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by Kay-Chong Yeo

We are for sure living in uncertain and unusual times. The Bible does talk about it. As the people of God, it is time to learn to flex our spiritual muscles and respond in accordance to what the Word of God says. We have to find our answers and confidence in the Lord.

Here are some things we can take note of:

Take Necessary Precautionary Measures
We definitely need to take the necessary precautionary measures as advised by the relevant authorities. We must act and respond according to the situation. However, we need to be rational, objective and not let fear, panic or irrationality dictate how we make decisions. Again, we should and must take the necessary precautions according to what is being advised.

Exercise Spiritual Discernment
We should receive and watch with spiritual discernment any piece of information or video clip that is being passed around. We are living in a social media age and all kinds of information are available.

As we watch and read these resources, we must gather and verify the facts because there is a lot of information going around that gives suggestions of all kinds that may not help. They may also cause unnecessary panic, fear and extreme practices. At the end of the day, we have to rely on official statements and advice given by the government.

The key is to not become overly suspicious, paranoid, distrustful, and end up doing a lot of irrational things.

Put Our Confidence in the Lord
At the end of the day, our confidence is in the Lord. This is where we can do a few things:

• Pray — Every day before we leave our homes, ask God for His protection and covering. Even as we abide with the regulations of safe distancing, mask-wearing etc., ultimately, our trust is in God. Let’s pray for protection for ourselves and for our loved ones. Also, pray for the peace of God to be with us in this time. (Phil. 4:6–7)

• Strengthen ourselves in the Lord — In times of distress, we need to find strength in the Lord. In 1 Sam. 30, David was in distress in Ziklag. However, he strengthened himself in the Lord. This is the time where we need to learn to strengthen ourselves in the Lord so that irrationality, fear or panic does not come in.

• Learn to hear the voice of God — It is the time for us to learn to hear the voice the God. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide us and direct us. May our spirit be so sensitive that we can hear Him say, “Go this way,” or “You shouldn’t go there,” or “You should / shouldn’t do this”. This is absolutely vital. Yes, we do need to make decisions based on facts and what we know, but ultimately, these can only help us so much. Our answer is in the leadership of God.

• Walk with a community — If we are facing worry, fear, panic or paranoia, be honest and ask people to pray for us and with us instead of reacting irrationally. That is why we need to walk with a community of believers who spur one another on in the Lord (Heb. 10:24–25).

Arise to Make a Difference
As God’s people, we MUST NOT primarily think of ourselves or begin to operate on self-preservation mode. We are firstly the people of God. It is in moments like this that we need to arise to make a difference. It is in moments like this that we need leaders who provide stability, confidence and direction.

Yes, it is natural that we are fearful, worried, and so on. However, this is the time for us to learn to overcome because things are not going to get easier but we can grow stronger in the Lord!

The LORD is with us. He loves and cares for us. He watches over us. Let us cast our cares and fears on Him, and hold on to Him and His Word (to passages such as Ps. 121, Isa. 43, etc.) in such a time as this.

Look TO the Lord. Look OUT for another. Look OUTWARD for the needs of others.

(Photo credit: Boba Jovanovic on Unsplash)

by Annabelle Ng

As believers living in fast-paced modern Singapore, we often get so caught up in many activities — at work, with our friends and families, in church — that we end up shutting Jesus out of our hearts and lives. We rarely pause to take stock of where our hearts are at with regard to the vibrant relationship that the Lord calls us to with Him.

The reality is that many of us in the western church fall into the category of “lukewarm” believers. (I say this putting myself in this category as well.) If we’d just take a good, honest look at ourselves and a good, hard look at what the Bible says, we’d find that we possess many of the same characteristics as believers that the Bible classifies as “lukewarm”.

With the disruption brought about by COVID-19 this past year, the Lord wanted to awaken us to this reality of where are hearts are truly at. (This is not the only thing He is awakening us to, but will be the one this post is addressing.)

Thankfully, He doesn’t just want to diagnose this issue, but also provides the very remedy for it in His Word. Revelation 3:20 is the kairos word for this time.

Lulled into needing nothing…

With the material wealth that many of us enjoy, we can be easily lulled into enjoying the comforts of life and end up with the attitude that “life is good” on the whole and that we are “doing fine” in our faith and relationship with God. We can be so caught up in the rat-race and climbing the career ladder that God is low on the list of our priorities. We can also be filling our schedules with church activities and outreach programmes that drive us towards a busy life.

In all these cases, we’re usually quite content with how much of God we have and with our service to Him.

This was the attitude the church in Laodicea had in Revelation 3:14–22. In their minds and based on their own evaluation, they were “rich”, had become “wealthy”, and “had need of nothing”. However, the Lord saw the exact opposite. To Him, they were “wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked” (Rev. 3:17). He was so repulsed by their lukewarmness that it nauseated Him to the point where He felt like “vomiting” them out of His mouth.

As we are faced with this rather graphic and dramatic reaction on Jesus’ part and the rebuke that He gave to the Laodicean church, we need to understand that His chastening of them is neither harsh nor without love (Rev. 3:19, Heb. 12:5–6). In fact, He so earnestly desires their fullness that their lukewarmness nauseated Him.

The same applies to us. His disruption of our daily routines and stripping away of many “outward” things that occupy our time and attention are meant to awaken us to the true condition of our hearts. At the end of the day, His desire is for us to turn back to Him, away from lukewarmness, and cultivate a heart that is alive and “on fire” for Him.

His disruption of our daily routines and stripping away of many “outward” things that occupy our time and attention are meant to awaken us to the true condition of our hearts.

… when “fullness” means not being satisfied

The fullness that God has for our hearts is to have hearts that are lovesick for Jesus, always hungering and thirsting for more of Him and His righteousness. We are meant to be spiritually violent, never settling with how much of Him we have, but always contending for more. We are meant to have hearts that are “boiling hot” (“zestos” in Greek, Rev 3:15,16) with a holy passion and a desire for Jesus all our lives (Ps. 63:1,8; SoS. 5:8, Matt. 11:12).

This is so counter-cultural to what the world tells us — to do all we can to make ourselves “comfortable” so that we will not be in want or need of anything. “Self-sufficiency and comfort is the way to go.” And self-sufficiency and comfort are what will keep Jesus at a distance and our hearts dull and lukewarm.

So how do I diagnose if I have become lukewarm?

The Attitude and Approach

Be Honest
We’ll need to be honest with God and also with ourselves regarding the true state of our hearts. This includes removing any false pretenses or “fronts” we may put up before the Lord when we come before Him. It may be highly uncomfortable to see the reality of how dull or shallow our hearts are, but we can have confidence that God sees and knows already anyway, and is beckoning us to turn back to Him. Psalm 139:23–24 is a prayer that we can use to ask the Holy Spirit to help us see the true condition of our hearts.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
(Ps. 139:23–24)

Be Humble
We need to recognise that none of us are immune to lukewarmness. Including full-time ministers in His Church. Jesus always warns us to “take heed to ourselves” as our hearts tend to be deceitful (Jer. 17:9). It is easy to deceive ourselves into thinking we are “ok”. If we think and believe we are “beyond” lukewarmness, we are already walking in pride and deception.

Take a Hammer to our Hearts
Not a literal hammer, but the Word of God which is like a hammer (Jer. 23:29) that can shatter our incorrect paradigms and views that are not aligned with Him. Let God’s word define what “lukewarmness” is and also let it prescribe the remedy. This is not the time to use our own definitions and evaluate based on what others say or where the church-at-large is at, but to submit ourselves to the authority of Scripture.

The Symptoms

Just as physical symptoms point us to various underlying conditions in our physical bodies, there are symptoms in our lives that provide clues to the state of our spiritual health and condition. While this list is not exhaustive, these symptoms and questions provide a good starting point to assess where our hearts are at when it comes to our “hotness level” for Jesus:

1. Half-heartedness towards God — Am I reaching to live out the First and Great commandment (Matt. 22:37)?
2. A lack of hunger, zeal, fervour and desire for God, and for the things of God — Do I desire Jesus above all else? Am I concerned about what He desires or am I more focused on meeting my desires and wants?
3. A spiritual lethargy and dullness within our hearts — Am I passive about seeking Jesus? Do I drag my feet to the place of prayer or to reading His Word? Is my heart alive when I pray?
4. Compartmentalisation of our faith — Am I only a Christian when I do “Christian things”? Do I submit every area of my life (career, relationships, family, money) to the lordship of Jesus?
5. Measuring ourselves primarily based on outward activities and meeting requirements — When all outward activity and fellowship is taken away, am I lost? Is my heart still on fire for Jesus and am I still pursuing Him?

The above symptoms are but a reflection of the inward condition of a lukewarm heart.

In Revelation 3:17, Jesus minced no words in providing more details of this lukewarm spiritual condition that the Laodicean church was in. These are predominantly spiritual, not physical; and inward, not outward.

• Wretched — their faith was superficial, they were passive, dull in spirit and had no vibrancy in their hearts;
• Miserable (pitiful) — their hearts were oppressed, angry, bitter, depressed, on edge, fearful, paranoid and had no peace;
• Poor — they were deficient in the things of God, and lacked joy and the reality of His Presence in their hearts and lives;
• Blind — they lacked spiritual insight and wisdom as to what the Lord was saying in that season and hour;
• Naked — they lacked walking in devotion and obedience and had little to no righteous decisions and acts which are meant to be an overflow of their faith (Rev. 19:8).

In the midst of this disruption, how many of us find ourselves in the same shoes as the Laodiceans? How many of us found ourselves dull, fearful, and unable to understand what God is saying and doing? COVID-19 did not cause our hearts to be in this state, but the disruption simply surfaced what was already inside. And it is mercy that He is showing us what is truly in our hearts.

The Remedy

Thankfully, Jesus doesn’t just leave us where we are, but provides His solution as well. The remedy, broadly put, is Jesus Himself.

Specifically, through His letter to the Laodicean church (Rev. 3:18), He counsels His people to “do” these three things:

1. Buy from Him gold refined in the fire
2. Buy from Him white garments
3. Anoint our eyes with eye salve

Gold refers to godly character and values, white garments to our righteous decisions before Him, and eye salve to knowledge of God and understanding the things of God.

However, if we are poor, blind, and naked, how would we be able to acquire these things? We would not be able to afford, let alone venture out to buy them. (Indeed, who would want to venture out naked? Who would be able to find their way if they were blind?)

This simply adds to our helpless and wretched state.

Buying Gold With No Money

Mercifully, Jesus knows exactly where we are at. In His graciousness, knowing that we are unable to acquire these things outside of His help, He instead comes to us in His love:

Behold! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

(Rev. 3:20)

Jesus stands today at the door of the hearts of His Church and knocks, asking us to open the door of our hearts to let Him in. He is coming in His deep love and exhorting us to “be zealous and repent” (Rev. 3:19). If we don’t repent and take that step to open the door, He will forever be kept outside, and we will forever be left in our wretched state.

Ever since the Fall of Adam and Eve, we would rather hide from the Lord (Gen. 3:10). We are more comfortable keeping Jesus at a distance, for various reasons, than letting Him get “up close and personal” in all our business and our issues. However, oftentimes what we don’t realise is that we will only truly find life, satisfaction, and a vibrant heart when we stop keeping Him outside of our hearts and lives.

Dining with Jesus

What happens when we repent and answer His knock on our hearts?

He says He will come in to us, dine with us, and us with Him. He will bring the food that we need and set a table for us to eat with Him (SoS 2:4–6). In Jewish culture, sitting down and eating with someone only occurs between people who are considered part of their community, and whom they will fellowship with. Jewish people never ate with Gentiles, who are considered “unclean” in their eyes.

What Jesus is promising is a deep fellowship, communion, and acceptance of us as we allow Him into our hearts.

He will bring the gold, the white garments, and the eye salve that we desperately need, but are unable to acquire on our own. He will give us His grace to cultivate godly character, choose righteously and grant us spiritual understanding of Him and His heart.

Our hearts and souls will be flooded with His life and light.

The Season for Revelation 3:20

Knowing that this is what the Lord has for us on the other side of the closed door, how can we not open our hearts to Him? How can we still keep Him outside? He has been intensely knocking on the doors of our hearts since He paused the world with COVID-19. And He is still knocking right now.

It is time for His people to fling wide the doors of our hearts to Him and let Him in. And not just for one moment or a day, but especially for this time and for the rest of our days?

Let us set aside that consistent time everyday to come before Him. Let us dial down the noise of the world to tune in to the voice of the one standing on the other side of the door. Let us be honest and open the doors our of hearts to let Jesus walk in.

And as we do, may He set our hearts ablaze once again for Him. May He remove everything that causes our hearts to be dull. And may our hearts be passionate, alive and vibrant with zeal and desire for Jesus always!

An earlier version of this article was posted here at this blog.

by Faith Lim

The onslaught of COVID-19 this past year has thrust the world into unprecedented times and crises. We are beginning to see the longer-term repercussions of this pandemic. Although the number of COVID-19 cases have dwindled in Singapore, it is not yet time to let our guard down.

As we move into the new year, we are no longer living in peacetime. In fact, we are in wartime! Storms are here and they will increase with greater intensity. Isaiah 60:1-2 describes the unique dynamics of the End Times, where we will see the escalation and collision of both light and darkness.

We have entered into a “new normal” and we must truly be awakened to no longer live life business-as-usual. It is vital for us to be like the sons of Issachar, understanding the times and seasons and knowing what to do (1 Chron. 12:32).

More than just saving our own skins, we are meant to be the redemptive gift for the rest of the world. A Biblical example is seen in the life of Joseph, who was raised up for the purpose of preserving lives and souls in the time of famine (Gen. 45:5). Out of desperation, all nations came to him for an answer (Gen. 41:57)! Likewise, we are called to be the ones who know what is coming, align ourselves with God and arise with the answers for people who are seeking hope and light in the midst of the deepest darkness.

The era of casual and care-less Christianity is over. Instead, the Holy Spirit is highlighting the urgency to cultivate a lifestyle of “watching and praying” (Matt. 24:42; Lk. 21:36). The coming of Jesus draws nigh and it is high time for the Church to awaken and to assemble for battle (Rom. 13:11).

Haggai 2:4-9 and Hebrews 12:25-29 are two vital passages for us. When the Lord shakes, He primarily does three things — REVEAL, EXPOSE and REMOVE. God has REVEALED the fault lines in our character, value systems, lifestyle and pursuits that are not aligned with His will. He has EXPOSED every prop and false confidence that our hearts have been anchored in, that is apart from Him. Lastly, our jealous, zealous and passionate God wants to REMOVE everything in us that hinders wholehearted love and complete obedience in our hearts.

When God shakes, it is also His desire to give us the things that make for our stability in the coming eschatological storms. There are four “new normals” that we are entering into and four things God wants to release to us from Haggai 2:7–9.

Four “New Normals”

1. The “John 17 Moment” — This is a season where the Father will magnify Jesus (Jn. 17:4-5), release the unprecedented revelation of the beauty and glory of Jesus (Isa. 33:17) and anoint our hearts for passion and love for Jesus (Jn. 17:26).

2. A deeper communion and partnership with the Spirit of God — God promises that the quality of communion and partnership with the Holy Spirit made available to us will far surpass that of the early Church in the book of Acts. Many will begin to see greater works being done which are birthed forth from the place of abiding in Jesus.

3. A new understanding and framework of what Christianity is — In this hour, the Lord is dealing with the external facades of our idea of “Church” and directing us to the substance of what Church truly is. Out of His zeal, He is helping us go beyond the form and structure of how church is run and calling us back to true biblical faith. He is inviting each of us to go deep with Him. He is calling us to cultivate a real, deep and authentic history with Him.

4. Returning to the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom — More than just preaching about being saved from hell’s fire, God is restoring the preaching of the full counsel of the gospel of the Kingdom in the light of the greatest harvest that is coming!

Four Things God Desires to Release to Us

1. A CHANGE OF HEART (Haggai 2:6a) — There is an intense battle going on for the passions of our hearts (Matt. 24:12). In the midst of this battle, God is raising up those whose hearts are captivated and preoccupied with Jesus as our greatest desire and delight. Our hearts will be supernaturally changed and empowered to do so!

2. GREATER GLORY (Haggai 2:6b,9) — There is coming a glory of God that will be released with no measure (Acts 2:17-18; Joel 2:28-19) and it is for us to press in to contend for the fullness! God will arise and cause His glory and light to rest on His people in an unprecedented manner. Darkness will have no chance!

3. A TRANSFERENCE OF WEALTH (Haggai 2:8) — God will shift the finances and resources of this world into the hands of His people. However, this is not for the betterment of our personal lives. God will pour out unlimited resources for the advancement of the gospel of the Kingdom, so as to bring in the greatest harvest of all time!

4. THE PROMISE OF PEACE (Haggai 2:9) – As God removes the props in which we wrongly place our confidence, He is calling us to look to Him for true stability and peace. Is God truly the anchor of our souls? Is He the peace that guards our hearts? Indeed God is raising us up to be the immovable and unshakable ones as we develop real history with Him!

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.”

(Romans 13:11-12)

by Kay-Chong Yeo

Christmas is coming.

With ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, we won’t be able to have parties and big celebrations this year. Instead of lamenting the inability to celebrate like how the world tells us we need to or should, it can be a very meaningful Christmas celebration when we re-focus on Jesus, His heart and purposes for us in 2020.

Many feel that it’s been a “washout year” and unfortunately, this includes believers. Why? Because we could not travel, socialize, have a good time, etc. While these are not necessarily unimportant, as people of God, we must be able to see the bigger picture of what God is doing this season and embrace this year of pause, disruption and reset.

2020 will truly be a washout year only IF we still don’t grasp what God is saying and doing.

2020 will truly be a washout year only IF we have not responded according to what God desires of us through this unprecedented shaking.

Worst of all, 2020 will be a total washout IF we come out of it no different in our hearts towards Jesus, even when He is knocking SO hard at the door.

That beckons us to ask the following questions:

• Is my heart more alive and more in love with Jesus and His Word?
• Have I prayed and have I laid hold of God?
• Have I moved into God’s new normal even as the world has shifted into a new normal?
• Or am I still caught up with chasing the dreams that the world tells us to chase?

What will our answer be?
Yes? Maybe? I am not sure?

Christmas 2020 has to be a time of looking back, reflecting, and giving thanks, and a time of of resetting our hearts and re-prioritizing our focus and goals in life to be aligned with God. It has to be a time where we seriously and intentionally SET our hearts for 2021 and beyond. ‘Cos times will become more challenging yet it will be glorious IF we prepare ourselves.

I have said it over and over again for the last few years:

THINGS WILL NOT GET BETTER!
BUT… WE CAN GROW STRONGER…
WE CAN BURN HOTTER…
WE CAN SHINE BRIGHTER!

I read an interesting verse recently and thought it’s kinda funny yet it is so true for many believers. Proverbs 17:10 says, “Rebuke is more effective for a wise man than a hundred blows on a fool.”

Hasn’t the LORD seriously shaken us this year? I can literally hear the whisper of the LORD in my spirit: “What else do you want Me to do in order to get your attention?”

Incremental changes, minor adjustments and patronising token responses will no longer be sufficient. May we not require 100 blows to awaken us.

by Sarah Ng

The way God relates and deals with His chosen nation Israel is a picture of how God relates and deals with us His Church. We can learn much from their history with God especially through their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. God humbled them and tested them to reveal what was in their hearts. Would they really love and obey God when circumstances changed for the worst?

“And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.” (Deut. 8:2)

Before we shake our heads and sigh at the Israelites, we need to see that God allowed what had happened so that we today can learn from their mistakes. In His longsuffering and kindness, He admonishes us to look to them as examples:

“Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them… Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Cor. 10:6-7, 11)

How can we apply what happened to Israel to us in the midst of COVID-19 today? Among the many things that God is doing in this global pandemic, He is testing and humbling His people. 1 Cor. 10:12 says, “… let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.”

The nature of man in all our frailty remains the same, whether a thousand years ago or now. The same temptations surround and ensnare us. We lust after evil things; run after other idols; commit sexual immorality; tempt, resist and doubt Christ; and complain and grumble against God (1 Cor. 10:6-10).

We can also be doing all the “Christian” things — going to Church, fellowshipping with believers, serving, giving, tithing etc., but yet still not be living lives that are pleasing to God. We see this clearly through Israel’s 40 years in the wilderness.

“…all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” (1 Cor. 10:1–5)

God has caused the global pandemic to humble most of the world’s population by putting a halt to our usual routines and highlighting the mortality of man when faced with a virus. He is also testing us as His people — when things go south, will we still love Him, trust Him and obey Him? Or will we become offended and grumble at God?

May we take heed and respond to God and rend our hearts and not our garments. May we seize this window of getting right with God! Our confidence rests not in our ability to repent or humble ourselves, but on our faithful God. We can be assured that if we take heed and turn towards Him, He will hear our prayers and respond.

“When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
(2 Chr. 7:13–14)