The World's Weather As I See Them

Ever wondered what is happening in the world today? The crazy weather had brought along drought conditions in certain parts USA, Australia, India and North Korea while there are storms causing huge amounts of flooding in Japan, China and last year in Thailand (north of Bangkok City). The world indeed is experiencing global warming and the weather pattern could not be trusted any more.
In fact London is currently experiencing one of its coldest summers in its history. My wife and I were in London for almost one month between end April and end May 2012 and out of the 26 days there, we hardly had sunny weather save probably two or at most three days and the daily temperature was between 18C and 6C and that was supposed to be middle Spring when flowers were starting to bloom but due to the cold weather, we could not see many flowers. And it is not much better at the moment. Over this coming weekend, the Summer Olympics will be declared open in London and will run from July 27 till August 10. With temperatures expected to hover around 18C (highest), I think it is time to not call it Summer Olympic but maybe Autumn Olympics.
So, what can we say about the weather? Are we going to see improving weather patterns ahead or have to be prepared for even worse and deteriorating weather conditions? I would love to have improving conditions but alas, the entire Earth is now moaning and groaning as if it is in labor pains and it is awaiting the revealing of the sons of God. When Adam fell he handed over the dominion of this Earth to the devil who now has control over what we are now experiencing.
However, as believers in Christ Jesus, we have the power to overcome the devil. When Christ died on the cross and paid the price for our redemption, He defeated the devil and restored what was lost during the Fall.
We, who believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, are the sons and daughters of Abba God and are the joint heirs with Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Romans 8:12-22.

¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.¹⁴ For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope;²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.

The scriptures remind us that the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God (verse 19). What does that mean? What can we, who are the children of God, do? For a start, I believe that we have a job to do - declare the finished work of Christ at the cross; that will remind the devil that he no longer has the dominion over this Earth.
That, to me, is what the 'revealing of the sons of God' means. Paul also reminds us that we are MORE than conquerors in Christ. Christ conquered and we divide the spoils of His conquest.
Come, let us do our part and declare Christ crucified, Christ risen and Christ returning.

The Sounds Out of Heaven

Recently there have been strange noises heard by thousands all over the world which no one has been able to identify or give credible explanations. What are these phenomenon? Are these man-made sounds or hoaxes? Can these be faked or created sounds like sound effects used during the shooting of a movie? Definitely not as there had been publicly recorded and even aired over national broadcast networks.
So, what exactly are these sounds? Are there any explanations for these?
The Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote in Romans 8:18-23 and likened these strange sounds as groans of labor pangs waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. Who are these sons of God? Are they angelic forces waiting to be unleashed onto this earth or are they the children of God waiting to be redeemed in a bodily form (raptured)?

^{Romans 8:18-23}

¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Here is an interesting video recorded by Prophecy In The News touching on this subject.

http://vimeo.com/43984303

I submit to you that the time is running short; the time for the Rapture of the Church is close at hand and once the Rapture takes place, all Christians will be gone to be with our Lord and Savior and what is left will be subject to great torment. In fact what is holding back all the ghastly things that will take place is the hand of Almighty God and once the reason for the restraint is taken away, great calamities will take place - many times worse than what the earth had experienced in the past. 

So, what is the antidote? Believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and you will immediately be transformed; you will no longer be subjected to condemnation because the price had been paid for by Jesus Himself at the cross.

Prophecy on the Popes.

Recently there is a new book launched in USA called "Petrus Romanus" which touches on an ancient prophesy by a Jesuit priest (Tebor) about the end times. In his prophecy, the priest told the pope at that time that there would be only 112 popes in total before the Lord's return.
Here are two videos which I have provided the links.
Part One - Petrus Romanus
Part Two - Petrus Romanus
The current pope, Pope Benedict XVI is the 111th pope and the interesting thing is that he had offered to step down due to health reasons and offer to instal the next pope. Who will be the next pope?  If the prophecy is correct, this pope will be known as "Peter the Roman" and there is a current cardinal who kind of fits that description. Well, I shall say no more and just wait and see the fulfillment of the prophecy.

In Everything Praise Him

I used to be anxious about quite a few things in life - my business, my family, my friends, etc - until recently when our Senior Pastor Joseph Prince preached on "Praise is the door to grace" on March 04, 2012.
Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel. Leah longed for Jacob's love but did not receive any while she was alive because Jacob's heart was with Rachel. Let's follow the bible account of Leah and her sons.
Genesis 29:31-35
³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.
³² So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben;^[a] for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.”
³³ Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon.^[b]
34 She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi.^[c]
35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah.^[d] Then she stopped bearing.
a. Genesis 29:32 Literally See, a Son
b. Genesis 29:33 Literally Heard
c. Genesis 29:34 Literally Attached
d. Genesis 29:35 Literally Praise
Notice that Leah was looking for assurance from Jacob each time she gave birth to her first three sons but by the time she delivered Judah, she was not looking for love from Jacob any more but she had learnt to turn her attention to the Lord.
It is interesting to note that Judah comes from the word 'praise' and the Hebrew for praise is "yadah" or "יוה" - comprising the three alphabets - hei-dalet-yod (reading from right to left in the Hebrew). Now the Hebrew alphabets are pictograms as well with each alphabet representing one image. 'Yod' (י) has the image of a hand - 'dalet' (ו) the image of a door - 'hei' (ה) the image of a window or grace. So put them all together, we get the meaning of yadah as 'the hand that opens the door to grace' and that is 'praise".
Another interesting discovery is that the Hebrew name of 'Judah' is  'Yehodah' or 'יהודה' - comprising the five alphabets - yod-hei-dalet-vav-hei (reading from right to left in the Hebrew). Take away the middle alphabet 'dalet' we have the name of God (yod-hei-vav-hei) or Yehovah (translated in the Bible in English as 'LORD'). And it is exciting to also remember that Jesus called HImself, "I am the door".
During the wilderness journey, every time the nation was to move out or to engage in war, the tribe of Judah goes first.
So, what is the message here?  that we are to let praise lead our lives and carry us through all situations in our lives.

Prophetic Word For The Year – 2012 - A Year Of Unceasing Fruitfulness

On January 01, 2012, Pastor Joseph Prince of New Creation Church shared with the church the theme given by the Lord for the year 2012 that it will be "a year of unceasing fruitfulness" as spoken in Jeremiah 17:5-8.
Jeremiah 17:5-8
New King James Version (NKJV)
⁵ Thus says the LORD:  “ Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the LORD.

⁶ For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land which is not inhabited.
⁷ “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear^[a] when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

The Lord likens us to be trees planted by the river and where there is moisture there is good nourishment and when the tree is healthy it will bring forth green leaves that has good medicinal value. In addition, the tree will not cease to bear fruit even in a year of drought as it is firmly rooted by the river.

The key to the blessings is that the tree is planted by the river and its rich source of water.
The word of God is the river with the running waters and we are encouraged to draw from the River; we are to meditate on the word of our Lord, an action of committing to memory and then bringing it back up to meditate on it and then letting the word sink into our hearts and permeate our entire being.

When we are immersed in God's word, the fruit will come just like the tree does not concentrate on producing fruit but the roots of the tree concentrate on drawing up water for its own nourishment and then the fruit will be produced naturally.

So as we enter into the year 2012, let us hold fast to His promise that it will indeed be a year of unceasing fruitfulness even in the midst of a drought in the world.

Prophetic Word For The Year – 2011 - A Year Crowned With His Goodness And Our Paths Dripping With His Abundance

The year 2011 started with great hopes for many as the Singapore economy was chugging away at a very healthy pace after the stellar performance in 2010. There were great expectations for good salary increments and bonuses carried over from the previous year and so when Pastor Prince shared the theme for 2011 with the church on Sunday January 02nd, the church received the word with gladness and ran with it.

When the US and European markets began to show a slowdown towards the middle of the year, we had to be reminded not to focus on ourselves but on what the Lord had given us - that the year has been crowned with His goodness and that the year will end well with abundance.
2011 was a challenging year for me as in the area of my business and I saw a slow-down in the number of projects. However to my amazement there was no lack as we were able to cruise through with supernatural provisions of finances. As I began to look away from the physical and focused on what the Lord has for me, things started to move in the supernatural. I had calls from potential clients wanting to engage my services from 2012 onwards and projects that I thought were buried were revived supernaturally. One of my clients wanted to engage the services of my company back in late 2010 but due to non-availability of government subsidies turned down my proposal quotation in January 2011. However in April 2011 there was a revision in the definitions on eligibility by the government agency and immediately this same client could avail itself of the subsidy and so they started to engage their head-office in discussions on budgets. The project received a further boost when its branch in Thailand was almost submerged in the Bangkok floods between August and October and I was called to receive the good news that they were finally able to engage my services.
Another blessing came in the form of a 'three-fold' package. One lead company wanted to come alongside with two of its smaller but critical vendors to implement business continuity management as a group but the lead company did not qualify as it was deemed to be a subsidiary of a government statutory body and hence all three automatically became non-eligible. However by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the decision was reversed and now all three companies will be eligible for the subsidies.
Indeed the Lord had crowned my 2011 with His goodness and He had caused my path to be dripping with His abundance and as I entered the new year 2012, it is with great joy knowing the He NEVER fails but is always ever ready to bless and prosper me.

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2010 - Year Of Restful Increase

With an expectant heart many of us at New Creation Church attended the services on Sunday January 3rd believing that the Lord indeed has a word of prophecy for us for this year and surely He did not fail to deliver us the word. Through Pastor Joseph Prince, the Lord declared that this year 2010 will be a "Year of Restful Increase".

 We will see our increase (especially for those who had not experienced theirs in 2009) but we are to adopt a restful stance as we see our respective increase unfold before our very eyes. We are not to struggle for it or to worry and become agitated over it for surely the Lord WILL provide as He had always done so.

Now, does that mean we are not to do any work? just rest and the results will pop up before us? No, that is not what the Lord meant. For those who want to believe the word given, we are to continue to work at whatever we are doing but ours is not to strive hard for it. We are to adopt the stance that Jesus so often in the gospels had admonished us to do, "let not your hearts be trouble". 

So we are not to worry about the outcome when we put in our efforts for the Lord will surely give the increase. Just as the farmer goes out there to till the land and sow the seeds in the ground and God will take care of the growth, likewise He will do the same for our situations for surely we are worth more than the sparrows in the air.

Indeed one month of 2010 had just gone by us and we need to constantly remind ourselves of WHOSE we are; we are children of the MOST HIGH GOD (El Shaddai and El Elyon) and nothing is too small for Him to overlook nor too big for Him to overcome for He is our Creator God and if He cared to give us the Greatest Possession He Had - His Beloved Darling Son to die for us on the cross - how will He withhold from us our requests?

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2009 - A Year Full Of The Unmerited Favors Of Abba God

To some the year 2009 is one they would very quickly prefer to get away from because of the troubles they had encountered - the credit crisis at the end of last year and first half of this year, the H1N1 scare, the natural disasters and now the cold winter in North America and Europe and north Asia. Given a choice, some would rather that they had completely missed out on those events and chugged along.

But life is simply not like that. In fact everyone of us face the same challenges but how one handles it makes the difference and I prefer to lean hard on my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for my blessings in the midst of the storm. Yes, 2009 has been an exciting year for my family and I. We started the year with a word from the Lord through our Senior Pastor Joseph Prince on the last Sunday of 2008. The Lord promised that 2009 would be "a year where the unmerited favors of our Lord would flow bounteously" and it is for whosoever would believe and seize on it.

So my family and I took that word from the Lord and we ran with it the entire year believing the Lord will indeed fulfill His promises. And indeed He has (still doing now as I write and hence the present tense)!  The year started quietly in January but began to gather momentum as the months set in and where others in my industry experienced difficulties in clinching deals, deals were hunting me down. I had requests for meetings from quarters that I have never met before and by the grace of the Lord, He gave me wisdom to handle these requests and going into 2010, would sprout into new businesses.

On the family front, my children are experiencing new opportunities in their individual lives. My wife is getting amazing results in her part-time undergraduate studies and we are all growing stronger in our faith in the Lord.

And all these happened to us not with our own efforts but truly by the grace of Abba God. If He did not spare His most precious Son and gave Him up for us on the cross, how will He not grant us all the desires of our hearts. I am so blessed.

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2008 - A Year Of Manifested Blessings

Back in October 2007, I had a very interesting call from a business acquaintance asking me whether I would like to be part of his business plan from January 2008 onwards and without hesitation, I agreed to take up the offer to be the principal trainer for a professional certification body that wanted to open a license in Singapore. And so, at the end of January 2008, I had the first class with 11 participants and the class attained a perfect score of passes during the qualifying examinations. Subsequent to that, there were many more classes offered through the year (seven to be exact).

Indeed the word from the Lord for 2008 - "Year of Manifested Blessings" - did come true for me. Business transactions began to fall into place and I was kept busy with not just training classes (professional certification plus corporate courses) but consultancy projects started to open up for me. I recalled anointing my home office and praying over my business and almost immediately I saw the manifestation of the Lord. It was through one of the participants of one corporate training classes that the Lord provided inroads to a major consultancy project.

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2007 - A Year Of New Beginnings

With the company registered in July 2006 and lying dormant, my plans swung into action in September 2006 with plans for eventual exit from the corporate world to step out in faith and run my own consultancy business. And so it was with a pleasant surprise that on Sunday Dec 31, 2006 my senior pastor announced to the church that the prophetic word for New Creation Church for 2007 was "A Year or New Beginnings".  Immediately on hearing the word, I turned to my wife and we nodded at each other that God had confirmed our plans for me to leave Deutsche Bank at end March 2007 and be my own boss from April.

Indeed, things were slow moving initially as I needed to find my own footing and establish myself. There were much running around to introduce myself to business associates and to explain what had happened and all these times, I began to draw my strength from the Lord.

Even though business volumes were very low, I praise the Lord that He sustained me in more ways than one

1.             when I needed finance, He sent projects along my way and with the fees, I could maintain my business as an ongoing concern

2.             when I needed ideas and business linkages, He came and gave me business partners that not only encouraged me but also helped me build my circle of business contacts

3.             when I needed a long-term business partnership, He sent someone whom I had never met before but have heard of to discuss an instructor position that would eventually tie me over for two years from 2008.

Indeed, in the Year of New Beginnings, I saw myself reaching new heights in my professional career and also in my spiritual life and I praise Jesus for the experiences.  Amen.

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2006 - Year Of Acceleration

Towards end July 2005, a small group of friends met over coffee one afternoon and the topic of discussion was our plans when we reached 'retirement' and in January 2006 and it was at this meeting that the idea of setting up a consultancy company was mooted.

At the first Sunday service for 2006, January 01, Pastor Prince delivered God's word for the church for 2006 and the word for those who wanted to appropriate it was, "Year of Acceleration". We embraced the word and in July 2006, I registered my company DRBCM Associates Pte Ltd with the ACRA (Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority) Singapore and began the quiet setting up of a dormant company to prepare for my eventual 'retirement'.

Also in July our son graduated from LSE and came home to start his career with the Singapore government. In September my regional boss at the bank decided to leave his post and launch into his long-term plan with emigration for his family and his start-up business from Perth. In fact he beat me to the finishing line by six months as I had already decided by then that I will leave the bank as well but at the end of March 2007. With my departure date fixed in my mind, I embarked on my plan for my colleagues, whom I will leave behind, to prepare them to become independent and able to excel in their respective roles wherever they may be.  The wheels of change had been set in motion.

Prophetic Word For The Year - 2005 - Year Full Of The Favors Of The Lord

"2005 - A Year Full Of The Favors Of The Lord" - the word was given on the final Sunday in 2004 and as we heard the word, some were skeptical but others received it with gladness.

Our son had started his university education in London in September 2003 and in September 2004 our daughter enrolled in Warwick for hers. With two children undergoing tertiary education, finding the financial support became a challenge. So when Pastor Prince proclaimed the word over us, my wife and I appropriated the word over our situation and trusted the Lord for His provisions.

In mid February 2005, the bank usually pays out its variable bonuses for the previous year's performance and I must admit I had an exceptionally good payout and then in June I was able to liquidate some of my equity holdings with substantial profits. Therefore, when it was time for me to buy the bank draft for each of our children's education and living allowances for the entire 2006, there was more than enough with leftovers for us to even visit them in the UK.

Also in May 2005 I was in London for a project meeting and I had a meeting with my global head and it was during the session I was able to share with him some things which he wanted to learn and I was the only one who had the experience to share with him. Indeed the Lord placed me in a position of favor with my superiors and I am blessed with that.

The Armor of God - Praying In The Spirit

For a long time I had the impression that the entire armor of God comprises only six pieces (number of man); however in recent times I have come to the realization that there is another piece that God the Father intentionally place in our hands but some had forgotten about it. And that piece of armor is none other than the gift of praying in tongues (or praying in the Spirit).
Ephesians 6:18
New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁸ praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—

The apostle Paul wrote in Romans 8 that God the Father gave us the Spirit of sonship

Romans 8:12-17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹² Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.

¹³ For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

¹⁷ and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

and along with that he also gave us a Helper to make intercession for us when we don't know what we should be praying for.
Romans 8:26-27
New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁶ Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us^[a] with groanings which cannot be uttered. ²⁷ Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

It is therefore important that we realize that praying in the Spirit is also relevant and needful in our spiritual walk in the Lord and that as we journey through life, the devil is not going to leave us alone just because we are children of God. He will definitely try his utmost best to attack us but if we know that we know that we are righteous in Christ, he will find the going tough and he will back off but for  a while and look for opportunities to attack again. That is why praying in the Spirit is the ultimate weapon because we would be praying for many things (even for our future) without full comprehension of what we have prayed for and then when the situation turns out for our good, we give the Lord our loudest praise and worship.
And so, for the believer, there is actually seven pieces of armor that we have in our fight against the devil and we need to be constantly using all the seven pieces for our full benefit. Seven in the scriptures is the number for completeness and perfection.

The Armor of God - The Sword Of The Spirit

Ephesians 6:17

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁷ And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

The word of God is a very powerful weapon in the arsenal of the Christian. The Holy Spirit calls the word His sword and we are also told that the sword is a double-edged sword meaning both edges of the blade are sharp and dangerous unlike most swords which are sharpened on only one edge.

The writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that the word of God is used to pierce even to the division of soul and spirit; profitable for doctrine, for correction, for reproach, for instruction in righteousness.

Hebrews 4:12

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹² For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

So what exactly does the scriptures mean when it says that the word of God is a two-edged sword? Just how can this be? I used to think that the two-edged represents the Son and the Holy Spirit but Psalm 149:6 tells us differently. I believe that the two edges denotes the Holy Spirit on one side and the Believer on the other. When we speak forth the word of God from our mouths, it confirms what the Holy Spirit had said in the written word and where two or three agree on Earth, it shall be done for us.

Psalm 149:6

New King James Version (NKJV)

 ⁶ Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
         And a two-edged sword in their hand,

The psalmist reminds us to fill our mouth with the praises of God and to affirm our position as kings and priests in the Kingdom of God. The devil knows that he is already defeated but when we declare it so with our own mouths, we confirm that we know the truth as well and henceforth he will be made of no effect.

Revelation 1:16

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁶ He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.

Let us learn from our Lord how He handles the situation. Notice that Jesus' countenance is shining like the sun in its full strength and the enemy flees. There need not be any physical battles because when we believers declare our righteousness the angels will get down to work and ensure the victory is ours.
So, my friend, we do not need to go out there and do 'spiritual warfare' but we just have to learn to declare what is rightfully ours through the victory won for us on the cross by our Lord and Savior. He had paid the price for our redemption and won the victory over death itself and so we are now more than conquerors through Christ Who strengthens us.