Salient points:
- Don't focus on the issues in the world. Focus on that “one thing” - spend time with God, and you will be refreshed.
- God is inviting us to come and feast at His table
- We need to engage with God through the Word - not just reading, not even just understanding, but also proclaiming, declaring back to the whole spiritual realm; declaring back to our soul.
- There is an open heaven over our lives as we seek His face.
- God is renewing our knowledge of Him, our strength/capacity, and our mind
- God doesn’t want us to just cope. He wants us to overcome.
- God wants us to soar; to be ahead and not behind; and to gain sustainability.
Notes from Ps Lew Lee Choo’s sermon on Aug 6, 2023 (SIBKL) [TITLE: Urgency of the Times "Come"] - launch of 40-day fast and prayer (NECF)
What is the Lord saying to us in this season amid the many uncertainties and chaos in the country and the world?
The word is “come”.
Let these 40-days be a season of “rest”.
In this season, God is truly asking us to come and abide in Him, to dwell in Him, not just to go in and out, but to learn to commune with him, to learn to fix our eyes on Him. And as we do that, God is going to bring rest.
Luke 14:16-21 [AMPC]
16 But Jesus said to him, A man was once giving a great supper and invited many;
17 And at the hour for the supper he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, Come, for all is now ready.
18 But they all alike began to make excuses and to beg off. The first said to him, I have bought a piece of land, and I have to go out and see it; I beg you, have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to examine and put my approval on them; I beg you, have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and because of this I am unable to come.
21 So the servant came and reported these [answers] to his master. Then the master of the house said in wrath to his servant, Go quickly into the great streets and the small streets of the city and bring in here the poor and the disabled and the blind and the lame.
The Lord has prepared a banquet for us; all we need to do is to “come”, as everything is ready for us.
In the urgency of the times, don't focus on the issues in the world. Focus on that “one thing” - spend time with God.
The Lord says, “Come and feast at My table”.
He has spread a table before us in the presence of our enemies (challenges, health problems, family problems, economic problems, political problems).
God has set a feast before us - and He wants to invite us to come to Him so that He can anoint our head with oil, and make our cup overflow.
There are three things about rest. How can we enter into that rest? What is God inviting us to in these 40 days?
Come and be…
Refreshed
Be rooted
Be renewed
God is the Fountain of Living Water. The Word of God is the Word of life.
When the Living Word is inside us, the life of God comes into us. The reason why we are not experiencing the Refreshing Spring is because we do not know how to engage with God through the Word.
We need to engage with God through the Word - not just reading, not even just understanding, but also proclaiming, declaring back to the whole spiritual realm; declaring back to our soul.
It's our soul that must be refreshed; our mind being refreshed is not good enough. This is because our soul is the will, the spirit, the emotions and the whole being of us. Internalise the Word, till it becomes flesh in us.
The more you repeat something, the more power it has over you.
So, as you read, proclaim, repeat, internalise it.
Personalise Psalm 23 (as a example):
Oh Lord God, You are my Shepherd. You are mine, oh Lord God.
I will never lack anything - I will not lack guidance, help, wisdom, finance, love.
And Lord God, You are always leading me into quiet waters.
Even though my soul is so disturbed, You're refreshing me, Lord. You're refreshing me today.
Oh Lord God, I will never be dry, and Lord, it is so wonderful You are helping me to make the right decisions, not just for my sake, but for your own name’s sake.
It's 100% I know that the decision I have to make today will be the right decision.
And even though I may go through valleys of darkness, I believe and I know, I know that You are with me.
Your rod of correction will correct me and Your staff will comfort me and not only that, oh Lord God, You are so good, You are going to prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemy (my enemies of confusion, fear, interpersonal relationships, problems with my family).
Right in the middle of that, Lord, You're going to spread a feast for me, giving me understanding.
Oh Lord God, You're going to anoint my head with oil - I will have fresh anointing. I'll be able to overflow, oh Lord God, that even when my friends come and ask me to pray for them, I will have a word for them.
Lord, I want to overflow. Thank you so much, Lord.
Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever, amen.
~~~
Many people need us to overflow. That is why you must be nourished. You cannot give what you do not have; you cannot give what you do not have. If you did not receive from the Lord the peace, love and joy, you cannot give peace, love and joy.
Revelation 4:1 [AMPC]
We need to engage with God through the Word - not just reading, not even just understanding, but also proclaiming, declaring back to the whole spiritual realm; declaring back to our soul.
In these 40 days, there is an open heaven (over our home, church and ourselves).
But it cannot be opened (for you), if you don't want to spend time with God.
Revelation 3:20 [AMPC]
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears and listens to and heeds My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will eat with him, and he [will eat] with Me.
God is saying if any man hears my voice and opens that door there will be an open heaven.
God wants us to be rooted in His glory and in His love.
Songs of Solomon 2:4 [AMPC]
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love [for love waved as a protecting and comforting banner over my head when I was near him]
Ephesians 3:17-19 [AMPC]
17 May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love,
18 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];
19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!
The purpose of these 40 days is not only to refresh us, but also to root us, ground us to make sure when the next storm/challenge comes, we will not be defeated, we will not be blown away.
He wants us to be so grounded and that's why he's brought us into this great feast so that His banner over me is love.
Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not faint or grow weary; there is no searching of His understanding.
29 He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and [selected] young men shall feebly stumble and fall exhausted;
31 But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] shall change and renew their strength and power; they shall lift their wings and mount up [close to God] as eagles [mount up to the sun]; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint or become tired.
Before He can renew us, He must make sure that we totally believe that He loves us.
You will never allow someone to correct you, if you don't trust that that person is loving you.
Being rooted in God's love, being rooted in the glory of God is essential before He can renew us.
God’s understanding of us is greater than our understanding of ourselves.
He knows what is the key that will open the door that the jigsaw puzzle can come together.
He wants to renew our understanding and perspective of life.
God is renewing…
Our knowledge of Him. Start fasting and spend time with the Lord.
Our strength (inner strength/capacity). God needs to increase our capacity not just to cope but to overcome.
Our mind so that we have God’s perspectives of things
God is saying to us - I don't want you just to cope. I want you to overcome.
As we cling to the Lord, as we spend time with the Lord, we will soar with wings as eagles.
As we spend time with the Lord, as we are rooted in His love, rooted in His glory, as we refresh ourselves, as we read the Bible, as we allow Him to renew us, our minds, our thinking, our perspective change; we begin to have a God’s perspective.
Soaring is about advantage. Running is being ahead. Walking and not fainting, is about sustainability. Fly high, last long.
Proclaim: I will soar. I will have an advantage. I will run, I will be ahead not behind; I will walk, I will not faint because I have sustainability.
~~
Heavenly Father,
The longing of Your heart is that we'll be able to soar higher, run faster, walk longer. The desire of heart is that we be strengthened in our inner man - not just to cope, but to be an overcomer.
Lord, we want to thank You.
Today, I declare I will be an overcomer, not just a survivor because the Lord Who is within me is greater than he that is in the world.
And because You are more than a Conqueror, I will be more than a conqueror.
~~
VIDEO LINK: [SERMON] Urgency of the Times "Come" - Pr Lew Lee Choo // 6 Aug 2023 - YouTube
