Part 5: Relationship and Identity

Part 5: Relationship and Identity

"Oh I think it's love at first sight..."

"My heart is racing..."

"I love the way he makes me feel..."

These are actually love out of sensuality - lust of the eyes and lust of the flesh. It boils down to self-centeredness. It's worldly love that does not represent heaven.

We don't enter a relationship to be loved. Neither do we enter one to feel complete. If we do so, we will end up in disappointment and heartache. Because love is never meant to be demanded from anyone. The definition of love is to give. John 3:16

The wedding vow has nothing in the list that talks about being loved. On the contrary, it says, "to love..."

You enter into a relationship TO love. Because you are not supposed to draw love from your partner. You are to draw from the perfect Love (Jesus). 1 John 4:19.

You enter into a relationship not to become or feel complete. No one can make you more complete than you already are in Christ. Col 2:10. 

To find someone else in a relationship so that you can be complete is to deny your true identity and walk contrary to it. Many women misplace their identity in the men they love and end up in despair and brokenness.

If we seek a relationship to be loved, we are not walking in the fulfillment of our true identity. #identity

Part 4: Food And Identity

Part 4: Food And Identity

Food researches have shown to be contradicting one another in recent years. One research can prove that organic food is healthy. Another can prove that it is no different from non-organic. The point is, if we want to live by the researches, we may want to consider fasting from all food eventually.

Furthermore, to live in fear of how this food may impact our bodies results in an opened door for the enemy to attack. Any time we walk in fear, we give the enemy an opportunity.

Mark 7:15 - There is nothing that enters a man from outside which can defile him; but the things which come out of him, those are the things that defile a man.

The context here was talking about the traditions that the Jews were holding onto firmly. But what if we apply the principle of the text with the following verses?

Mark 16:18 - ...and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them;

Luke 10:19 - Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

1 Timothy 4:4-5 - For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

1 John 5:4 - For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

Fallen food is a result of the Fall. But because of the Cross, we have been redeemed to the pre-Fall position. We are in this world but NOT of this world. Just as we need not be subjected to sicknesses and diseases as sons and daughters of God, we need not be subjected to the effects of the fallen food.

Knowing our true identity protects us from the food that we eat. If we are always concerned with the food we eat, we have placed our identity in the wrong area. #identity

Part 3: Position Or Identity

A senior pastor (not Methodist) once told me this, "If you leave this church ministry, you will no longer have the position of a youth pastor."

I replied, "It doesn't matter." He was pretty surprised at my reply. That's because he had tied his identity to his position.

Another person told me, "If you want to influence people, you need a higher position." It's the same - identity tied to position.

Strip anyone off his job title/ministry position and you will find out where he places his identity in.

If we need a position in order to influence, lead and/or serve in ministry, we fail to recognise who we really are in Christ. Joseph & Daniel showed us it is possible in the Old Covenant. Christ showed us it is possible in the New. 

Christ IN us is the Hope of glory. Christ IN us is more than enough to influence, lead and serve anywhere.

Your job title/ministry position does not determine your identity. On the contrary, your identity is your true position. You are sons & daughters of the most high God. That is the highest and the most privileged position. "We are seated with Christ in the heavenly places..."

If we walk in that revelation of our identity, there is no one we can't influence and lead, regardless of our position/title. #identity

Part 2: Finances or Identity

One of the easiest ways to discover where our identity lies in is in finances. Strip a person from drawing a salary and you will find where his identity is placed in, especially for men.

Somehow, we tie our identity to our bank account balance. We make decisions based on that. I have seen people going back to where they were, because of the fear of lack of finances, even though God has already called them out. Some would mask insecurity behind responsibility. "We have to be responsible, you know?" "I can't just leave without making a certain plan to ensure that finances are coming in." These are usually fears masquerading as human wisdom.

What if God is waiting for us to step out before He provides? Psalm 23:6 says "Surely goodness and mercy will FOLLOW me all the days of my life..." It doesn't say, "Goodness and mercy will go ahead of you." In other words, providence (His goodness) will most likely not be ahead of you. Providence FOLLOWS you. Only when you step out, providence comes in. It's the same principle as laying hand on the sick. The sick doesn't get healed before you lay hand. They get healed after you laid hand. Signs and wonders FOLLOW you.

The fear of lack is very real. But it also reveals who we trust in. Many Christians know that God is our Provider. We know it full well in our head. We can close both eyes and say the compound name Jehovah Jireh. But you will know if you really know Him as the Provider in your heart when you don't draw a salary and your bank account is almost reaching a zero.

This is why there are many Christian property agents living without integrity. Because they have tied their identity to finances. I believe they genuinely struggled through a period before they finally compromised. When you don't experience God coming true for you for a period of time, you will want to take over His job of providence. This is why many succumbed to giving fake offers, dummy advertisements, telling white lies, undercutting, etc.

When I came out from full-time church ministry, I struggled for the first two-three months. I realised it had been pretty comfortable for me to be drawing a regular salary in church. When I struggled without any income, I realised that I only knew God as my Provider in the head all these years. I preached many times on Him as the Provider. But I wasn't living in the revelation of Him as my Provider. It was due to false identity built in me because of the family that I was raised in.

In that period of three months, God spoke to me clearly to soak in His love everyday. I simply spent time soaking in His presence and receiving His love daily. In that season, I remember attending a seminar having the speaker sharing the exact same thing I heard from God in my morning devotion. Soak and rest in His love. There would be another conference theme which said "Return to the Father's Love". Though I didn't go for it, I knew God was speaking consistently to me. He was revealing Himself as my Father who provides. He wanted me to know in my heart, not in my head.

When my identity was secure in Him, He began to provide in amazing way. You can say that finances literally dropped from heaven. Literally. 

I don't write a newsletter asking for finances like some organisations. I personally don't believe in that. I just can't ask for money and testify to others that God provides amazingly. It's like going around telling everyone that I need a house, and when someone buys it for me, I say, "Wow God provides for me!" Well, I can't get past that. Just my conviction.

Psalm 23:5 says "...You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

In the period of soaking in His love, I meditated on this verse that I had read so many times before. I wondered how the two parts are connected. He began to speak to me, "Your cup of blessings overflows when you know My love."

God anoints us as His sons and daughters. He doesn't anoint you if you are not His son. As His sons and daughters, we are also His beloved. When we know how much He loves us, we have boldness and confidence to receive from Him. Faith always works through love. His love is the foundation where faith rests upon. So the more we know His love for us, the more we have confidence in Him as our Provider. That releases the manifestation of the blessings.

If we know that we are seated with Christ and blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, our identity will not be affected by our bank account balance. Because our identity is in Christ. As He is, so are we in this world.

Your position determines your providence. 

Knowing that we are His beloved sons and daughters in the heart (not in the head) empowers us to receive His providence.

P.S: The book of Ephesians is a powerful epistle to meditate on. #identity

Identity

My wife told me that someone took what she shared and turned it into his own sharing in front of others, so that he can receive credit from them, as though it's his own idea and wisdom. I said, "Let him be. He is insecure. You are the original. This type of people is common everywhere because of insecurity."

Insecure people always want to appear original. If only they knew how original they were created to be, they won't be insecure. Identity is probably one of the most, if not, the most neglected element in the society as well as in the churches.

Without identity, one will never understand how complete she/he already is. It is my zeal and passion to focus on identity and live in it. Jesus!

In the next few posts, we will look at how identity is everything in life. #identity

Hear Jesus' Voice

We saw bus 136 at the traffic junction. My son went, "Oh bus 136! We need to quickly run." As the traffic light was still red, I told him that we wouldn't be in time to run to the bus stop, so we would need to wait for the next bus. He said, "We need to wait very long." Usually, the intervals can be pretty long.

I responded, "You can pray and Jesus will answer you. It can be very fast." He prayed.

When we reached the bus stop (about 1 minute away), he exclaimed, "Oh 136 is so fast. It's here!" I turned around to look. It's 136. That was a pleasant surprise! We immediately thanked Jesus.

A thought then came to me on the bus. It's time for J to learn how to hear God's voice.

In the late evening, I told him, "J, it is very easy to hear Jesus' voice. He wants to speak to you. Papa will teach you."

He seemed excited.

We took a piece of paper and a colour pencil. I said, "Close your eyes. Now let's ask Jesus to speak. Ask Him about you."

He saw Thomas the engine. Now he had been talking about Tayo bus earlier, so this was spot on about who he is.

Thomas is a cheeky train. He's sociable and full of passion. As J was drawing, I told him what Jesus meant when He showed him Thomas.

We proceeded to ask Jesus about Mama. He saw Lego toy. Well, that speaks about his Mama indeed, in terms of her personality.

Then he asked Jesus about me. He saw a car. I understood the interpretation.

Last but not least, he asked Jesus about his friend, Josiah. He saw jigsaw puzzle. Not sure what it meant. Lol.

At the end of the session, I asked, "Is it easy to hear from Jesus?" He replied, "Yes!"

We can cultivate our child to commune with Him. No age is too small to hear from God. In fact, the earlier we can show him that it's easy, the more it becomes a strong foundation in his life. #nojuniorHolySpirit #fathering101

Powerful Revelation: Father & Son - Separate Beings, Own Identity

Had a powerful revelation during my 21-day fast:

Jesus surprised me in the Garden. In that place, I saw my own son. Jesus was holding J with His right hand and holding me with His left. I was pretty puzzled why I wasn't holding my own son.

This is when He spoke, "Do you not know that your son and you are separate beings? His identity is in Me and your identity is in Me. Your son is not supposed to be a reflection of you. He is meant to be a reflection of Me. You cannot father his heart. You can only provide an atmosphere for him to grow in Me and let Me father his heart."

This is so powerful to me.

We see so many parents building their identity in their child. When their child performs well, they feel proud. When the child doesn't, they get upset. They want their child either to be a reflection of them or completely different from them (if they ain't good models).

Parents who build their identity in their child often feel embarrassed if their child behaves inappropriately in the public. Ever wondered why they don't feel embarrassed if the child behaves the same way at home? Because we are afraid of how others may think about us by simply looking at the response of our child. It's self-serving, self-image and nothing to do with the good of the child. Tracing back to the root, it is all about tying our identity to our child. We think that how our child behaves points to our character as parents.

Nothing is further from the truth.

Disclaimer: I guess I need to be careful to say that as parents, if we are not parenting our child, either due to neglect or abuse, then it does have a significant impact on our child's character and behaviours.

There are some sincere parents who have tried their best to parent their child, yet the child turns out wayward. This is when the parents should not carry the weight of the child's character. Because his identity has nothing to do with your identity. Both parents and child are "separate".

My son has to build his identity in Christ. So do I as a parent. He builds his. And I build mine. Just like I can't change anyone's heart, I can't change his heart. I cannot expect his heart to conform to what I want to see.

If I think that I can father my son's heart, I become God and I have just removed Jesus from the whole parenting equation. Jesus must hold my son with His right hand and hold me with His left. We must remain separate beings. For my son's identity is in Christ and mine is in Christ.

My role, as a father/parent, is therefore, to provide an atmosphere for my son to encounter and know Jesus so that Jesus can hold his hand and father his heart. For God has no grandchildren.

This means that I must represent the Father well (as much as I can), so that my son will desire to know the perfect Father personally.

I can never be as intimate with my son as Jesus is. The perfect union with God in Spirit is the most intimate relationship my son can ever have. It's above ALL relationships. My role as an earthly father is simply to help my son cultivate the seed so that it can grow and bear fruit.

Let Jesus father our child's heart and identity. #revelation #fathering101

Dealing With Tantrums

When our child throws tantrum, it means they lost self-control.

When we resort to threatening, manipulating or even raising of our voice, it means we have lost self-control. We react to our child's out-of-control by being out-of-control, which will never control the situation.

To reason with our child when he is throwing tantrum is to reason with one who has already lost self-control. No reasoning will work.

The way to counter out-of-control is to release peace that crushes the tantrum.

Reflecting back, I realised the most effective way to crush tantrum is to hug my son right when he is crying and screaming. When he has calmed down, reasoning then works.

When truth is released with love, it is well received.

https://www.facebook.com/brightside/videos/1033291780108692/

Did God Forsake Jesus On The Cross?

My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?

Logically looking at Psalm 22, we will think that God did not forsake Jesus on the Cross when He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me." How can God forsake God (Jesus)? It sounds illogical.

Besides, Psalm 22:24 says, "For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard." 

This is a prophetic writing by King David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, to point to the crucifixion of Christ. It seems apparent that when Jesus cried out to God on the Cross, God did not hide His face from Him. God heard Jesus. Based on this, it is logical to say that God could not have forsaken Jesus.

However, Old Testament is never used to unveil New Testament. The wrong sequence can result in a wrong interpretation. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed.

Jesus cried, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

First, Jesus is God who does not lie. Second, this is the first time Jesus called His Father "God". He never ever called Him that before.

What really happened on the Cross that Jesus cried out the truth which caused many differing views?

We might need to look at how Old Testament concealed the New Testament.

John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

Because of the sin of Israel (murmuring and complaining), God sent serpents to judge them.

Numbers 21:6 - So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Well, there are some people who say that it wasn't God who sent, but Satan, because they deem that the writer did not have a revelation of Jesus yet. So they say that you need to interchange "the Lord" with "Satan" whenever death/judgment is involved. If we don't understand the Law and the covenant Israelites were bound to, we will logically think that it could not be God who sent the fiery serpents. We will even quote New Testament Scripture John 10:10 to justify why God couldn't be the One to send the serpents. Anyway, this takes another explanation.

God sent the fiery serpents. Period.

The Israelites repented and asked Moses to pray to God to take away the serpents (Num 21:7). And Moses did.

Num 21:8 - Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”

Moses made a bronze serpent. Whoever saw the bronze serpent on the pole was set free from the deadly bite.

When the Israelites saw this bronze serpent on the pole, they understood full well, because they knew the Law.

Deut 21:23 - ...for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

Bronze speaks of judgment. The serpent was judged/cursed on the pole. When the Israelites saw the serpent on the pole, they knew that God heard Moses' prayer and He judged the very thing that killed them.

Let the New interpret the Old.

John 3:14 - And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

Jesus was hung on the Cross. But God did not judge/curse Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible says that. But the Bible tells us that Jesus became sin (2 Cor 5:21). He became SIN so that we might become the righteousness of God.

Galatians 3:13 tells us "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”)."

Because Jesus became sin (curse), God judged sin. He had to judge sin because He is perfect love. And perfect love means absolute righteousness.

Psalm 89:14 - Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before Your face.

God did not judge Jesus. He judged sin in Jesus, because Jesus became sin.

Rom 8:3-4 - God condemned sin in the flesh (Jesus' body), that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us.

God literally judged the very thing that is killing mankind - SIN. This is why Jesus had to die on the Cross to save us. He could have died elsewhere but it wouldn't save us. Under the Law, accursed is the one who is hung on the Cross. Jesus had to be hung there, so that sin could be accursed. Because the Law was given by God Himself.

So now, when we look at the Cross, we know that we are free from sin and free from judgment. Therefore, we cannot suffer any sin's penalty or effect. Sicknesses and diseases (death) only came through sin (Rom 5:12). Now that we are redeemed, we can walk without any sickness and disease.

Coming back to why Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" Jesus, on the Cross, became SIN. And God had to judge SIN in Jesus' flesh (Rom 8:3-4). It was that period (when God judged sin) where Jesus literally faced separation from the Father, not because of who Jesus is, but because of what SIN is. Sin was imputed (upon) on Him.

The judgment/wrath of God upon sin had to be fully satisfied on the body of His beloved Son. This is why Jesus cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matt 27:46).

When the judgment was over, Jesus cried out, "It is finished!"

John 19:28-30 - After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished... said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

After the judgment was finished, after that period of separation was over, Jesus addressed God as "Father" again.

Luke 23:46 - And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.

After He died, He went down the earth to disarm him who had the power of death. (Heb 2:14).

Make no mistake. Jesus was forsaken (at the point where God judged sin in His flesh), so that you and I can never ever be forsaken by God. He cried out, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me" to reveal to us that sin was so serious that it caused separation between God and mankind.

Note: I used past tense because when Jesus took our sin on the Cross, the veil of the temple was torn apart, heaven was rent opened and is left opened for you and I to have relationship with God. Sin is no longer an issue for God. Now faith is.

Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, He took that separation so that you and I can never be separated from God in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

Attached is a video done by New Creation, which I thought explains it well.

J's Outreach

He slid from the seat beside Mama to the uncle and said, "Hello, Uncle :)"

Then he continued, "Are you going home? I came from church."

Then he started a conversation with him. Pure stranger. Amazing. #outreach

Before God & Before Men

Jesus brought me to the Father. I sat beside Him at His throne and I was drinking baby milk. He said to me, "When you are before Me, be a child and remain child-like. When you are before men, be a son and walk Son-like."

We are both a child and a son.

Growing Up

Son understands the significance of being 4 years old. We have prepared him for a long time.

Some traditions say that a toddler is terrible two and ferocious four. I beg to differ. The toddler is who you see him to be. J was awesome at two and he will remain awesome at four.

I remember the movie "Courageous" where a group of men sat down to talk. One of them asked, "When did you feel that you are a man?" Everyone had a different answer. But the 'snake king' said, "When my father told me that I am."

We impart identity to our child. We prepare them to succeed.

Today, J woke up surprising me with what he did. 

He did not look for Mama (breast-feed baby syndrome, cos he latched all these while).

He switched off the aircon in the room on his own.

He took out his pants and put on a new set on his own.

He came into my study room (I was there) and showed me what he has already done. Then he asked, "Papa, can you make milk for me?"

When we reached school, he smiled happily and said, "I'm happy today. Because my birthday was yesterday and today it is no more."

He is 4. And he knows. #fathering101 #identity

P.S: Let's see how he eats his dinner tonight.

Birthday

This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.

Since the day you were born, we know that you are chosen by God to bring healing, deliverance and salvation to many lives. You are His divine providence!

I'm absolutely proud of who you are. 

May God give you a heart to know Him, behold Him and become like Him.

Happy 4th birthday to you, J! Papa and Mama love you always! 😘😘😘

Fathered Fathers Father

I don't know much about fathering. It's a role in which you don't get to be prepared to do. You are thrown into it when your child is born. No internship. No OJT. It's one where all you have learnt in life experiences are immediately set in motion. If you don't deliberately think about how you father your child, you will automatically father according to the patterns of the experiences that had defined your life.

I had to be fathered many times by Father God in order to see what He sees and do what He does. I'm not there yet, but I'm still growing and desire to grow in fathering my own child.

Recently, my son struggled with submission. My wife and I felt the change when he moved on to the nursery level where he struggled with the new teacher in charge, for she is more authoritative than his previous teacher. He tried to respond the same way with us at home. We had to talk to him many times to affirm who he is and correct what he said/did. Subconsciously at the back of my mind, I was expecting him to have immediate submission. I was thinking, "He's only 3. If he doesn't learn now, it will be difficult when he grows up."

Last morning, I saw a vision of J sitting on a giraffe and he's trying to reach its head. Then Father God spoke to me, "You are setting an expectation on him which he is unable to reach at this age. Imagine Me expecting you to reach My standard right now or I get unhappy."

God rejoices in me because He sees the value of His beloved Son in me. When I don't meet His standard, He doesn't get into disappointment. He gets ready new appointment for me to succeed. In Christ, I cannot fail. In Christ, I am empowered to learn to see what I have become because of the Cross. God is a happy Father towards me. He is never angry or mad at me. He is mad about me. Therefore, He doesn't focus on what I have missed. He focuses on what I have become in the image of His Son. He celebrates every milestone. He is Love. And love is patient.

If I am called to represent Him, I am called to respond like Him towards my son.

It's a beautiful thing to be fathered by the Father. Because fathered fathers father. #fathering101

Father & Son Spidey Outreach

J ministered to a man with knee injury and he was completely healed. Jesus!