THE NEW SEASON (Guest Post)

Hello, dear readers. Now I am just stopping by to give a short note to this guest post. This time, with all of my respect, I would like to thank you for all of your prayers to me and my father. Though my father hasn’t totally recovered, we are grateful to God almighty his health condition is getting better. And for me personally, Right now I get into a new season of life. My father’s doctor team had given serious warning and ultimatum that starting from now, my father should resign and totally quit from all of his business activities. It means me (as his single daughter) and my mom should take over all of my father’s activities. This will be a hard season of my life. There will be a huge burden on my shoulder should to bear. But, as Sister Sella said in this post that there is too much proof of God’s promises when we are in the midst of hard season. I strongly believe God will not let me walk alone. His loving hand will always hold me tight to go through this season.

Dear readers, Thank you for your prayer and support. I am so sorry still couldn’t active visit and read your awesome posts. I do promise will be come back again. God bless you All.

(Karina Lam)

 

Life is a journey of time to go through season after season.

Every season is a new season because we don’t know what will happen in the future.

Kids are living in a child season. When they are growing up, they will enter the seasons that are no longer dominated by “their world” itself, but began to be burdened with different needs and responsibilities.

For the newlyweds, it will certainly have different season when in the later they have child, son-in-law, and grandchild. All was going along with the journey of human cycle.

THE UNPREDICTABLE SEASON

All of the seasons we have talked above are the common season and almost experienced by everyone. We even could make a prediction when the season will come up. We are able to make approximate calculation and prepare ourselves as best as we can do. We could make physically and mentally preparing, and even make financial planning. But how perfectly our preparations and planning, we still don’t know what will be happen in the upcoming season.

“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9 NKJV)

A shocking thing could be happen! The unpredictable season could suddenly come up and we are forced to change the plan, and even deflecting our lives direction. It would be so nice if it’s a beautiful season but often it’s unpleasant, hard to bear, and we definitely cannot run away from the reality. There’s no other choice! We have to go through until the new season comes again!

But don’t be terrified and discouraged, because we have the holy promise from God:

“Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4 NKJV)

That is God’s promise to His children. People who really put trust in God will not allow walking alone. When “tough season” is coming, His presence is always MORE THAN ENOUGH for us.

GOD ALWAYS BE THERE

The Holy Bible has recorded the proofs of God’s involvement among His chosen people!

The Israelites was passing through the various seasons. At the first time they enjoyed the privileges in Egypt during the Joseph’s reign. All they needs was guaranteed very well until the situation changed drastically. The new season was coming, and brought Israelites into the slavery.

In the midst of suffering was coming a glimmer of hope for freedom. They stepped out of Egypt to the Promise Land. But apparently to heading there they had to experience “The desert season” for the long enough period of time, which is 40 years. And when the Promise Land was emblazoned in the front of their eyes, they weren’t immediately being able to live comfortably. They had to snatch it through one war to another war.

All seasons that they must experience was hard and requires a sacrifice. BUT SEE, THE PRESENT OF GOD IS ALWAYS REAL IN EVERY SEASON!!!

• The existence of Joseph in Egypt is the proof that God is the Omniscient God who has prepared everything to preserve His people from the famine, long before it happened. (source: Genesis 50:20 ; Psalms 105:16-17)
• The ten plagues on Pharaoh and on Egypt are the manifestation of God’s power to deliver His people. (source: Exodus 7:1-5)
• The land of Goshen in which the Israelites dwelled has been spared from the plagues is a proof that God is the defender and protector of His people. (source: Exodus 8:22)
• The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire are the manifestation of the existence of God in the desert. (source: Exodus 13:22)
• Manna from the heaven and water that came out from the rock are a proof that God always take care of the life of His people. (source: Exodus 16:35 ; Exodus 17:6)
• The collapse of the walls of Jericho and the victory of Israel in any war are a proof of God’s help and defense. (source: Joshua 6 ; Hebrews 11:32-34)
• Untill this day God is always there and reveal Himself through prophets, apostles, pastors, and through miracles.

Too much proofs of God’s presence in the midst of the hard season that we must go through. All of that are proof that God is always be there and real in the life of His children from era to era, from season to season until the end of time!

“… I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the  close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).” (Matthew 28:20b AMP)

Let’s us holding on to the God’s promises and learning to put our trust in the Lord to anything that He allows happen to us, although we don’t understand His decision.

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9 NKJV)

By the depth of His wisdom, God establishes and governs every season of our lives. Every season is a process that we must go through. We cannot choose or reject it, because God has a purpose in every process. All of that is to shape us to be more like Him to do His will according His grand design. We must obey and surrender to all God’s guidance. We must be willing to shaped and to transformed by God.

Each season has its own peculiarities. We cannot live in a new season in a way that we use in the season has passed. We must be willing to change everything that needs to be changed: habits, mindsets, perspectives, and ways of working, the pattern of relations, financial management, and so on.

When we go through every season in obedience and trust in the Lord, and do our part by diligently and grateful, then at the end of the season we will reap the results of the “exercise” we have been through. Namely the “muscles of faith” becomes stronger, the purity of heart, more to be holy, the way of our thinking be renewed, increasing in the knowledge of God, and spiritual maturity. And the most important is we will have an intimate and strong relationship with the Holy Spirit more than before, so that we are ready to entering a new season, whatever it is! Ecclesiastes wrote profound reflection on it.

“The end of a thing is better than its beginning” (Ecclesiastes 7:8a NKJV)

BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME

There is no easy process for the flesh. But the end of the result is the God’s glory will more shine on our lives. We will reap the fruit of the seed that we have sowed along the season.

• After a long trip and full of struggle in the wilderness, finally Israel obtained the Promised Land. (source: Acts 13:17-19)
• After sold as a slave and put into the prison, finally Joseph became governor over Egypt and even be a blessing to the nations. (source: Acts 7:9-10)
• After losing all his children and all his wealth, finally Job got the double blessing from God. (source: Job 42:10)
• Abraham, David, Noah, and people of faith, finally completing the God’s calling in their lives because they walked with the Lord in every season of their lives. (source: Hebrews 11)

So it is with you and me. If we always walk with the Holy Spirit in every season of our lives, then at the end the great grand design of God to us will revealed. Indeed, we do not know how the end of this season or how the next season to come. But God will not let us walk alone. Be patient and persevere in prayer. Everything must be beautiful in its time.

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts…” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NKJV)

“Wait and hope for and expect the Lord; be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord.” (Psalms 27:14 AMP)

AMEN

 

By: Sella Irene – Beautiful Words

Photo Credit: Google Images

Note: Dear readers, just because of Karina still focus on her daddy’s health, so by Karina’s permission this post uploaded be myself (Sella Irene). And for this time comment and like are disabled. Thank you 🙂

 

Break The Wall

Hello my dear readers! I am happy could come back to the blog with my own post and I am grateful to God in the middle of my busyness this evening I could write something to share.

A few days ago one of my business friends invited me to visit her new house.  She built a new big and luxury house that surrounded by thick and high wall. I felt a bit weirdness when saw the house from the outside; the house looks more like a fortress. My husband jokingly said, “Maybe this wall could only be destroyed by missiles. Or we must march around for seven days like Jericho wall”

I smiled but suddenly remembered about the story of Jericho wall (Joshua 6:1-27). As we all know the Jericho wall destructed by the irrational and unique ways. After spending forty difficult years wandering in the desert of Sinai, they came to the eastern banks of the Jordan to take the Promise Land and they were facing first obstacle. The City of Jericho! Jericho city was surrounded by virtually impregnable thick massive stone. But Jericho wall was successfully destructed (seemingly) by a foolish strategy.  This  was a strategy that given by God to Joshua: All men of war and seven priests that bear seven trumpets of rams before the ark must around the city once a day for six days. On the seventh day they shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. When the sound of trumpets sounded they must shout with a great shout and the wall will fall down flat. (Joshua 6:3-5) Like most war stories, normally a giant fortress could be destructed only by enormous military force with all its weapons. But in fact, Jericho wall destructed not by military strategy and force but by beyond the logic supernatural power.

My beloved readers, in this post please allow me to share two valuable things that I learned from Jericho story. I hope and pray it could be a great lesson for us and could be applied in our lives.

 God’s promises, Faith, and Obedience

In my thought, there is an integral relationship between God’s promises, our faith, and obedience. When God promise to us, He will definitely fulfill His promises. God said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. (Joshua 6:2) This isn’t just a statement but rather to guarantee of God’s promise. God didn’t say: “…I will” but He even said “I have given…” even though the victory over Jericho was guaranteed but it wasn’t automatically. Israelite had to follow instructions from God.  Though God’s instruction seems odd and silly Joshua remains followed God’s command without asking and protest at all! Then Joshua said to the priest and his people:

“Take up the Ark of the Covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.”  And he said to the people, “Proceed, and March around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.” (Joshua 6: 6-7)

Here, faith and obedience plays an important role so Joshua and his people got victory over Jericho. We can see the obedience manner of Joshua. I imagine if only Joshua didn’t obediently follow God’s instruction, I strongly believe the Jericho wall wasn’t necessarily collapsed and the Israelite will never enter to the Promise Land. Why Joshua and his people could be obey to do God’s command? The answer is because they have faith. It is written in Hebrews 11:30, “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days” although in the past Israelite’ faith had frequently failed, at the time by faith they believed and trusted God and His promises and they did God’s command obediently. It means they saved by faith and their faith evidenced by obedience. Here we can learn something important. When there are so many hurdles and problems in our lives and God give instructions that seemed doesn’t make sense to do, let’s accept the instructions by faith and do it obediently. It is written in Deuteronomy 13: 4, “It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him”.

We must remember that God can use anything even the most unreasonable thing to declare His unlimited power. There was so much evidence in the Bible God showed His power through the irrational ways and beyond the range of human logic. God is never wrong. Any God’s instructions and commands has become a part of His plans and God’s entire plan is plan to prosper us and plans to give us hope and future, even not to harm us. (Jeremiah 29:11) We just need to trust by faith and obey it as our real deed. The scripture says that “Faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26) Joshua and his people showed their faith through deed by obey carried out God’s command and conquered Jericho and God fulfilled His promise by gave them victory over an enemy that was trying to keep them out of the Promised Land.

God’s way or our way

The second thing we could learn from this story is about God’s way. There is a vast difference between God’s way and the human way. It is written in Isaiah 55:8-9,

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

I would like to take you to imagine the physical condition of Jericho wall. I am so sorry couldn’t take much time to explore deeper to find out the authentic information about the size of the wall. Below is the specification of the wall that I got from my father’s Bible archaeology books. Let’s take time a moment to imagine it. Jericho was surrounded by a great earthen rampart with stones retaining wall at its base, the size of retaining wall was around 12-15 feet high. On the top of that was 6 feet thick of mud brick wall and 20-26 feet high. There was similar mud brick wall on the crest of the wall with around 46 feet high above the ground level. Other archaeological discovery stated that Jericho wall consists of 2 layers. 6 feet thick on the outside wall, 12 feet thick on the inside wall, and the distance between outside and inside wall was around 12-15 feet. My dear friends, no matter about the size and construction, by human logic and reason this wall was very difficult to penetrate even impenetrable. If it can be, as I said before the wall must be destructed by very enormous military force but the fact Jericho wall was destructed didn’t by military weapons force but even by the very unique way.

In our daily lives, when the problems and obstacles hit us, which way we chose to overcome? Whether we remain chose God’s way even though His way looks so strange? Or we even chose our own understanding and way? The story of Jericho reminds and teaches us that God’s way is higher than our way. The world gives so many alternatives to solve our problems but once again we have to remember that God’s way isn’t our way. Personally, I’ve often felt God provide remarkable way and beyond of my mind to solve my problems. You know, when God gives an instruction or command, we must be fully aware that it’s God’s way and we must believe that God’s way is always the best for us. So there is no reason at all we still stand on our own understanding and disobey His command because God said:  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverb 3:5)

Dear, friends. What about us now? If this time you and I are surrounded by “thick wall” of problems of life?  Is there a “giant wall” that hinder God’s promises and blessings get into our lives?  Whether we want to break it down but we don’t have enough power?  This evening allow me to encourage all of us to learn from the Jericho story. Thousand years ago God showed His amazing way to tear down the Jericho wall. So it’s with us today. God will provide the amazing way to break our “Wall”. God will give us victory over the “enemies” that we face throughout life. Let’s ask to the Lord to show His miracle ways. Let’s hear His instruction heartily, accept it, believe it by unwavering faith and do it obediently. By faith, let us bear in our hearts and minds that there are no walls as thick as anything that cannot be break if God pleased. Don’t ever under estimate God’s way because actually He is the way (John 14:6) and our ways aren’t His way. Don’t ever rely on our own thoughts because His thoughts aren’t our thoughts. There is nothing impossible before God (Luke 1:37) and God does His best work in impossible situation.

Let’s keep our faith remain working together with action and make our faith complete by what we do (James 2:22) let’s prove our faith by obedience. Let’s show our faith to other as evidence that we truly believe God will always fulfills His wonderful promises. By faith and obedience to God we can conquer all “wall” of problems in our lives and we could be a winner. Amen

Karina – Living by faith

Image source: Google images