The Test of Love(for God)

Sometimes we get too caught up with what we are doing that we forget what we are doing it for. Many times we embark on projects without even knowing its purpose. Many times, we end up being human doings instead of human beings. And that's when you know you've drifted away from God. Your purpose on Earth was not to be a human doing. Rather, your purpose here is to be a human being. A human being is weak, and that's why we need God. A human being is imperfect, that's why we need God. A human being is never and never will be strong enough, wise enough, fast enough, tall enough, rich enough or basically perfect enough. And that's why we need God. Because only in His love can we be found perfect, only by His grace can we be delivered, only by His strength can we soar, only in His ways can we ultimately prosper.

What has this got to do with loving God, you ask? Plenty. Nowadays, listening has becoming an overlooked thing. 'Let him who has ears, hear'. Jesus uses this phrase more than once. In fact, a quick check reveals that eight times in the Gospels and eight times in the Book of Revelation we are reminded that's it's not enough just to have ears, it's necessary to use them. A relationship is not just about one person speaking, it's about both parties speaking and listening to each other. It's the same with God. How often do we really sit down to seek the voice of God? How many times do we really sit down to listen to God, while putting aside the constraints of time? Or have our prayers been just about us? About us just coming to God, laying all our requests before God and then shutting off without waiting to listen to Him?

There are two questions I'd like to ask you the reader today.
1.How long has it been since you let God have you?
I mean, really have you? How long since you gave Him a portion of undiluted time, uninterrupted time listening for His voice? How long since you put aside everything, and just shut in with God? Jesus did. He made intentional efforts to be alone with God, seeking God and listening to Him. Every Gospel accounts for us at least once that Jesus spent regular time alone with God. He withdrew from the crowds, from his disciples, everything, and went to a faraway place to pray, to seek God. Besides praying, Jesus also spent time reading God's Word. Time and again, we see that Jesus knew the scriptures well, and he also knew how to use them. A very familiar example is when Satan tempts him in the wilderness. Jesus used the scriptures three times, and three times he made Satan shut up. Friends two keys: Prayer and Bble reading. If Jesus, the Son of God thought it necessary to do these, shouldn't we do so more?

2.How long since you let God love you?
God isn't a genie. Don't come to God and tell him how what you want from Him. Don't come to God with earthly requests and expect all to be fulfilled because that's not what we need God for. Instead, allow God to sit you on His laps, to embrace you with His arms and allow Him to tell you how much He loves you. That's what God wants to do with you. To tell you much He loves you. "The LORD your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah3:17) Read this verse over. Notice who is active who is passive? Who is singing and who is resting? Who is rejoicing over His loved one and who is being rejoiced over? Many times we think we are the singers when we worship. But there are times when God would rather have us be still and allow Him to sing over us. God loves you and He wants you to know it. He wants to rejoice over you. Feel like you're not worth it? Surely Judas wasn't, but Jesus washed his feet anyway. Neither was Peter, but Jesus loved him anyway. Neither were the Emmaus-bound disciples, but Jesus took time to sit at their table. Friends who are we to determine if we are worthy? Our job is to simply be still long enough to let God have us and let Him love us.

Friends I want to encourage you this day forth to let God have you, and let God love you.


I will never let go of your love, your mighty love
I will never let go of your love, your mighty love
You'll never fail me, and you'll never let me go
I will never let go of your love

"The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:'I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.' "(Jeremiah31:3)

Test of Faithfulness

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing" (Job1:22)

"...In all this, Job did not sin in what he said." (Job2:10)

The second test to being like Jesus is the test of faithfulness. To be faithful to God no matter the circumstance, to hold on to Him no matter how high the impending waves are, no matter how much the suffering is, that is true faithfulness.

You see friends, Job was a man who knew what faithfulness meant. He was tested many times by the devil, albeit allowed by God, but nevertheless he stood firm in God, never doubting God. His wive persecuted him, his friends mocked his beliefs, but not once did he waiver in his faith.

There were many tests that Job had to go through:
1)Loss of property (Job1:14-17)
2)Loss of family members/loved ones (Job1:18-19)
3)Loss of health (Job2:7-8)

Job went through many tests, yet not only did he not compromise on his faith, he grew even more faithful. And sometimes when I just look at this phase of Job's life, I begin to think of how easy we give up nowadays. How easy we blame God for little things nowadays. Friends this day I pray that your heart will be like Job's. To become just like Jesus, faith is required. The Bible tells us that without faith, it is imposible to please God. Many of us think that as long as we remain good, innocent christians, quiet and all, God is pleased, but no! WITHOUT FAITH, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD! God is looking at your heart today friend. If you truly want to be like Jesus, if you truly want your life to be like a sweet fragrance to God then you must start having faith. The Bible tells us that all it takes is faith as small as a mustard seed to move mountains. This day I pray that as you read this post, may your heart start to hunger after the great things of God. Friends following God is never easy, but it is going to be worth it. In times of trials, though it might not seem the most logical thing to do, submit to God. Allow Him to take control of your life. Because God has seem your beginning and your end, and He knows your latter will be greater than your former. Always hunger after the promises of God, because your problems will never equal your promises. This day I pray for faith to arise as you read this.


He said: "Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the LORD says to you: 'Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's. Tomorrow march down against them. They will be climbing up by the Pass of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the gorge in the Desert of Jeruel. You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the LORD will give you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the LORD will be with you.' " Jehoshaphat bowed with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the LORD. Then some Levites from the Kohathites and Korahites stood up and praised the LORD, the God of Israel, with very loud voice. Early in the morning they left for the Desert of Tekoa. As they set out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Listen to me, Judah and people of Jerusalem! Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld; have faith in his prophets and you will be successful." (2 Chromicles 20:15-20)


Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

Through death into life everlasting
He passed, and we follow Him there;
Over us sin no more hath dominion -
For more than conquerors we are!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

His Word shall not fail you - He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well;
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His Glory and Grace.

The Test Of Fruitfulness

"Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?' 'Sir,' the man replied, 'leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. 9If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.' " (Luke13:6-9)

God desires for you to grow. Sure, you've received Christ. You're asking me,'I've already received Christ, I'm going to heaven, why should I grow?' Yes, you've received Christ, but receiving Christ does not mean you're going to heaven. Receiving Christ does not mean receiving salvation. Receiving Christ is about receiving a purpose. It's when your life takes on new meaning. The seed is planted in you the moment you accept and receive Christ, but the seed cannot grow until you make the effort to set the conditions right.

God doesn't want you to just receive the seed and leave it there. No, it'll die if it does not exist in the appropriate conditions. And that's what hurts God most, when your seed dies. God desires for you to receive the seed in your heart and then set the conditions in your heart right, so that only He can make it grow. God desires for that seed in you to grow into a mature plant and eventually bear fruit. You have a purpose, God has appointed you to bear fruit, fruit that will last (John15:16)

Friends, God has a purpose for your life. Not just to receive the seed He gracefully gave to you, but to boldly stand out from the crowd and fearlessly live your life according to His ways, and to ultimately grow that seed. God desires for you to live a life that speaks volumes of Him and for Him.

Friends the first step to becoming just like Jesus is to get your life right before God. The first step to growing that seed is to set the soil. Only then can the watering and the caring work. Only then can the seed start its growth. God doesn't desire for you to be perfect, He knows you can never be, but God desires that you become conscious of your identity, to know what you should and should not do, to be aware of your purpose and to make conscious efforts to work towards that purpose. God desires for you to live your life worthy of His. When He gave His life for yours, He desired for you to do the same.

"Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God." (Philippians1:27-28)


Purify my heart
Let me be as gold and precious silver
Purify my heart
Let me be as gold, pure gold

Refiner's fire
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for you Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for you my master
Ready to do your will

Purify my heart
Cleanse me from within
And make me holy
Purify my heart
Cleanse me from my sins
Deep within

Refiner's fore
My heart's one desire
Is to be holy
Set apart for you Lord
I choose to be holy
Set apart for you my master
Ready to do your will

Just Like Jesus

Recently my MSN pm read like this: God made you and He loves you just the way you are, but He refuses to leave you there. He wants you to be just like Jesus.

And it's true. God loves you just the way you are, but He's not contented to leave you where you are, simply because He's destined you for greatness. And until you fulfill your potential of greatness, God's not goiing to leave you alone. He's going to come and knock on the doors of your heart everyday until you respond. He's gonna shake your faith everyday until you make Him your only pillar of strength and confidence. He's gonna keep moulding you until you are willing to allow Him to expand your territory. Simply, He's gonna keep going at you until you become like Jesus, your ultimate purpose.

Becoming just like Jesus. Yes,that's right. The Bible tells us in Philippians that God's ultimate purpose for us is to possess the attitude of Christ Jesus.(Philippians2)

But what does it mean to posess the attitude of Jesus? Simple. It means to have the heart of Jesus. David was written as man after God's own heart. Moses knew God on a personal basis, he too knew the hear of God. Many of the characters in the Bible knew what it meant to catch the heartbeat of God. Friends catching the heartbeat of God is good, but God wants you to go one step further. God wants you to catch His whole heart. The Bble writes for us that out of the heart comes thinkings and actions. In other words, your heart shapes who you are. That's why of all things, God wants to deal with your heart first. And who else to model after but Jesus? John,who followed Jesus for 3 and a half years, described Jesus as blameless and pure. That's why until your heart is like Jesus', God's not going to rest.

But to be like Jesus is not going to be easy. There are several tests we have to go though as believers to ultimately fuflill the call that God has placed in our lives. We will explore these tests in the next few posts.

Tests are:
1)Inevitable. Jesus himself was tested many times, by the devil, by the pharisees, even by his own disciples. Basically if you want to grow, you have to grow through tests.
2)Continual. They occur throughout your whole life, until the day you meet the LORD and receive the eternal crown He's prepared for you.
3)Necessary. I believe I've stressed a lot on this point. Beasically if you want to grow, you have to grow through tests, because that's where you'll come out stronger each time and that's how you grow.
4)Productive. Obviously. God will not test you for no reason. He will not bring you through something just for the sake of doing it. He has a purpose for each and every phase of your life.
5)Influential. This is what many people don't realize. When you are being tested, do you know that you can actually influence people? The testimonines that you bring with you after each ordeal are essential and powerful tools to impact the people around you. Therefore do not think that what you're going through is just for yourself, no, God meant for you to testify of Him even during each ordeal, because that's where you can bless and infuence others when they see how you can stand firm in God even when your whole world falls.
6)Crafted by God. Every test you have gone through and will go through has been specailly crafted by God. He will not give you soemthing that you cannot sustain, nor will He give you something that doesn't bring out your fullest potential. That's how He knows what you are going through, but that's how He knows that you will emerge stronger.

Tests are just some of the things that God uses to mould us until we eventually become like Jesus. Friends in everything rejoice, because you can be sure that in whatever you are going through, God will be your constant, He will be your pillar of strength and comfort, and He will indeed fight for you in eveything. IN THE STORM, DARE TO WALK ON THE WATER WITH JESUS, THAT'S WHERE YOU'LL TRAMPLE ON EVERY WAVE.

How Far Will You Go?

'The LORD said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's houshold and go to the land I will show you. "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." ' (Genesis12:1-3)

A great promise. But an equally daunting condition. The call of Abram involved a huge sacrifice. I believe it was a test from God to Abram, to test if Abram would follow God wholeheartedly. God could have blessed Abram right where he was, yet God called him out, so that God could use him. And Abram passed the test perfectly. After he got the call from God, the Bible records for us that he immediatly went.

The call of Abram spells one word- SUBMISSION. It is one of the most hated words in the dictionary. It spells of surrender, of defeat, of humiliation, of pain and many other undesirable things. But friends, in the heavenly realm, submission is the most wanted thing. Our Father God is looking for people who are ever-willing to sacrifice their whole lives to him, people who will follow him wholeheartedly, because these are the only people that he can use.

You see friends, God could have used Abram right where he was to bless the people, but God called Abram to another land. God had to strip away from Abram everything, all his earthly thinkings, all his worldly principles, all his comfort zones, everything, so that Abram wuld only rely on God alone.

Friends is there anything that God is calling you to surrender to him? Maybe it's your CCA, God wants you to give him your time, maybe He wants to use you mightily in another CCA. Maybe it's a relationship, God wants you to give your best years to him. Maybe it's your lifestyle, God wants you to live your life according to His ways. Maybe it's something else, but no matter what it is, it is all for only one purpose. So that God can use you much more than before, to bless His people, to impact your generation, to live out His purpose. Someone once told me, 'God cannot use you until you're dead'. No, not physically dead, but dead to yourself, your earthly thinkings, your worldly values, your human principalities, and even to your rights. God cannot use you if you don't die to the world. You cannot please both God and the world. You can only serve one master. Friends are you living to please yourself or God? The Bible tells us that what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.(2Corinthians4:18) You have big dreams, yet God is calling you to give it all up. You have big plans, and God is calling you to give it all up. Nobody said following God is easy, but God made it very clear that following Him would be the most rewarding thing. When you surrender to God, you do so not in defeat, but in victory, because now you include God in your plans, and now God is on your side. Who now can be against you? (Hebrews13:6)

Sacrifice and submission are the most painful things around, yet these are the things God is looking out for. Our Commander is looking for people who will dedicate their whole lives to the cause, who will give everything to fight for the Kingdom, soldiers who know what it means to die for the Kingdom. And right now God is looking at you. He sees right into your heart. Is there anything you are holding back deep down inside? Is there anything you can't let go off? Is there anything you are refusing to surrender, because you think that your whole life will be destroyed if you let go?

Friends the question is this, are you willing to sacrifice 80 years of your life and dreams in exchange for the reward of eternal life? The next question is this, how far are you willing to go for the Kingdom of God. Remember, God doesn't want lukewarm Christians(Rev3:15-16). God wants all of you. How far will you go for Him?


Hope has found its home within me.
Now that I've been found in You.
Let all I am be all You want me to be.
'Cause all I want is more of You.
All I want is more of You.

Let Your presence fall upon us.
I want to see You face to face.
Let me live forever lost in Your love.
'Cause all I want is more of You.
All I want is more of You.

I'm living for this cause.
I lay down my life into Your hands.
I'm living for the truth,
The hope of the world.
In You I'll stand.
'Cause all I want is You.

All I want is,
All I want is You, Jesus.

Fighting For Our Generation

As I was watching these videos,tears began to fill to my eyes. It struck me,are we doing enough for God? We always say that we are a part of God's army,but are we doing enough? Are we standing up for who we are and be counted for what we believe in? Or are we being laid-back Christians who prefer to play it safe and keep God inside? Are we Christians who prefer to lie back and be silent about what God has done for our lives?

'I sing because I know that what I have inside of me is real. It doesn't matter who protests,and it doesn't matter who asks questions. I know that what I have inside of me is real and he changed my life. It's a man and his name is Jesus Christ.'-Jodie Dickens
The childlike faith of this girl really shook me. She doesn't care about what anybody thinks of her,she sings in public anyway,because she knows she cannot keep inside her what God has done for her and in her life. Friends we cannot hide any longer. We have to stand up and be counted,for who we are and what we believe in. If the kingdom of heaven is to advance,its army must be forceful,it cannot be laid back. It cannot be silent. It must be prepared,always on the offensive,ready to take the promise land anytime. If this generation is going to be taken for Christ,friends we cannot hold back any longer. We always say 'All out for God',but do we really mean it? Do we really go all out for God? To go all out for God is to strip away everything,your pride,your confidence,your comfort zones,your rights,your habits,your desires,everything,and stand 'naked' before our God and still be able to say,'Lord,your will be done'.

In the second video,the girls,young as they are(11 years old),they are spiritual giants. They carry the burden of God,a heart of compassion for their generation. Friends if this generation is going to be remembered as a God-fearing nation,we have to start the fire burning. We have to learn to look at people through the eyes of Jesus. We have to realize that there's no more time! The girls made a commitment to God,and they are going to honour it. Friends what is your commitment to God today? Are you going to honour it no matter the circumstances? Are you able to put aside everything and keep God's will for you always in focus? Will you not be silent any longer and now start to be a mighty warrior for God? Friends,there is no more time! Unless we stand up and be counted for who we are and what we believe in,this generation is going to hell. I know it's uncomfortable to accept but it's a fact. Unless as a warrior in God's army we choose to be at the forefront of this spiritual battle,unless we stop being laid-back,this generation is going down!

Many of us know that God is coming soon. Many of us know that the culture eating at our generation now is filthy and evil. Many of us know that everyday youths are cutting themselves,they get drunk every night,they contemplate suicide everyday,they have sex with multiple partners,everyday they are moving closer to hell,and we know that! But what are we doing?! Friends unless we take the battlecall upon our lives,this generation is only going to be perverted everyday.

What is your stand today? Are you going to continue to be laid-back or are you going to truly go all out for God? Are you going to continue to be silent or are you now going to open your mouth and proclaim the good things God has done in your life?

'As long as we keep our mouths shut they keep perverting this culture. It's time to speak up! WHoever speaks up most gets to shape the culture.'-Ron
Are you going to allow the devil to continue to speak into the lives of our generation and lead them to destruction? Or are you going to speak up and lead our generation into the salvation God has for them? I choose to speak up.


Sovereign King of heaven, You are hope
Hope for every Lost and weary soul
Jesus, our salvation, You are God and God alone

We'll tell the world of You
We'll tell the world of You
Your infinite grace, Your furious love
We'll tell the world of You
We'll tell the world of You
We'll tell the world of You
Your infinite grace, Your furious love
We'll tell the world

Holy Savior, awesome and untamed
History maker, You remain the same
Who are we that You would give Your life
And bear our shame

We will not be silent
We cannot be silent
We cannot be silent anymore