Time to change the direction!

Have you ever heard the phrase, “Practice makes it perfect?” Well, there might be some truth in it, but it’s not all the way accurate. The truth is the right practice makes it perfect. If the method isn’t the right way, it’ll never lead you to have an ideal result.

That’s what Israelites were doing in the wilderness. They wrapped around the same mountains for 40 years! If you were a part of that group, do you feel like that’s more than long enough? The journey that they were on was supposed to take only 11 days. How did that happen? Was there anybody who thought they were doing the same thing and on the same path every day? If you experience the same thing every day, you might want to stop and think. But it went on for 40 years. God spoke through Moses,

Are you the one?

Do you believe there’s only one to take to change the world around you or a culture? Are you the one? Or do you want to be the one? Many people want to be a Superhero or a Wonderwoman. But it doesn’t mean that other people or the world will know your name. Yet, sometimes, it takes only one person to turn around someone else’s life. If you are the one, your name may not have known by others but God. And you are that Superhero!

Timothy’s mother was that Wonderwoman. You don’t know her name. But she changed the culture of her family and still changing ours.

Feel shaken?

There’s not even one person on the earth that is not feeling uncertain today. Do you worry about tomorrow or the future? Do you feel shaken by the chaos in the world? Do you have a hard time finding the ground you can stand on?

Even though you hope to see the second coming of Jesus, it’s not comfortable to live through the troubled time. But it’s impossible to see that glorious day without experiencing the chaos as the bible says. So if the chaos of this world is something that you need to live through, how can you survive it?

Your expectation of blessings

When you hear the word “Blessings,” what comes to your mind? It could be good health, more than enough money, good behaving children and grandchildren, plenty of food, a lovely house, excellent business or job, and all the happiness you can think of in life.

But you know there’s a difference between your expectation of blessings and God’s way of blessings? His way of blessings doesn’t always look like blessings in times, although they will be in the end when you finally see it. It’s confusing, especially when you know what God has promised you, but what you see with your eyes is different.

Which side are you fighting from?

Have you wondered why you still have so many battles in your life even though you serve God faithfully? Did you think your life struggle was over when you gave your life to Christ? Did you think your sickness be gone, and your heartaches will mend? Why are you continually have troubles in life? Are these troubles ever end?

Everyone wishes the same. Nobody likes life issues and heartaches. The fact is God never promised that you wouldn’t have any problem. You don’t like uncomfortable, pains, and ongoing struggles. It’s understandable wishful thinking. What the bible says is quite the opposite.

Get rid of the complaining spirit!

Are you a complainer? Even if you aren’t, it’s not natural to you. The complaining spirit has embedded in the human soul since the sin came into humanity. You don’t have to practice to be a complainer because you were born with it. You could be complaining about anything from too cold, too hot, too little, too much, too loud, too quiet. You’ll never be satisfied if you don’t learn to be thankful.

Do you know God hates the complaining spirit? It bothers Him every word you complain. He was greatly displeased when the Israelites complained.

Do you hear it?

Do you know how to hear the voice of God?

Do you hear it by your physical ears?

How do you know that was His voice?

If you don’t know how to answer those questions, you might have irritated by some believers’ comments by saying, “This morning God told me…” or “I sensed God is telling me…” The Bible says,

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. – John 10:27 ESV

Knowing someone’s voice requires a relationship. It’s not the relationship that you know who that person is, but a close relationship that’s close enough to heart the person’s voice. As your baby knows your voice, or your dog knows your voice differ from others, you would learn and understand your master’s voice.

The power of praise

Praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord, you his servants;
    praise the name of the Lord. – Psalm 113:1 NIV

The Bible commands you to praise the Lord! Do you know the power of praise? If the Word of God commands you to do so, there must be a reason for it.

Do you always feel like to praise God or worship Him? None of us do. Life is not easy, sometimes, like you want it to be. You have worries, concerns, challenges, and troubles. Even then, the Bible commands you to praise God. King David said, “ I WILL praise the Lord.” He had to decide whether he will be sorry for himself or choose to praise God during pain. How about you?

What about him?

“What about him?”

Children often redirect parents or teachers’ attention to someone else when they get caught doing something that they shouldn’t be. Your sin-nature doesn’t like to carry any responsibility that you need to answer for it. It’s much easier to put it on someone else and make yourself look better. From the first man and the woman, Adam and Eve, human nature doesn’t like to take responsibility to yourself, but blame others or make them the center of the problem.

Jesus spoke strongly to his disciple, John, about this when he questioned.

I believe it when I see it!

“I believe it when I see it!”

How many times many of us said that in our daily lives? Some people say, “Seeing is believing.” Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, was just like many of us. He spent many days following Jesus, talked with Him, ate with Him, and ministered people with Him. But that was the exact words he said.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:24-25 NIV

He said unless he can see Jesus with his eyes and touch Him with his hands, he won’t believe it. But that’s not what the bible says about faith. After he had close fellowship with Jesus, what did sweep him away to unbelief?