The Nature Of The Father Who Provides

The Nature Of The Father Who Provides

In these 8 years, I have encountered the nature of the Father who provides.

I don't draw a paycheck every month like a regular employee. When a sales deal is closed, it can take several months before I get paid. Some deals can even take up to more than a year.

Well, you don't get to close a sales deal every month. Consumers think that one sales deal is alot of money, but little did they know that you need to split the amount into 5 months (without cpf contribution), for example, if you close a HDB sales deal. Because it takes 5 months for you to get paid after the work is done. This hasn't included the duration you took from marketing the unit to the actual sales of the unit.

Stacked Homes has written a good article on the income of property agents. You may read here: https://stackedhomes.com/editorial/we-reveal-how-much-property-agents-in-singapore-are-really-making-heres-a-detailed-breakdown/#gs.vq8f9o

For this reason, it is not easy to plan for the needs of the family as I am the sole bread winner. There can be unforeseen circumstances.

But because we have a loving Father who provides, He provides the solution BEFORE a need arises, just as He did for Abram and Jonah. His nature is consistent and never changing.

He saw the need in your life in ADVANCE and went ahead to provide the solution BEFORE that need even arises in your life. This is how I encountered Him over and over again in my real estate work. He provides the deals FIRST, because He knows that it takes several months before the income comes in.

No employee likes their monthly salary to be cut for the work that they have put in. They want to be paid for their service to the company. If your boss comes to you and says, "Hey, can we reduce your income this month? You just bless the company, alright?" How would you feel?

Yet in our real estate work, consumers find ways to cut our income. This is because people do not usually put themselves in the shoes of others. They do not want to be shortchanged in their own salary by their bosses. But they do not mind shortchanging others in their income.

They don't go to the law firm and say, "Reduce your legal fees". They don't go to the bank and say, "Reduce your bank fees". They don't go to the doctor and say, "Reduce your consultation fees." They don't go to the insurance agent and say, "Reduce your insurance fees". But they like to reduce property agent's fees.

It is a cutthroat industry, which explains why many departed from the faith for the sake of surviving/thriving in this real estate industry.

Nonetheless, I want to say to my fellow believing property agents that God is Our Provider and He provides the Solution BEFORE a need arises in your life. So we can continue to trust Him without taking things into our own hands. He is faithful and loving.

P.S: And as Christian property agents, we should always co-broke 50-50 with other agents without shortchanging them. For we have a God who does not shortchange us. Yes, others can shortchange us, but we need to walk in a different Spirit if we are of the Kingdom. And I always practise co-broke at 50-50 regardless of the market condition.

Breaking Fast for J

My son breaks fast today. This is his second year of fast. 

As a child, he's definitely delighted that he can touch sugar again.

My wifey said, "Maybe we should reward him because it's not easy for a child to do so."

I said, "But fasting does not get any reward from God." She replied, "That's very true."

Fasting does not earn you any merit. It doesn't help you get rewarded from God. For that would be asceticism, which is religion. There is nothing we can do to earn grace, which releases every spiritual blessing through faith in Christ and His finished works alone.

Many of today's church fast are religious in nature. But there can still be results, because of faith-expectation (during the religious fast), which works regardless of any fasting involved. Faith-expectation is what positions us to receive the grace that has already been released on the Cross.

My son heard our conversation. So I asked him, "How does it feel like in this fast?" He responded, "I learnt to control my desires." And I explained, "If you can control your stomach's desires, you can control any other desire."

He nodded, "Okay."

The only purpose of fasting is to keep the crucified man in the grave, because life always desires to resurrect him. It helps to direct the focus on Him, and thus, the New Man created in us.

Fasting - My Son

Every year, I will put my son through a fast. He is not allowed to touch anything with sugar. No candies, no sugared drinks, no cold drinks, no desserts, no snacks, etc.

Today is day 2 and he is grumbling and complaining. I told him, "You either do this simple fast or you follow mine."

I'm his father. I'm not here to please him. I'm here to train him. If we let a child constantly have his desires, he will grow up looking for instant gratification, which will get him in trouble.

In the New Covenant, fasting doesn't move God. You can fast throughout the Lent season all the way to Resurrection Sunday and it won't move God a single inch. God is not moved by your performance and your effort. He is moved by Grace (through Jesus) through faith.

There is nothing paid on the Cross that has not been given to us. If we have to fast to get something from God, then Jesus died in vain. That would be mocking the Cross and denying the Gospel of Christ.

Whenever someone tells me that he's fasting for God to move in this area or that area, I know that he's still into religion. And this statement can get the religious ones upset.

Fasting cannot bend the hand of God to do your will. It bends yours to do His. It kills the desire to resurrect the crucified, old self, who is not who you really are.

When you can de-throne your stomach's desires, you are master over your body. For you are not under law, but under grace.

I'm privileged to be J's father. And as a father, I can train him to be master over his body.