The End of True Testing


Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him. (Psa 105:18-19)


Testing serves to establish or to validate the authenticity of our true inner nature (Duet 8:2) and the Lord will again and again use the pain of it to try us but never beyond what we are able (1 Cor 10:13). The only way of escape is the narrow orifice of His way and will. Hence we glory in tribulation because it is the vehicle whereby the purposes of God lead us to the place of the generous pouring forth of His Love in our hearts (Rom 5:1-5). We may question that this is a rather strange way to experience the wholeness of God’s love toward us, but this seemingly cruel method that our God again and again employ to bring about the reality of death unto resurrection, mortification unto vivification, bringing to us His love through the cross. He will use people and circumstance as instruments but His ultimate Word will be the plumb line; we will be tested for what we believe and preach (Heb 4:12) for His Word will bring division of the soulish and the spiritual. The Lord’s Word will try our will to obey in the given situation of trial.


The cost of disobedience is to come short of God’s initial intent of a glorious church (Rom 3:23). The cost of discipleship is the cross that puts to death self, death of self is not total loss but there is a transaction of a lesser life to the glorious Life of the Son of God.


But think on me when it shall be well with thee, and shew kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house… Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but forgat him. (Gen 40:14, 23)


We should not avert testing, if we do this will short circuit His plan in our lives. He may allow us to be forgotten by man, loosing any human respect, to be humbled to the point of being unrecognized. We may wonder if anyone still remembers us in our dungeon of despair. He will. It is at the end of ourselves that God intervenes and graduates us to present the Life of God to others. The discipline of God upon Joseph built a man of strong Godly character worthy to wear the hat of power and authority to give life when all of man’s abilities and capabilities fail (Gen 47:15). Unless bread in the hands of the Master is blessed and broken (Matt 14:19) through suffering, there cannot bear life giving significance. Are we willing to be laid in iron, not by man, by our God to be a life giver? God will only give what is worthy in His hands.

Godly Heritage


As a husband and father, it is my responsibility to bring the Truth to my family for it carries the divine power to sanctify (John 17:17) us in our journey in God's predestined plan unto blamelessness (Eph 1:4).


I am very blessed to have a daughter that loves the Word of Truth and going to the next level of maturity to meditate hence en-grafting His Word. My daughter's meditative blog: http://littledisciples.blogspot.com/


I am also blessed to have a son who because of his desire to know true wisdom has taken initiative to memorize Prov 1 and 2.


......and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. (Jam 1:21)


Parents, let us be encouraged that we have a significant role in our building up a Godly Heritage (for He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob... the God of Israel, His people).


Start in small steps as a family. 
- Memorize and meditate on 1 or a few verses weekly
- Talk about the Word. Discuss about what it means to us and to the children (Duet 6:7) instead of gossiping about others and the government
- Read the 5 Psalms and the Proverbs together. (Read the chapter according to the date. For the Psalms add 30 to each chapter and so forth. Reserve Psalm 119 and Prov 31 for the 31st of the month)
- Center family time around the Bible, prayer and worship. Remove the television and other distractions
- Enthrone the LORD GOD over our families
- Confess sins and disappointments to each other
- Pray for the sick, needy, pastors, leaders of our nation and lastly for ourselves (1 Tim 2:2) and not complain
- Express true gratefulness to each other and to our God (1 Thess 5:18)


Being the head of the family has it's challenges, but in meekness and humility, seek the Lord and in our weakness, His strength will be manifested (2 Cor 12:9).

The Songs of Ascents


By God's grace, my wife has been able to put music to the Songs of Ascents. Hope that you are blessed. You can get details from http://www.m-csn.com/esthermui.htm

Our Resolve to Apprehend


Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. (Php 3:12)


As we encounter failures, depression, frustration, lack of victory in our Christian life there can arise the danger of excuses that attaining to the stature of which God our Father has ordained (Eph 1: 4, 5) is not for me but for other 'spiritual giants'. And with that we may give up following after, pursuing with vigor as Paul did and we start to stagnate or worst still end up back sliding. The tendency is to let go of that which we were first apprehended of Christ and start to cling on to another thing is doesn’t bear any resemblance to His life, the Abundance of Life He promised.


By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. (Heb 11:8)


Christ has apprehended us, but do we do our part of apprehending? Are we ready to allow ourselves to be taken custody under the authority of Christ? People generally dislike being out of control, being ‘in-control’ is where we find our own footing. Having Christ master over us is something most of us will strife against because it will rock our boat and there could be times He will even command us to get out of that boat of comfort and safety to walk on water to step into His unknown. To step out into Christ’s unknown is called ‘faith’. Faith brings into reality the promises of God and more so of Himself but with the prerequisite of letting go and clinging to His Word. Nothing else but His Word, for it comes with the responding to our hearing (Rom 10:17). Are we satisfied with just His Word or still looking for tangibles as crutches (John 20:29), for if we have the understanding that He magnified His Word above His name (Psa 138:2) His Word becomes the breath and energy of faith.


Have we been apprehended of Christ Jesus? If so have we resolved to apprehend with following after, pursuing vigor that sets us on the journey of conforming to Christ our Perfection..... ‘may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless’ (2 Pet 3:14). Is there a greater mastering of Christ over more and more areas of our life with lesser self-influence (John 3:30) even if it means understanding to the fullest of knowing Him... and the fellowship of His sufferings being made conformable unto His death (Php 3:10).