Building A Life Of Faith

Sounds like a sermon title eh?

Just another one of my reflections...

Meditating on Proverbs 3. Guess the all time famous verse is Prov 3 v 5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

TRUST HIM....what does this mean for me?

I find it hard more times to trust Him ...because as I said a few days ago, its always nice to know what is at the other end of the coin. I would be more comfortable trusting if I knew somewhat how the result would be or even which direction I was heading. But to trust without the slightest inclination of what awaits - now, that is so hard. I am still learning....and trying not to put my own wants & desires as a condition for trusting Him.

So what has God taught me so painfully but surely about trusting Him :

1. Do NOT be wise in my own eyes
2. I do NOT need to live in the age of reason or at the edge of reason
3. It doesn't mean that if I dont understand something means it is not acceptable. It doesn't mean if I don't understand somethings means God can't do it
4. More often than not, God calls us to do the impossible (be it trusting HIm, or in faith taking a difficult step) - this is where He manifests HIs power
5. If God says it is possible , it will be done (even in the most bizzare circumstances)
6. God will reveal Himself to us as we yield to Him
7. God never leads us astray!

I was chatting with my friend Daniel online ...and been amazing how God revealed to us similar thoughts about the renewing of our minds :)

I verily believe that renewal of the mind is vital! We need to know our values! And the key question I feel one needs to ask is is there anything (things we do, things that are required of us) that is affecting our walk with God? Could it be our studies, our work, our love for material stuff, our future, or even on service for God? (now that's a fine line isn't it! Serving God too can hold us back, u may ask?) Well, yes all of the above. There is no guarantee in such things. I learnt that last week - my world seem to have crumbled when I was taken out of placement, when my reputation shaken, when my self worth questioned, when my future stood on icy grounds, when my service in christian ministry became futile, when my finances remain in jeopardy - all this the result of ONE incident. You know when we hand on to things so dearly and tightly, we end up serving and pleasing ourselves not God anymore. Its no longer a life of faith but a life for ourselves. God's lesson for me : Don't hang on to such things no matter how noble or good it may seem to be BECAUSE when you lose those things things - YOU ARE LOST! Yes indeed - I was so so lost. I felt like a tiny little ant in a puddle of swirling water .

I must learn to hang on to GoD!!

Building a life of faith.........not easy.......in fact, its impossible.......But with God, it then becomes possible because nothing is impossible with Him.

Renewing our mind is a process where the Holy Spirit works in us as we go deep in studying His word and guard our thinking.

Last week at the OCF retreat, one phrase still remains very clear in my memory - Don't build your self image but build God's image!

Quite a paradox how a renewal work is always done in our weakness to strengthen our faith :)

This morning, I was having a brief but I think a divinely appointed chat on msn with one pastor from singapore. He said something really cool. I was sharing about God possibly telling me to take a rest and enter into a period of nothingness - to seek His direction and will. He is also himself entering such a season. And He said, God may be using this time as He takes people into a season of rest to renew such an army...a season of building up a new dream team for His kingdom by producing a people different kind of people :)

May we all choose only to serve one Master for how can man choose 2 Masters?

The art of life is simple.....we just have to discover what that is :)