Do You Charge Yourself Up?

In this day and age, it is unthinkable not to charge up the battery of your mobile devices so that they could function with optimal power and help you run your life well.

Image credits: Cornerstone Community Church

As a Christian you would be well minded to put on the whole armor of God and be battle-ready as you set out each day. But what about powering yourself up with prayer, especially by speaking in tongues? 

Paul of Tarsus is well regarded as one of the greatest apostle who advanced Christianity and made Christ Jesus known to both Jews and the rest of us. Do you remember that he said that he spoke in tongues more than others? 

"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you." (1 Corinthians 14:18; NIV) Did we miss this or just dismissed it? This could well be the underlying power behind Paul's revelation from Christ Himself in his writings and his other great exploits for Christ. 

Start practicing speaking in tongues during your Quiet Time with God and see for yourself first hand what a difference this could impact your walk of faith in Him. Start with 1 minute, 5 minutes and then extend to an hour. 

"Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:40-41; NIV)

"But you, beloved, build yourselves up on [the foundation of] your most holy faith [continually progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], pray in the Holy Spirit," (Jude 20; AMP)

"But you, dear friends, carefully build yourselves up in this most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit, staying right at the center of God’s love, keeping your arms open and outstretched, ready for the mercy of our Master, Jesus Christ. This is the unending life, the real life!" (Jude 20-21; MSG)

"But you, dear friends, must build up your lives ever more strongly upon the foundation of our holy faith, learning to pray in the power and strength of the Holy Spirit." (Jude 20; TLB)

Click here for Recharged by Pastor Yang Tuck Yoong, Cornerstone Community Church, Singapore. 

Fresh Perspectives On Quiet Time and Feet Washing

If you have been a Christian for some time, you would be familiar with spending Quiet Time in the LORD's Presence. 

But, if you are finding it more like a chore or duty instead of delight and anticipation, then the following clip would be a useful reminder.

In this clip, you will also learn the spiritual impact of getting your feet washed off dust which the serpent mentioned in Genesis feeds on. We need to let Jesus wash our feet as we spent time with him, and we could also spend time with others and help wash their feet of spiritual defilement so that the Devil has no hold on us.

Click here for This Changes How You Spend Time With God | Joseph Prince Ministries.

Father's Love

 

"Father's Love" in acrylic
By
Charmaine Chin

The above painting was completed "Live" by Charmaine Chin during the 10 a.m. Sunday Service at City Harvest Church on 2 March 2025.

The caption to her painting is as follows:-

"Father's Love

Deuteronomy 1:30

The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will  fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.

God's care and support are like a father carrying his child, offering strength during difficult times. Are you facing difficult times in your life right now? Stick close to the Father and He will give you the strength to go through whatever problem you are facing now.

Charmaine Chin
Sun Division"

The artist was present after the service and the few of us who were there got to capture this poignant moment with her:-

Charmaine Chin, dressed in matching colours of her painting.

I like how the cub is depicted as pressing into the chin of the Father. Great choice of a lion as Jesus Himself, the Son of God, is the Lion of the tribe of Judah.

"Then one of the [twenty-four] elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look closely, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome and conquered! He can open the scroll and [break] its seven seals.” Revelation 5:5 (AMP)

Thank you, Charmaine, for showing us the Father's love.

"The Spirit of Love" by Pastor Kong Hee

God is love. The greatest is love. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism into divine love.

You are in for a spiritual feast as Pastor Kong Hee expounds the Spirit Baptism of Love in this five parts sermon series.

Click here for The Spirit of Love (Part 1) and fast forward to 1:08:34 for the sermon.

Click here for The Spirit of Love (Part 2) and fast forward to 1:06:59 for the sermon.

Click here for The Spirit of Love (Part 3) and fast forward to 59:25 for the sermon.

Click here for The Spirit of Love (Part 4) and fast forward to 50:44 for the sermon.

Click here for The Spirit of Love (Part 5) and fast forward to 39:23 for the sermon.

Bring Along the Key of Gratitude for a Happy New Year!

Read on, mate, to find your key to happiness.

The following extract is a message from Carolyn Savelle of Jerry Savelle Ministry International (JSMI) to partners of JSMI as found in JSMI Australia blog for your edification:- 

"One powerful way to shift from sorrow to joy is through appreciating the good things God has already placed in your life. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Gratitude is a key that unlocks the door to happiness. 

When you choose to thank God for what you have, even in challenging times, you will start to see just how blessed you truly are. You may not always feel like there’s something to be thankful for, but I encourage you to look again – there’s always a blessing waiting to be noticed.

I remember a family that came to our church many years ago that were believing for a new car. When Jerry asked to see the car they were currently driving, he was taken aback. The car was filled with trash, fast food wrappers, and was in complete disarray. Jerry told them, “If you’re truly believing for a new car, start by taking care of the one you have.”

Friend, if you want more joy in your life, start by loving and caring for what you have right now. Psalm 84:12 says, “LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.” One definition I’ve seen for the word blessed is blissfully happy or content. 

Maybe you aren’t driving the car you want, living in the house of your dreams, or wearing the clothes you desire, but when you choose to trust God, express gratitude for what you do have, and declare, “I choose to live a happy life,” you set yourself up for God’s blessings to overflow.

One of the greatest blessings God has given us is our family. I treasure the moments I’ve spent with my late husband, children, and grandchildren. We used to take vacations all together, packed into the car with grandkids on my lap, and I remember telling Jerry, “I’m the happiest anybody could ever be.” Though my grandchildren have outgrown sitting on Grandma’s lap, I thank God for great-grandchildren now! 

These moments are precious gifts from God, and He desires that your family be filled with love and happiness too.

I want to remind you that there is an enemy out there trying to disrupt your joy, especially within your family. Since the beginning of time, satan has tried to tear families apart- turning brother against brother and children against parents. 

But God’s plan is different. He created us to live in love, to reflect His image (Genesis 1:26), and to enjoy our families, growing in happiness together.

When you love and appreciate the people God has placed in your life, He will bless you with even more joy and abundance. Matthew 25:29 tells us, “To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance.” 

Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “…I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants may live.” You have the power to choose – to choose gratitude, to choose love, to choose life. 

As you make choices that honor God and put your trust in Him, you will find true joy, and God will work on your behalf.

I encourage you to take a moment today and ask yourself, “What do I have to be happy about?” Write down everything you can think of, big or small, and praise God for it. I promise, as you do, joy will begin to fill your heart, and God will bless you beyond measure. 

I have learned that hope and expectation live alongside joy. When you choose to be grateful, you start to expect good things. Your focus begins to shift from fear to faith. 

You can reject negative thoughts dwelling on the hurts of the past and you can choose to appreciate the good things God has given you. As you do, faith and expectation will begin to rise inside of your spirit. 

As I look to move into a new year, I’m grateful that God has shown His goodness to me despite the circumstances. God is faithful!" 

Click here for free resources from JSMI Australia to build your faith in Christ Jesus and also to find out more about JSMI.

Have You Thought About God?

In his sermon "What about God?", Pastor Kevin Koh of Cornerstone Community Church touched on the three stages of Christian maturity:

1. What about me?

2. What about others?

3. What about God?

As Christians we have to be careful that we do not remain stuck at serving only oneself and other people. Like King David we need to think about God (building Him a great temple was David's desire to offer unto the LORD).

Photo by Neven Krcmarek on Unsplash

In knowing God's heart, let us work out our response in love and offer Him a gift or service that would be well-pleasing unto Him.

Click here for What about God?.

Click here for Who Invented Candy Canes?

YouVersion Bible App

It used to be that we have to bring a physical Bible around with us and we do our Quiet Time with a physical devotional guidebook. 

Thanks to the God-given ingenuity bestowed upon people, we can now access the Bible and devotional materials with ease on our mobile phones, tablets and computers.

YouVerson Bible App, which is brought to us by Life Church, is a great App for you to try out, if not already done so. It is my go-to Bible App as it is user-friendly and enriching. I like the wide-range of Christian leaders and teachers who come on board to share and this has widened my sphere of resources for solid Christian teaching and preaching and see how others are serving the LORD to the praise and glory of His name.

Screenshot of YouVersion

The stated mission of YouVersion as gleaned from its website is as follows:-

"We wholeheartedly believe a daily rhythm of seeking intimacy with God has the power to transform lives.

That’s why YouVersion creates biblically centered, culturally relevant experiences that encourage and challenge people to seek God throughout each day. It’s through these experiences we create opportunities fit for anyone’s daily routine, ultimately helping them form a spiritually-rich rhythm of seeking God intimately.

Our mission is to encourage and challenge people to seek intimacy with God every day.

Our hope is that each person in our community is on an active journey to become who God made them to be, abiding in Him, and drawing closer every day."

Click here to download and explore YouVersion.

Click here to find out more about Life Church.