povChristians

04/01/2025

No Need To Fear

The disciples were afraid as their boat was swamped by the heavy waves from the storm. But they had forgotten one thing. Jesus was in their boat. And he asks them as he calms the waves - why are you afraid, you of little faith? And today, as the storms of life buffet us, let us never forget that Jesus is in the boat of our lives - we do not need to be afraid but we only need to trust Him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you that you never leave us nor forsake us. We thank you that you are in the boat of our lives. Let us be fully confident that even in the midst of the storms in our lives, you are in charge and you hold all things together. In Jesus' name. Amen.

http://www.icahk.org/

01/01/2025

Turn To God For Help

Who do we turn to in our times of trouble and challenges? King David went through a lot of difficulties and challenges in his life. And who did he turn to in his troubles? It was always first to God. Let us follow his example and turn to Jesus in our challenging and difficult times as our first recourse. He is the one who can change our circumstances or just strengthen us so that we go through our difficulties and come out the other side, victorious and a more mature Christian. His promise is that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

Prayer: Lord God, help me through this difficult and challenging situation that I am going through. I put my trust in you. Thank you that you never leave me nor forsake me. I look forward in faith to the victory that you have promised. In Jesus' name. Amen.

http://www.icahk.org/

30/12/2024

Can You Pray And Worry At The Same Time?

Some concepts are mutually exclusive. Light and darkness. Life and death. East and west. Wet and dry. And prayer and worry. The apostle Paul suggests we form a similar pattern for our concerns. Since God knows our concerns, and our faith and confidence reside in Him, we can safely set those stressors aside and rest in Him.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I lay today's worries at your feet. I'm tired of carrying them around; I realize they're not really a form of caring - they just reflect a lack of prayerful faith. I pray for those fears and situations bothering me. May your Spirit give me peace today as I rest in you. In Jesus' holy name, Amen.

https://icahk.org/

28/12/2024

An Alien Citizenship

Whether or not you were born and raised in Hong Kong or are just a visitor, there are times we all feel like we're somewhere we don't really belong. As the song says, "This world is not my home; I'm just a-passing through." Our lives here are certainly important, but they pale in comparison to our ultimate, amazing, fantastic home above.

Prayer: Father God, I admit the politics and ways of this world often frustrate me. Some days it seems we're at a standstill; others that we're going headlong in the wrong direction. Help me to be patient with the 'here and now' while I look forward to the day when I reach 'home' with you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

https://icahk.org/

28/12/2024

Joy - Thick, Deep, And Wide

Joy from above is not a yellow perpetual smiley-face. It's a deep-seated something that permeates one's entire life, regardless of circumstances. At the core, joy reflects our faith and confidence in a loving heavenly Father. It stems from a knowledge that a Master plan is in place, even when we can't see the whole thing. Rejoice today!

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I declare today my joy is in you. I'm facing things I don't completely understand. I have my doubts and admit my concerns. But I also know that all things work together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purposes. Today I choose joy. In Jesus' name, Amen.

https://icahk.org/

25/12/2024

Galatians 4:4-5 NIV
[4] But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

https://bible.com/bible/111/gal.4.4-5.NIV

21/12/2024

I've often asked a pointed question when I'm with someone I know well and care about deeply. "How's your soul?" Now, that's not a question you can ask flippantly or superficially. I usually follow up with, "I really want to know." Because I know this world often damages our souls in ways we ignore.

Earlier in this plan, I told you that following Jesus requires and transforms all of you. To love God well, we must include our souls. The Greek word we translate as the soul is "psuche," which means "soul/life/spirit." One commentator notes that your soul is "the essence of who we are. The part of us responsible for our highest spiritual exercises. The seat of our emotional activity."

While the "heart" relates to the will, the "soul" relates to the emotions. Jesus modeled a healthy approach to our emotions. He expressed his emotions, rather than suppressing them. In John 15, we see Jesus full of joy. In Matthew 23, Jesus gets angry without sinning. In John 2, we see Jesus react with disgust and sorrow in John 11. He has compassion in Matthew 9 and loving concern in John 19.

To love God with your soul includes loving God with your emotions. After all, God created them, and Jesus expressed them. But the soul is more than just our emotions. The soul is eternal. Jesus warned His followers in Matthew 16 to beware of gaining the world and losing their souls. If we lose our soul, we lose everything!

We're tempted to give up the most important part of who we are in exchange for what we think will satisfy us. What are you looking for in your spiritual beliefs? What are you expecting to give you hope, peace, and healing? Our enemy Satan tempts us by saying, "If you do ____________, then you'll be at peace, be healed, or find hope." We often experience disillusionment because what we expected to bring peace only brought us pain.

The truth is we need those things Satan offers us - peace, healing, and hope. But there's an even more profound truth - you won't find those things through Satan. Your enemy often uses your emotions against you, manipulating you to make decisions purely based on emotions rather than a commitment to Jesus' way.

Jesus continually invited those who followed Him to deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him. Based upon His expression of emotions, Jesus wasn't giving us a mandate to eliminate emotions. He was calling us to deny the sinful flesh and the way of Satan, which cost us our souls. Following Jesus and loving God with our souls is the path to true peace.

Today, I encourage you to ask yourself, "How is my soul doing?" You could get together with a friend and ask each other how your souls are doing. Attending your soul means paying attention to something significant to Jesus.

- Scott Savage

19/12/2024

The word “cancer” rattled around my brain like a pinball bouncing back and forth, looking for a place to land. A place to register. And then it dropped. Sinking into my heart. Shredding everything in its path.

As much as comfort can be our friend, it can also be our enemy. Have you ever been just fine where you are? Your health is good. You have plenty of money in the bank. Your job is secure. All of your kids are healthy. Life makes sense. God is behaving like he should, or at least like you think he should. And then Jesus says, “Follow me. You’ve learned enough by the lake. Let’s go in the lake.”

This is exactly what Mark records Jesus doing with his first disciples. Jesus shifts his location as he shifts his lesson.

The disciples found themselves in water instead of by water. It was getting dark. Evening was coming. And where there is water, there are also waves. Before long, these waves were threatening the very lives of these young followers of Jesus.

But if not for the storm, they would never discover the goodness and power and faithfulness of the God who was with them. Without fear, they would never know faith. Without hurt, they would never know hope.

It’s no wonder Mark records that Jesus was the only one unmoved by the storm. The chaos of the water and storm were no threat to Jesus. In fact, he was in the stern of the boat, sleeping on a cushion. At rest. This was going to be a lesson not for Jesus but for the disciples. And for us.

We need water to grow. And some lessons we can learn only in the midst of chaos, not in a classroom. And no matter how we get there, we can trust the God who meets us in our storm.

At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a boat in the middle of a lake. We might be there due to a job loss or the death of a loved one. Maybe disability, divorce, or financial insecurity has stranded us. And that’s when our transformation begins. Jesus is still Lord over the water, a...

16/12/2024

Isaiah 7:14 NIV
[14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

https://bible.com/bible/111/isa.7.14.NIV

09/12/2024

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him

There are countless traditions that we incorporate into our Christmas season. We decorate our homes and businesses with all kinds of ribbons, greenery, lights, and glitter. We make the treats we’ve been longing for since last December but don’t feel justified in eating between January and November. We take trips around our towns to see Christmas displays of lights galore. We see plays at our children's schools and watch programs at our churches. We are definitely not short on traditions during the month of December.

And often in the hustle and bustle of this joyous season, in enjoying these temporal activities, we forget the one thing that should be in our everyday tradition—spending time with Jesus. This is often the one relationship in our lives that we forget to invest in during the time of year that we are supposed to be celebrating Him. It’s easy to do and we all, at some point in our lives, find ourselves in this place.

But there is good news! Just because we miss one day, one week, or even one month away from spending time with Jesus doesn’t mean we can’t start again. God’s mercies are new every single day. Jump start your time with God again by doing one or more of the following:

-Start a Bible Plan.
-Read through the Psalms and Proverbs every month of the year.
-Pick a verse or short Bible passage and journal about it.
-Incorporate worship music into your day.
-Spend time praying over the people in your life.
-Listen to a sermon or podcast that builds your faith.

Doing these things isn’t about earning God’s love or making sure He’s not mad at us. It’s about connecting with the One who laid down His life for us so that we could live our lives for Him. It’s about getting the strength we need to live in a world that is not our true home. It’s about walking with Him so that we can learn and grow in our faith in order to help others along the way.

Let’s make spending time with Jesus the most important tradition that lasts all year long.

https://www.youversion.com/

09/12/2024

Matthew 22:37 NIV
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

08/12/2024

John 3:34-35 NIV
[34] For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.

https://bible.com/bible/111/jhn.3.34-35.NIV