Are you ready for the siew pow challenge?

4 days 3 nights of great fun in Seremban! Are you ready? Seremban is ready!! JESUS is ready!!!!

Prayer is Our Connection to God’s Power

Are you trudging through life seeing little evidence of God’s power? As you read the Bible and learn about God’s might and power in history and over the lives of His people, have you ever wondered if we worship the same God today? I have good news for you. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is still the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Almighty God! The problem lied with us, not with God.

Take for example an electric motor. It has been lying idle the whole day. What is the problem? It is not plugged into the socket which connects to the power source. Although the power has always been available, the electric motor will remain idle as long as it is not properly connected to the power supply.

Prayer is our connection to God’s power. It aligns us to God’s will and purpose. God is pleased to work through us to manifest His power to the world. Look at Daniel. He was a man of prayer (Daniel 6:10), and God used him mightily (Daniel 6:13-28). All the great men of God in the Bible were men of prayer. God is able and willing today to make us “more than conquerors” through Jesus Christ if we are properly connected to Him (Romans 8:37).

You may say, “But I pray everyday – how come I do not experience this power?” Try to honestly evaluate your life and prayers. Have you been totally open to God and willing to let Him change you? Do you realize that prayer begins and ends with God? Do you see the world through God’s eyes? Do you have a loving relationship with God? If you can say yes to all of these, then claim that power in prayer. It was not enough for the Israelites to know that God wanted to give them the Promised Land. They had to go forth, claim it, then possess it (Joshua 1:1-31). In the same way, it is not enough to know that we have power in prayer. We have to claim and let this power operate in our lives.

The principles on prayer may sound simple, but the real test comes as we try to put them into practice.

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.

What’s wrong with our Prayers?

Very often we pray to persuade God to grant our requests. But we should pray because God wills it. He changes us as we pray according to His will. As Rev.Ernest Chan puts it “We usually pray to ask God to alter circumstances or change people. However, it is often us who need to be changed.”

When we pray, we must come before God totally open – not hiding anything from Him. We search our hearts for areas that need to be corrected, confess our every sin, and ask for His cleansing. We must obey His every direction for our lives and allow Him to mold us according to His image.

Nothing will stand in the way of our prayers of we are totally open with God. We will know Him more intimately and become more conscious of His presence. His desires will become our desires. Jesus’ promise will be fulfilled – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (John 15:7) But if certain areas in our lives are off limits to God, our prayers will not be effective.

Our confused young man expects God to change him “miraculously”. But the Lord wants him to realize his shortcomings, confess them, and follow His way. God is neither unwilling nor unable to answer his prayers. For God does not need to be prodded to answer any of our prayers. Jesus said, “Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). God, however, desires that we be totally open to Him.

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.

Muslims pray 5 times a day. How many times do you pray?

Prayer is the Channel through which Love Flows

Have you ever been so deeply in love that the very thought of your loved one fills you with utter bliss? You love each other so much that you know whatever you ask would gladly be done. Would you ask your loved one to do something he would not like? If you know he wants something and you are able to give it to him, would it not fill your heart with joy to give it to him?

In our relationship with God, the same thing holds true. God grants our requests because He loves us so much. And when He answers our prayers, His love flows towards us and our love flows back to Him in thanksgiving and adoration. When we listen to him and become aware of something we can do to please Him, we respond because we love Him. He accepts our love offering and we rejoice in his love. Prayer forms the channel through which this love flows.

Let’s reflect for a moment :

a. As I draw near to the throne of grace, is His love to me and my love to him flowing back and forth through the channel of prayer?

b. Do I experience His love? If not, why not?

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.

Prayer Begins and Ends with God

In his book, People in Prayer, Dr. John White reminds us that prayer is a divine-human interaction and it is always God who takes the initiative. He writes, “God speaks and we respond. God is always speaking. To hear His voice is not usually a mystical experience. It consists merely of a willingness to pay heed to God who lays a claim to our lives.

“We are called into prayer either that we might collaborate with Him in bringing His will to pass, or that we might get a larger vision of what He is like.” When we pray, we become more deeply aware of who and what God is.

Robert used to be a “baby Christian” mostly concerned with his needs, his wants, and his feelings. His prayers usually revolved around himself. But as he grew in his Christian life, and as he spent time in prayer – listening and talking to God – he began to know God more intimately. Having a greater awareness of God’s majesty, God’s holiness, God’s wisdom, God’s power, God’s love… Robert could not help but bow down and worship God. As he matured, he was able to look beyond himself so that someone else’s well-being became more important than his own. His concern for others deepened and he began to see the world through God’s eyes.

This new perspective changed the subject of Robert’s prayers. He is no less concerned with his own needs and wants. When he prays, he praises and exalts the living God – not only for what He has done, but for who He is. His heart overflows with thanks for God’s many blessings. Whereas he used to be burdened with everyday problems, now he has learned to appreciate positive things.

As we listen to God, the Holy Spirit begins to show us the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of other people. We learn to pray for them, also asking God for wisdom and strength – so we can help them. The Holy Spirit also witnesses to our spirit that God will provide all our needs. We know that God loves us very much.

God always speaks. It is up to us whether we’ll listen and respond to Him. Many of us think that we are the ones who initiate prayer. But prayer begins and ends with God.

Sometimes, after we have prayed, God’s answers may puzzle us. But as time goes by and as events unfold we see God’s purpose in His answers. We get a larger vision of what He is like. We exclaim with the prophet Isaiah, “God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God’s ways are higher than our ways!” (Isaiah 55:9).

As we begin to see the world through God’s eyes, we see that God is in control of the universe, and in control of our lives. We will want to work for God and with God. And what an exciting life it is – to be a co-worker of the King of kings!
Let’s reflect for a moment :

a. How does the idea that prayer begins and ends with God affect me now? Do I have the habit of listening to God? How do I respond to Him?

b. What is my perspective as I pray? Am I usually engrossed with my own needs and wants, or do I see the world through God’s eyes?

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.

Prayer is Opening Up to God

Mr.Lacson thought of a plan to help his local church grow. He was convinced that it was a good plan but his colleagues did not agree with him. They favoured another plan which he thought was not as good as his. He prayed that God would move his colleagues to accept his plan. But the situation remained the same.

What are Mr.Lacson’s options? Will he persist in his prayer? Or should he re-evaluate his prayer? If Mr.Lacson is totally open to God’s design and is ready to accept it, he might realize that :

1. The other plan may be better than his. The reason he was pushing for his own idea was pride. If this is the case, he has to repent before God and then wholeheartedly support the other plan. James 4:3 says, “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.”

2. His plan may be better but his arrogant and abrasive attitude repels would-be supporters. If this is the case, he must confess his sin, change his attitude and get right with the others. James adds further, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

3. His plan may be better but it is ahead of its time. He should learn to be patient and wait for God’s time. In the meantime, he should continue to support his colleagues and help them grow, so that they may become one in spirit.

Have you noticed that all the above possibilities involve some changes inside Mr.Lacson himself? The same is true with every praying Christian. God will deal with us first. Only after our hearts are pleasing before Him, can we focus our prayers on other people and circumstances.

Let’s reflect for a moment :

a. How do I usually pray? Have I been trying to persuade God to change other people or circumstances?

b. Am I willing to let God change me?

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.

How effective are your prayers?

A young man once confided to me, "I am really confused. I'm the only Christian in our family, so I am praying that God will transform me so I can be a witness at home. But my behaviour at home is far from ideal! My brother criticizes me and asks me questions like, 'Are all Christians like you?'"

"Why have I not changed? Is God powerless to change me or is He unwilling to do so? It doesn't make sense."

I asked him, "Have you been totally open with God? Have you been obedient to Him even in the smallest way that you know of?"

He became thoughtful for a moment and then answered, "No."

"Then," I said. "That is how you should start."

What’s wrong with our prayers?

Very often we pray to persuade God to grant our requests. But we should pray because God wills it. He changes us as we pray according to His will. As Rev.Ernest Chan puts it “We usually pray to ask God to alter circumstances or change people. However, it is often us who need to be changed.”

When we pray, we must come before God totally open – not hiding anything from Him. We search our hearts for areas that need to be corrected, confess our every sin, and ask for His cleansing. We must obey His every direction for our lives and allow Him to mold us according to His image.

Nothing will stand in the way of our prayers of we are totally open with God. We will know Him more intimately and become more conscious of His presence. His desires will become our desires. Jesus’ promise will be fulfilled – “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for yuou” (John 15:7) But if certain areas in our lives are off limits to God, our prayers will not be effective.

Our confused young man expects God to change him “miraculously”. But the Lord wants him to realize his shortcomings, confess them, and follow His way. God is neither unwilling nor unable to answer his prayers. For God does not need to be prodded to answer any of our prayers. Jesus said, “Your Father already knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8). God, however, desires that we be totally open to Him.

Taken from How Effective are Your Prayers? by Bertram Lim.