28 March 2014

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. [Psalm 42:1]

Just like how the deer pants for the waters, our souls pant for God. We thirst. You shouldn't be feeling guilty for not spending some time with God; you should be feeling thirsty!

With that, come boldly and expectantly for God to give you a fresh revelation of Himself! He promises this: “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)

Song of the Day: As the Deer http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

27 March 2014

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. [2 Peter 1:9]

This passage is talking about adding to faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge and so on all the way to love. (2 Peter 1:5-8) But what is the diagnosis as to a person lacking these traits? It is forgetting that they have been forgiven.

My friend, if you want to grow in your relationship with God and see fruits of growth, the most important thing is to believe that your sins are forgiven! Jesus paid it all. Your sins didn't get away unscathed. They were punished; but in the body of another!

You are forgiven of ALL your sins, past, present and future. Now, go and sin no more!

Song of the Day: Lord I Lift Your Name on High https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COQ6cni_TG8

26 March 2014

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. [Psalm 117]

This is the length of this psalm, short and sweet. This psalm talks about how not just Israel, but ALL nations to extol Yahweh, the One, true God. The Bible tells us that at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

My friend, when Jesus returns, I pray that you are on His side. How? By placing your trust in your salvation not in you doing good, in other words, not doing good so as to be saved, but by trusting in Jesus, that His work for you has been fully efficacious for forgiveness of your sins. It's all about Jesus!

Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.

Song of the Day: Hallelujah https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMyWe9en1zI

25 March 2014

It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. [Psalm 118:8-9]

The psalmist puts more trust in God rather than man. In this psalm, the writer faces danger from all sides, but in the midst of the storm, he rests. He let go and let God do the work. He placed his trust not in man, himself, but in the Lord.

This morning, I don't know what situation you may be facing, by my advice is to lift it up to the hands of your Daddy. He is Daddy, but He is also Almighty God, and He will make all things, good, bad and ugly turn around for your good! (Romans 8:28)

Song of the Day: I Am Yours https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vPtNFN-Mvo

24 March 2014

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. [Matthew 5:14-16]

That's how God sees you: light of the world! The verse says let your light shine, not produce the light. In other words, don't try to do good works; let Jesus shine in you, and this will naturally translate into good works!

Jesus is your light. He says, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” (John 8:12). The way to possess this light is to rest in Jesus!

How? By redirecting your mind to focus on what Jesus has done for you at the cross. Those who are forgiven much love much! (Luke 7:47)

Song of the Day: Walking in the Light of God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfH4sjsL0Pk

23 March 2014

In Him (Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace [Ephesians 1:7]

The word 'have' in the original language, Greek, is in the present active indicative, which means, we actively take hold of redemption and the forgiveness of sins, not letting anyone take our redemption for us.

How much are we forgiven? According to the riches of His grace. The day you can measure God's grace is the day you realize how much you're forgiven of your sin!

How can a righteous God forgive us guilty sinners? By a ransom. The word 'redemption' in the Greek means 'to buy back with a ransom'. In other words, your ransom was paid by God in Christ and you are bought back by God to His kingdom!

In Jesus we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Song of the Day: Say So https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai46WQaqvKE

22 March 2014

But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness... [Romans 4:5]

You are not righteous because of how morally upright you are. You are not righteous because you exercise self-control. You are not righteous because you read 10 chapters of the Bible daily. You are not righteous because you feel righteous. But you are the very righteousness of God in Christ solely because the sacrifice of Jesus made you so. When you believe this, your faith is accounted for righteousness.

And this is what God wants you to use your faith for. If you are righteous by your deeds, you don’t need faith. You also don’t need faith to know that you are sinful. But you need faith to believe and declare that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, in the midst of your struggles with temptation and sin.

The devil may remind you of your foul temper and question your integrity: “How dare you call yourself righteous when you just did that!” Just ignore his lies and boldly declare, “I am not righteous because of what I have done or not done. I am righteous only because of the blood and finished work of Jesus at the cross!” -Joseph Prince

Song of the Day: Christ is Enough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6MzgVsP2uE

Upcoming Projects, Powered by God's Grace

While I rarely share the bit of my personal life, I feel the FIYAH to just share about my upcoming projects, that by God's grace will be the most enriching that I will ever have! All Stars, I'll need your participation to make these projects a success!

1. Project YOLO

In this 6-month project, we're gonna start agreeing with our church leaders during sermon. We're gonna start a new culture, a culture of agreement, in Megalife. During worship, even if no one else go, we're gonna go up there and worship the Lord. It's all about radicalism, if I can give this project a theme. And during the sermon, when we are inspired by the preacher, we're gonna shout 'Amen' to encourage them as well as other believers so that we can being this culture of agreement. This project will last for 6 months and then...well, I'm gonna hope that it continues even after 6 months!

2. Project Bible

Last year, we started a Whatsapp group which included many teenagers, and in that group, we talk about the Bible. However, due to some complications, we had to close down the group. I also wanted to focus on my academics and the Bible group was a great distraction to me. (nonsense excuse, really) This time, we start the group in hopes that we grow deeper in the Word of God together and by God's grace, academics will not bother me. And we're gonna do a macro study from Genesis all the way to Revelations. It's gonna be cool, for me. Or any of us, as a matter of fact.

3. Project Revival

Well, I'm believing God for greater revival than ever before, and two things unique about it. First, the revival is effortless. In other words, pre-believers come to us instead of us trying so hard to share the gospel, and there will be great revival all over the school. Secondly, the fire that results from this revival will not die out this time around! Believers are gonna start shining for the Lord all across Anglican High School (AHS), St Andrew's Junior College (SAJC), and I believe all across Singapore. So this project focuses on just flowing with the Spirit to seize every opportunity to see effective evangelism, all by the influence and the grace of God.

Also, come revival, I personally will have a revival in friendships. This may get cheesy, but I don't have my inner circle in SAJC. I had two bros from AHS, Daniel and Jonathan, but they also moved on to other schools, (Temasek and Meridian Junior Colleges, respectively) and I'm on my own in SAJC. Come revival, which I believe tomorrow marks the start of, God will provide me a group of Christian brothers who will be with me through thick and thin. And I claim by faith, that as a trio, we can also seize opportunities for effective evangelism together! God is good!

4. Project All-Stars

We kind of started this group, a group where believers of VERY DIFFERENT personalities encourage each other with one thing in common: their love for God. Hence, we're like All-Stars in our lives but have Christ as our common identity. We love God, and this is not a legit project as much as it is to me something I treasure. All of them are relatively closer friends to me than my schoolmates, (come tomorrow, God's gonna give me God-loving, fiery Christians to be my help) and I really want them to be encouraged each morning, or in school where the persecution heats up, and we just hold each other up in prayer and in biblical love.

5. Project SOS

SOS: Song of Solomon. Tamara, Benjamin and I are gonna start on this project called SOS, where every week, we go through the book of SOS. (perhaps a micro study, chapter by chapter?) It's confusing, it's very literary and it's about marriage, something which Tamara (13 on 14) and I (16 on 17) are underaged for, but not Benjamin, (25/26) so we hope to see Benjamin's partner soon after Project SOS. ;)

So there. These are the projects which I am currently undertaking. By the grace of God may they prosper and bless the people involved. Let's do this! Especially Project YOLO; that has a time limit of 6 months! We have 6 months to change the bleargh culture in Megalife, of course, by the grace of God, and make sure I still see such strong agreement even afterward, okay?

20 March 2014

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. [Proverbs 18:24]

Proverbs 18 end of with this, there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. You may have a very very close friend or group of friends who love you a lot, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

His name is Jesus.

This song is a good description of that:

What a friend we have in Jesus

All our sins and grief to bear

What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer

Song of the Day: What a Friend We Have in Jesus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SCorW9r_Is

19 March 2014

It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. [Romans 9:16]

Let us make crystal clear at the beginning of the year that all we will get from God this year as believers in Jesus is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains come our way will all be mercy.

This is why Christ came into the world — “in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy” (Romans 15:9). We were born again “according to his great mercy” (1 Peter 1:3). We pray daily “that we may receive mercy” (Hebrews 4:16); and we are now “waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 1:21). If any Christian proves trustworthy, it is “by the Lord's mercy [he] is trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 7:25)

The point is this: Whatever the timing or form of God’s mercy, we never rise above the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on the undeserved (favor of God).

Therefore let us humble ourselves and rejoice and “glorify God for his mercy”! -John Piper

Song of the Day: I Could Sing of Your Love Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBEPFFqpycQ

18 March 2014

“But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God... For by one offering He has perfected forever...” [Hebrews 10:12-14]

If you don’t look to the cross, you will become sin-conscious and you will walk around with a certain expectation of judgment. And that expectation of judgment will give the devil a chance to get you thinking that God has something against you because of your sin.

You must come to the place where you know and believe that all your sins are forgiven, that there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God’s blessings, that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell, because you are forgiven and saved eternally.

You and I are perfected forever because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross. We are perfected by God’s full acceptance and perfect delight in His Son’s work that has so glorified His holiness. Beloved, hear God say to you, “I will be merciful. Your sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 10:17) -Joseph Prince

Song of the Day: No Condemnation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBRbUG-NoHg

17 March 2014

..."Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more." [Hebrews 10:17]

I don’t know about you, but I would say that Hebrews 10:17 is good news. God sees all our sins — past, present and future — and says, “Your sins I remember no more!” The words “no more” are a strong double negative in the original Greek text. In other words, God is saying, “Your sins I will by no means ever remember!”

Has God lowered His standards? No, He is still perfectly holy. He did remember all our sins — 2,000 years ago at the cross. Every sin which we have committed or will commit has been punished to the full in the body of Jesus Christ at the cross. That is why today, God remembers our sins no more. We should, therefore, not be sin-conscious.

Each time we fall into sin, God wants us to remember the cross and say, “Lord Jesus, you were sentenced for this sin I committed. You bore the judgment, so God will not judge me for this sin. You were condemned for this sin, so God will not condemn me for it. -Joseph Prince

Song of the Day: Freely Forgiven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IojGMdWWb_k

16 March 2014

And he must needs go through Samaria. [John 4:4]

It's quite interesting that Jesus 'must needs' go through Samaria, to meet the Samaritan woman at the well. He decided to go against Jewish culture and associate Himself with Gentiles, just to restore her. He takes restoring a person as an obligation.

Instead of telling you to follow Jesus' example, today I tell you that Jesus wants to go out of His way to restore you. In fact the word 'save' in the original language means 'to restore'. Jesus wants to do all that He can to save you from sickness and trial. Either He takes it away or that He strengthens you to overcome them, but whatever the case, Jesus wants to help you in whatever situation, big or small.

Your God is the God of the mountains AND the God of the valleys. Let Him take your glory, let Him take your trials. It's all about Him.

Song of the Day: Awesome God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_8OJf2FYg

15 March 2014

...it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. [Philippians 2:13]

While the context here is earthly salvation, it applies to your life in your vocation. If you're a student, His good purpose is for you to study well. If you're a teacher, His good purpose is for you to teach well. Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

"But Joel, how do I fulfill that? I'm not smart enough or capable enough!"

My friend, God will work in you to glorify His name. How? By helping you enjoy your job, to stir a passion in whatever vocation you are in, and this produces the ability to excel in that area. If you are a student, ask God for the joy for studying! If you are a full-time church worker, ask God for the joy of serving the church!

My friend, God will work in you, through you and for you!

Song of the Day: Our God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJpt1hSYf2o

14 March 2014

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. [Psalm 91:5-6]

I call this the fourfold plagues. The Israelites back then, as they traveled in the wilderness, obviously held concerns of their life in the desert. But Moses declares the goodness of God, that His people need not fear, in Hebrew, the sudden alarm (terror), not a flying piercer (arrow), nor curse (pestilence), nor ruin (plague).

My friend, the basis as to why you are protected from these is not because you do good things, but that God sees you righteous in the finished work of Christ. Today, you are the righteousness of God in Christ, because Christ became our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). This entitles you to receive God's unmerited favor, protection, blessings and goodness and mercy to hunt you down (original Hebrew for 'follow') (Psalm 23:6), according to the riches of His grace (Ephesians 1:17).

Therefore, fear not, for God is with you through Christ. And if our God is for us, then who can ever stop us? (Romans 8:31)

Song of the Day: Psalm 91 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWe4nqgZrao

13 March 2014

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” [Psalm 91:1-2]

These 2 verses precede the whole psalm of God's divine protection over His people. The secret to see God's favor and protection is this: by dwelling in His house. By resting in the house of the Lord.

And it's God's house, not school, temple or whatever else which preachers say. It's God's house you're lepaking in. This speaks of intimacy with God your Father. And you can boldly have quality time with Him because love is made perfect among us that we may stand boldly in the day of judgement, because as Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17)

Enter His gates with thanksgiving in your hearts. Enter His courts with praise. Say, "This is the day that the Lord has made" and rejoice for He has made you glad!

Song of the Day: He Has Made Me Glad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLcpLD5DHDU

12 March 2014

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [Ephesians 6:13]

Once you have the armor of God by being a believer, the real fight is to stand your ground and remain at rest. The enemy wants to wrestle you out of your position of rest, get you into self-effort and get you all agitated, anxious and fearful. But God wants you to remain seated and restful, trusting in Him and the finished work of His Son that has wrought victory over all the works of the enemy.

So don’t get provoked out of your place of rest. Know that the Lord is on your side and with you in the midst of your battle. As you remain at rest in Him, He will give you might and lead you to a glorious victory, as he did for the Israelites against the Amalekites! -Joseph Prince

Song of the Day: Trust in The Lord

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4PuaQsFyLs

11 March 2014

This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. [Psalm 118:24]

If we check up the context, we see that David said this when he was hard-pressed by his enemies. What faith! To declare rejoicing even in trial.

And which day is this also referring to? The cross: God's redemption plan for us. (Psalm 118:22)

My friend, you can declare today to be a good day, not because of you being a good person but because Jesus took all your sin, horror and ugly. Today God showers you with His unclouded favor even in the midst of a trial. Rest in His goodness to get you through the day!

Song of the Day: Today is the Day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B300gQkgDS0

10 March 2014

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. [2 Peter 3:9]

I've always wondered: when would Jesus return? Or when will the rapture take place, when we can be relieved of this stressful world? God reminds me that He wants everyone to come to repentance to Jesus Christ. God's showing mercy to mankind.

Then I ask: when will everyone receive the Gospel? God reminds me again, that He makes all things beautiful in His time (Ecclesiastes 3:11). So I don't have to worry about the future: it's all in the hands of my heavenly Abba.

And neither do you. In due time, God will salvage not only your spirit but also your body! Keep on hoping, brethren and sisteren!

Song of the Day: He Loves Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzfPHnoT0-0

9 March 2014

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” [Deuteronomy 20:4]

Here's the bridge of the song 'In Jesus' Name' by Darlene Zschech. I want you to know this: you need not fight for yourself, because GOD ALMIGHTY WILL FIGHT FOR YOU!

God is fighting for us

Pushing back the darkness

Lighting up the kingdom

That cannot be shaken

In the name of Jesus

The enemy's defeated

And we will shout it out, shout it out

Song of the Day: In Jesus' Name

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=j-mUUNFA4a8

8 March 2014

But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. [2 Peter 1:9]

Whoever does not possess godly values like faith, goodness, kindness and so on shows signs of one lack: belief that they have been cleansed from the past sins.

Today, for us to grow in God and in godly values, we need one root: believing that we have been once-and-for-all, efficaciously cleansed from all our sins. That's what I want to remind you: that your sins are forgiven, not by your effort but by God's righteous action of punishing your sin in the body of your Savior.

Your sins are forgiven! Now go and sin no more! (John 8:11)

Song of the Day: Amazing Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwoCbcSXlSM

7 March 2014

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. [1 Peter 5:6-7]

Sometimes, we make 'humbling ourselves' sound religiously awesome. But the Bible tells us how to be humble: to throw all our worries unto God!

This year will bring for testings and trials, but you have a God bigger than the trials who cares for you. Throw it all unto Him; it helps you in immeasurable ways. For our God is an awesome God.

Song of the Day: I Cast My Cares Upon You https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt8D7qp1ly4

6 March 2014

If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. [1 Peter 4:14]

In this life, people will look down on you for believing in Jesus. People will malign your faith and try to persuade you out of it. Peter calls this a blessing. In fact, Jesus even says, "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Matthew 5:11-12)

Great is your reward, O persecuted for the glory of God!

Song of the Day: Blessed be Your Name https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heRHeX23r70

5 March 2014

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. [1 Peter 4:10]

This morning, I want to remind you that you have a God-given gift within you to be used for His glory. Don't say that you're just a face in the crowd: you are not. That's not how God sees you. God sees you righteous in Christ with a special gift He has given you.

Let God teach you how to use your gift. You may be gifted in studies, the arts or just about anything else, so use it for the glory of God! You don't know how? Don't worry; your teacher, who is also your Heavenly Father, will teach you. Whatever the case, you are God's beloved, uniquely created child with a God-given talent birthed within you, regardless of how the world labels you!

Song of the Day: Glory to God Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h64opCwLZCw

4 March 2014

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. [1 Peter 3:8-9]

You see, you don't need to take revenge on the people who wronged you. You know why? Because God has given you a much higher calling worthy of pursuing than your aggressor. You are blessed to be a blessing to those who believe that they are a curse who curse others. You are blessed! Live in God's blessing and bless, my friend. :)

Song of the Day: Everywhere That I Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nw-JpD9TJA

Revival 2014

This is NOT an exposition; it's just my feelings for the upcoming events in 2014.

Get ready for revival. Currently, there is a ban on spreading the Gospel in our schools. Well, things are about to change. Even if it were illegal, institutions all across the island are going to buzz and boom with the good news of salvation. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit will be so strong that congregations publicly declare the grace of God in the streets. Businesses and firms also come to know the Lord, bringing Jesus to the center of their service. Ultimately, the name of Jesus will be lifted high all across Singapore that people cannot remain ignorant of our God.

But that's not all. That's part 1.

Part 2: Rapture. Highly debatable topic, highly theoretical, highly ambiguous. However, it is my conviction, as well as many others, that Christ is coming to rapture us VERY SOON. When? NO ONE KNOWS. But definitely after revival, that way we can all be raptured together. I take one more radical position that backs up rapture theory: we get to see it our lifetime. That's right, this generation literally won't die out before rapture. And we see it with our own eyes.

What exciting times we are living in! I don't know about you, but I can't wait to be lifted out of earth and into paradise. Revival 2014: Jesus Exalted!

Declaration Statement

3 March 2014

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. [2 Corinthians 8:9]

Paul isn't encouraging the Corinthians to take the grace of God for granted. He's telling them to bless because they are first blessed.

We love not by our effort but because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Hence, we bless not because we are good people but because God first blessed us. Jesus became your poverty that you may become His blessing to bless others!

Bless, because God first blessed you in Christ!

If you would like to view my newest exposition titled, 'It's About God's Love for You, Not Your Love for God', you may do so here: http://joelkindiak.blogspot.sg/2014/02/its-about-gods-love-for-you-not-your.html?m=1

Song of the Day: Give Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXBxImes110

2 March 2014

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. [Romans 8:37]

The Bible says that we are more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Despite tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword, (Romans 8:35) neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)

His love endures forever! So pin your hopes not on man's limited knowledge and love but onto God's unlimited knowledge and complete love! Nothing can separate you from God's love! Yeah, NOTHING!

Song of the Day: Forever https://www.youtube.com/watchv=X_dsZpcA2R8