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Showing posts from June, 2010

The parable of the centipede

I find the following parable of the centipede very interesting. One day, as a centipede was about to walk, it examined its legs to consider which one should move first. Should the left leg move first or the right one? How about the eighth leg, or the tenth? The centipede was stuck there trying to make a decision. The problem of the mind became a problem of the practice. Eventually, the sun came up. Without thinking, the centipede ran out to see the sunrise without considering which leg should move first. It forgot about how to walk and simply walked. When the problem of the mind was gone, the problem of the practice also disappeared. (Extracted from the Testimonies - Watchman Nee's Testimony & Others' Testimonies) Reflection: Sometimes, we faced many problems in life and some problems can be overwhelming and we think of many solutions and try to figure out which is the best way to solve the problem. However, just like the parable of the centipede, we can simply commit ours

The 2 trees in the Garden of Eden

Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil . Genesis 2:15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. Genesis 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; Genesis 2:17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” In Genesis 2:17 God gave a warning to man, not to partake the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Because the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil uplifts the human soul and suppresses the spirit. When man partakes of this fruit, man's soul life will be stimulated and his spirit life will be stifled. This means man will lose the true knowledge of God and thus be dead to Him. The knowledge of good and evil will puff up t

Serenity Prayer

Our prayer is liken to ....

A brother once observed that God's will is like a train whereas our prayer is like the rails of a train. A train may travel to any place, except that it must run on rails. It has tremendous power to go east, west, south and north, but it can only run to places where rails have been laid. So that it is not because God has no power (He, like a train, has power, great power); but because He chooses to be governed by man's prayer, therefore all valuable prayers (like a train's rails) pave the way for God. Consequently, if we do not take up the responsibility of prayer, we will hinder the fulfilment of God's will. From : "Let Us Pray" by Watchman Nee May the Lord open our eye to see our responsibility in this matter!

Prayer of a Christian

There was once a Christian who well knew how to pray. He declared this, that all spiritual works include 4 steps: 1. The first step is that God conceives a thought, which is His will: 2. The second step is that God reveals this will to His children through the Holy Spirit, causing them to know that He has a will, a plan, a demand and expectation. 3. The third step is that God's children return His will by praying to Him, for prayer is responding to God's will - if our heart is wholly one with His heart, we will naturally voice in our prayer that He intends to do: 4. And the fourth step is that God will accomplish this very thing. Extracted from the Book "Let Us Pray" by Watchman Nee My Reflection God reveals His will, His thoughts, plan and desires to us through His Word. As I spend time in His word, the Holy Spirit reveals His heart desires, His thoughts and as I learn to seek Him and spend time before Him, His thoughts become my thoughts and His desires beco

In everything by prayer

Philippians 4:6b ... in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; We can learn to practise drawing near to God’s presence, calm down before Him, lay aside our own thoughts, and enter into His thought. You will then realize the significance of prayer and see in how many matters God is waiting for you to pray. Things around the entire world are to be subjects of your prayer, and matters in all directions are to be touched through your prayer. You do not pray according to your own feeling; you instead bring your own heart desire to the heart desire of God and let His will become your will, your groaning, and your hope in the universe. Nothing of the will of God is ever released without passing through man, and nothing of whatever will of God released through man is ever free from an encounter with the power of Satan. For the realization of God’s will, there is the need for prayer; to remove Satan’s opposition requires prayer. L

Why must we pray?

In the past, I don't really see the value of prayer. I did not realise that our prayerlessness, may cause God to let many of His resolutions go suspended. I always think that God is so almighty and He will not be limited by our prayerlessness. However, God adheres to this principle : All the actions in heaven are governed by the actions on earth. God in heaven will only bind and loose what His children on earth have bound and loosed. There are many things/situations that need to be bound but God wants His people to bind them on earth first, and then He will bind them in heaven. Many things are there also which should be loosed; but again, God is not willing to loose them alone: He waits until His people loose them on earth and then He will loose them in heaven. May God open our eyes to see this principle that it will change our perspective concerning prayer. Prov. 1:23 .. Pour out Your Spirit upon them and make Your Word known to them. Prov. 2:10 .. Let wisdom enter their h

Hearing God (silent retreat)....Part 6

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Genesis 1:30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Ge

Hearing God (silent retreat)....Part 5

Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” Genesis 1:21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” Genesis 1:23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Genesis 1:24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. Genesis 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. This is a beautiful

Hearing God (silent retreat)....Part 4

Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; Genesis 1:15 and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Genesis 1:16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. Genesis 1:17 God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, Genesis 1:18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. I see the faithfulness of God in verse 17. God set them (2 great lights) in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth. Even while we are experiencing the "nights" in our life, there is still the lesser light to rule the night. God is faithful and trust