that) with the abundance of Gods grace in our lives.
How Good is that!
Reflection:
1. Have you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior?
2. If you have, what are steps you can take to commune with God?
Prayer
Dear God our heavenly Father, we thank you for loving us so much that you sent your only and perfect son Jesus to die for us so that we now can rest in your grace well taken care of. Lord, please teach us and guide us in your walk with life so that we learn to rely on you in faith instead of relying on ourselves who is limited. We thank you for having heard us and for always hearing us. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
LET GOD MOLD YOU
4 May 2020
“Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.
— Mark 10:15
When our child behaves or speaks a certain way, we tend to label them instead of reflecting on how we as earthly parents are molding them.
Children are:
· Clueless about life
· Dependant on us for knowledge
· Void of pride or ambition
As such, these few traits make them very humble and teachable. However, as we grow up these traits often reverse and we as adults:
· Think we know how to combat life
· Become overly dependant on articles, people or visuals for knowledge
· Full of ambition and pride
Adulterated by worldly views, we become skeptical of Gods word as it solely relies on believing by FAITH. Today, Jesus wants us to receive his teachings, trust in faith and allow it to mold and transform us!!
REFLECTION:
1. Let's identify an area in our lives that requires restoration or transformation.
2. Are we sceptics or serious about Gods word?
Hallelujah!
Prayer
Dear God our loving father, we thank you for being the source of everything and for going ahead having already planned our path and our purpose in life. Lord, give us a spirit of vulnerability so that we trust in you and depend on you for everything for when we rest you are working for us. In Jesus mighty name we pray! Amen!
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