Saturday, March 21, 2009
The GOD We Know
hey APPLES of HIS EYES,I wanna let you know that i'm really glad that i've attended cell group and i'm certainly blessed by each one of you(even for those who were not there) last night. Initially, i was quite reluctant to go as i haven't been feeling good for the whole week but i thank God that i've not chosen to give in to my flesh and that He has restored me (Jehovah Rophe) for tt's where i began to understand and meet the God of grace through last night's sharing.
well, I've gotten back my results on Tuesday.. and ya, as expected, i can tell you up front that i failed 2 modules..(of course,i do feel disappointed in myself, but I'm not very upset, as compared to, the time when I've failed a module before,in my poly yr1 sem1).. On the day i came to know about my results, i thank God for preparing my heart through your prayers last Sunday.. I did not blame God for He is righteous (Jehovah Tsidkenu) & everlasting God (Jehovah El Olam) who has shown me His goodness and mercy(Jehovah Gemulah), however I didn't cherish it. Believing that He is our shepherd (Jehovah Raah) who is also my peace (Jehovah Shalom) and will always be there (Jehovah Shammah) to see me through, there's a song that goes "I don't worry o'er the future,For I know what Jesus said,And today I'll walk beside Him,For He knows what is ahead. Many things about tomorrow, I don't seem to understand, But I know who holds my future,And I know who holds my hands." Do continue to pray for me as i'm afraid that i may not be able to proceed to yr 3 and that I'll have courage to tell my folks about my results..i'm not afraid of being lectured, but i just feel i'm such a letdown to them, regarding my academic wise..Now that i have to repeat the modules, i fear that i'll be a burden to my parents that they have to pay even more.. Lately, my folks have been working at odd hours, due to the economic downturn.. And moreover, my grandma has been feeling ill that she vomited on Thursday night..We brought her to see a GP that night..However the next morning, she was still unwell and weak to walk that she fell and hit her forehead against the toilet's basin.. My dad, who had just come home from night shift, drove her to the hospital for stitches... Right now, she complains of giddiness every now and then, her right eye is also bruised and swollen,due to the fall.. I still thank God that she's resting at home now.. Do continue to pray for speedy recovery for my grandma, and my folks' physical health, protection over our families and friends. Believing that He is Jehovah Rophe - the Lord our healer & Jehovah Jireh - the Lord,our provider for our finance! Through these trials, I learnt that He's a God who desires to sanctify (Jehovah Qadesh) me and mould my character, in order to testify and celebrate the Lord of our Banner (Jehovah Nissi)! Amen!
Recap of what we have studied last night:
Psalm 23 (Today's New International Version)
A psalm of David.
A psalm of David.
1a The LORD is my shepherd, - (Jehovah Raah.) [ Ps 84:3 says "Even the sparrow has found a home,and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young", likewise, so does our God who yearns to watch over us, guide us through every journey of our lives, and value each and every one of us, more than the sparrows.]
1b I lack nothing. (Jehovah Jireh[Gen22:14]) {"The-Lord-Will-Provide" is a play on the verb translated "provided." The verb means basically "see". The English word "provide" is from the Latin (pro = before + videre = vision) meaning literally to "see beforehand." God sees our need before it arises and makes provision for it. Thus, Jehovah Jireh means..."The Lord will see to it and provide." As Jehovah Jireh God can and will provide exactly what we need when we need it, for His timing is perfect. Remember that God's infinite provision is always greater than our finite problem. Faith not shown to be real until it is tested.}
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,He leads me beside quiet waters, (Jehovah Shalom[Judges6:24]) { [Great peace. Note that for "peace" the Hebrew word is shalom: it signifies not only "peace," but also perfection, wholeness, prosperity, tranquility, healthfulness, safety, the completion and consummation, of every good thing; and so it is frequently taken by the Hebrews; hence in salutations, wishing one the other well, they say, shalom lekha, i.e, "peace be with thee"; as if one should say, "may all things be prosperous with thee." --Thomas Le Blanc. There're 2 kinds of Peace: 1. Experiential (Phil 4:7)—day by day experience of the believer, can be forfeited. 2. Judicial (Romans 5:1 )—The war with God is over.]
And we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ may enter heaven with boldness in the full assurance of a perfect reconciliation and peace. But the measure or degree of our sanctification to Him and our continued trust in Him (manifest by our obedience) is the measure of our peace in Him (Read that sentence again for it is the key to the unbroken peace OF God). "The peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." says the apostle (Php 4:7 ), but he suggests in Php 4:6 that it depends on the measure of our trust, and in Php 4:9 on the measure of our obedience ("Practice [continuously] these things"). }
3a He refreshes my soul. (Jehovah Rophe[Exodus 15:26]) {"Life is a great laboratory, and each experience x-rays our hearts to reveal what we really are. The waters of Marah revealed that the Jews were worldly, thinking only of bodily satisfaction; they were walking by sight, expecting to be satisfied by the world; they were ungrateful, complaining to God when trials came their way." Wiersbe's expository outlines on the Old Testament "When life gives you lemons make lemonade God's way" 
How did Moses react to the "bitter" water trial Ex15:25?
Then he cried out to the Jehovah, and Jehovah showed him a tree & he threw it into the waters & the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute & regulation & there He tested them.
When we experience difficult circumstances & come to a place where disillusionment, despair, disappointment, or bitterness fill the "wells" of our life, we need to remember that God has the power to make the bitter into sweet. And remember that our bitter circumstances are there to test us & to teach us to trust the Almighty God to meet every need (Php 4:19), but not every "want".Cry out to Jehovah Rapha. John 8:31-32 says "If you hold to my teaching, you're my disciples. Then you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free."}
How did Moses react to the "bitter" water trial Ex15:25?
Then he cried out to the Jehovah, and Jehovah showed him a tree & he threw it into the waters & the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute & regulation & there He tested them.
When we experience difficult circumstances & come to a place where disillusionment, despair, disappointment, or bitterness fill the "wells" of our life, we need to remember that God has the power to make the bitter into sweet. And remember that our bitter circumstances are there to test us & to teach us to trust the Almighty God to meet every need (Php 4:19), but not every "want".Cry out to Jehovah Rapha. John 8:31-32 says "If you hold to my teaching, you're my disciples. Then you'll know the truth and the truth will set you free."}
3bHe guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. (Jehovah Tsidkenu [Jer 23:6]) {Righteousness is not attained, but obtained through faith in Jesus Christ. (1 Cor. 1.30). We must have Christ for our righteousness, or we will perish forever. CHRIST ALONE CAN MAKE YOU RIGHTEOUS. God is pure, righteous, and holy. He is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity. The heavens are not clean in his sight. He charges his angels with folly. "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." The only way the holy God can receive us is if we are made to be perfectly righteous in his sight. And only Christ can make us righteous. We have no righteousness of our own at all (Isa. 64:6). There is no possibility of our accomplishing this righteousness for ourselves. "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight" (Rom. 3:20). If righteousness must be produced by us, we are full of despair. Hell must be our eternal portion. We sin everyday, every moment! All that we do is marred by sin. The law of God is too high, too holy, too pure, too perfect. We cannot attain its requirements. We cannot keep its precepts. Though we have passed from death to life, old Adam still struggles for dominion within us. By force of our lusts, we are still held in the captivity of sin in our members. The good we would do, we do not. The evil we hate, that we often perform. If anything is plain in the Word of God and the experience of God’s saints, it is this: There is nothing good or righteous in any man of himself (Rom. 7:14-24). FEAR GOD WITH REVERENCE.}
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Jehovah Shammah[Ezek 48:35;Heb13:8]) {'The Lord is there!' God’s presence is real and felt, tangible. God is not no-where. God is now-here. Do you ever feel all alone? Are you going through something that you feel you must take care of on your own or you are afraid or embarrassed to ask someone for help? Have you reached out to friends or family only to have them turn their backs? Is the theme song to your life “My Way?” Is fear causing you to shut out the world? Know this, You are NEVER alone! Our God who is Omnipresent is with us always. He is there waiting, patiently for us to reach out to Him. Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. God wants us to call on Him, to rely on Him, to seek Him in all things and to have a deep, personal and intimate relationship with Him. He is our Father, we are His children; His love for us is unconditional. There is a famous poem "Footprints in the sand" 
that depicts God as Jehovah Shammah in a most beautiful way. Whenever I feel alone or inconsolable I think of this poem and it reminds me that God, Jehovah Shammah is right next to me and I can rest my head on His lap and cry out to Him. I imagine Him stroking my hair, cradling me in His arms and wiping away my tears. }
that depicts God as Jehovah Shammah in a most beautiful way. Whenever I feel alone or inconsolable I think of this poem and it reminds me that God, Jehovah Shammah is right next to me and I can rest my head on His lap and cry out to Him. I imagine Him stroking my hair, cradling me in His arms and wiping away my tears. }5 a You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. (Jehovah Nissi [Exod17:15]) {Banners express loyalty and surrender to that loyalty. (Psalm 20.5; Psalm 60.4; Exodus 17.15, 16) God sets the standard. His banner over us is love (Song of Solomon 2.4). In Exodus 17:8-16 talks about how Joshua, in preparation before going for a war, chose men to go out and fight against Amalek. Numbers 26:19 ("banner = "warning sign of preparations"), What is God training you for right now? Do the trials seem to never end, to be without an obvious purpose? Could it be that God is training you in and through the trial? (James 1:2-4,12) God does not waste the obstacles in our lives but desires that we might see them as opportunities to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Someone has well said that just like Moses on the hill was a picture of intercession,it takes intercession on the mountain as well as intervention in the valley for God’s people to win the victory. The army of the Lord is most often victorious when it marches forward "on its knees". The Christian missionary martyr Jim Elliot added,"That saint who advance on his knees never retreats". }
5 b You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (Jehovah Qadesh [Lev20:8]) {THE LORD Who Sanctifies ,is He who makes holy,sets apart separates from the profane. How are believers sanctified according to Jn 17:17, 18, 19?By the word = Truth (the word does not contain but IS truth) “This book will keep you from sin or sin will keep you from this book.” Truth >Renews Mind > Changed life. SANCTIFIED By Truth (John 15:3; 17:17);SANCTIFIED By the Blood (Hebrews 13:12);SANCTIFIED By Faith (Acts 26:18);SANCTIFIED By Prayer (I Timothy 4:5)}
6a Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, (Jehovah Gemulah [Jer51:56]) {He is the God of Recompenses(God requites - rewards and purnishes). When a person is shamefully treated or misjudged, even wrongfully condemned or blamed when innocent, it becomes very difficult not to take up our own defense, and leave our reputation to God. Yet this is the precise way that He has instructed for us to respond.The scriptures declare that retribution or recompense does not belong to us but rather it belongs to God.}
6b and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Jehovah El-Olam[Gen 21:33]) {The Everlasting God, The God of Eternity, The God of the Universe, The God of Ancient Days}
Pistis Elpis Agape,
Yogroom Gal
2:42 AM
cell group, out!
cell group, out!