fullness of christ

10 He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
"fill all things" - that include my family... every individual... my students...

11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 ... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

as i read the word today, the lord speaks to me about the fullness of christ in my life. God is able to "fill rachael teo", fill " puay hong", "josef", etc etc.

lets pray this powerful promise diligently. ask the lord to fill us in all aspect.

the lord has given me gifts to minister so that his family will grow to the fullness of christ. 'fullness' refer to the the filling of god in our lives too.

we grow INTO him . It is not grow LIKE him, but INTO him. when you grow into him, it means that you enter into the person of christ - the fullness of christ.

how do i allow the fullness of god to fill me up? or my family?

the answer is given in the bible

John 15:4 (New King James Version)
4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

to abide means to live and to dwell ( oxford dictionary)

how do we live in god?

we must learn to practise the presence of god in our lives.

live with a consciousness that god is with us in all our daily life. talk to him and rely on him in all areas.

dear lord help me in this. teach and lead me to abide in you.

teach me to pray for my loved ones... that we may be filled with the fullnewss of god in our lives.

amen

bond of peace - the double edged sword speaks

ph and i had an argument in th morning. PTL. the bible is a living word. the lord spoke to me thru the verses below.

eph 5

Walk in Unity 1

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you[a] all.


yes lord help me to walk in lowliness gentleness and longsuffereing . help us to keep the bond of peace and love at home.

amen

prayer for josef PH and I

Ephesians 3

that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

the lord has been placing in my heart the burden to pray.

let me pray for josef and puay hong -- two people in my family whom i see struggling with their inner selves.

josef is struggilng with his studies. by nature he is relaxed and non competitive. lord you see the piles of revision he has to do. he wants to do well and excel yet his easy going nature slows him down a lot.

lord i pray that you will strengthen him with your might in his inner man. he does not need to become a typical singaporean but let him be the student you have designed him to be. lord i pray that you might in him will transform him into the boy that you see in him.

i claim the promise that you have plans to prosper and to bless us. i pray that these plans will unfold in his life.

i pray for a purpose to arise in his heart. let the spirit of wisdom to arise in him that he may understand the purpose of all that he is doing. spirit of wisdom , saturate his soul and let god's wisdom seep into his heart.

in your time you make all things beautiful. josef is still young and immature - just a 11 year old. i pray that you will protect him even as sometimes he makes the wrong choices and suffer teh consequences. i pray that in all things, you will work for the good of those who love you and are called according to your purpose.

you have given josef a bright mind and i pray that you will bless his efforts and bring him to the top. you have blessed us to be always at the top, not even mediocre cos you are an almighty god and the power that is at work in us is beyond our understanding.

lord jesus for the coming mid year exams i pray that you will teach josef what it means to rely on the power of god to prepare and sit for exams. teach him organisational and study skills that he can use as he advances in the education.

use ph and me to teach him how to fish dear lord.

i pray that you bless his h ealth as well. keep him healthy and strong and joyful.

i pray that the burden of work will not weigh him downn but make him stronger and more resilient.

PH

I pray that the god of might will change the heart of my husband. he continues to struggle as he wants to be close to god and yet his hearts looks another direction.

lord of might, i pray that you will transform him. perform a heart surgery for him and let him be attracted to the intangibles - which is the eternal and important.

let the desire to accumulate wealth with the wrong objective melt away. let wealth be used for god. let his eyes turn to you and even as ph accumulates wealth, let him do it with you, for you.

may you be lord over his materials. may you be lord over him.

let a spirit of humility and dependance seep into him, that he may know what it is to be your sheep and you, his shepherd.

teach him that you are lord, not him. teach him that you are the heavenly father who provides blesses and guides.

teach him about the fellwoship with the holy spirit. let it not just be an intellectual walk with you. let him commune with you and in his words, grow deep in you.

in the name of jesus, i cut the negative effects of the past on him. let him not be held back by tha past but let his eyes be fixed on the prize that god has won for him.

is his heart frozen? does he look to relate with people? even in church work and family, i do not see him relating well with people,

god of wisdom, i pray that you will take him as he is and melt his icy heart with your love passion and joy.

let feelings and emotions arise in him and let him get in touch with his inner man.

i surrender my husband to you dear lord.

Myself
lord perhaps i am hurt by the comments given in the evaluation. i pray for the blood of jesus to cover and sooth these hurts. i pray that you lord will go with me to each lecture and bless my efforts there. i pray for favour with my students. grant me wisdom, that i may know how to guide them to do well for exams as well as share with them studying tips that i have picked up over the years.

lord i am afriad. i am like a lamb which once hurt, takes a long time to recover. my heart and spirit is that sensitive.

but you are the lord in me who is strong and mighty. though you are tender hearted you are the lion of judah. i pray that god's strength will permeate my whole being.

i surrender all that i am to you - my temper, my tiredness, forgetfulness, passion, love for people, love for books and languages etc etc.

all that i am , teach me to put in your hands that i may be totally yours and yours alone.

as i teach, guide me and grant me ideas and knowledge what to do. guide me to books that are useful to me. bring students who want to share their lives with me.

even as students share their lives with me, grant me your wisdom in my speech and my interaction with them.

i plead the blood of jesus over my job and my eval. over my mind - that it may be whole and sharp.

i plead teh blood of jesus over deborah and matthias - that they may be protect in all areas.

i plead teh blood of jesus over my mum and dad. over my sis bro and xuhui. i pray for god's protection over them.

bless my wedddng anniversay prep. let it be a joyous process for ph and i. bless teh occasion that there may be much joy in the presence of the lord.

amen

i love you jesus

prayer

i feel in me to pray.

lord i praise you for the work that you have done in ph life. you have caused him to start thinking about II again.

lord i pray that you will use ph mightily to transform the community that you have placed in his heart.

lord the project is yours and we need you to take charge of it and to move it forward.

we need investors and people to be trained. your eyes see them and we pray that you will bring these people into our paths.

lord teach us to walk in the power and anointing of your holy spirit. teach us not to strive but to work with you.

lord as we pray we ask that you cause II to be revived and allow your annointing to flow. bring the people in lord.

meanwhile help us to abide in your prsence and live in you.

bless and anoint our work that we may be a testimony to your goodness at our workplace.

i plead the blood of jesus over our work and performance. as well as favour from our bosses and colleagues. grant us ideas and wisdom in all that we need. more than we can imagine.

i plead the blood of jesus over my children. bless them with good health. protect their minds emotions and spirits that they may love and know the lord all their lives.

in the name of jesus, i tear down strongholds of bitterness fury jealousy and rage int eh family. in the name of jesus, i invite the holy spirit to reing in the hearts of the family members and in the house.

i pray for the glory of god to descend upon the house. i pray for the presence of god to descend into our hearts.

god reign in our lives and our family. lord reign in us. let your presence be shown.

amen

the purpose and power of god for us

ephesians 3

god's purpose for us

manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places,

it is interesting how god wants us to make known to the powers in the heavenly places and not to man. it reminds me of hwee fern who always tells me that the warfare is the spirit not the man.

we must be alert to know that warfare is going on invisibly around us.

what does god want to give us?

according to the riches of His glory,

Step 1
to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man

Step 2
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith;

Step 3
being rooted and grounded in love

Product 1
know the love of Christ

Describe the love of christ
passes knowledge

Product 2filled with all the fullness of God.

How do we acheive the above process and product

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,(v20)

Reflection and response
God has a purpose for me- to make known his wisdom to the principalities of the air. specifically for me, it is to make known his wisdom in my family and my workplace.
this is the mission that he has given me.

In order to achieve this mission, god has provided me the steps to do it. however, the only way to attain the steps is by the power of god in our lives. he does more than we can imagine.

i can only imagine that a surrendered heart and mind is the only way to let god work powerfully in our lives. a surrendered life is the only way to let the power of god flow.

god speak to me. what do you want me to surrender to you?

lord i surrender my lectures the student eval and my children and my husband to you.

teach to let go and let you in. lord teach me to surrender them to you in prayer.

lord teach me to do all things for your glory.

rgd my lectures, i need wisdom and ideas. grant me more than ever i can imagine.

rgd stu evl, i need favour and trust and respect. grant me more than i can imagine.

rgd my children, i pray that they will know and love you. i pray that they will excel in their work and love learnig. grant me more than i can imagine.

i pray that matthias will be healthy. he loves swimming. heal him by the end of the year lord that he may be playing in the pool again.

i pray that you will place josef and deborah in the school which is best for them. grant ph and wisdom which is more than we can imagine.

i pray for ph that he will know you and abide in you. let him grown deep in you. engage his heart with you. lord hwee fern has said ph has disengaged his heart since his mother's death.

i trust in her wisdom. i pray that you will cause his heart to become alive again. do more than i can ever imagine lord.

i pray that ph will live out the destiny that he has in you. he is searching and sometimes going round and round. there are dreams and aspirations but he is fearful. he is lost. he wonders how to do it.

lord teach him to learn how to be led by you. that you may lead him to pastures beyond his imagination. teach him to taste the goodness of the lord and celebrate your abundance.

i pray for my marriage that it will be filled with all intimacy. fill it beyond my asking lrod.

lord teach me discipline to spend time with you.

i need help to do a lot of things . help me lord.

thank you

amen

disappointed

such disappointment.

i feel so disappointed in my son for his irresponsible attitude. ( see journal on desktop)

god our peace and cornerstone

Eph 2:14-18

christ our peace
for the first time in my christian walk, i appreciate the fact that i am a gentile and jesus has broght me near him through his blood.

i was once (eph 2:11-13)

1)gentile in the flesh
2)called Uncircumcision
3)without Christ
4)aliens from the commonwealth of Israel
5)strangers from the covenants of promise
6) having no hope and without God in the world

But by the grace of god, i have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

As a result of the blood of christ which has brought me into the inner courts of god,
god has made peace between Israel and the gentiles. God has "reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross" (v16).

Now both gentiles and israelites have access to the Father thru one spirit. (v 17)

thus God is our peace as he has made peace between the Israelites and gentiles.


Christ Our Cornerstone (Eph 2:19-22)cornerstone(Oxford dictionary)
an important quality or feature on which a particular thing depends or is based

An architecture analogy is used in these verses to illustrate the dwelling place of god.

How is the dwelling place of god created?
What is the foundation of the builidng?
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone (v20)

How does the foundation affect the building?in whom the whole building, being fitted together (v21)
In my own words, it means that every single floor/room of the building are designed to suit the use of the building.

note the interesting use of "in whom" in the last few verses.


Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

"in whom" refer to jesus christ. this means that in order for all the floors and rooms to be fitted together, this must be done in jesus christ. not by the power of man, but in jesus christ.

The building is a living thing
Note the use of "grows into" in verse 21

grows into a holy temple in the Lord (v21)

this means that the building is alive, unlike the concreate ones that we see around us. this also implies that the holy temple in the Lord is not one that is built overnight, but one that grows to become the temple.

This temple is also referred to as dwelling place of God in the Spirit (v22).
.

Reflection and Response

god, thank you for your grace that you have called me from afar into your inner courst. help me to always dwell in the inner courts of your presence and spirit.

you have made peace for me and i want to dwell in this peace that you have given me thru your blood.

i was unworthy and you have called me near you. thank you for your grace. teach me to be gracious to the ones around me the same way you have been gracious to me.

jesus, you are the cornerstone of your family.

i ask myself, how much has my earthy family made you the cornerstone? how much does puay hong the kids and i depend on you for life?

i pray for ph and me that we will work and abide in christ together to make christ the cornerstone of our family. we need to be steward to grow this family into a temple of god.

father i realise that all thing should be done 'in jesus christ'. even as i go about lecturing, bringing my children, loving and supporting my husband, loving my family, i pray that i will do all things in jesus christ.

help me lord. i am weak and easily distracted by the things around me but holy spirit keep me in you. grant me the desire of my heart.

amen.

i pray for my children that they will know and love the lord personally. use ph and me to share the word and love of god. most of all, allow the holy spirit to work in them.

lord you see the struggle in ph life. i pray for the spirit of revelation to come upon him and open his eyes to the TRuth that sets him free. Free him from his struggles by changing his heart. let his heart be on fire for you so much so that the things of the world grows dim.

even as he draws near to you, i pray that he will know your will for II, for his HDB and his projects.

i pray that god will permeate into every membrane of his life, not just at the car park.

i pray for a breakthrough in ph walk with you and let this breakthrough take place in the fire of the holy spirit.

amen.

Eph 2:1-10 Made alive in christ

By Grace Through Faith

What i was before christ redeemed me ( ie made alive)

1)dead in trespasses and sins

2)walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air

3)conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh,

4)fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind,

5)and were by nature children of wrath,

What God did for us
1 And you He made alive,

2)raised us up together,

and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus

GOd's purpose of saving us

1) we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Relate back to Jer 29:11 about god knowing the good plans he has for us. here god says he has prepared good works for us so that we may walk in them. god's glorious plan for our lives!

2)He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus

the abundant life we have in jesus! what a blessed life that the lord wants to show us his exceeding riches ( in every sense, not only spiritually. consider king david and kind solomon lives)

The Nature of God
1)rich in mercy

2)because of His great love with which He loved us


reflection

i was a lost lamb, down trodden and dirty when the lord saved me. the lord is merciful and gracious towards me. i was unworthy.

as i read this, i cry out to the lord to teach me to be gracious and merciful to those weak ones too. i am strong cos the lord has made me strong and given me many talents.

by the mighty power of god working in my life, i am able to achieve many things like the way king david was able to.

the lord has blessed the works of my hand.

i tend to be impatient with those who are slow to perceive and understand. help me to be gracious like you dear lord.

lord you have prepared good works for me to walk in. my heart leaps with joy as i think about this.

i realise that i do not need to strive in this life of mine. all i need to do is to walk with you and allow you to lead me in the works you have prepared for me.

god you have a destiny for you and i pray that we walk this life together.

lord jesus, i give my life to you and i pray that all the works you have prepared for me will be accomplished before you call me home.

amen

i pray for jo debbie and matthy that they will walk in the good works that god has prepared for them. i pray for ph too that he will walk in the works you have prepared for him.

grant all of them a spirit of wisdom and revelation that they may see the glorious inheritance you have for each of us. let us not drawn to the world but let us be drawn to god and his kingdom

i plead the blood of jesus over my work and ph work. i pray for favour with boss colleagues and students. i pray for a great sense of humour and wisdom to conduct our lectures. holy spirit make the lectures a pleasurable and beneficial one for studnets and us.

i plead the blood of christ over my children's walk with you. i pray that they will know you deeply and personally . let them remember the encounters they have with you and may they grow to be people after your own heart.

i plead the blood of christ over their minds. that they may know the truth. they may also enjoy and love learning. let them learn well and let them achieve results with teh power of the spirit working in them.

i pray that you bring in good teachers into their lives and bless them with positive friends.

i pray for deborah that she will learn to control her tongue and be discernig in the things that she says.

thank you lord for the openings that you have given me. anoint me and allow me to shine at the market place.

use me to shine brightly for you at SIM an NP.

bless my fellowship with the students that your love and glory will be shown. let the weak and the lost return to you thru this fellwoship.

bring the ppl whom you are calling back to you thru this fellowship.

lord use me to bless my family and my students.

i love you lord. i want to abide deeper in you and to experience you in a more intimate way.

i love you jesus

amen

spiritual wisdom

yesterday i read about the habit of meditation and i learn that instead of finishing awhole chunk of scripture, we should try to savour small bits of it and let the lord speak to us.

today i read a few verses from ephesian 1

Who is God?the Father of glory

What does my Father want to give us?

1) spirit of wisdom

2) revelationin the knowledge of Him,

3) the eyes of your understanding[c] being enlightened

What is the purpose of our spiritual eyes being enlightened? 18 ; that you may know

a) what is the hope of His calling,
b) what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
c) 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,

How does god describe this power?
according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,


What is the heavenly places like?
21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.


Refelctive question
we already have the hope of calling, a rich and glorious inheritance and his power.

now we need to ask for spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know him and his power in our lives.

his power is awesome, beyond death. if a nuclear reactor can produce so much energy, just think about god's power which is greater than all things.

tap on this power rachael to see Him working in my work, my family and my ministry.

abide in him and go in his power rachael, i encourage myself.

let the spirit be the engine of my life. imagine what a glorious life i will be leading then.

Prayer

jesus i pray for my family that you will give each of us the spirit of wisdom and eyes of understanding to see and know you, to see you as who you are.

lord i pray that each member will be able to know the glorious calling and hope that you have called us.

lead us to meditate on you so that we may know your power working mightily in our lives. let us not strive but let us be victorious in the power of the mighty lord.

i pray for josef that he will rely on the wisdom of god even as he studies for his mid year exam. grant him victory even as you granted david success in all that he did.

for debbie, i pray that you will replace the spirit of pride with a spirit of humility. let her learn bumbly from the teachers around her. grant her teachaers who will make learning engaing and interesing.

for mathias, i pray for an obedient spirit that will be made teachable by the gentleness and love of the holy spirit. let him be tamed by the spirit and let him be wild for god. bless his respiratory system that he may be totally well bu july and he need not rely on sabul or pulmicort anymore.

thank you lord

for ph, i pray that the holy spirit will change his heart that his heart may be fixed on things of god and not of this world. give him the wisdom to see the transience of the world and let him behold the beauty and awesomeness of god.

change his heart to be one after god and your kingdom.

deepen his roots in you and let him know you, that he may lead this family to the service and destiny that you have called this family to.

change him such that he is not only a provider of this family but also the leader as well. may he be led by you so that he can lead us.

let a humble and broken spirit arise in him dear lord.

amen

spiritual blessings

today i start reading ephesians and i learn about the blessed life that i have in christ. these are the spiritual blessings that christ has given me:

holy and without blame before Him in love

adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself

redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins

to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

obtained an inheritance we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.


these are the spiritual blessings christ wants to give us. what a blessed life we haev and how we must share these blessings which overflow from our lives to others.

lord thank you for blessing us so much. you love us so much the grace you lavished on us is immeasurable.

thank you dear lord.

confession
dear lord the sin of anger and bitterness in my heart, you say it is time to pluck it out with PH and not allow the devil to have a foothold in my life.

dear lord i pray that you will use ph as an instrument to help me have a breakthrough in this area. use me too to help me arise as the man of the family. dear lord teach us to be the watchers of the family that the devil may not come in to destroy and steal.

dear lord i pray that this family will arise and serve you. meanwhile may we sink our roots in you and abide in you. lord that all ministry flows from you and love and unitiy in the family always comes first.

i pray for ph that he will not be distracted by the world but he will keep his eyes focused on you. lord i prary that he will sink his roots in you so that he will be able to lead the family to where you have purposed.

let the spirit of love and peace reign in the family.

lord i am nervous about all the assignments which are coming up. go with me the same way you went with king david. grant me success in all that i do. i want to be a woman after god's heart too.

lord use me to shine your love ever so brightly b4 men, in this case, young ppl. lord use me to bring ppl to the knowledge of your grace and love.

lord use me to create an international ministry touching the lives of ppl and discipling them to know you.

i pray for my kids that they will love and know you. let the inheritance of love and knowledge of god be passed down from 1 generation to the next. teach me to teach and influence the next genereation for you dear lord.

i pray for my kids' studies that they may excel and perform well. let them understand the power of letting god go with them.

lord grant them the love for learning and the ability to understand analyse and apply. let their attitude towards learning be a positive and happy one.

i plead the blood of jesus over matthias asthmatic condition and i pray for complete healing for little matthy. heal him in the name of jesus and let him be able to swim again.

lord say the word and it shall be done.

thank you for the rainbow.

i love you