He Answers

Read Psalm 86:1-7

"In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me." - Psalm 86:7

Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes, we wonder whether God will answers us when we do earnestly pray to Him. I've seen Him answering my prayers in simple things like fixing the audiovisual glitches for my church presentation today or getting help from a stranger when my car broke down at nowhere yesterday to other things like providing me wisdom and discernment in decision making or protection from physical or spiritual harm daily.

Like our earthly father, God always wants to give the best in everything, and at times we do need to ask Him to give us the patience for unanswered prayers or strength when He allows us to go through seemingly unfair or difficult situation in our lives.

If we truly and closely abide in Him, obeying His commands, we need not to worry for any storm that may hits our lives. God who is loving, faithful, good and merciful will always forgive, guard and brings true joy into our lives when we sincerely devoted to Him (v2).

Father, thank You for teaching me to draw close to You daily, to be renewed by Your life-changing Word. Help me to learn how to focus and surrender my life to Jesus.

Lord, give me strength and good rest everyday that I may not grow weary or distracted by the things of the world. Instead, give me a willing and joyful heart to seek You first and Your righteousness, knowing clearly You will provides all that I need. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

A Good Stretch

Read Romans 8:26-28

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Romans 8:26

Reflection of Tommy:

In Romans 8:28, Paul clearly stated that God works for our good not only in certain circumstances or incidents in our lives but in “all things”. This means both good and bad things that happened to us.

To fulfill His purpose, God can turn something seemingly bad at the moment to good eventually. This gives us the courage, hope and encouragement to persevere in times of hardship; trusting and relying on God more.

Note also that this eventual good is only for those who truly love and faithful to God; called according to His purpose. These people trust fully in God, knowing their security is in heaven and God is always present with them.

Dear Father, thank You for showing to me how the Spirit can pray with and for me even when I do not know the right words and things to pray. Guide me Lord, never to be anxious of anything, but in everything, by prayers with thanksgiving, presenting my request to You. And Your peace that transcends all understandings will continue guarding my heart and mind in Christ Jesus, Amen.

Prayer for Strangers

Read Colossians 1:9-14

Reflection of Tommy:

Sometimes, it’s hard to pray for those we do not know or not that well or that we have never met; people like missionaries, leaders, strangers and even enemies. But, as we look at how Paul prayed for the Colossians, who he had never met, in today’s passage, we can learn how to pray for these people:

We can pray that they will..
1. Understand God’s will
2. Gain spiritual wisdom
3. Please and honor God
4. Bear good fruit
5. Grow in the knowledge of God
6. Be strengthen by God
7. Have great endurance and patience
8. Stay full of Christ’s joy
9. Give thanks and praise to God always

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me how to emulate the prayer pattern of Paul to the Colossians today. Lead me to be more Christ-like each day, more other-centered, praying for those in needs and be ready to serve with joy and humility. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Prayers of Jesus

Read Psalm 23

Reflection of Tommy:

We see how even Jesus himself spend times praying for all the concerns around Him, in fact, the entire chapter 17 of the gospel of John is on His prayer to the Father. This is because we are living in a tremendous battleground, where the forces under Satan’s power and those under God’s authority are at war.

We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:10-17). But, we can take comfort knowing that as Jesus has prayed for His disciples, He still intercede for us all who follow Him today. He assured us to always keep us safe from Satan’s power or being snatched out from His hand (John 10:27-29); preparing us to be pure, holy and united through His truth.

Dear Father, thank You for the assurance and protection I have in Jesus, my Good Shepherd. Thank You for teaching me not to feel discouraged when trials and obstacles assails, but to rest all my cares and worries in Your mighty hand and trusting You to lead my ways. Lord, guide me also to first build a right relationship with You in joy, faithfulness and genuine commitment. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Truth About Sin

1 Kings 15:1-5

Abijah King of Judah
1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah [a] became king of Judah, 2 and he reigned in Jerusalem three years. His mother's name was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. [b]

3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4 Nevertheless, for David's sake the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not failed to keep any of the LORD's commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

1 Kings 15:11

11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as his father David had done.

Reflection of Tommy:

The Bible never hides or treats sin lightly even in God chosen people like King David. We learn how sin will always be brought to light and how God offers forgiveness to those who confess and repent from it.

But, there are times where we are blinded and unaware of our sin and wrongdoings. It is why we should ask the Spirit to search and reveal to us any sin, wrong thoughts or desires in us during our prayers. We can use the verse found in David’s Psalm 139:23-24 in our prayer:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me to ask the Spirit to search, reveal and point out to me my sin when I come to You in my prayer. Thank You that through this I can change and be more like Christ each day; relying on Your strength, wisdom, and discernment to continue on Your “way everlasting“. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Effective Prayers

James 5:13-18

The Prayer of Faith
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

17Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Reflection of Bee:

Sometimes we wonder why our prayers are not answered. Tonight's devotion tells when and how we should pray so that our prayers are effective.

We pray when we or someone is
- in trouble (v13)
- sick (v14)

Our prayers must be
- in faith (v15)
- from a righteous heart, no unconfessed sins (v15,16)
- earnest (v17)

Dear Lord,
Thank You for teaching me how to pray. May I practice what I learn tonight and not just keep them as head knowledge. Let me pray in faith and earnestly with a clean heart. I commit myself to You once again.
In Your holy name I pray. Amen.




Reflection of Tommy:

As Christian, we sometimes assume that since God knows and in control of all things- past, present and future, we stop altogether from truly praying. We treat it merely as something we do as a last resort or a formulaic and repetitive ritual that makes no difference whatsoever in our life and the lives of others.

But, why then God encourages and calls us to pray to Him in all things (Philippians 4:6)? Although our prayers are subject to His will but they are still an important part of God’s healing process. God often waits for our prayers of faith before He intervenes in a situation. So, treat our communion with God as our most powerful resource to bring the best result in everything we face.

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me the importance of prayer, and how my prayer in faith will be a part in Your overall perfect plan. Guide me through the Holy Spirit to spend time daily to truly pray to You. May my prayers for others be sincere and out of love. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

The Fellowship Of The Cross

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

The God of All Comfort
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[a] behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Reflection of Bee:

We can learn 3 important truths from tonight's devotion:

1. God not only allows us to go through life's troubles and sorrows, but also comforts us in His compassion, so that we in turn can comfort others (v3,4).

2. Through all these trials we will learn not to rely on ourselves but on God, who can deliver us from all troubles (v9).

3. We need the prayers of others so that God will continue to deliver us from life's troubles (v10).


Dear Lord,
Thank You for showing me again why You allowed me to go through trials in my life. Thank You for Your compassion and love towards me in all my life. Thank You for those who have supported me in prayers so that You can show us the power of prayers and also teach us love and unity.
I also want to pray for Tommy that he will rest well tonight and be fresh tomorrow for the week ahead. May Your love, grace and mercy follows him wherever he goes.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

Trusting and depending on God does not necessary means our problems will go away or that we will be relieved entirely from our pain. Although sometimes we do wish God removes them from us, but we should know He may have a better plan for us in those difficult periods in our lives.

It may be His way to lead us to turn to Him out of love and not merely out of the desire to be relieved. Or, it may be His other way of comforting us by supplying His peace, strength, encouragement and hope for us to deal with our troubles. And He may also use our hardship and trial to prepare us to help out and comfort those who are suffering similar pain in their lives.

Dear Father, thank You for both the good and the bad times. Thank You for Your sustaining grace for me when things are getting harder and overwhelming for me. But Lord, teach me to allow You to comfort me through those times in Your ways. I will continue to trust You for all my needs and give You praise and thanks always. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
thanks

God, Answer Me!

Psalm 6

1O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.

3 My soul is in anguish.
How long, O LORD, how long?

4 Turn, O LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.

5 No one remembers you when he is dead.
Who praises you from the grave [b] ?

6 I am worn out from groaning;
all night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the LORD has heard my weeping.

9 The LORD has heard my cry for mercy;
the LORD accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be ashamed and dismayed;
they will turn back in sudden disgrace.

Reflection of Bee:

Whenever we want to go forward spiritually and serve God more, the devil will never leave us alone. He would tried to attacked us through people. It seems very effective when we forget about spiritual warfare. I experienced that yesterday and was feeling angry over some wrongful accusations. However, as I reflected on them, the Lord showed me that the enemy wanted to discourage me from bring people to Christ.

Knowing it is a spiritual battle somehow helps me turn to God instead of using my own strength to fight. Soon my anger for that person who wronged me turned into prayer for her instead. Yes, God will hear my prayers and not leave me alone.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for reminding me that I need to be on guard against the spiritual enemy. Greater is You who is in me than he that is in the world. You have given me victory. Praise You!
In Your name I thank You. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:

The most ineffective prayer is when we pray by scratching only the surface of things or being awfully general. We need to know that God is always there listening and talking to us when we pray to Him. It is never a one-way “monolog” form of communication.

We can learn from David, who pours out his heart in tears to God in prayer. Likewise, we can be totally honest and direct when we pray to God. Honesty is important for effective prayer because it helps us to begin praying in details with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We will also be able to discern and listen to what God wanted to say or reveal to us.

Dear Father, thank You that I can approach You through prayers 24/7. Thank You for giving me the peace when I can rest all my worries into Your hands. Thank You that I can always trust You, Almighty God, that I don’t have to be victim of any circumstances or be weighed down by the guilt of sin. Lord, draw me closer to You each day, helping me to turn my attention from myself to You and Your mercy. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Inner Turmoil

1 Samuel 1:9-18

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple. [a] 10 In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD. 11 And she made a vow, saying, "O LORD Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head."
12 As she kept on praying to the LORD, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, "How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your wine."
15 "Not so, my lord," Hannah replied, "I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the LORD. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief."
17 Eli answered, "Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him."
18 She said, "May your servant find favor in your eyes." Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

Reflection of Bee:

Who will know and see our inner turmoil, except the Lord God? Even our closest friends may not understand us and may even pass judgment on us in times of needs. Yet we know that we can always cry our to God for what men can't understand or ignored

Dear Lord,
Teach me to pray earnestly like Hannah did that You may answer my prayers and show me your path. Thank You for loving me
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.



Reflection of Tommy:
In our lives, we may sometimes face times of ‘barrenness’, where nothing comes to fruition. It may be our career, service or relationships. It can be hard for us to pray in faith when everything seems to be so ineffective all the times. But, we should not be discouraged or giving up hope, instead like Hannah we should bring our problem honestly before God, pray ceaselessly and knowing how our prayer opens the door for God to work (v19-20)

Dear Father, thank You for teaching me the power of prayer and how to fully trust and surrender to You through prayer. Guide me always to come to You first in prayers before relying upon other worldly supports. Guard my heart and mind that I’ll always do things according to Your will, not mine, and that I may bring glory and honor with my words and actions. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.

Keep Praying

Luke 11:5-13

5Then he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, 6because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.'

7"Then the one inside answers, 'Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man's boldness[a] he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

9"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for[b] a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Reflection of Bee:

Tonight's passage is so comforting.... "how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (v13). We need to ask for the right thing so that we will receive. The right thing and the most important thing we need is the Holy Spirit. When we have Him in our life, He will guide us to do and ask for the right thing.

I need to ask, seek and knock till my prayers are answered. God wants me to open my mouth and not just simply say He knows what I need.

Dear Lord,
Thank You for guiding me in my life. Even as I embarked into another new phase in my career, I pray that Your Holy Spirit will guide me to the path I should go, where You want me to be. Help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit's leading.
I pray also for my 'bf' that You will grant him peace and the serenity to trust You in his life and career. Grant Him Your peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.


Reflection of Tommy:

Some Christians has prayed for years, but God never seem to answer their prayer. It is easy to give up praying and concludes that God doesn't care about us or we've missed the mark. But, whenever we are tempted to think these ways, read Luke 11:11-13.

It gives us the understanding and peace to trust our loving Father in Heaven to know what is best for us. Though, we may not have the full picture to why certain things turned out the way they are, we can still have the confidence to continue praying to God and learning to recognize His work.

Dear Father, thank You for Your love and sovereignty that everything is in Your control. Help me to submit and trust in You; never be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, letting all my requests be made known to You and Your peace that surpasses all understanding will always guard my heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Amen.