17th September 2020 | Grace and the Law
Grace and the Law . Reference: Matthew 5:18-19; Luke 16:17; Matthew 5:17; John 7:19
The concept of Grace is beautiful. God sent His son to save us all. What a wonderful message. Grace encourages an obedient heart, and along with Grace is the Law—they go hand in hand. The Law serves its people rather than the other way around. It provides accountability and justice. Reference: Matthew 5:18-19; Luke 16:17; Matthew 5:17; John 7:19
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17th September 2020 | Eternalism
Eternalism . Reference: Hebrews 13:8
The concept of Eternalism is unique to me. The first time I heard the phrase was in an English literature class. I believe in the idea thoroughly, and as a Christian, I understand that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He created man with an unchangeable intention. We must not contribute to immoral behaviour but uphold his everlasting virtue. Reference: Hebrews 13:8
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19th July 2020 | Keep Striving Forward
Keep Striving Forward . Reference: Jeremiah 29:11
Ensure you have faith in what God is calling you to do and keep pushing forward. It is imperative to obey His principles to establish growth and allow His favour to be a guide so that you will enjoy a life of freedom. Here is a recent post I made on Twitter that describes this more clearly (hopefully):
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26th April 2020 | Is Money Important?
Have Wisdom . Reference: Proverbs 16:8
Money could be a circumstantial problem that could hinder us from purchasing essential human resources such as food and clothing. Or even from travelling the world and doing what we love. Individuals who experience poverty do not always have much wisdom. Individuals with plenty of wealth sometimes fall into the same category and cannot always display knowledge.
On the other hand, individuals who experience poverty may display huge amounts of wisdom and have integrity (Proverbs 19:1). A wealthy person could have a full storehouse and be guided by the right principles. Despite all of this, when we work hard, God helps us look after ourselves. He always provides for our needs, even in times of trouble.
The Bible emphasises the importance of achieving closeness with God. It suggests that we must seek the kingdom of God, and He will supply all of our hearts desires (Matthew 6:33). So, it is imperative to ensure that we stay connected to Him and attempt to have a deeper relationship with Him every day. When increasing our faith in God, we understand certain revelations that we may not have comprehended on the surface level. There is a meaning behind every insight, no matter how cliché it may sound. Sometimes, it gets watered down so that everyone can understand it clearly and access the information. However, when we apply wisdom and context, we begin to interpret deeper spiritual meanings intended for our good. We can use it to nurture growth and further understanding.
What is wisdom anyway? The Oxford dictionary describes wisdom as:
“The quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise”. - Oxford Dictionary
Here, I will discuss two topic areas, the way they meet and how God uses them to bless certain individuals, with regards to money:
1. Money 2. Wisdom
•Money
The Bible clearly expresses the value that gets placed on money within society. We require it to provide nourishment for ourselves and our families. Where there is a lack of necessary supplies, individuals begin to fall into famine (Genesis 12:10). It is further essential since it facilitates the church’s growth and supports people using our facilities. Overall, money is a beautiful gift that we can use to provide for our own needs and the needs of our families - there are plenty of things we can achieve when we have the financial capability to bring them to fruition.
The first time I got a job (besides placement) was in school when I was 16 - I worked as a paid door-to-door fundraiser for Barnardo’s, the British Heart Foundation, and Marie Curie. I have always been interested in fundraising. As a further example, I was responsible for encouraging young individuals within my youth group in the church to sell baked goods to raise money for our ministry. This responsibility involved delegating roles, encouraging people to bake and treasury - I took my part very seriously. When I started university, I searched for a spreadsheet online that I could use to determine my monthly and weekly expenditure—I also had a student loan from the government. It isn’t easy to be in full control of finances with other factors involved, including education. My student loan did not cover all my financial requirements during university. I had to work part-time (sometimes full-time) during my education. With further support from my student overdraft and my parents, I gained more control over my financial situation whilst being a full-time Psychology student. They told me not to worry about my financial situation and not to overwork myself. I do not always enjoy asking for help, and people cannot always offer support. I have to remind myself that it is okay to receive support from another person.
•Wisdom
The bible has many examples of wisdom and good judgment. Some decisions get made to a better society or an organization. This process happens when faced with a difficult challenge or a dispute between two persons (1 Kings 3:16-28).
A leader is a brilliant communicator and finds the time to listen to individuals they are working with or provide a service. They administer advice and negotiate for the betterment of the family, community, or organization. For example, King Solomon advised two women to determine the owner of the baby they presented. He encouraged them to cut the baby in half to identify the mother. When woman 1 agreed, the king consolidated that the baby belonged to woman 2. It is imperative to facilitate a conclusion in sensitive situations.
The bible suggests the importance of wisdom. Proverbs' entire book indicates the requirement of knowledge in our everyday lives, as God does not want us to suffer, as I mentioned in my previous post. Furthermore, God used Joseph to supply food to Egypt's surrounding areas as they were experiencing famine. He got chosen because he demonstrated the attributes to serve in that capacity. God lifted him to be a blessing to other individuals within his community and the surrounding areas.
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Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)
25 "That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today."
Finally, I believe that God will take care of our needs if we depend on Him. He is always looking out for us (Matthew 6:25-34). So, we should not worry about money.
14th April 2020 | Why Do Bad Things Happen?
Have Faith . Reference: Ephesians 6:12
Sometimes, I wonder: why do bad things happen to innocent people? Some people experience abuse, neglect, domestic violence, poverty, loneliness, bereavement or discrimination, loss of a loved one, loss of jobs, mental health concerns or physical ailments. This question is common and frequently raised, and it is not easy to explain.
The usual conclusion is to pray for peace and healing. This idea is a simple way to reassure the heart and mind when we lose faith. In my previous post, I explained that God is a spirit being, and when we pray, this influences our physical environment. When people have an evil spirit or bad influences in their lives, they could affect the spiritual climate and the people they meet.
Although God has a plan for humanity and the Earth, there are demonic influences that attempt to work against His perfect plan. We have free will and can make our own decisions despite all of this. A good spirit can make better decisions, apply wisdom and self-assessment to impact their environment positively. When we walk in obedience with the Holy Spirit, we remain kind in harmful or unpleasant situations. We must stay under the presence and guidance of the Lord and harbour the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Here are some reasons why bad things happen:
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To test our faith
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To destroy evil
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To show a sign
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To Test our Faith
We can overcome evil (Matthew 11:28). We have the power to treat others with respect and kindness. When things go wrong, we must not question our belief system or adopt a false schema.
We can use our circumstance as a message to other individuals to nurture growth and understanding. These strategies build faith and endurance. So when bad things happen, do not blame God but seek Him to achieve a perfect solution despite the circumstance (John 10:10).
There are many examples of strong and courageous people in the bible who demonstrated faith. A brilliant example is Job; He lost his entire family and all his wealth and possessions. Yet, he remained faithful, and everything that he had lost got restored to him in full, and he acquired even more than he had owned initially (Job 42:10). Another great example is Daniel, who prayed fervently to the Lord to achieve spiritual obedience despite the law to serve a different God altogether (Daniel 6:10). When we put God against human-made gods, false gods, or magical influences, He always wins. Sarah demonstrated faith in the Lord and gave birth to a son, even though the childbearing window had closed (Genesis 11:30). So, although there are bad influences that attempt to work against our wellbeing, God’s miracles are activated when we remain under his spiritual guidance and maintain our faith in Him.
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To Destroy Evil
When the Israelites were in the wilderness, they depended on the Lord for guidance. Initially, they prolonged the process of getting to the promised land by remaining disobedient. In difficulty, we must pray to affect the spiritual atmosphere around us and other individuals. We must walk with the Spirit under challenging times, so the demonic influences surrounding us will lose strength and struggle to operate in our lives. Unfortunately, the demonic kingdom is operational. However, we must not strengthen its impact in our lives or another individual’s life by blaming God or having faith. Minimal effort is as reasonable as not putting any effort in at all. When it comes to serving His kingdom, the bible says we must always remain vigilant as the devil seeks to devour (1 Peter 5:7-9).
Similarly, Noah constructed a magnificent ark for his family and the animals to leave the world behind them, as the world had fallen into deep sin. This project was an instruction from the Lord, and with faith, he began to build the ark. Noah used the resources God provided him with to complete the project. This kind of task required immense dedication and determination, as no one believed in what he was to achieve – listening to Noah would have benefited the community. They were carried away in a massive flood after several years of bad behaviour, causing harm to themselves and individuals in the community. The flood rose above their homes and destroyed everything. Afterwards, God sent a beautiful dove to Noah and his family, suggesting that all the surrounding areas were dry, and the flood had ended. This message was followed by a rainbow that signified a promise that He would never flood the Earth again. The flood served as a spiritual and physical cleansing that healed the world. God does not like sin, as this was not His intention for the Earth.
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To Show us a Sign
God always sends us signs, and sometimes we jeopardise ourselves when we choose to ignore them, or when we don’t have enough faith to believe in them. For example, the rainbow is a message to humankind. It signifies hope for the future to come, that we would lead to a better existence following His will. The dove is another brilliant symbol that suggests peace of the deepest kind. It represents the calm we get to experience after a challenging period – after the sweat, patience or waiting. It is a motherly symbol that brings peace after much calamity. It is supposed to soothe and quiet our anxieties and troubled thoughts, enabling us to find the mind’s renewal. It’s a spirit messenger that represents the Holy Spirit, and the dove is supposed to be the Holy Spirit during the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:22), which helps us go about our lives calmly and with purpose. The dove is a sign of new life, and it is positive as it suggests growth and progress. Look up. You may spot a dove or a rainbow, that could serve as a reminder that you are not alone, and these symbols may provide you with a sense of hope.
Furthermore, God uses His angels as messengers to deliver a message to us. He uses them to protect us and guide us. Sometimes, they intervene for us and give us advice and encouragement along the way - Look out for their signs.
12th April 2020 | Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit
Be Still . Reference: Psalms 46:10; 62:1
After I completed my undergraduate degree, I wanted to have a period of rest. I also wanted to practice my hobbies and focus on my career. The start of the year has been an extraordinary experience. God has been speaking to me and reassuring me of what he has planned for my life. The main idea has been to utilise whatever is necessary to remain grounded (and balanced) in achieving my goals. It is beneficial to listen to God in quiet solitude. This period has been insightful and filled with rest and gratitude.
The most important part of being a Christian is remaining firm in spirit when things are not going how we planned them (john 16:33). It is also essential to maintain our faith to protect ourselves from feeling down or depressed (Psalm 23). There are several ways to achieve this, including being sensitive to the spirit (Matthew 6;33). Here are three points that I will explain:
1. Inheritance 2. Perfection 3. Stillness
• Inheritance
The first one is the inheritance. We can have anything our heart desires through our heritage that is in Christ (Matthew 6:33). This idea means that through faith, we can establish ourselves within the kingdom of God. By remaining in His presence and conforming to His will over our lives, we can access His promises (2 John 1:8). There is joy and freedom when we hand over our lives to Christ. When we commit to His will, this reduces stressors that try to captivate our line of thought. We must continue to persevere when we sense the Spirit moving to receive insight AND to inspire growth.
• Perfection
The bible says to strive for perfection (Matthew 5:48). It is challenging to complete a project or process of development with environmental or social pressures that convince us that we are not performing well enough. The most important thing we can do is attempt to work hard to complete it to the best of our abilities (Colossians 3:23-24), whilst competing with who we were yesterday.
In the broader sense, when I think about why it is so difficult to fully achieve a perfect world system, I realise it is because when sin entered man's heart, it became tough to communicate with one another to achieve peace and perfection. Before anything happens in the physical world, it occurs in the spirit realm first. That is why we pray for the supernatural to occur. God is a spirit, and we are spirit beings - He made us in His likeness and image.
For this reason, He sent His son to save us. To communicate love in a way that everyone can receive (1 Peter 3:8). We can talk to people in a way that they will understand and encourage friends based on their love language. We can also showcase our good fruits so that they feel blessed, rather than discouraged (Matthew 5:14-16). The bible says to let your light shine out onto others so that they can see it and praise your heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16) since we are the light of the world.
The world is the physical universe that surrounds us or the personal "world" of an individual related to our five senses or the laws of nature. The bible expresses (Matthew 6:10) a hope for His will to be completed on the earth. When we walk in the Spirit, we can achieve more cohesiveness and structure in the physical world and our world. We can only achieve this by obeying His instructions as a community to affect our physical world positively. On the other hand, when we venture on a personal endeavour that is not pleasing to the Lord, even if more than one person is involved in the project or concept, the system may still fail no matter how grand in appearance (e.g. the tower of Babylon). So, we must obey his instructions individually and within a community of people. We can achieve this by incorporating love into our language, into our lives, into everything that we do, and by continuing to abide by the Spirit to fulfil His perfect will over our lives. I believe that I naturally build people up and influence them in the right way.
• Stillness
My last point is about stillness. I have always been intelligent, happy, smart, kind, modest, and creative whilst growing up. Although, when I am striving toward a specific goal, I may be discouraged if I am not performing at a fluid pace. As an example, in primary school, I was a keen learner. I experienced three different curriculums in high school. I had to move schools due to the first school being in another country - I did not fit the catchment area criteria for the school I was supposed to attend.
The competition for places was high at the time, so there was no other option. The school is usually oversubscribed. It's not novel for children to get turned away and then their siblings can gain access later, or children who attend the secondaries feeder school to get denied entry. Even though the area we lived in was decent, my parents didn't want me to go to school at the end of our neighbourhood. After travelling abroad for one-year, I moved to another private school and then to a public school with less competition for places. The plan was for my siblings to have a similar experience abroad, but I discouraged it.
I began to feel discouraged due to environmental and social stressors that started to interrupt what God had placed inside me. Specific factors in my physical world that I could not control. They attempted to slow me down or interrupt my productivity or progress. This experience was an excellent example of one of the concepts I enjoy practising when things aren't going perfectly.
"Kanketsu (i.e. simplicity through a complex process)
and
Wabi-Sabi (i.e. Wabi - freshness or quietness,
Sabi - beauty or serenity that comes with age/growth)." - Me (:
It is important to practice patience and to achieve stillness when we are on the path toward our destinies (Psalm 62:1). Timing is also an essential factor here, as we must prepare to move when we feel the spirit lead. Where he provides us with the mental capacity to succeed in a specific calling, it will eventually materialise as we continue to seek His guidance. Sometimes God can use a certain period to show us something unique or to provide us with an opportunity to prevail in a specific area He has called us. He could even manipulate/stop the world's rotation for us to achieve a particular purpose (Joshua 10:12-15) - imagine that. Whenever there is a period of stillness, this comes with a period of faith and sensitivity. In Japanese culture, some theories describe the joy that comes with achieving peace. These are Kanketsu (i.e. simplicity through a complicated process) and Wabi-Sabi (i.e. Wabi - freshness or quietness, Sabi - beauty or serenity that comes with age/growth). The latter suggests that nothing can last forever, and it is impossible to achieve a complete state of perfection. This theory helps me accomplish a gentle stillness in my style of living and in designing or planning. I also feel that the concept is in line with my beliefs as a Christian with an intelligent, creative, dreamer spirit.
7th April 2020 | Obeying the Holy Spirit
Covid-19: Quarantine . Reference: Leviticus 11:1-46
I often find myself ruminating about different events that take place in the world. There are people in poverty or who have health problems. These events are not surprising since the Bible suggests that the thief came to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). I think that this is the main reason why there are so many problems in the world. Have you read the quote?:
"If one suffers, we all suffer. Togetherness is strength". - Jean Bertrand
Ariside
This quote resonates with me as I believe we exist to help one another and offer kindness. This sentiment was the second law that Jesus communicated to the teacher in Mark 12:31. It strongly suggests the influence that love can have over our lives, and I think there is a purpose for showing genuine love to our neighbour. There are two main reasons why I believe that this is the case. I am going to try to explain these to you.
1. Health (Mental, Physical & Spiritual)
2. Accountability
•Health
The first one is health. It is imperative to obey spiritual guidance. As a Christian, the Bible strongly suggests that the purpose of humanity is to worship God. The Oxford dictionary proposes that worship is a "feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity". When we obey His guidance, we open ourselves to many blessings and fortitudes because we offer ourselves to God and commit to His will over our lives. Although this is a subjective experience, I believe this to be the most tangible form of worship. However, there are suggestions that disobedience can hinder growth, i.e. mental, physical, and spiritual growth. This idea is because it is easy to ignore guidance that can lead us on the path of health, wellness, or righteousness. Including many aspects of life that people usually miss in their personal life, family life, or socially could direct them toward their blessing or hinder them.
If we believe in the covenant that we have, we will listen to the small voice inside our heads that tells us to eat more healthily, as Daniel 1:12 suggests, or spend more time in prayer and solitude as indicated in Daniel 6:10. I have always believed that the Bible guides us so that we can remain in the presence of God, as suggested in 2 Chronicles 5:11-15. I don't think God created the Bible for humans to be afraid or to suffer. If we look to him as our father in heaven, then we can begin to understand why this isn't so far from the truth.
When we adhere to what he tells us to do, we only help ourselves achieve what he originally had planned for our existence. When sin entered man's heart, we were naked and had plenty of shame. This event happened because of disobedience; this is why women must suffer during childbirth, or we must work very hard to sustain our livelihood. In this context, modelling plays a critical role as it suggests the influence our behaviour can have on other people's lives. It further indicates that: disobedience can cause disturbance and obedience is concerned with peace and wellness.
•Accountability
It's not always easy to be in full control of our environment. There are struggles that we face that are very difficult to overcome by our strength. For example, some people experience abuse, neglect, domestic violence, poverty, loneliness, bereavement, or discrimination.
Accountability plays a significant role in any situation. I firmly believe that although we may have problems that are difficult to control, it is imperative to take the steps we need to to get ourselves out of the environment or state of mind that is damaging to us. Sometimes, when we receive a piece of insight from the Holy Spirit, this could be strongly suggestive of what is happening in a spiritual atmosphere, or environment. I believe that the whole earth would be a better place if each individual adhered to their reason for existence and actively maintained their focus on what is right, as is suggested in Phillipians 4:8. The world would be a better place if we looked after ourselves and others by remaining obedient to what God has planned for our lives. This idea involves
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acting when instructed to in our personal lives,
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having the courage to overcome spiritual, mental, or physical battles, and
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respecting another person's covenant by listening to them when they communicate something important to you.
Also, not causing physical or mental harm to another person. It's important to remain natural but to be wise and vigilant.
