Dear Friend, How are you? Hope you had or are having a good day, today? A few weeks ago, I read Dr. Bruce Allen’s book, “Promise of The Third Day: Your Day of Destiny Has Arrived” and one of his writings spoke to me a lot: Who do you belong to? God! Glorify God in your body and in your spirit. We glorify God by recognizing His Lordship or His authority in our life by doing what He says. Do you know it is worship when you turn to God and say, “God, I don’t know what to do”? The most effective way for a believer to worship and glorify God in our bodies is to allow Him through our weakness to become strong. Obedience to the mandate of Heaven—the voice of God—is an act of worship that says, “I love you Lord.” There is a divine exchange that takes place that is a mystery to every Christian—the love of the Father that grants us grace to accomplish His will with His wisdom and His strength in the midst of our weakness. Later when I read a Pastor John Fenn’s book, “Pursuing the Seasons of God,” I was very thankful for his honestly sharing some of his mistakes that he moved in his own plan in his own time, not in God’s seasons. I also made some mistakes in my life that I might share in the future, and I felt the Lord was trying to teach me through the Pastor John Fenn’s book as well as my experiences. Also, keeping what Dr. Bruce Allen wrote about recognizing His Lordship or His authority, I wanted to ask the Lord in every single decision I should make. I don’t want to be in the wrong place in the wrong time, but I want to be in His perfect time for my destiny. Moreover, I felt I should worship Him, by truly recognizing His Lordship over my life. So, I asked the Lord even on the matters that I think I had His answers on. I wanted Him to give me confirmation. Recently, during my prayer time in the morning, I read the Words from 1 Peter 5:2~4 in my notebook: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Then, later in the day, when I read a book, I happened to read these verses again. I knew it was not coincidence, but felt it was the Lord’s highlighting the messages I should take into my heart. There are people who are called to evangelists, apostles and so on. Then, in my heart, I felt the Lord wants me to shepherd His flock in the last days, providing them with shelters and foods as well as His Words. Yet, when I happened to read the Scriptures on Shepherd twice on that day, I asked the Lord to give me confirmation with the Words, “Shepherd” for my destiny. I said to Him, “Father, can You please give me the confirmation on my destiny, if You will to use me as a shepherd? Can you give me the confirmation, with the word, “shepherd” today?” You know what? I didn’t hear nor read anything about shepherd on that day. I was a bit disappointed and I even thought to myself, “Did I hear Him wrong in the past, then?” In a few days, after I set my heart again to be His friend and to enjoy the fellowship without any motive as shared in my previous blog, Friends of God 2, I closed my eyes to pray. Then, I felt His still small voice in my heart, “Do you love Me?” I immediately knew He was asking the same questions that He did to Peter and I looked up the Bible on my mobile phone and by the time I looked up the verses, I already knew in my heart what He was trying to say: So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Feed My lambs.” He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. (John 21:15~17) I was grateful and amazed that He gave me the confirmation that He wants me to feed His sheep, when I didn’t expect Him to do. Then, I realized that I actually tried to control Him, by asking Him to give me the confirmation on my terms, using the word, “Shepherd” and by requesting it in my own time! While I wanted to worship Him by recognizing His Lordship over my life, I still gave my Lord an order to use the word I chose and meet my timeline, not in His seasons! Yet, He is so patient and merciful. I repented. Not only this question, but I started to ask Him to guide me and teach me over a decision I should make. And in His time and in His way, He gave me thoughts I should take, and I have peace in that decision. Friend, I do not know whether it speaks to you. I pray that you and I set our hearts to acknowledge His Lordship over our lives and in every single decision we should make, we ask Him, and we obey Him. We follow His timing, not ours. We trust Him as He is a good Father. He is faithful forever more. Have a bliss! Yunee I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; Dear Friend, How are you? I’m well. Recently, I read a Pastor John Fenn’s book, “Pursuing the Seasons of God”, and in one chapter, he wrote “Jesus Desires Friendship” and shared one of his encounters with Jesus: I asked him as he turned, “Lord, why are you appearing to me to teach me these things?” He stopped, turned around, took a step towards me and paused as he looked down at the ground in thought for a second or two. Then, with a tilt of his head and a puzzled look on his face that seemed to say you know the answer. He replied: “Because you are my friend.” There were several seconds of silence between us as I stared into his eyes trying to comprehend the depth of what he was saying, and wrestle with my own arguments at the same time. As I stared at him I was thinking, “Who am I that I should be visited by my Lord?” But my arguments were overcome with the overwhelming awareness of aspects of his personality flowing from him that I had never seen before: Loneliness and sorrow. His eyes spoke of a deep desire for fellowship and a sorrow for his children that don’t walk in all he has for them. He was especially sad about those members of his body who were caught up in, and living like, the world. It wasn’t a hurt, but a sorrow that he had done so much for them and they treated what he had done with so little respect, distracting them with this present world. … I then asked him something I had never asked in all my prayers and all my praise and worship to him over the years. “Lord, what is it you desire? What is on your heart?” He replied, “I enjoy it when my people just like being with me, not asking anything of me, just enjoying me, for it is then that we enter into true communion and fellowship. This is my great desire: fellowship, to be with my people, that my people would enjoy me for just being me, this is true worship.” Suddenly I realized that relatively few Christians truly know the Lord. They pray like they place an order at a restaurant: here is a list of things I need or want, amen. Sometimes they pray to wage spiritual warfare—there is a job to be done—and yet other times they enter into praise and worship with the ulterior motive of getting something from him. Some use praise and worship as a formula and means manipulating an answer from the Lord. Many don’t want to live right, but want all the benefits of the Life of God to be manifest in their lives. Fenn, John; Pursuing the Seasons of God I thought his encounter with Jesus resonated with the late Pastor, Neville Johnson’s encounter with Him that I shared in my previous blog, “Friends of God.” And I felt the Lord indeed desires the friendship with us, and I repented of my soulish prayer for my life, though I thought it was for His Kingdom. And I pondered whether I used praise and worship as a formula and means to manipulate an answer from the Lord, as Pastor John wrote. I asked the Lord to show me if there is anything impure in my heart, for me to repent and I said to Him that I set my heart to be pure in my heart and to be His friend. Then, in the morning of August 17th, I went to my prayer table with a patio umbrella in the nearby museum. I had a certain incident the other day with my sister in California, when we had a video-chatting. We had some debate and it kept lingering in my mind. I didn’t talk about it to anyone, as I didn’t want to backbite her. But in that morning, I brought up that subject, thinking He is my best Friend and I just decided to talk to Him. “Lord, was I wrong? I know I shouldn’t have said those words to her, but she was absolutely wrong!” “……” Then, I read the chapter 17 of Proverbs. While reading and mediating on a few verses, I felt the Lord was speaking to me as to what my heart attitude should be toward my sister and how I should manage my words. But there was nothing like condemnation. Then, I decided to pray in tongue more rather than to pray for what I want to pray, in my own words. I wanted to pray for what He wants me to pray. While I prayed in the spirit, I was reminded of Afghanistan. I remembered Pastor Joe Sweet mentioned it together with the earthquake in Haiti, but I didn’t watch or read the news on Afghanistan at that time. So, in the middle of the prayer, I searched the headlines of Korean news on Afghanistan to understand what happened there, and prayed in tongues, thinking of it together with Haiti. Coming back home after the prayer, I checked my chatting applications and was surprised to see a few unread messages with videos from my Singaporean friend. She actually texted them the other evening, to ask me to pray together for Afghanistan, but I went to bed very early, not knowing she had texted me, with the notification off. I felt that indeed the Lord wanted me to pray for Afghanistan and He let me know as I’m His friend. Then, later in the morning, I had my haircut and planned to go to grocery on my way home. Once a week, I buy flowers for mom and for myself from the grocery store. It’s always my joy to see and debate for a while in front of the flowers in the store, as to what flowers I would pick. I usually change the kinds and the colors of flowers each week for variety. Then, on the way to the grocery store, the yellow flowers came into my mind. A few weeks ago, I saw them and wanted to buy them, only after I chose other flowers in front of the cashier. So, when the yellow flowers that I didn’t even know the name of came into my mind, I said to Him, “Lord, I want to buy the yellow flowers I wanted to buy last time, if they are available today. What do you think?” “……” I simply enjoyed talking to Him in my heart, no matter whether I felt Him saying something or not. Then, I went to the grocery store and found out two bundles of the yellow flowers were in a plastic bucket! As the stocks of the flowers varied each week, I had no idea as to whether they would be available. I was joyful to see them and took a bundle of the yellow flowers to the employee who was in charge of the flower department. I handed them over to her, asking the price. And she said to me, “You might want to take them for free.” I said, surprised, “What? (Seriously???)” She said, “They are not fresh ones. So, they won’t last long. As you’re a regular customer, I would give them to you for free. Just take them, please.” I couldn’t thank Him enough. In my joyful heart, I kept saying to Him, “Thank You, Lord. You’re so kind! Thank You!” And I simply felt He wanted to give me these yellow flowers as His gift to His friend. After I came home and enjoyed watching the flowers, I kept being curious about the name of the flowers. So, I searched the pictures online and got to know from a Korean encyclopedia that it’s Marigold. To my amazement, it said that one of its flower languages is friendship! I felt as if He wanted to let me know I’m His friend and He desires friendship with me. In a few days, I meditated Proverbs 22:11: “He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.” It reminded me of the debate with my sister earlier and He was teaching me in a gentle way, yet without condemnation. And I prayed that the meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth be pleasing to Him and I become the friend of my King. Friend, do you desire friendship with the Lord? I pray that you and I feel His loneliness and sorrow toward the body of Christ, and we come to Him with a pure heart and grace on our lips, not with any hidden motives, to become His friend, 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? Hope you had or are having a good day today? On August 11th, 2021, I got up before 6am in the morning. It was so hard for me to get up early in the morning for the past few months, especially after my mom had to be admitted to the hospital twice in May and her dementia got worse. Yet, our Heavenly Father is always gracious and merciful. My mom’s dementia got a little better and she didn’t really disturb my sleep much at night. Graciously enough, I resumed downloading the dreams that I think were from the Lord, though not daily. And I really wanted to get up early in the morning to take a walk for an hour so that I asked the Lord to wake me up early in the morning, sharing my desire. To my amazement, I felt the Lord really nudged me and I was wide-awake even before my alarm rang. So, I was able to go out for a walk these days. In the beginning, I tried to take a walk as working-out, but it was hot and humid even in the early morning. Then, I thought I would rather take a seat in the table in a nearby museum to read the Words, praise Him and pray. And it turned out to be my best hour of the day! I really enjoyed my time alone with the Lord for about 1 and 1/2 hours under the shade at the table. Every evening, I asked the Father to wake me up in the next morning and He did it faithfully. So, in the morning on August 11th, I was enjoying reading His Words in my journal that I wrote down from the Bible a few months ago and singing worship songs with prayers. Then, on my mobile phone, the worship song, “What kind of greatness” written by Graham Kendrick was played out. I got to know this song only recently like the last Christmas, and I liked the song and downloaded it into my mobile phone. Then, when I heard the song again that morning in quite a while, I sang along, reading the lyrics. Suddenly, all the lyrics just hit me, and I couldn’t stop my tears. And I thanked Him, as I changed my bag to a bigger one on that day, which had enough Kleenex in it. “What kind of greatness can this be That chose to be made small? Exchanging untold majesty For a world so pitiful That God should come as one of us I'll never understand The more I hear the story told The more amazed I am Oh what else can I do But kneel and worship you And come just as I am My whole life an offering The One in whom we live and move In swaddling cloths lies bound The voice that cried "let there be light" Asleep without a sound The One who strode among the stars And called each one by name Lies helpless in a mother's arms And must learn to walk again What greater love could he have shown To shamed humanity Yet human pride hates to believe In such deep humility But nations now may see his grace And know that he is near When his meek heart, his words, his works Are incarnate in us here” Even though I listened to this song and sang along a few times in the past, it was my first time that every single word in the lyrics touched my spirit to tears. I couldn’t really thank Jesus enough for His tremendous sacrifice for me. Later in the day at home, I was reading the last chapter of a Flo Ellers’ book, “Activating the Angelic” and read a question, “Are You Willing to Die for Jesus?” I felt this is really difficult to answer, though I think I already answered the question long ago. The author Flo Ellers wrote: When God asks you a question like that, you cannot answer Him quickly, mindlessly, or carelessly—for He will take you at your word. I prayed and contemplated the price that I would have to pay to live fully for Him. Some Christian teachers tell us that we do not have to pay a price because Jesus already paid the price. Oh really? He did pay the ultimate price, but He requires something of us if we want to go beyond the superficial and go deep in Him. This kind of Christianity is not for the fickle or capricious. Ellers, Flo. Activating the Angelic: Keys to Releasing the Holy Spirit and Unlocking the Miraculous (p. 234). Destiny Image. Kindle Edition. After finishing the last chapter of the book and before going to bed, I again said to the Father, “Father, I set my heart to die for Jesus and live for Jesus!” And in the next day, I was able to get up early in the morning and went to my precious place for the time with the Lord. Thinking of the song, “What kind of greatness” I listened to the other day, I replayed it on my mobile phone, reading the lyrics. Only then did I realize that Jesus didn’t die on the cross only, but He actually died when He agreed to be incarnated. He is God. Just like the lyrics of the song say, He is the One who created light! He is the Creator and Possessor of the universe. Yet, He chose to be born as a mere human being. Imagine that you, after living as a human being with some kind of dignity, chose to be born and live as a deer or a skunk, knowing your identity as a human being. What a great sacrifice it could be? But Jesus submitted to God, the Father and was born as a human being. His 33 years of life here on earth was the total death for us. His death was not just on the cross! Imagine that our Creator could have said to Joseph and Maria, His earthly parents, “Dad, Mom, there are better ways to do this and that! (I know better than you do!)” when He was told by them to do something at home or in Joseph’s business. But He would have simply obeyed them as their Child, “Yes, Dad! Sure, Mom, I will do that.” Friend, can you live, sacrificing all you can do and forgetting so-called your entitlement even for a year? Perhaps you shouldn’t say anything, even when you know better than others, or you are misunderstood, or you are taken advantage of by others. And can you still live with the meekness and gentleness in your heart toward the evil and the proud, like Jesus did? A few days after this thought on His incarnation, His death and love, I happened to read an interesting conversation between Pastor John Fenn and his angel in one of his encounters with his angel, in his book “Pursuing The Seasons of God”: As my angel stood there talking to me about heaven I asked him: “How do you relate to Jesus?” In my mind I realized they had seen everything Jesus had done for man. He started talking about Jesus being worthy to be worshiped and glorified; and said, “You have to understand, we know him as Creator.” Then slower to let me grasp what he was saying, “We know Him as Creator. He is worthy to be glorified and you are worthy to serve over us because he loves you so very much.” He continued. “Though we knew what was taking place when he left heaven, we did not personally understand. We had no way of comparing his great act of love for you with anything we had ever experienced or had ever seen him do. The creation of the universe pales beside the act of him leaving heaven to become one of his creations.”…. My angel continued, “We do not comprehend his great love for you, that he would strip himself of all authority and honor and lay it down to become one of his creation. That he would give all that up for man. We do not understand this.” Friend, I share this, not because I reach the point where I should be, but I want to encourage us to meditate what Jesus did for us and what humiliation He had to endure as a human being. Yet, He chose to live with us in a human body in eternity! What kind of greatness and kindness He has! We will never outgive or outlove Him. Friend, are you willing to die for Him in your daily life? I pray we are, in Jesus’ name. Have a bliss! Yunee I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2:20) Dear Friend, How are you? Hope you had or are having a good day today? Have you ever thought that the world we live in now or the life we live here now would be actually less real than the life in the spiritual realm? Today, I would like to share the Scriptures that keep lingering in my heart these days. “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:16~18)” Earlier this year, when I shared with a Christian friend of mine my faith toward Millennium and the destiny of many believers who would reign with Jesus, she said, “Well, I don’t care about reigning in the Millennium. I will be simply happy with ending up in Heaven.” I didn’t say further anything to her, but I pitied her in my heart, as I knew she had been vying for being on the top not only for herself, but for her kids in the temporary life here. I would rather pray that the Lord may open her spiritual eyes and she may vie for the eternal things. Recently, I read Pastor Rick Joyner’s book “There Were Two Trees in The Garden” and I liked his insight about Jacob and Esau, Reuben and Joseph in one chapter, which starts with the verse, “I have loved Jacob; but I have hated Esau (Malachi 1:2~3)” “Esau may have had a strong external character, but he was weak in spirit. He proved to be more concerned about the immediate gratification of his appetite than about his eternal inheritance in Christ. He traded his birthright as the firstborn of Isaac for a single bowl of stew! When we recognize what a profound affront this was to God and the value of His calling upon the chosen seed, we should be shocked. But we should be even more shocked when we understand just how prevalent this same nature is within most of us today. … In contrast to Esau, Jacob so highly valued the birthright that he risked his life to attain it. In many ways, he may have been more carnal than Esau, yet his heart burned for this spiritual inheritance. He was determined to obtain God’s blessing, even if he had to wrestle with God to get it (see Genesis 32:24-32). … Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, had the same nature as his uncle Esau. He allowed his flesh to rob him of his inheritance when his carnal appetite drove him to defile his father’s bed. When Jacob blessed his sons before passing away, he only had a rebuke for Reuben. Reuben, you are my first-born; my might and the beginning of my strength. Preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed (see Genesis 49:3-4). Like Esau, Reuben may have been preeminent in dignity and power, but he was ruled by his flesh and it cost him dearly. The lack of self-control began in the Garden and is still today robbing many of their eternal inheritance in Christ.” There Were Two Trees in the Garden (The Divine Destiny Series) (p. 57~58). MorningStar Publications, Inc, a division of MorningStar Fellowship Church. Kindle Edition. And I like the late Pastor and Prophet Neville Johnson’s teaching from his experience with the Lord face to face. He encouraged the believers to fulfill their destinies, which is to conform to the image of Jesus and reign with Him in the age to come. From the experiences of his visitation to the 3rd heaven and spirit realm, he said something like this, “Going to the heaven is great. But our destiny is more than that.” And he talked about reigning in the age to come, as sons of God. I think the experiences of many saints like Neville Johnson who visited the heaven and shared the glimpse of it helped me a lot to understand what it would look like in the age to come. I believe having vision on the age to come is important, as the Scripture says, “Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained; But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God]. (Proverbs 29:18 Amplified Bible)” You know one of the criminals who hung on a cross beside Jesus and asked Him to remember him? Jesus promised to him that he would be with Him in Paradise that day. Perhaps there would be many people that would be harvested in the last days, just like the criminal who was saved right before his death. But I wonder whether the criminal and the Apostle Paul would be in the same position in the Heaven. I know our Heavenly Father is always righteous and just and there is no flaw in His judgement. Definitely, salvation from the eternal hell is great, and we can be saved by His grace only, not by our works. But, the reward to each one of us in the heaven would be different, as our Heavenly Father is just. I heard some saints who visited the 3rd heaven say people would have different kinds of houses, clothes, locations of their living and so on, depending on their temporary life here, i.e. obedience. They even carry different lights in them. If we live in this temporary life to obey His words and love Him, humbling ourselves and setting our hearts onto the eternity, we will inherit what our Father wanted to give us. Maybe some of Christians or unbelievers would continue to get away with murder in this life but be saved one minute before their death. But they might not inherit what was once meant for them, just like the first generation of Israelites who ended their lives in the wilderness, not tasting the Promised Land, except Joshua and Caleb. And it was not God’s intention. He wanted all the Israelites to cross over the Jordan river and conquer the Promised Land! Our inheritance is not just ending up with living in the Heaven. We’re meant to have the image of Jesus and truly become sons of God, as the co-heirs with Jesus. With His character and love in us, we will reign in the age to come. But, if you say, “I don’t care of my inheritance in Millennium. I would care less about reigning in the eternity. I will do what I think is right to do now!” don’t you think you sound like Esau who traded his birthright for a bowl of soup? Friend, I would like to encourage us to have courage to cross the Jordan river to get to the Promised Land. There is an eternal inheritance in that Land. The wilderness, the life here is temporary. We might be misunderstood here, or we might not receive any reward here in this life, even when we humble ourselves and serve and love others. But we set our hearts on Jesus and the age to come. I believe the life in the eternity will be more real than the temporary life here. May He continue to give us hope and open our eyes to the spirit realm in Jesus’ name! Have a bliss! Yunee Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:12~14 Amplified Bible) |
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