The moment of true Salvation is without question the most significant event in our Christian life.  In that moment, we are “born again” (John 3:7) and become a “new creation” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) through the power of the Holy Spirit; “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6).  In fact, the moment of Salvation is so significant that even if we seem to stumble through every step past that point, we still have reason to rejoice with every breath – we are children of the King and will spend all eternity in His glorious Kingdom.

Our journey with God can indeed be rocky.  As we continue down His path we are to strive for holiness and purposeful worship in our life.  We are to diligently seek Him and “learn the secret of being content in any and every situation” (Philippians 4:12).  We must learn to “trust in the Lord with all our heart” (Proverbs 3:5), but we must also remember that “apart from Me {Jesus}, you can do NOTHING” (John 15:5).  The reality of this journey is that if we strive for anything in our own strength, we are certainly destined to stumble and fall.

2 Timothy 2:1
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.”

This verse means we must continue to trust in His grace and in His grace alone.  We did nothing to earn our Salvation, and we can do nothing to maintain our right standing before God – nothing besides belief in His Son; “Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?” (Galatians 3:3).

We are saved by the grace of God and we must continue to live by this same grace: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught” (Colossians 2:6).  Our Heavenly Father will determine our path to holiness, purpose, contentment, and trust – and His grace will equip us with all we need for the journey.

Let’s completely trust in the saving grace of Jesus!  Let’s apply the strength of His grace today in every trial and temptation.  Let’s live a life of pure and holy devotion by always remaining strong in His grace.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God’s Daily Word Ministries

On Jan 19th, God sent me a very strong message about the vision that he once gave me – a vision that I had in my dreams of me carrying a baby boy. The vision was so clear that I could still remember how I carried the little baby in my hands. I would gladly regard this dream/vision as God’s promise to me and hubs that He will give us a child one day in His perfect timing. But over the months/years my yearning has distant me from God, which sent me into waves of doubts and troubles that I could never comprehend. I finally came into realization that, only God can do all things (Isaiah 45:7), and that I ought to pray for a child in His will and not mine.

It may seem very hard to comprehend for most of you who are reading my blog, but what transformed my thoughts and prayers are the words of God telling me that, we ought to look to God first before all things because He gives and creates all things. This message was first sent to me by a pastor at the church I am attending, and at that time, I couldn’t quite get the message – or maybe I was ignorant. But the message was not sent out in vain. The message I received on Jan 19th appears like this (taken from My Utmost for His Highest):

• Whenever God gives a vision to a Christian, it is as if He puts him in “the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). The saint’s duty is to be still and listen.
• When God gives you a vision and darkness follows, wait.
• God will bring the vision He has given you to reality in your life if you will wait on His timing.
• Those years of darkness/silence were a time of discipline, not a period of God’s displeasure.
• We just need to wait upon God and be grounded on Him, and not rely on our own common sense(Isaiah 50:10-11)
• The big questions we need to ask ourselves are “Do we trust in the flesh? Or have we learned to go beyond our confidence in ourselves and other people of God?” (this literally means do we trust others’ advice more than God’s?) and “Or have I placed my confidence in God himself, not in His blessings?”
• The ultimate reason why we are being disciplined is that we will know that God is real.
• Nothing that other saints do or say can ever upset the one who is built on God (This message came as a resounding gong that rang deep in my heart, mind and soul reminding me that I ought not to rely on others or my own strength, understanding, common sense and efforts to make things come my way, but to build my trust in the Lord, the giver of all things)

As I read the story of Abram and Hagar in Genesis 16, of how Abram resorted to his own common sense to fast track God’s plans for him which ended in a disaster more than a blessing, I felt a sense of fear that I may end up like Abram if I continue to rely on my own impatience and strength to set the paths right for me. And the amazing thing is, I was about to see a Chinese practitioner that day when this message came flashing on me. A day before the plan to visit the Chinese practitioner, I was stricken with a weird kind of illness which I cannot define – gastric, nausea, dizziness and sleepiness. I was literally drained out the very next day (the day I was about to visit the practitioner) and I could not bring myself to take the LRT and walk to the practitioner which was situated in the heart of KL town. And then, everything made sense to me when I came across this message. God just wanted me to wait! But being a stubborn ox, I was very reluctant to follow the message and was determined to visit the practitioner at whatever costs – including my deteriorating health!

But somehow, there is this strong tingling sensation which I believed came from the Holy Spirit residing in me, prompting me not to go. I became more tired and I slept throughout the afternoon which of course, made me missed the appointment I’ve set with the practitioner and the most amazing thing was, instead of fretting over a missed appointment, I was at peace with God. You see, I had an interview the very next day, and if I hadn’t listened to God and went ahead with my plans, I would’ve missed out on a great interview that God has set for me (that is of course, a different story altogether). How great is our God! He has made me lie down in green pastures and assured me of the vision He gave me. Though I am not sure what will happen next in my life – will I have a baby this year or not? I could only think of relying on God’s timing than my own to make it happen. I will strive to enjoy every minute of my life with Him and my hubby and in fellowship with my dear sisters and not dwell on my own worldly desires to make me happy. With God with me, what other joy is there to savor here on earth? There is truly none like God.

It is not just about reading the word of God, but to delve deeper into its meaning and letting our hearts, minds and souls be led by the Holy Spirit as we read them. Joyce also warned us that we should never be just reading God’s words or hearing sermons for the sake of hearing/reading them. The message from this chapter that says “the flesh is basically lazy, and many people want to get something for nothing (with no effort on their part)” came as a big slap on my face for me. I must learn and commit to devote myself into reading, enjoying, appreciating, internalizing and utilizing God’s words in every parts of my life. I started by writing down bible verses which come as a message God sent me in my daily quiet time with Him. This habit of writing has become an enjoyable activity which I will not want to miss for the day. In fact, it helps me to start the morning – fresh and renewed. Writing bible verses helps me to keep track of God’s messages for me and to be at a covenant with Him as much as I can.

Apart from writing down the verses, I also started blogging about it especially messages that truly touched me and prompted me to share them out with others in my blog. This form of writing activity has really kept me going in those darkest moments that I experienced and I must thank a sister who has taught me the art of writing and remembering God’s words in my heart. This is what this chapter is about as well. As we delve on God’s words, we will start to think about them more and more.

Psalm 1:1-2

¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.

Indeed, I found it rather delightful to be reading God’s words daily, to delve on it and to appreciate His presence with me as I read them. I could not wait to start the next day reading God’s words and talking to Him. It is like a new found hobby that I enjoy so much and it delights me to hear Him day after day to keep me afloat. Reading God’s words and thinking about it in all circumstances will help us embrace the difficulties in life and enjoy life more. God’s words are like the shield of our faith and the sword of the Spirit that will protect us from all evil schemes (Eph 6:10-17).

By reading Battlefield of the Mind, I realized that the miseries I have been suffering in my life sprouted from the negative thoughts that I have harbored all these years. Realizing the problem is one thing, but to take the necessary actions to get rid of it is another. I cannot deny that there are many times where I relented to my old thoughts and ways whenever I am faced with the same troubling situations that I have faced in the past. Joyce’s words in this chapter reminded me that all these miseries/negative thoughts came not from God, but from the evil one. How we think of the situations/circumstances that hit us will determine if we are on the road to further self-destruction or freedom, for “our thoughts affect our attitudes and moods.

As for me, I know that it will be a tough road ahead of me – facing more anxieties, worries and fear in life, and at the same time, fighting to claim the victory of Christ by the renewal of my mind and thoughts towards positivism. But I know that, with the shield of faith, belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace and the helmet of salvation, I shall fear no evil, though I walk through the valley of shadow of death for God is with me and with you as well.

Till we meet again in Chapter 8 which comes as Part 2 of Battlefield of the Mind that talks about the “Conditions of the Mind”.

People might think of Christians as the crazy bunch of people who ask for nothing but trouble in their lives. I don’t blame them for thinking this way. Naturally it’s human nature – they just want to conquer the world – fame, money, glamor, etc, you name it you got it. So when a human follows the unworldly ways of life, he/she is thought of as abnormal. I tend to feel the urge to go back out there into the world again … for it is always an easier and more convenient decision to do so. But when I think of the times when I was so troubled by the world and how Jesus saved me from them, I began to doubt my decisions. I have witnessed, seen, experienced, felt and known God through His majesty, power and saving grace, but yet, I still have not known!! Therefore, God told me strongly today in His message to me from Romans 1:20, that I SHOULD NOT have any excuse for NOT knowing Him since I have indeed seen all His good works to me. Failing to or refusing to know God is a dangerous sign of backsliding. But thankfully this time, with the forcefulness of God’s words to me, I can still withstand certain temptations that come my way. Just like Joyce has put advice us – always use the word of God as our shield and armor against evil forebodings and mind-binding spirits.

Then I came to another message which is about “burying my old life in Christ”. It may sound really scary to most people especially when the word “bury” is used as it is equivalent to death. Jesus talks a lot about “death” in the bible and that He has called for us to die to “self” in order to renew our lives in Him (Romans 6:4). Dying to self basically means, we need to put aside (or even to the extent of casting out) our “self”, our “being” here in this world, so that we can fully devote our lives and hearts to Him alone. Only then we can hear Him. Only then, we can follow Him. Only then, we can experience the joy that is made complete in us (Deut 16:15, John 3:29, John 15:11, John 16:24, Phil 2:2, 1 John 1:4, 2 John 1:12).

The final message I received today is linked to the other two that I have written above which is about knowing the call of God. Receiving or hearing and embracing God’s calling is something that I had been having trouble understanding all these while. What is exactly the call of God? How does He call us to do His works? Questions like that these will just spring from my head and I often had to rely on my friends to verify them for me. But in actual fact, God just told me today, that’s not how it works. “It is the threading of God voice directly to us over a certain concern, and it is useless to seek another person’s opinion of it. Our dealings over the call of God should be kept exclusively between ourselves and Him” (taken from “My Utmost for His Highest”). So to answer my next question of “how” does He call us? I found my answers (also taken from the same book) – “The call of God is a not a reflection of my nature; my personal desires and temperament are of no consideration. As long as I dwell on my own qualities and traits and think about what I am suited for, I will never hear the call of God. But when God brings me into the right relationship with Himself …“.

Here is what I can sum up from my messages today. God is basically telling me that in order to walk on the right path with Him, I must first know Him and to know that He is God – a God of power, majesty, grace, love, forgiveness and divine nature. So in order for me to know this in my heart, to burden myself to acknowledge Him as God, I need to and I must cast out my being or self as not to rely on my own understanding and efforts. To die to self, is to live a new life in His leading. Only when I die to self to know God, I will be in the right relationship with Him and when I am in the right relationship with Him, I will hear and heed His calling and to be healed.

Isaiah 6:9-10

⁹He said, “Go and tell this people:

   “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.”

My prayer request – Please pray that I will continue to live in a new life that Jesus has given me, to die to my old self, to discard my desires for this world, to have not a divided heart for Him but to devote my heart to Him alone, and to seek Him and love Him with all my heart, soul and mind. Let me not lean my on my own understanding and be anxious about anything, but in everything through prayer and petition, and thanksgiving, I will present my requests to Him.

Thank you and have a blessed week ahead.

To me, I’d like to put it as I needed to break free from these evil forebodings and in order for me to do this, is to continue having a glad and grateful heart for the Lord. A heart that is filled with gladness of positivism and gratitude for the love God has showered me with. This was my prayer this morning too. I cannot let myself be trapped in this misery for so long – not only is it driving me nuts, but it is also driving me away from enjoying the good things in life. Thank you Joyce, Thank you God for this realization.

Moving on to Chapter 6 (Mind Binding Spirits), which is a rather short chapter but with written powerful messages. This Chapter looks to me like a continuation from the section on evil foreboding in Chapter 5, in which Joyce talks her experience of “mind-binding spirits” that led her to her unbelief of God’s plans for her. She described this scenario as losing the vision that God has given her for her ministry and has caused her to question God’s calling for her. I believe most Christians experience this “mind-binding spirits” at certain stages of their walk with God where the evil ones will try to stop us from following God and to turn to their ways instead. It’s a struggle that we needed to fight. Though it is difficult, but with God as our shield and strength, nothing can stand in our way. Many non-believers will think that Christians tend to look for troubles and that their lives are often afflicted with miseries when professed the faith, but there is one thing that they will never understand is the divine deliverance and blessings from God that surpasses all understanding. Christianity is about walking with God and that we do not belong in this world, but in heaven with God, but while we are still here in this world, we will be succumbed to sufferings and miseries simply because we are fallen by human nature. Not one is free from sins.

Joyce experienced a divine deliverance from God from the mind-binding spirits she experienced and she described that moment of deliverance as dramatic. I too once experienced deliverance from God through prayer, and I can tell, it is really a dramatic and awesome feeling. It felt like a large chunk of sin has been taken away from you and that you have broken free from the chains of that one sin that you have prayed to be delivered from. I can tell you from my experience that many people thought I am crazy and fickle-minded. One day I am full of gladness and the next, I am down in the slump again. Why am I experiencing all these? Reading this chapter also made me realized that I have a mind-binding spirits problem. I believed that God has a plan worked out for me for my good and that made me feel glad and positive, but as I claimed His promise and began to trust His word, the evil ones came attacking me and I am beaten once again. I have read somewhere in the bible that God sometimes allows this to happen so that I can trust in Him to gather sufficient strength and to rest on His grace to fight them.

There is a saying that goes “One beaten twice shy”. As I began to grow in my faith, I told myself that I shall NEVER allow myself to be beaten. I needed the word of God to help me get through this. And Philippians 4:6-7 that flashed at the first page of this chapter is what I needed – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus“. Yes, I am in Christ Jesus just as He is in me (John 14:20). Therefore, whatever happens to me, when the evil ones try to capture my heart and mind, I shall rely on God’s word and prayers to set me free. Joyce presented two powerful verses which we can rely on to truly set us free from evil foreboding and mind-binding spirits:

John 8:31-32

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Psalm 107:20

He sent out his word and healed them;  he rescued them from the grave.

In the King James Version, the word “grave” means “destruction”. God’s words will free us from further destruction of our lives. It may sound really simple – just read God’s words and follow, but the act of moving myself towards doing what is right, is tough. My heart just doesn’t synchronize with the mind and soul. As I continued reading on in this chapter, I came to a section in which Joyce mentioned about deciding to believe. In this section, Joyce also wrote about how the mind just wants to understanding everything and when that understanding is not provided by God, the mind refuses to believe what it cannot understand. This is very true about me also. I also realized that I have been praying to follow God’s plans – but am I really following His plans for me? Or am I following what my mind tells me to do? It seems like I am doing the latter. Many times I tend to get stuck in my prayer to God. My heart wants to just pour out all of me, but my mind shuts it off. My prayer becomes fake – I don’t think I am praying the right prayer.

This morning, I prayed as though I have never prayed before, and during that time too, I made the decision of surrendering what is in my heart to God and to believe in my prayer to Him. I ignored what the mind tries to do and it felt great. I believe this is what God wants from every Christians in their prayer – to prayer and to believe and not doubt. My experience coincides with the verse from the bible which is also shared in Joyce’s book. Taken from James 1:2-8, it says:

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I also believe that one reason why I cannot find peace when I pray to God is that I tend to expect God will give me anything that I’ve asked for. But not everything. True prayer is about seeking God and not this world. My prayer has been about, getting a job, a baby, more money, whatever that the world gives, but that is not what God wants from us. He wants to give us His grace and peace in which something the world cannot give (John 14:27). I have to continue praying and not doubt, but believe. Finally, I need to claim God’s words and truth in order to set myself free from evil foreboding and mind-binding spirits. God gives us wisdom and grace freely when we seek and ask him (Matthew 7:7).

Reading Joyce’s books particularly these two chapters (5 & 6) has given me a lot of thinking and realization about my life with God. I hope God will also lead you to read this book, if you find that you too face troubles in your life. Do not give up on Him for He hasn’t given up on you. God bless.

His Solitude is with Us. When God gets us alone through suffering, heartbreak, temptation, disappointment, sickness, or by thwarted desires, a broken friendship or a new friendship – when He gets us absolutely alone, and we are totally speechless, unable to ask even one question, then He begins to teach us. Notice Jesus Christ’s training of the Twelve. It was the disciples, not the crowd outside, who were confused. His disciple constantly asked Him questions and He constantly explained things to them, but they didn’t understand until after they received the Holy Spirit (see John 14:26). As you journey with God, the only thing He intends to be clear is the way He deals with your soul. The sorrows and difficulties in the lives of others will be absolutely confusing to you. We think we understand another person’s struggle until God reveals the same shortcomings in our lives. There are vast areas of stubbornness and ignorance the Holy Spirit has to reveal in each of us, but it can only be done when Jesus gets us alone. Are we alone with Him now? Or are we more concerned with our own ideas, friendships, and cares of our bodies? Jesus cannot teach us anything until we quiet all our intellectual questions and get alone with Him.   

This phrase rhymes with the verse I’ve once read in John 12:40 in which God quietened our hearts and mind and blinded our eyes so that we can neither see with our eyes nor understand with our hearts in order to heal us.

Healing or understanding can never be achieved if we continue to rely on our own intellect and efforts to understand the situations that are going on around us – for we can never understand why nor how they happened. I believe my life has gone through many rounds of tossing and turning only to come to corners of blank walls with nowhere to go. I tried to escape from my miseries and sufferings, but when I realized I am relying on my own efforts to help me heal, God never fails to pull me to a quiet place, shut myself up, leaving me no other choice but to turn myself to Him for healing. I am a stubborn ox to begin with and only God can handle my stubbornness. Today itself, God asked me to turn myself in, to surrender my all and my life to Him once again. I prayed for diligence and sheer obedience and as I prayed, I completely let myself loose into His arms once again. The feeling was great! Too great to be true. I hope you will do the same when you are trapped at all corners of your life, to just turn yourself completely to Him – He is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). Apart from Him, we can do nothing! (John 15:5). God is great and forever He shall be.

In my own version of BKT, I added pork bones and meat, one roasted garlic (with skin peeled off, then washed) and one packet of herbs to start off with. I wasn’t very sure how many packets should I add into the soup, but to be on the safe side, I put in one packet first. If it lacks taste, then I will add another one to supplement the rest of the ingredients. According to my mum, I have to boil the soup for at least 8 hours which is just about time for the herbs to release those wonderful fragrant smell. Once the soul is about right, I added the pork ribs and lean mean into the soup, cook them for just a little while so that they do not harden. Once the lean mean’s cook, I removed them from the soup and cut them into edible pieces. Then I added the straw and Chinese mushroom and foo chook (or dried beancurd skin) as supplementary dishes. Wa lah … there you go my home-made Bak Kut Teh … Enjoy!

My Home-Made Bak Kut Teh

]]> http://miramblings.wordpress.com/2012/01/13/new-year-new-recipe-bak-kut-teh-pork-ribs-in-herbal-soup/feed/ 0 miramblings P1010406 http://miramblings.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/battlefield-of-the-mind-chapter-5-be-positive/ http://miramblings.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/battlefield-of-the-mind-chapter-5-be-positive/#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:12:04 +0000 miramblings http://miramblings.wordpress.com/?p=1529 ]]> This chapter in Joyce’s book just numbed my thoughts for a moment and for that moment, I could not bring myself to read. I was feeling doubtful that I could get anything out of this chapter and the first few paragraphs of this chapter just “splashed cold water onto my face” that woke me out of my doubts. According to Joyce, doubts (and fear) are parts and parcels of negativism. I have been really negative throughout my life. I blamed it on family upbringing, for I can’t deny that my parents hadn’t really instilled positivism in us and my sisters too realized this as well. Everything we do, there will be negative remarks of “Can you do that?” “Are you sure you can do it?” “You can never do such thing”. After that, I also came to realized that I cannot fully blamed my upbringing for the negativism that I have harbored throughout the rest of my life. I had and I still have a choice to change things around. I have a choice of thinking positively and reacting to situations positively, but the “stronghold” in my mind has kept me from reaching out to positivism. It was very convenient for me to just point my fingers and blame others for my well-being, but in actual fact, nobody can control my thoughts and actions – only God can, and the saddest thing about this is that I wasn’t allowing Him to.

I could relate very much to Joyce’s story about her leading a negative life in the past as well. When things don’t go as planned, we tend to rely on blames and self-condemnation to get us through the days. When we believed in negativism, negativism shall befall us. Taking from Matthew 8:13 – Joyce shared the message on how Jesus tells us that “it will be done for us just as we have believed”, and indeed how true this is. When we have negative thoughts, ultimately we lead negative lives and therefore, like Joyce, in order for me to follow God closely and to allow Him in my life, the negative part of me will have to go! How am I being so negative and what does it take for me to get rid of this negativism?

To begin with, I never really loved myself and I often harbored negative thoughts for the sake of escaping disappointment and hurt. Reading this chapter of the book make me came into realization that I had been avoiding harboring hopes and dreams unconsciously to avoid being hurt. For those who have read my previous posts, you would have known how much I have grieved over being unaccepted by the community that I once came in contact with. As a consequence of my negativism, I became selfish to the point that I would rather hurt someone first before they hurt me – a defense mechanism that I didn’t know I have built throughout the course of my life. I hate to break this – I find it very difficult to be happy for someone, to share the joy of a joyous occasion like marriage and welcoming a new member in one’s family. Instead, I envy those who are enjoying themselves so much in life when I find that I couldn’t I cannot control this sort of negative feeling most of the time, even after I have come to realize I have this “parasitic disease” in me. I even felt sorry for those I have envied. It’s like a disease that is incurable (or so I thought).

Another form of negativism that I’ve practiced is the convenient thought that things would never work out in anything/everything that I do in life. Whatever I do, I would just past a quick judgment that I will mess things up even before I get started. This is how bad negativism has eaten into my life that at some point in time, I couldn’t see a way out of it. But thankfully, God has been by my side and He exposed all these so that I could see and know how much destruction it has costs me and my relationship with the people around me and with God. Last but not least, I became very doubtful of God’s plans for me. I tend to view interruptions as utterly disappointing and I would think that I am unworthy of following through God’s will for me. It goes without saying that, negativism has destroyed my emotional, mental and spiritual life! I couldn’t enjoy the life that God has given me because of my own negativism.

On another note, being negative is about condemning oneself. In this chapter also, Joyce warned against feeling condemned when we come into realization that we are indeed negative for condemnation is another form of negativism. I have suffered from self-condemnation for as long as I can remember. One particular sentence that I find really powerful in helping me break free from negativism is this – “The pathway to freedom begins when we face problem without making excuses for it”. Instead, we should just trust God and think that God loves us enough to bring us goodness, even though things may seem hopeless. I love those words in this chapter – I find them very empowering and convincing. Even if I felt ashamed of my shortcomings, it does not mean that I SHOULD condemn myself!

Being positive in this chapter taught me that although things may not work out the way I have planned them, but ultimately God will bring good out of it as He has promised in His word. My church’s pastor made the congregation memorized this verse once and I couldn’t make any sense of it until I’ve read Joyce’s book:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, whohave been called according to his purpose.

In order to start being positive, I just need to take a simple step of loving God once more and to allow Him to take control of my life. Love is the first step to being positive for “love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” – 1 Cor 13:4. God through Joyce has also taught me that in order to be positive, is to think of positive things and it is also said in His word:

Phil 4:8

… whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Secondly, Joyce advised that staying positive is about allowing God to convict us of our sins and convince us of righteousness. Many times I would refuse to accept that I have a problem in me. But I soon came to know that hiding this truth will not set me free – knowing God’s truth will. I needed to allow God to convict me and to expose my sins that I have ignored for the longest time:

Ephesians 5:11 – 13

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. but everything exposed by the light becomes visible.

It is certainly not by coincidence that led me to read the above verse this morning in my quiet time. I know that I really needed to get read of my negativism. The words “what the disobedient do in secret“, sounds rather alarming for it just means that I am allowing the stronghold of my negativism imprison me and has rendered me unworthy of my calling to come to Christ. Gosh – as I wrote this, I just couldn’t believe my eyes that I have come to the most alarming stage of negativism. This has indeed opened my eyes and awakened me from my deep sleep. Christ is the light that makes all these visible to me. Thank you God.

Lastly in this chapter, Joyce advised of the need to be ready in whatever circumstances (good or bad) God puts us in. This ready mind comes with the preparedness of His word in facing the hardest truths and complications in our lives. No matter what happens, we will survive with God with us for God will never put us to temptation that is beyond what we can bear. For even if we are tempted, He will provide us a way out so that we can endure it (1 Cor 10:13). In this chapter, I have read of the importance to instill in my heart once again, the hope and faith in the one true God who can deliver us and bless us. This is one way to freedom from negativism. Being positive is also about being faithful to God. In this chapter also, Joyce emphasized on the importance of reading Romans 4:18-20:

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”  Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God.

The verses above tell us about how great FAITH can do to our lives. In Abraham’s case, he faced the fact that he was impotent and his wife was barren yet he has hoped without weakening and wavering in his faith to God for a son and after many long years when situations seem almost impossible for him and his wife Sarah to conceive a child, God gave them Issac. Joyce told us in her book to continue hoping. Even if circumstances seem disappointing, continue on hoping in God and expect great things to come out of it. It also sounds very promising to also read a verse which she quoted from:

Isaiah 30:18

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;
   therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.
For the LORD is a God of justice.
   Blessed are all who wait for him!

YES, indeed God is gracious and faithful to those who love Him. From this moment on, I truly need to get rid of the negativism of envy/jealousy, bitterness, anger and disappointment which I have held on to for so many years long. It has hindered me from being happy and joyful in life, a life that God has given me so richly from His great love. I truly apologize to those that I have not come to good terms with all these years. I hope you understand what I have been through and what I am trying to fix now in me. For those who have stood by me all these years and providing all the love and care and understanding to me regardless of how hopeless I can be, I thank yo from the bottom of my heart. God has been great, he has sent me wonderful sisters to be my prayer warriors in this endeavor of mine to break free from negativism. Without them, without God, I would have still been tossing and turning in my own whirlpool and evils’ web of deceit. Thank you Lord, pray that I will and I meant I WILL renew my minds and thoughts to the likeness of your Son – to strive for positivism in life and to put all my faith in You. Thank you all out there, who has prayed for me as well – you are a blessing from God to the lost ones here on this earth. May you continue to enjoy the blessings of God and to bless others as well.

Our Solitude with Him. Jesus doesn’t take us aside and explain things to us all the time; He explains things to us as we are able to understand them. The lives of others are examples for us, but God requires us to examine our own souls. It is slow work – so slow that it takes God all of time and eternity to make a man or woman conform to His purpose. We can only be used by God after we allow Him to show us the deep, hidden areas of our own character. It is astounding how ignorant we are about ourselves! We don’t even recognize the envy, laziness or pride within us when we see it. But Jesus will reveal to us everything we have held within ourselves before His grace began to work. How many of us have learned to look inwardly with courage?

We have to get rid of the idea that we understand ourselves. That is always the last bit of pride to go. The only One who understands us is God. The greatest curse in our spiritual life is pride. If we ever had a glimpse of what we are like in the sight of God, we will never say, “Oh, I am so unworthy”. We will understand that this goes without saying. But as long as there is any doubt that we are unworthy, God will continue to close us in until He gets us alone. Whenever there is any element of pride or conceit remaining Jesus can’t teach us anything. He will allow us to experience heartbreak or the disappointment we feel when our intellectual pride is wounded. He will reveal numerous misplaced affections or desires – things over which we never thought He would have to get us alone. Many things are shown to us, often without effect. But when God gets us alone over them, they will be clear.

It all becomes clear to me that Jesus was trying to reach out to my heart and thoughts, which had been overcrowded with thoughts and desires for the world. I have not felt Jesus because I have not allowed Him to draw close to me. This is the type of stronghold that Joyce Meyers have repeatedly mentioned about the battles that raged within our minds – a foothold of which the devil has set in my heart and mind – to wander off from God’s path and to long for material things of this world – a baby, richness, fame, prosperity, security – whatever you name them .. these are things that drive people out of their sane minds and to a fatal extent, suicide because they could not have what they wanted. God is good, He does not want me or anyone He loves to go there. Suicide is an evil scheme played out by the devil to attract men to death and darkness. Let us not hold on to his foothold anymore but to God’s gracious love and power to save and deliver us from the depths of our despair.