Dear Friend, How are you? Hope you had or are having a good day today? Do you have Holy Communion at your home? Before the pandemic, my church in Seoul used to have a monthly Holy Communion. I’ve heard many servants of the Lord talk about Holy Communion. Especially when the pandemic is around, taking His body and blood is essential, more so as we are living in the last days. In some Korean churches, they don’t allow those who were not baptized in the water or children to take Holy Communion and I think it is based on the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 11:27~30: Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. Yet I learned that taking His body and blood in an unworthy manner is not to believe the bread and the vine juice we take is really His body and blood, but to think it’s just normal bread and vine juice. I agree with it. If we take a tiny bit of biscuit and one sip or two of vine juice, believing the Lord’s body and precious blood would heal and deliver us, we take it in a worthy manner. After hearing many preachers’ encouragement to take Holy Communion with family at home every day, I tried to do it for a while. But I was not consistent. Then, one day when I had my haircut, I talked about Holy Communion to my Christian hairdresser. She shared a testimony that she read. A Christian lady had a husband who was in hospital for lung cancer. His doctor said “No hope.” On one Sunday, she took her portion of bread and vine juice during the Holy Communion in her church, not taking them for herself, but she brought them to her husband on the hospital bed. After he took the body and the blood of Jesus, he was miraculously healed! And my hairdresser continued with another testimony. Her pastor ministers to those who are under demonic influence and casts out demons. One day, the pastor had the Holy Communion with a person under demonic influence. After taking the Lord’s body and blood, the evil spirit inside the person said, “Ouch! It’s so hot. I feel like I’m scorched to death!” At the end of the day, the evil spirit didn’t come out, but it said out loud that the blood of Jesus gave it burning feeling! Do you believe the power of His body and precious blood? I was so encouraged to do the Holy Communion regularly at home and most importantly to believe the resurrecting power of His body and blood. Soon enough, my mom had a tooth ache which came and went regularly. As she didn’t want to go to dentist, I used to get her medicines from pharmacy. This time, it lasted quite long even with the medicine. So, I had the Holy Communion with her, asking Him to heal her and believing He would do. Thankfully, a few days after we did the daily Holy Communion, she was healed. Praise the Lord! Friend, I know the Lord sometimes heals us through doctors in His sovereignty, yet I pray that you and I do the Holy Communion in a worthy manner, remembering the Lord and the new covenant in His blood, in Jesus’ name. Have a bliss! Yunee that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Dear Friend, How are you? I’m well. Imagine if you should live in an uninhabited island and could bring only one person between a servant and a friend of yours, who would you pick up? I used to hope that I would like to be the servant of the Lord on the throne, being close to Him in eternity. I do not demean the servanthood at all, but I also learned that our Lord is looking for His friends. Neville Johnson wrote in his book, “Destiny and the Eternal Purposes of God” thus: There has been much teaching on the role and position of the bondservant, which is necessary and good. However, this level of dedication and service to God must mature to another level, to that of “Friends of God”. And he shared the story of when he had some excruciating pains on his back from an accident. After a few days of this, a phrase that I had heard somewhere came constantly to mind: “Don’t waste your pain.” Along with that, a scripture from Colossians kept surfacing through the pain and establishing itself firmly in my thoughts: Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the Church. (Colossians 1:24) I meditated on that scripture for a while trying to connect it to my painful circumstances. After a while, it seemed a veil lifted, and to a degree I understood what this scripture meant. I said to the Lord, “Lord, I don’t want to waste this pain, but if I can carry or alleviate some of your pain in carrying this, then I will do it.” At that point, I saw the Lord. He was standing at my bedside and tears were rolling down His cheeks. I asked, “Lord what’s the matter?” He looked at me and said, “Very few of my children ever think of my needs.” The phrase stunned me. The Lord’s tears were tears of gratitude and the effect on me was as such that could not be described, I was undone. The pain in my back continued and even worsened for a few weeks, but I now knew that I was not wasting my pain. Shortly after this, He healed me. Does the Lord have needs? Yes. He has need of friends, and He has need of fellowship. He needs us to pray so that He can respond to our prayers. He has a need of us to seek Him, because only then can we find Him. When I read Jesus’ dropping tears and saying, “Very few of My children ever think of My needs.” I felt my heart stirred inside. I couldn’t simply go to bed, after putting down the book, but I knelt down on the floor. I said to the Lord, “Lord, I set my heart to become Your friend. I set my heart to feel Your pains and groan for what You groan. I will pray with Your heart for those You groan.” I was reminded of the teaching that we must be very careful in our prayers, as they are all recorded. Although I would not know how much pain He has when He sees His Church and the lost sheep, I felt I should not avoid carrying His burdens and having His pains together. So, after this prayer, I spent some time for intercession. Strangely, since that night, I felt a little bit of backpain, which was not normal. More interestingly, when I texted my friend in Singapore and asked how she was, she said she had a bad backpain. I really do not know whether my backpain was part of sharing the burden and pain of the Lord toward His child, my friend in Singapore. Though my backpain was not serious, it continued for a few more days. Friend, I would like to encourage you today to set your heart to become the friend of Jesus. He would appreciate your servanthood, but He would look for a friend to talk to, listen to and relate to, more than a servant. Would you be willing to rejoice with Him, feel His pains and carry His burdens? And would you be willing to look after His needs as He does to yours? I pray that you and I become His friends, like Enoch, Abraham and many others in the Bible, in Jesus’ name. Have a bliss! Yunee Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:13~15) Dear Friend, How are you? I’m well. On February 3rd, 2021, I had a dream where I was a student in K-10 in a High School. There seemed to be a rehearsal for the annual performance or something. I was supposed to play a role in kind of a kit. I wore a Korean traditional dress. It seemed that the kit was kind of comedy and I should make audience laugh out loud. The dress was way too long for me, as if it were one of the comic expressions to the audience. One of my dialogues was something like, my shoes’ heels get lower and lower year after year so that after nine years, there was no heel left, and I showed my flat shoes hidden from the end of the long dress that almost wiped the floor. It sounded kind of silly to me, but it was one of the dialogues that I was supposed to say. I then saw “10-2” which I thought the second semester in K-10. Later, I had to sing a song on the stage, but I was not able to recall the song I was supposed to sing. Suddenly, it came into my memory. It was “You’ve Got a Friend.” And I said to the audience, “The Holy Spirit is your Friend!” which I think was my ad-lib. I sang the song and it turned out to be a big hit in the rehearsal. When I awoke, the song was so clear to me. Many times, I awoke, forgetting what dream I had, but it was clearly kept in my memory. I was so happy to know the Lord said to me that the Holy Spirit, the Helper, the Comforter, the Wonderful Counselor is my Friend. The other night when I listened to a teaching on Seven Spirits of God, I wondered whether the Holy Spirit had a form like a Person. Then, I fell asleep, while listening to the teaching. And I believe the Lord was telling me that the Holy Spirit could be a Person, like a Friend, through the song, “You’ve Got a Friend” and through the dream of the High School. The song was special to me, as it brought back the memory of my old days. I used to listen to it, maybe even before I went to my high school. I recall I used to listen to Anne Murray’s cassette tape, and it was one of the songs in her album. Just waking up from the dream around 4am, I played out this song by another singer on my mobile phone and I repeatedly listened to the song on my bed, taking it as if the Lord was speaking into my ears. In a couple of weeks after the dream, I was reading a James Durham’s book, A Warrior’s Guide to the Seven Spirits of God.I found it interesting that he wrote the Holy Spirit as our friendly force: God sent the Holy Spirit, as the ultimate friendly force, to give you the kind of strength you need to stand. [Durham, James A. A Warrior's Guide to THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD PART 1: Basic Training. Xulon Press. Kindle Edition.] Indeed, in our spiritual warfare, the Holy Spirit is our friendly force and we are not alone. Friend, I know our Heavenly Father is talking to us, not only through the Bible, but sometimes through films, songs, TV commercials and so on. He wants to let us know we’ve got a Friend, the Holy Spirit. He is the Person, the Friend. And He is our friendly force in the spiritual warfare we should wage. You’ve Got a Friend: When you're down and troubled And you need some love and care And nothing, nothing is going right Close your eyes and think of me And soon I will be there To brighten up even your darkest night You just call out my name And you know wherever I am I'll come running, to see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you have to do is call And I'll be there You've got a friend If the sky above you Grows dark and full of clouds And that old north wind begins to blow Keep your head together And call my name out loud Soon you'll hear me knocking at your door You just call out my name And you know wherever I am I'll come running, running, yeah, yeah, to see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you have to do is call And I'll be there, yes, I will Now, ain't it good to know that you've got a friend When people can be so cold? They'll hurt you, yes, and desert you And take your soul if you let them, oh, but don't you let them You just call out my name And you know wherever I am I'll come running, running, yeah, yeah, to see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall All you have to do is call And I'll be there, yes, I will You've got a friend You've got a friend Ain't it good to know you've got a friend? Ain't it good to know, ain't it good to know, ain't it good to know You've got a friend? Oh yeah now, you've got a friend Yeah baby, you've got a friend Oh yeah, you've got a friend Have a bliss! Yunee Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7) Dear Friend, How are you? I’m well. One night at the end of the year 2020 when I waited upon Him, I heard His Rhema words. Then I said to Him, “Father, I want You to give me Scriptures too.” And I waited. Then the Words came, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest.” I was reminded of receiving this Scripture from Exodus 33:44 a day before I went to my sister’s place in California together with my mom back in 2019. It gave me such a comfort and assurance before the long trip at that time. The next day after I received this Scripture again from the Lord, I read a Walter Beauttler’s book, “The Manifest Presence of God: My Spiritual Journey.” Then, I happened to read the verse, Exodus 33:44 in his book and I felt it was the Lord’s confirmation. About a month later, I had a monthly online meeting and my pastor encouraged the members to set aside time to pray before the meeting and share what the Lord would speak to us during the meeting. So, I asked the Lord what He was saying to our meeting and its members. Then the Words, “My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest,” came to me again. The next night, I asked the Lord to give me confirmation in order to make sure I heard Him correctly and I would share this Scripture with the others as a revelation. I went to bed and had a dream. In the first dream, I kept hearing the Babylonian names of Daniel’s friends, “Shadrach, Meshach, Abed-Nego” or I, myself, kept murmuring their names, which I couldn’t even remember nor pronounce correctly. But I knew they were three friends of Daniel. I was not able to recall any scene in that dream, except I kept hearing their names. I think I heard something like they were underestimated. When I awoke in the middle of the night, I searched the Scriptures on Daniel’s friends and read the story on their being thrown into the burning furnace after they refused to worship the Babylonian idols. I also read Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king saying: “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.” (Daniel 3:25) When I read about the presence of the Son of God among them in the fiery furnace, I was assured the Lord confirmed that I would share His words on His presence and rest. While I read the Scriptures further down, I also found the king Nebuchadnezzar glorified the God of Israel after he saw this overwhelming deliverance and miracle. Hence, he decreed a law that anyone who speaks anything against the God of Israel shall be put to death. And he promoted Daniel’s friends in the province of Babylon. I believe this is the Word of God for you and me this year. We will see more shakings come. Yet the presence of our God will go with us and He will give us rest. When the world sees the peace we have, they will glorify our God. Even when the world is shaking, His faithful children will still prosper, just as Daniel’s friends were promoted in Babylon. Friend, Do you believe this? I do. And I think we must also play our part in order to have His presence. We must purify our hearts and mouths and walk uprightly. I know it’s not easy, but our Father made a promise in Exodus 33:19, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” He is faithful. When we are weak in our effort to purify ourselves, He is gracious and compassionate to His children. I think all we need to do is to ask our Father to give us grace and mercy to do His will. Have a bliss! Yunee You will show me the path of life; Dear Friend, How are you? Hope you had or are having a good day today? In addition to my previous blog, “Financial Blessing,” today I would like to write more on finance. Have you read a George Mueller book, Answers to Prayer? I’ve not read it yet, but I wish I would read it this year. I’ve heard of him and his book, Answers to Prayer many times through sermons and other authors’ books, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it yet. I heard and read that he never reached out to people to be able to feed the orphans he looked after but only prayed to the Lord. And miraculously he was provided for daily living. I remember a story of him and Preacher, Charles Spurgeon, but can’t recall the source for now. One day when Charles Spurgeon got to know that he didn’t get the fund he had been praying for, he visited George Mueller, knowing George got it, and saw his cushion he had been using for prayers, which was worn out. Charles Spurgeon said to George Mueller, “Now, I know why the Lord gave the fund to you.” In 2019, I read a Korean missionary’s book and listened to his sermons online. He shared his testimony in his book on the time when he needed around US$5 million for the project to build an international university. He thought of George Mueller and decided he wouldn’t share the need for the money with anyone and any church. He chose to trust in the Lord to provide for the project He Himself initiated. Later, bills continued to pile up on his desk, but he had nothing from the outset. Many volunteers who gathered to partner with him looked at him and waited for him to find some ways. Yet he kept on praying for it, not disclosing the need to anyone. Miraculously, some people he knew came to him and gave him offerings, not knowing his need. He started to see miracles, yet he still had a lot to pay for. One day, a man came to him and said, “Brother, does the number 113 mean anything to you? When I prayed, the Lord gave me a heart that you are in financial need. My wife and I prayed together over it and we got the number 113.” And the missionary said to him, “Yes, I need US$1,130,000 dollars for a bill.” It was the Lord’s miraculous provision through His children. Later, the last bill for the remaining US$1 million was also provided by the Lord and he said, “We had no debt for the project, not even US$1. It was all provided by the Lord.” And he also wrote about His perfect timing. The fund started to be provided when the currency of the country where he worked got weak. I believe the Lord provided it at a later, but perfect timing, to test the missionary’s faith and to make the best use of the exchange rate of the currency, as He is the God of economy too. I believe it would require great faith for George Mueller and the missionary to totally trust in Him in finance. I think Pastor Robert Morris mentioned about manipulation in his book “The Blessed Life.” He wrote something like some people use manipulation, not trusting the Lord on material provision. And he wrote the people who have the gift in giving can discern who uses manipulation. A few days ago, I happened to read Dr. Kevin Zadai’s article, “The Heavenly Mechanics Behind Christian Giving” that I saved in my mobile phone back in 2019. I would like to share part of his message which I think is so important in our giving: Before any meeting where an offering might be collected, the best thing to do is to pray ahead of time before that meeting. One good strategy is to simply inquire of the Lord, "What am I going to be giving tonight?" Asking this question before attending a meeting helps ensure that a person will follow the Scriptures. It also helps circumvent any manipulation that may come from those in the meeting through the offering message or any other situation. A Believer needs to take precautions so that he or she is not being manipulated into giving. In Corinthians, Paul spoke concerning preparation of the offering before a meeting took place. If a Christian will determine ahead of time what he or she will give, then he or she will feel comfortable with the gift that is given. He or she will already have heard from the Lord concerning the offering to give, and then the giving will be done in faith. I follow this strategy. The Lord will speak to me concerning the offering, and then I ask my wife, "What is the Lord laying upon your heart to give?" Her response is almost always exactly the same figure that I have heard from the Lord. Almost one hundred percent of the time, the amount that I am led to give and the amount that my wife says we are to give are identical. Therefore, in that manner, the Lord confirms the amount that we are to give completely! And that confirmation gives us freedom and the opportunity to rejoice in our gifts! A Christian is to enjoy giving and not allow anyone to take that joy by making a gift compulsory. In other words, a Believer must not allow the pressure from others to take the joy of giving from them by submitting to that pressure to give. … Christians must never give offerings when there is pressure to comply. One's purpose to give must not be a response to pressure, but rather a response to the Lord and an expression of love toward Him. As I shared in my previous blog, “Unmasking the Witchcraft,” Derek Prince wrote in his book, “The Coming Revival” that unmasking the witchcraft in church is one of the keys to the coming revival, and manipulation is witchcraft. I’m sharing again what he wrote in the book on the definition of witchcraft the Lord gave to him: Witchcraft is the attempt to control people and get them to do what you want by the use of any spirit that is not the Holy Spirit.’ Then He gave me an additional insight: If anyone has a spirit that he or she can ‘use,’ it is not the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is God, and no one uses God. Sadly, even in churches, there are people who are under the witchcraft spirit. We must discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and obey the Spirit of truth, not the witchcraft. Not only churches, but individuals can use manipulation to get what they need or want. So, I think we should ask for discernment and give to the Lord out of cheerful hearts. I would like to share another story of the missionary that I wrote earlier in this blog. He and his family had a sabbatical year in the US, after serving the Lord in Mongolia. When he left Mongolia, the Lord told him to give everything he earned and had in there to the people in Mongolia and he obeyed the Lord. When he spent a sabbatical year in the US and was about to leave the country soon, a young male student in a Korean church in there who knew his story in Mongolia came to him and said, “I heard the Lord speaking that you must give your car away to me when you leave here.” And I think the missionary’s answer to him was wise. He said to the student, “Brother, if it’s the Lord’s will for me to give away my car to you, He would definitely let me know too.” And he wrote that his car was given to another person, before his departure from the US. Personally, I had some good and bad experiences related to giving. I gave offerings a few times to a ministry, not being voluntary or out of a cheerful heart, but out of pressure. The minister approached me in person, “Please pray and do according to what the Holy Spirit spoke to you.” In all honesty, I gave the offering to the ministry, fearing the minister. Of course, I don’t respect those who use manipulation and I’m not part of the ministry anymore for other reason. I repented of giving out of pressure. Yet, I had good testimonies when I was truly led by the Holy Spirit and gave to those who never used manipulation. I got to know from them only after my giving, that their needs were miraculously and timely met and they all said, “You were led by the Holy Spirit. Thank you for obeying the Lord.” In giving without being manipulated, there was always joy and thanks and praise to the Lord in both giver and receiver. And I do respect those who completely trust the Lord like George Muller. Friend, I wanted to share the story of George Mueller and others to encourage you to put the total trust in the Lord when you are in need, and also to give to Him out of a cheerful heart, not out of pressure or being manipulated. I pray that you and I ask the Lord for discernment, and we are always led by the Holy Spirit and become cheerful, hilarious givers, in Jesus’ name. Have a bliss! Yunee Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:14~15) |
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