Journey with Joseph Lim

The Forgotten People?

2010-01-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

I had a dream on Sunday (3rd Jan) early morning.

In that dream, I was with a group of 5 to 8 brothers and sisters sharing with them about the Tujia minority in China. I cannot remember clearly the content of what I spoke.

But, what I remember is that I told them that there are 8.4 million of them with less than 0.4% professed to be evangelical Christians. I also shared with them that as far as I know, no major mission organization has adopted the Tujia as their main focus nor have any churches outside China has adopt this people group. And that there are less than 10 foreigners that I know of that will claim that the Tujia is their main focus.

And I cried and cried. In fact, I remembered that I was sobbing very badly.

And I woke up.

I spoke to Father about the Tujia. I have so many questions like I have when I visited Jiying and Yinying's home.

Why are the Tujia being forgotten? With 8.4m in population and less than 0.4% evangelical christians, and less than 10 full time foreigners focusing on them, why there isn't any church or mission organizations adopt them as their mission focus?

Is it because there is no enough awareness of this people group? Or is it because that they so much like Han chinese that they are being passed over? Is it because their culture is not so exotic like certain groups in China and thus does not catch the eyes of the foreigners? Is it because they are living in locations that are not exotic (like Yunan?) and thus no foreigners like to go?

Who would like to go to a place where summer heat is at a height of 45 deg C and a humidity level of almost 100% to work with the Tujia or stay there when the winter is harsh and dam? Or eat food cooked by the Tujia that is literally swimming in oil and spicy hot chillies that not only burn your throat but also your stomach and eventually your very end where you need to relieve yourself? Or who would want to go to this people group where you might have to work for a few years with no visible result?

Again, I do not have the answer. I spoke to Father this morning again about the Tujia. All I know is that He has the plan. But, He is also looking for people who are willing to listen to His plan and obediently follow it.

Maybe somewhere out there there is an answer? Maybe someone who chance upon my sharing have an answer? I don't know.

God - Our Focus

2009-07-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

I was sharing with a group of leaders on Sat (4th Jul) who will be bringing their people for the Gateway camp that I am helping in.

The topic that I was to cover is about leadership. I was sharing with them that the focus of a leader is NOT his/her ministry but God. God should ALWAYS be our focus. As I was sharing on this point, these statements came out of my mouth that I have not thought about. The statements were 'Our ministry will cease eventually. Our career will end one day. Our friends will leave us for various reasons. Our children will move out one day. Our health will fail us and eventually we will be confined to our bed before we cross over to the other side of Heaven. If our focus is not on HIM, what will we do when our ministry ceased? What will we do when our career ceased? What will we do when our children leave us? What will we do when our friends leave us? What will we do when our spouse leave us through death? What will we do when our health leave us and we are confined to our bed waiting for our time to cross over to the other side of Heaven?' None of the thing on this side of the earth is eternal. Only God is eternal. And if our focus in this life is not on Him, how foolish are we? If our focus is not on Him, our lives are but a empty struggle even if we are involved in the so-called ministry.

Dear one, what is your focus today? If everything is taken from you today, would you still be loving and praising Him, or would you be lost like one that have not known Him at all?

Children in the Mountains

2009-03-30T16:57:00.000-07:00

In the last few weeks, I notice something rather 'strange' that is happening in my spirit whenever I think about those children in the mountain region of China where we have our Education Sponosorship Program.

We had moved to Hong Kong since late Nov 08 but still continue with our sponsorship program work. And I had been thinking and praying (a little) about whether to set up a foundation in Hong Kong that will help the unprivilege children in the mountainous and rural area of China. Not just in Hunan Province but prayerfully to extend it to other provinces as we are rather sure that there many children like those in our program that needed someone to come alongside them to give them a hand. I even have a name for the foundation in my mind already.

However, in the last few weeks, I realised that whenever I think about those children in our sponsorship program, my tears just begin to flow. Even when I shared with others about these children, the emotion is just as strong and tears will come. It is not something that I wanted at all. Would any man at 47yrs old want to make himself cry at simply the thoughts of some unprivilege children in the mountians that are far from Hong Kong.

I am not sure what is happening exactly. But one thing I am convince is that Father wants me to be a voice for these children. I remembered about William Wilberford who fought in the British Parliament to abolish slave trade. I am sure most of you have watch this movie entitled "Amazing Grace". He fought for years and finally had the law passed to prohibit slave trade. Not months, but years. And many lonely years at that.

Would I be willing to follow the spirit of William Wilberford? Would I be willing to be a voice for the many unprivilege children in the rural and mountianous region of China? Would I be willing to be their voice as they are hidden away from the world and alot of time, even from their richer fellow citizen in the bigger cities of China. Would I be willing to travel on this journey that is likely to be a lonely one?

I know that I can do it only with His strenth. I know that I will not be totally lonely because He is always with Him. I know that it is Him who give me the burden for all these unforgotten children. And most of all, I know He is looking my obedience and not result from my work.

Am I willing to be obedient even when the visible result might be less, much much less, than anyone can see?

Christ Our Righteousness

2008-10-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

I am sure all of us have read the story on the prodigal son. Actually, it is one of the best short stories that has been told time and again over the centuries after Jesus told this story to His disciples.

I just want to share a few insights that I have received as I was pondering over this story over a few weeks. The first insight is the father running out to meet the prodigal son when he saw his son afar off. You might already know that during the time of Jesus, it is unacceptable for a reputable man to run in the public. Not only this father disregard the culture of his day, he was also running towards a son that had done wrong to him personally. We know that the father in this story represents our Heavenly Father. And this is the only instance that we see Jesus depicting Father running towards us, the prodigal sons and daugthers, trying to make our way back. Isn't that amazing? Just imagine, our Heavenly Father running to greet us when we have wronged Him, realised that we have sin and are trying to make our way back to Him.

Another reason why the father has to run to the prodigal in the story is probably because he wants to protect his son from the accusation of the people. In Deut 22, one of the laws laid down is that if a son proved to be wayward or gone astray, the father is to bring him before the people and the people will literally stone this wayward son to death! I suggest that in the story of the prodigal son, the father ran to him is to protect him from being stoned by the people in that city. And that is such a beautiful picture of what our Heavenly Father is doing to us. He run to meet us not just because He love us but He also wants to protect us from the accusation of the devil.

So, the first insight is our Heavenly Father running towards us. Now, the second insight is that I receive in this story is that the father ordered his servant to take out the best robe and put it on his prodigal son. He also gave this prodigal son his ring (symbol of authority) and a pair of sandals to wear. What strike me is that all these are being done before the prodigal son even get a chance to clean up or wash up. Imagine him working in the pig pen and than walking all the way home! What a stench and sight! Yet, his father just put the best robe (probably his very own) on the son, give him the ring and a pair of sandals.

And this is exactly what our Heavenly Father did. He did not wait for us to get 'clean-up' before He robe us in His righteouness. Christ did not wait till we have clean up our act and than die for us. He died for us while we are still sinner so that we can wear His robe of righteousness over our sinfulness. Today, many of us try to clean up our act so to speak before we come to Him. Worst, sometimes, we try to get sinner clean up their act before we bring them to the church or to God. We try to make them to stop smoking or doing drug or straighten their lives first etc etc before we are 'willing' to bring them to church and hopefully, they will find God. And you know what, that is exactly what religion is all about. Trying to get ourselves clean up so that we are presentable to God. But, Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship with the living God. And it is in the relationship with the living God that our live will be changed.

One thought came into my mind this morning is that 'A transformed life is an evidence of Christ in us. Not Christ is the evidence of a transformed life.' Looks like a simple play of words. But, the difference is profound. Our lives can only be truly transformed when Christ is first in our live. Without Christ, there is no true transformation. However, we often falls into the religious trap of trying to transform our live (with our own effort) and than try to present Christ as an evidence of our so-called transformed lives.

Maybe that is why many of us are struggling in our walk with Jesus. We got the order of things wrong!

Hope that this simple sharing will encourage all of read my blog.

White Elephant

2008-10-04T23:58:00.000-07:00

White elephant. I am sure that every one of us has heard of this term to describe something that might cost alot of money but have little or no practical use at all.

I am not exactly sure how the term 'White Elephant' started to be used to describe things that have no practical use, fit only for viewing but costly in maintenance. However, I heard a story about the White Elephant and the Thai King, which might be one of the contributing factors to the modern usage of this term.

From the Thai history, we know that a White Elephant is a noble beast of special importance, exemplifying a king's honor and glory. Most significant of all, perhaps, is the white elephant, prized because it is a rare animal judged fit only for royal duties.

Such White Elephant once acquired by the Thai Royal Household, will be cared for as long as it lives and only perform royal duties for the King.

It was said that during the reign of one of the ancient Thai Kings, he was very upset by of the his high official. Instead of openly punish this high official, the King thought of a better way that will bring destruction in a more subtle way. What the King did was to ask this high official to retire early from his position and in recognition of the contribution of this high official, the King presented him with a few of the White Elephant from the King's Royal Household.

Initially, this particular high official felt so honored because the King not only recognised his contribution to the Kingdom but has also given him a few of the rare White Elephants. Yet as time went by, the now retired high official realised that the White Elephants given by the King are becoming a hugh burden to him. As the White Elephants are a gift from the King, he cannot sell them away or given them away. And he is not able to put these White Elephant to any work because they are only supposed to perform royal duties.

As the years went by, the fortune of this retired high official who had offended the King was completely wiped out because of the high cost of keeping these White Elephants alive. What started seemingly like a honored gift from the King is actually a curse.

Does that sounds like some of the things that we acquire today? What started like something that we need or honored to have eventually becomes a curse in our lives. It might be a bigger house that we thought that we needed. Or a bigger car. Or another vacation home. Or a boat, club memberships or even additional credit cards.

When we first acquired these things that we supposed we really 'need' them, there seems to have every legitimate reasons for our acquisition. And, some of these things even bring with it an honor or prestige like club membership, a boat or an additional vacation home.

However as time go by, we begin to discover that it cost us alot to maintain that these 'white elephant' in our lives. A bigger home that cause additional financial burden while it does not seems to really serve the purpose it supposed to do. The club membership or boat or extra car in the garage drains into our financial budget even when we are not using them at all. Not only these things begin to drain us financially, we start to find that we have to find time and effort to maintain them. What started like a thing of honor now becomes a burden and a bondage.

I remembered visiting the home of a friend many years ago. Its their new home and the entire apartment is laid with expensive marble flooring, which is not very common in Singapore more than 20 years ago. And during that visit, we are being constantly reminded that the marble flooring is VERY EXPENSIVE and easily cracked if something drops on it. My friend's parent keep reminding us not to drop our cups onto the floor so that we will not damage the marble tiles. We are also to be careful not to drip any juice onto the floor because it might discolored the tiles!

And I wondered what a bondage it is to live in such a house! What started as something that show the financial strength of this family quickly becomes a burden and a bondage!

In today's craze with bigger things, the latest things, and the extra things, I wonder how many of the stuff we begin to acquire are actually 'white elephant' that brings burden and bondage instead of blessing. I wondered if the time and energy needed to maintain these things in our lives are slowly taking away our focus on the Lord.

Maybe some of us might be thinking that you are not affected by the 'white elephant' of material things because we do not have a big house, or extra car or club membership etc. However, there might be the hidden 'white elephants' that are equally dangerous as the material 'white elephant'. What do I mean by the hidden 'white elephants'? It might be a promotion in your job. It might be a a certain group of friends that we are keeping. It might even be a ministry that we got involved in the church! Things that seems innocence at the beginning or even noble but eventually becomes a bondage and burden. These thing no longer bring us closer to God. Instead, we start to feel drain out and worn out and even burn out.

However, Jesus said that His burden is light and the life He give us is of abundance. If we invest into His kindgom, it will never become a white elephant. If what we have in our lives, including our career, ministry and relationship is from Him, they will never be a white elephants. Conversely, if any of these things in our lives are becoming like a white elephant i.e. needing lots of energy and time from us to maintain it but having little eternal benefits, we may have to consider sending these 'white elephants' away.

I pray that we will constantly be watching out for the white elephants that might enter into our lives. White elephants that might come in the form of material things or hidden thing like career or even ministry. And if we do already have some 'white elephants' in our lives, we might want to consider 'sending' them away so that our relationship with our Father will not be affected.

Compassion of the Lord

2008-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday (21st Sep), I receive a text message from my co-worker that the mother of two of the children in our Sponsorship Program had passed away the night before.

When I first saw the seriousness of her illness last year, I know that what is ravaging in her body is terminal and it is a matter of time that she will be called home to be with the Lord. And her two children, Xiang Ai Xia and Xiang Qing Dong is also aware of this fact.

So, when I receive the news of her passing over to the other side of Heaven, I will not very surprise at all. However, I am totally unprepared for the emotional upheaveal that came about half an hour later. I was not sad over her passing as I know that she is in a better place than any of us now and that she has complete, perfect and eternal healing as she enters into eternity.

However, my heart went to Ai Xia and Qing Dong. Throughout almost the entire day, my eyes will tear whenever I think of the two of them. When I told my wife of the news, my eyes were wet. And I am even more surprised when I told my mother-in-law (we are staying with her while in Singapore) what happened, my tears well up too.

I am surprised of my own emotional reaction because we are literally thousands of kilometers away from these kids. As I ponder over my strong emotional reaction, Father reminded me that Sunday of Psalm 68 that He told me at the beginning of this year that He is the Father to the fatherless, a defender of the widows...... I know that Father want to use me to speak up for the needs of the many underprivileged children in the mountainous regions of China where many of them literally lost their parents through sickness, suicides, divorces, accidents, abandonment or simply not being at home as their parents work in major cities thousands of kilometers away trying to earn some money. Yet, I am still thinking over my emotional outburst for the Ai Xia and Qing Dong.

This morning in my usual morning run and listening to the teaching on the Bible, I came across the speaker mentioning about the Compassion of the Lord. And compassion simply means Father feeling the pain of others who are in pain. And that struck a chord in my spirit and heart.

I felt that Father is telling me that what I experience on Sunday over Ai Xia and Qing Dong is the compassion of the Lord for them. Father knows the pain of these two kids who had lost their father in 2006 and now lost their mom. Father not only knows of their pain but also feel their pain too. He knows the pain of loosing someone close because He 'lost' Jesus when Jesus was hung on the cross for the sin of the world.

And He wants us to feel the same compassion for those who are lost and hurting in this world. It is only when we feel that pain as Father does that we UNDERSTAND His compassion. It is only when we are willing to feel the pain as Father does that we SEE people as who they really ARE and not what they are trying to portray to the world. It is only when we feel the pain as Father does that we do not see NON-BELIEVERS as TARGET FOR CONVERSION or MINISTRIES as a JOB to be done. It is only when we feel that pain as Father does that we that we are NO LONGER concern with the result of the ministry but rather more concern for the people that He has placed in our ministry.

And strangely, it is in experiencing His pain for the people that we are reminded of our own frail humanity. I think I had mentioned over a number of times that we are taught to be strong so that we can do the work of the Lord. I am not saying that this is entirely wrong. However, many of us has gone to the extreme of this 'being strong' disposition that we shut off our own emotion (especially the so called negative emotion like sorrow) and blinded to our own fraility that we no longer relate to the inner man of the people that Father placed in our heart.

And I find it oddly strange as I frequently read news of how some people are so fill with compassion for stray dogs or cats (not that animals or the love of animals are not important) that they are willing to part with thousands of dollars to save them. However, when being confronted with the suffering of fellow human, the response is lukewarm at best.

My thought as I write this blog now is that I want to experience this compassion of the Lord as frequent as possible so that I will constantly see the world through His eye.

When was the last time that we saw the suffering of people that move our spirit to cry? When we read of the earthquake in Sichun, China that took more than 70,000 lives and left many maimed for life, does tears well up in our eyes? When we read of the even more many that perish in the typhoon that hit Mynmar, did our heart breaks. Or do we simply shake our head saying that all these are the signs of the last days and judgement is coming, and than go on to our next cup of coffee?

I pray that as you read today's journal of mine, it will encourage you to ask Father to share His compassion of the lost and hurting with you. I am sure He is more than willing to share it with you. The question is really are we willing to share with Him?

Delight Yourself in the Lord

2008-09-22T04:23:00.000-07:00

'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.' Psalm 37:4

For those who have been journeying with us in the last few months, you will know that we are still in Singapore waiting to get back to our work in China.

When we first came out, it was because of the visa restriction that the Chinese authorities had imposed to all foreigners due to their hosting of the Olympic which was over recently. Since we returned to Singapore in late June, the consistent word that came back to us from various friends as they prayed for us was 'safe or safety'. In the last few weeks, the word seems to be clearer. When I was in HK doing some teachings, one of the words received by the students for us was 'Stop' and 'Proceed after it is safe'. In the last couple of days, we attended a prophetic seminar in a local church in Singapore and the speaker brought up a point that this is a time where God wants to bring us into a SAFE location to protect us from danger before He launch us out again. Though the speaker is speaking to the whole congregation, it seems as though Father is speaking to us directly at the same time.

We had been praying constantly whether Father wants us to return back to China to continue our work or to stay on in HK for a period of time. Personally, as the head of the family, my fear is whether I am leading the family according to the Will of Father be it living inside the Mainland or in HK. And the underlying fear is that He will not bless us or He will be 'angry' with us if I made the wrong choice.

This morning, I was talking to Father again about where to stay when we plan to return back to China in the 1st week of October or by mid-October latest. And I was telling Father that I want to move to where He wants me to move so that He will not be unhappy with me. To my surprise, He spoke into my spirit and ask me why do I think He will be unhappy and not bless our family if I have made a decision not according to His will. My reply to Him was that wouldn't it be natural for Him to be upset if I made a decision that is NOT according to His Will. Well, His reply into my spirit is almost immediate. He said that He will not be upset with us just because I made a decision that may not be according to His Will. He is not a Father that is easily upset by us. And that His Will for us as a family and personally will be done on earth as in Heaven.

And it was at the end of this 'conversation' with Father that it donned in my spirit that since we started praying in late June till now about where to stay when we get back to China, in the mainland or in HK, our focus is what is His Will for US and whether He will be pleased with US based on the decision that we are going to make. Yet, I have never thought about what is the decision that will MAKE Him glad! The focus has been on our family and me though we have been talking about His Will. It is about US because we have been talking about His Will for US. We had been talking about are WE making decision according to His Will. And I have not asked Him what decision will make Him glad. Our focus in the past months has been about US, frankly, though we keep asking for His will be done.

The verse in Psalm 37:4 came to my mind immediately. Delight ourself in the Lord and He will grant us the desire of our heart. What does it mean to delight in the Lord? I am not a theologian. To me, it simply means asking Him what makes Him glad and do just that. When I do that, what delight Him (or make Him happy) will actually becomes my desire and He will grant it to me. And His desire for me is always good and pleasing. It is not something that will cause much distress in my spirit. It is not something that I will say in a sorrowful heart, 'Not my will but Thine be done.' But rather I will be able to say it in a delightful spirit 'Not my will but Yours be done!' when I learn to delight in Him first.

Now, my focus has been changed. I started to ask Father what kind of decision would makes Him glad with regards to whether we are to live inside mainland China or in HK when we make the move to return in early or mid Oct.

I pray that as I share this morning's experience with Father, it will encourage all of you who read this blog to consider where our focus is when we are praying or making a decision. Even when we are praying about His Will. Is our focus really on Him or are we basically focusing on ourselves. That if we take out the phrase 'His Will', the focus of our prayer or activities is just US? Have we asked Him what delight Him or what will make Him happiest in our live?

For our family and myself, we will change the focus of our prayer. It will no longer be about US primarily. It will be about His Delight. And in His DELIGHT, He will grant us our desire that WILL BE according to His Delight. That desire will comes from Him and that desire will be the best for us becasue what DELIGHTS Him will also be good for us.

Blessings

Isaac and Ismael

2008-09-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Just want to share with you what I was sharing with 1 sister about hearing the Voice of God regarding His will for our lives.

We were talking about hearing His voice regarding His will and the frustration of the 'silent period' where He seems to say nothing anymore. I believed that all of us have such experience.

We heard God or see Him directing us in a certain direction, which at that point of time seems to indicate that is the Will of Him for us. Than, quite suddenly or gradually, He seems to stop 'talking' to us or directing us. And we start to wonder if we have heard Him correctly or maybe it is time for us to change course etc.

As we chatted, we talked about the lessons from the life of Abraham, the father of Faith. We all know that Father spoke to him about leaving his home country to another city that Father is the builder and also the promise of a son where his descandants will be numerous as the sand of the seashore or the stars of heaven. However, many of us seems to have the impression (through the teaching of some teachers or our wrong understanding) that Father speaks to Abraham continuously regarding His Will (the promised city and the son).

Yet a careful examination of the bible reveal the opposite. For the promise of a son, between the first time that Father spoke to Abraham and the 2nd time of assuring him of the promise, there is a space of about 10yrs. And between the 2nd assurance to the actual birth of Isaac, at least 1 more year had passed. In between the 'silent period' of Father, all Abraham had is to see the stars in Heaven and the sand in the desert as his assurance of the promise.

And Abraham is like us. There came a point that he begin to doubt and thus agreed with his wife, Sarah, on how to 'help' God fulfil this promise. We know the rest of the story. Ismael was born.

Many of us are like Abraham at various point of our lives. We receive a promise or revelation or direction about our lives. We are excited. And He had also promise that if we look to the 'stars' and the 'stand', it will remain us of His promise or will. Than came the 'silent period'. For some of us, it has been a month or a year or even 10 years or 20 since He has last spoken that promise to us. And what we did do? We started to try to help God to fulfil His promise. We start to look around us to see what we can do to fulfil that promise or should we change course.

And what happen next is that the 'Ismael' of our life (a ministry or career that seems to be what God has promise) is born and we thought that this is what Father has plan for us. Yes, Ismael is a boy (God promise Abraham that he will have a son). And yes, Ismael grows up healthy and definitely taking on the characteristic and probably even the image of Abraham. And similarly, our so-called ministry (when actually it is a 'Ismael' seems to begin to grow and taking on the characteristic and even the image that we want it to have. Yet that is still not His will because it is not the 'Isaac' that He promise.

We see that God did not stop Abraham from conceiving a son thru Haggai and we did not see God stopping the birth of Ismael. Why? Because He respect our will. If we choose to fulfil His will with our ways, He will actually allow it to happen. But it is still not His will. And it would seems that He also blesses the 'Ismael' of our lives.

However, Father's plan for Abraham will not be deter by the birth of Ismael. We see that eventually, the promised son, Isaac, was born according to His way. After Isaac was born, it came to a point where Sarah demanded that Ismael should be sent away. What was Abraham's reaction? He was totally distressed although he could see young Isaac, probably only less than 10 yrs old, growing up. What did God tell Abraham? He told Abraham to listen to what Sarah is speaking. In other words, just let Ismael go even if Abraham thinks that he had spent so many years trying to nuture this boy to be the 'will of God' and not only that, to see that there seemingly to have bore some results because Ismael is really growing into a fine young man.

There are a few lessons here for all of us. First, do not be mistaken that Father speaks to us (regarding His Will) all the time or the frequency that we expect. Don't get me wrong. I am NOT saying that He will not speak. But rather, that He chose the frequency to talk to us while we seek Him. He is God and we are not. And when He seems to be silent, it does not change what He had spoken earlier. And frankly, this is when we learn or rather He teaches us to live by faith. Living by faith is keep doing or going in the direction that He has last show us until He speaks again. If He is to speak to us very frequently or daily as some of us expect Him to do it, than there is no need to live by faith.

Second, do not TRY to fulfil His will in our lives with our own method or ways or plan. In doing that, the 'Ismael' of our live will be birthed. And it will caused us much heartache eventually simply because it is not His Will. We can say that the problem in Middle East today is because of the birth of Ismael. Even if our 'Ismael' may not cause the 'scale' of problem' as we see in Middle East, there will still be repercussion in His Kingdom. I wonder how many ministries, or careers today are actually the 'Ismael' of our lives and not the 'Isaac'.

Third, God will actually allows the 'Ismael' of our lives to grow and even blossom. But there will come a time when He will tell us to let it go because of the arrival of 'Isaac' Instead of getting distress like Abraham, we need to learn to just let our 'Ismael' go. What are the "Ismael' of our lives? It could be a successful career which Father wants us to let go so that a new and young career (which He destined and just like Isaac) can 'grow' without the constant distraction or harassement from the 'Ismael' (like we see in the bible). It could be a growing ministry and yet in Father's eye, it is an 'Ismael'. It could be a relationship that we are in (talking to those who are not married) even though our potential life-partner seems so spiritual and godly, but still an 'Ismael' in His eye. It could even be a growing and successful church that we are pastoring, but yet a 'Ismael'. Whatever forms our 'Ismael' come in, there will come a time that Father will tell us to let it go and we need to do that so that the 'Isaac' in our lives can grow and developed according to His ways.

I believe that if we learn that Father speaks but not based on the frequency that we want, and we learn to hold on to what He had last spoken during the 'silent period', not only we are learning to live by faith but it will save us from the heartache of 'Ismael'

Desert Experience

2008-09-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Prayed that all of you were blessed with the sharing on Isaac and Ismael. I was going through Luke Chapter this morning and 1 verse caught my thot and stayed there. It was in the last verse of the chapter that said John the Baptist was sent to the desert to live till the time of his ministry come.

Desert. When we think of desert, it is a place of torment. The temperature is so hot in the day that some said you can fry an egg on a rock and so cold in the night. It is a harsh place live in. Only the toughest will survive. Water is scarce. There is hardly any shade from the sun. It is just miles and miles of sand with high possibility of getting lost and die of thirst.

Yet, we see here that John the Baptist was sent to live in the desert till the time of his ministry. And he is not the first person to have the desert experience in the Bible nor will he be the last.

We see that Abraham has to journey from his home country to a new promise land and he has to pass thru the desert land.

We see Moses being called but ended up in the desert for 40yrs before the time of his ministry came. And the children of Israel have to journey in the desert for 40yrs before a entire generation die off and a new generation that will enter into the promise land.

And there are others like David who may not be in the desert literally but have desert experience between the time he was anointed as king and to be literally made the king of Israel. Even Paul apparently seems to spend 3 yrs in the desert after his conversion before he start his public ministry. (I could be wrong here in that he was in a literal desert but he definitely have the desert experience!)

So, desert experience is not something that is rare. In fact, it seems like it is a 'must' or a 'boot camp' experience for anyone that Father wants to use.

It seems to be a place where we are stripped of everything to the point that all we can do it to look up. It is a place where even the most powerful will be reduced to mere mortal. It is a place where with all our intellectual knowledge or even spiritual knowledge does not seem to work. It is a place that all the polished talk seems to end. A place that everything seems to die. It is a place of 'nothingness'.

Yet it is a welcome place for us because it is in such a 'place' where Father can get our full attention, It is in such a place that we will realise with all our training, it is nothing without Father's intervention. It is in such a place where we realise that all our riches will not get us through. It is in such a place that we are stripped of everthing. It is in such a place that we begin to die. And it is ONLY when we DIE, than we will EXPERIENCE the resurrection of CHRIST in our lives.

And this morning, I sense that there is a purpose of why Father allows us or sometimes even intentionally bring us through the desert experience. The purpose is so that we will eventually learn that only HIM and HIM alone will matter.

It is not a place of punishment as many think. It is not a place of curse from Father. It is not an indication that we are out of the will of Father. In fact, it might be even the reverse in the sense that because we are in His Will, He allows us to go thru the desert experience before our time of ministry comes.

Is anyone of you going through a desert experience where your situation become unbearable, where nothing works, where death (symbolically) seems definite? I want to encourage you that you are not out of His will. But rather it is a place of training that He has allow everyone of us to go through in various stage of our life.

Know that the desert experience will come to an end. Know that when it ended, Father has a greater plan or ministry for us that we have never thought of. And yet, it will not happen if we do not go through the desert experience.