Light The Path And Lead The Pack CSI

26/07/2024

30/06/2024

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
The Word of the God accomplishes so much in the lives of those who hear it. It will surely accomplish its purpose for which it was sent according to the book of Isaiah.

Now, if there is one thing that the Word would build in a person's spiritual journey it is FAITH. In the book of Romans it says, "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ."

The bible is not merely a Christian book--
It is the Word of the living God.

No matter who holds its cover and turns the pages, it is the living Word of God. Whatever the prevailing issues it will go against with, no one can refute its sufficiency. It is not just the book that heals. It is also the book that wounds. It is not just the book of your favorite promises. It also the book of commands that most does not care about. It is not just the book about victory. It also the book that makes one surrender. It is not just the book that tells you what is good and what is bad. It is the book that holds the judgment that has an eternal sense. It is not the book that condemns people. It is the book that revealed an unconditional love to the undeserving generation.
The Word of God as described in the book of Hebrews is a double-edged sword. We just not hear and take the message that makes us "WOW" but more importantly those that makes us "OUCH". Not just the message that gets us the SCORE but more of the message that gets us the SCAR.

31/12/2023

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases.
Your mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning,
new every morning:
great is thy faithfulness, O Lord,
great is thy faithfulness!

Provided to YouTube by CDBabyThe Steadfast Love of the Lord · Dave HuntEbenezer: A Collection of Hymns℗ 2011 Dave HuntReleased on: 2011-06-14Auto-generated b...

31/12/2023

It's the time of the year again where some of us will look back and see if 2023 deserves to be a "good" or "not so good" year. It is so broad to evaluate. It can be based on your financial status, your performance at work or at school, your relationship goals, your marriage, etc... But it is hard to see the "good things" when the "not so good" feels more real: You got promoted in the office but your marriage is sinking...You probably the top student in the campus but your relationship with your parents is failing... You probably accomplished all your travel goals but you are still SINGLE (it happens and it's normal😊) or you just celebrated your 10 year wedding anniversary but you just found out you have a serious disease.

What makes it harder to accept is that you prayed to God that 2023 will be a fruitful and prosperous year--and here you are confronted with these questions...WHY?
One thing we can hold on to: Never lose your hope in God.
That last ounce of hope you have at 11:59 pm tonight claiming that everything is "good", keep declaring it and don't let it cease until you face the dawn and see the sun breaking the first morning of the year 2024.

In Lamentations chapter 3 (take time to read it) , it gives us a picture of a suffering and painful life--I personally convinced that the verses 1 to 20 is exactly what Jesus felt when He was being persecuted and punished...the Word himself is narrating the fulfillment of the Scriptures.
In verses 21 to 26 it says,
21 But this I CALL to mind,
and therefore I have HOPE:
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are NEW EVERY MORNING;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will HOPE in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.
The "good" or "not good" things here on earth has one thing in common: Both will come to pass. They are temporal but the "goodness" of God NEVER CEASES... it is NEW not just very year... but EVERY MORNING.. EVERY MOMENT that we are alive we get to experience His unending faithfulness. Hold it to your heart. Declare it! Shalom!

26/12/2023

Not too late to watch this short movie this Christmas season! Sharing this with permission from "The Chosen"🙂 You guys are awesome!

Link below👇

The Shepherd is the pilot for a new tv series.The entire TV show will be about the life of Christ through the eyes of those who encountered him called The Ch...

25/12/2023

"Christmas Tree"

Decorated with colorful ornaments, lights, ribbons and other stuff. It fills the surrounding a very familiar ambiance whether it is big or small. Everyone (or most people if not) loves to see it with the gliterry lights.

Although, it is occasionally referred as a pagan symbol we can't deny how this tree sets the mood of this season. There are too many facts and fictions that you may found about this tree but there is a particular "tree" that may "cross" your usual Christmas season--

A tree bore the reason of Christmas! It does not have colorful ornaments but it bore the most beautiful name...it does not have glittery lights but it bore the Light that never ends...it does not have expensive gifts under it but from it flowed a precious gift that cancels death...restores the broken and gives life here and for eternity.

May this season give you the moment to look up the night sky. Imagine how bright that was when the shepherds witnessed the angels proclaiming the good news no matter how dark it was back then. You are may be in the deepest and darkest moment of your life but do not lose hope. Keep shouting and declaring "GLORY IN THE HIGHEST!"

Shalom!

06/09/2023

QUESTION:
"If God is good and He created everything, then did He also created evil like pain and suffering?"

The question is hard to answer as it deals with the reality of distress, hopelessness, frustrations, failure and brokeness in life.
However, one thing we should understand is that God is LOVE. See, He created everything because He is ALL POWERFUL. He created all things by His Word.
Now, this is something we must have missed---
He created man (yes, that's us) by His hand. It implies that the manner of creation He had back there when He molded the dust (man) is AFFECTION. It implies CAREFUL process, attention to details, sense of purpose and identity and personal attachment...that's the thing you do when LOVE is your objective isn't? We are created not just out of His divine power but out of LOVE...out of His image.
For love to exist in the setting of creation, the presence of FREE WILL is indispensable. Love cannot force itself to another because if it does then it is no love at all. That will invalidate love. When God said to Adam, "You are free to eat from any tree in the but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die" it is not like He is forcing control over him but He is giving the free will over Adam.
The ability of free will allows the ethic of love to flourish. However, this ability is vulnerable to choose and comply on things that is outside the righteousness of the Creator. He could have stopped Adam when he was about to take a bite of the fruit but He didn't because He will go against the freedom of the will...and invalidate love.
Think for a moment:
He sees us when we choose to soak ourselves into vices... He sees us when we choose the "YOLO" principle... He sees us when we choose to cheat, to be angry, to be unforgiving, to be ungrateful, to curse, to be greedy... He sees us when we chose to deny Him and just toil around in restlessness...He sees us when we are brokenhearted... He sees us when we cried and questioned Him about the passing of our loved one...
I hope God could have stopped these and allow only GOOD things to happen. You see, that is not the case... but there is a good news I want to share--
It is the prologue of the story of the creation...
That very moment while He was holding that lump of dust in His hands...He knew that one day, mankind will fall into sin...evil will make its way...despair and hopelessness will draw it's line but it says in Ephesians 1:
"For he chose us in him BEFORE the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In LOVE, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will--"
We will have trouble in this world but the Lord said,"Take heart! I have overcome the world." He did the final piece on the cross of calvary and He declared, "It is finished".
It's time for you to accept Him as your LORD and SAVIOUR... Know that He is GOD.. His love endures forever.

04/08/2023

The beauty of waiting is this --"renewal of strength"

Don't waste it!

The power of the renewed strength is not to set your mood to wait again and get stuck in it but to set your mode to walk even in the most uncertain things in life. That is faith!

Don't wait when the command to follow is clear. Shalom!

30/07/2023

Sharing one of our "lockdown devotional" Shalom!

The rule of the game is: FAITH
The escalating outbreak of COVID 19 brings the question, "Where is God at times like this?" Despite the preparation of the world government and the prayers of the church it looks like it's getting even worse--increased number of reported cases, death tolls, panic buying, lockdown and mostly political issues. It is important as a community that we always defer in His words when this kind of questions distorts our perspective of who He is and distracts our path of living by faith.
Two important kings in the Old Testament shares a good perspective of life at times of illness and suffering--King Asa and King Hezekiah.
Both had an illness and suffered badly during their time: King Hezekiah was confronted by the Lord that he will die and will not recover.(2 Kings 20:1)
King Asa, had a severe disease in his feet. (2 Chronicles 16:12). Yet, there was a difference between them: how they RESPOND and how they RECOGNIZE God on their situation.
King Asa, as it says in 2 Chronicles 16:12:.. "Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he DID NOT seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians."
What this verse is saying,
"LOOK AT THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD BEYOND THE SEVERITY OF THE SITUATION"
Yes, our frontliners are doing all the sacrifice and we are grateful about it and above this let's continue to seek God beyond the severity of this virus outbreak...regardless of how bad and serious the outcome is the next day we wake up. Remind ourselves that GOD IS SOVEREIGN.
Now, King Hezekiah, it says in 2 Kings 20:1-5:.. "Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD..." And the Lord showed his mercy to King Hezekiah in the following verses it says,.. "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you.. I will add fifteen years to your life."
King Hezekiah turned his face to the WALL: ( Imagine for a moment...God told him that he will be illed and will not recover...it is a DEAD END already. At times like this, when we feel like it is the dead-end we start to lose our strength, our positive outlook... we start to worry and panic... overwhelmed by the WALL.
One thing we should not miss on this verse is the word " AND" which implies a "connection". God never meant us to be in a dead end situation. It says there, "AND he (King Hezekiah) prayed to the Lord". The story could have ended with a hopeless King Hezekiah just facing the wall (maybe punching or crying over it) but it never ended that way...he connected to God.
Right now, we are facing an overwhelming WALL... the Covid-19. There are two things that we can do when it is a "dead end": First, seek for a DETOUR (temporarily replacing part of a route; implies dependence to oneself) but the bible tells us to seek for a DIRECTION (assistance in pointing out the proper route; implies dependence to God). Just like the song.... "Way-maker, Miracle worker, Promise-keeper... Light in the darkness" that is who our God is!
Now, both king died... King Asa lived for 2 more years. King Hezekiah lived for 15 more years. It only shows that everything we know and we do here on earth is temporal and it applies to all. However, God is in the look out on things that remains unshaken (Hebrew 12:27). King Asa, never sought God but King Hezekiah connected his FAITH to this Sovereign God. Our FAITH has the sense of eternity in it so don't be shaken!
In Habakkuk 2:3 it says,
For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.
The answers on your prayer right now AWAITS an appointed time... it says WAIT for it... it WILL CERTAINLY come... it WILL NOT DELAY. The promise of the Lord is RENEWED strength for those who wait (Isaiah 40:31)

Let's give our FAITH a good fight!

28/07/2023

What is your "place of rest"?
Noah means "place of rest". In Genesis 6:14, God commanded Noah to make an ark out of gopher wood. It is interesting that the meaning of "gopher" in the original Hebrew word is "uncertain". Could it be that God will stretch our PLACE OF REST in a place that we are UNCERTAIN? How are we going to connect on something that is unexpected? How are we going to continue when it is becoming uncomfortable?... And how are we going to complete the journey if it is something unknown to us?

The story tells us how to face uncertainty:
DISCERNMENT- Noah never questioned God of His plan. He probably had it in mind but his obedience tells us clearly he knows who this God is. That helped him to connect to an unexpected situation.
👉Application: Pray to God. Know Him and let His presence bring you courage in facing the unexpected.

COMMITMENT- it took Noah 120 years to finish the ark. He was mocked everyday and people were making fun of him. He probably felt hopeless at times--he's running out of resources but his commitment to God's plan helped him to continue even if it is uncomfortable.
👉Application: Control your focus. It is not easy to feel good when you are out of your comfort zone but never let your focus be distracted.

CONTENTMENT- It rained for 40 days and the flood stayed for 150 more days! Noah, a person who's expertise was in agriculture saw this unknown sight would probably doesn't have any idea how the plan will be completed. He only knew how to garden the soil. Maybe he's not good in fishing but he didn't show any signs of impatience and unbelief even if the situation limits him.
👉Application: Trust God. Limitations are not your boundary. Limitations are your opportunity to take your faith in action and find rest in the absence of comfort.

26/07/2023

Romans 12:2 (NIV)
2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

25/07/2023

"The fight can be very difficult but know that this too shall come to pass"

Psalms 120:5-7 (NIV)
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshek,
that I live among the tents of Kedar!
Too long have I lived
among those who hate peace.
I am for peace;
but when I speak, they are for war.

MESHEK in Hebrew means "drawing out" and KEDAR means "sorrow". Could it be possible that we have been staying too long in a position that drawing out sorrow became too familiar? Familiar enough to distort that image of peace? Where forgiveness seems too costly and we resort to dwell in silence and the battle inside is trying to win that place in our heart.

You are not alone in this situation. We pray and declare salvation and deliverance in your life and your family.

Shalom! Shalom!