pray4me

23 July 2011

Stress is building up as I prepare for a coming Ministry Trip to Indonesia (26 July – 1 Aug).  I will be doing 2 Training Sessions and 2 Devotions in a Pastors Conference.  I will also be doing a Youth Seminar and at least 1 Church Service Preaching.  In addition to all these, I will be leading a planning meeting for the 2012/13 SUEWA International Students Camp, which will be held near Jakarta.  This will also include visits to a couple of campsites for this coming camp.  Please pray for God’s guidance and anointing in all my preparation work.

I will have a short break after Indonesia before I fly to Vietnam for another Ministry Trip (8-15 August).  I will be doing a 2-Day Youth Training Conference, meeting up with Pastors and Church Leaders, Vision Casting and Training for SU Friends; as well as a few Church Service Preachings.

With the back-to-back ministry assignments above, some preparation for Vietnam has to be done even before I fly to Indonesia.  Thank you for praying.  Thank you for your partnership in the ministry.  God bless you!

Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything by prayer and supplication,

with thanksgiving,

let your requests be made known to God..

Philippians 4:6

NKJV

THIS IS MY BIBLE

This is my Bible…

This is the Word of God…

I believe in the Word of God…

I have what the Bible says I have…

I am who the Bible says I am…

I can do what the Bible says I can do…

Today I will be taught the Word of God…

I am about to receive the incorruptible…

Ever-living Seed of God’s Word…

I will never be the same…

Never!  Never!  Never!

I will never be the same…

In Jesus’ Name, amen!

I first heard a declaration like this in a church in Houston, Taxes USA.  The pastor got the whole congregation standing and waving their Bibles.  The declaration was shouted out in gusto by the whole church, as Pastor John Osteen led the congregation.  That was more than 20 years ago.  (Pastor John Osteen has since gone home to be with the Lord, and I believe his son Joel Osteen is now pastoring the church.)

Back then 20 years ago, I was leading the Youth Fellowship in my home church, the church which I subsequently left JKR to serve in full-time Christian ministry.  At that time, I thought the declaration was cool and powerful.  And so I actually made the young people in my YF do the declaration!  I wonder if they liked it… I wonder if the declaration did them any good…

Several years later (after I have moved on from my home church to serve in a Christian organization), I remembered hearing a similar declaration in a church in Malacca.  The youth pastor there was doing exactly what I did in my YF years ago.  Hmm…  And then earlier this year, I came across this declaration again while listening to a sermon CD from a mega-church in Singapore.  And most recently, I heard this declaration again at a youth camp.

As usual, I began reflecting and thinking…

I guess one of the first thing to think about is our intention as speakers when we ask the hearers to recite such declarations.  Well as what I said earlier, when I did this years ago, I thought it was both powerful and cool.  Powerful… because I thought it would help the hearers get ready, get focused, and get excited with the message that was to come.  It seemed so biblical too!  I mean… such an important emphasis on the centrality of God’s Word!

Cool… because this kind of stuff is like an “ice-breaker”.  You know, something to wake people up and loosen them a bit.  Preachers are taught to get connected with people they are speaking to, part of homiletics training.  And also, stuff like this does make the speaker looks cool and happening.  We probably cannot fault any speaker for wanting the hearers to like them.  Nonetheless, if as speakers all we have is just a bag of tricks (or jokes and stories), then something is seriously wrong.

But we need to go deeper…

I think behind declarations such as this one, is the subtle likelihood of an erroneous theology of “name it, claim it and get it…”  Perhaps also a simplistic theology of positive thinking...  I have what the Bible says I have…  I am who the Bible says I am…  I can do what the Bible says I can do…

In many sense it is not wrong to talk about our possessions and positions in the Word of God.  But what about the requirements of the Scriptures that we read the Word of God, study it and obey it?  How about the Bible’s teaching regarding repentance and submission?

Maybe we could modify the declaration to look something as follows:

This is my Bible…

This is the Word of God…

I believe in the Word of God…

I have what the Bible says I have…

I can do what the Bible says I can do…

I will read and study my Bible everyday…

I will repent if needed, as the Bible commands…

I will obey as the Bible requires…

Today I will be taught the Word of God…

I receive the life-changing Seed of God’s Word…

When I align my life with the Word of God,

I will never be the same…

Never!  Never!  Never!

I will never be the same…

In Jesus’ Name and by the power of His Word…

Amen!

These modifications may not be that dramatic.  But I think they are significant enough to correct the imbalance, and to help us see “the other half” of the full truth…

We need to know that very often half truths may be more dangerous than blatant lies!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

If this article has blessed you, or if you think this article will bless someone; please feel free to forward it or used it in any way that would bring glory to God.  If appropriate, please acknowledge the source when quoting this material.  Jason Fong also welcomes your thoughts and comments for mutually edifying interactions.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this article may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.

prayer4MYnation #6

Father God, first of all I want to thank You!  Yes, there was a loss of one life last Saturday…  Yes, there were people who were hurt…  But yet I want to thank You for Your mercy and grace that the sufferings and damages were minimal.  I thank You that the crowd that gathered in the city have generally exercised restrain and discipline.  This has been an important factor in the overall outcome.  Father God, I thank You!  And while most of those in power and authority have abused their power and authority, some have not.  Father God, I thank You!

Father God, help us to understand that different people may interpret and see this incident differently.  In the understanding You have given me, I believe there are limits within which differing interpretations would be still be acceptable and reasonable.  At the same time, Father God help us to understand that interpretations outside certain limits would tantamount to lies.  Spirit of God, come and give me discernment; come and give Your people and Your church discernment.

With this discernment, we will need to decide what we should say and do.  Some of us will need to make effort to further counter check and verify what we hear and see from different sources…  Some of us will need to refrain from spreading “hearsays” and stop becoming propaganda tools to half truths…  Some of us will need to affirm and endorse what we know and believe as factual and right…  Some of us will need to speak up and refute what we know are blatant lies…  Spirit of God, please give us the discernment.  Spirit of God, we want to be courageous and bold to speak the truth in love.  Hold us accountable for all our actions and inactions!

My heart continues to weep for Malaysia, even as I continue to see various images of what has happened last Saturday.  There is also anger rising within me, especially when I read what I believe to be lies and distortions of truths.  I wished I could pray like how Jesus did, “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do…”  But I can’t.  Please forgive me Lord!  Rather I pray that the sins of these people will be exposed…  Instead I pray that these people may suffer the full consequences of all their wrong doings…  Lord, I know such prayers are not consistent with Your love, mercy and grace.  I know…  Please forgive me Lord!

Father God, may I end this prayer here with another note of thanksgiving.  As I further reflect upon the happenings in the last few weeks, I can see Your unseen mysterious Hands.  Those in power plotted their plans so systematically and effectively.  They must have thought that they were so smart and clever.  Indeed Lord, I believe You have chosen not to prevent them from implementing their schemes.  Thus, their “wisdom” has been turned into foolishness!

Father God, I thank You!  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Jason Fong believes that the Lord is leading him to pray more meaningfully for our beloved nation Malaysia.  He is sharing these prayers with the church at large through this blog and the Facebook.  He hopes that this series of prayers will further catalyze more Christians to watch and pray.

Please read Jason’s earlier article: LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY in this same blog, which was posted on 23 March 2011.  It would be a helpful reading for us to learn to pray more biblically.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this prayer may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.

prayer4MYnation #5

O Lord… today is the day!  I am sure it is not Your Will that any people will get hurt.  But it is quite likely that some will.  I am sure it not Your Will that any people will get arrested or detained unjustly.  But it is quite certain that some will.  I am sure it is not Your Will that our beloved nation would go through times of sufferings, fears and turmoil.  But this is precisely what Malaysia is going through.

Lord God, You are able to make all things (including bad things) to work out for good…  Lord I believe!  Lord I know You are able!

So Lord God, please have mercy on Malaysia.  Within the constraints of all the choices and decisions that fallen and sinful people will make, I beseech You to work some good out of the current situation…

Let there be the good awakening among Your people and Your church in Malaysia.  Make us realize that indeed this world, this country, this city is not our home.  Make us realize that all other grounds is sinking sand… so that we will endeavor to stand on Christ the solid rock.

Let there be the good political and social awakening among the people of this nation.  Make us realize the wrongness of being happy to be the silent majority.  Make us realize that we have responsibilities if we want to remain as citizens of Malaysia.

Let there be the good awakening for a process of change to be catalyzed.  Make us courageous enough to speak up against corrupted people who are currently in position.  Make us wise enough to know what we can do to remove such people.  But yet at the same time, we must be mindful that any new leadership to be, will definitely not be perfect.

O Lord… hear the cries of your church… hear the cries of your people… hear my cries…  In the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Jason Fong believes that the Lord is leading him to pray more meaningfully for our beloved nation Malaysia.  He is sharing these prayers with the church at large through this blog and the Facebook.  He hopes that this series of prayers will further catalyze more Christians to watch and pray.

Please read Jason’s earlier article: LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY in this same blog, which was posted on 23 March 2011.  It would be a helpful reading for us to learn to pray more biblically.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this prayer may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.

prayer4MYnation #4

O God, so often we are lazy to pray, and so often we just pray lazy prayers.  Our prayers are shallow, simplistic and generic.  We simply mumble: May God bless my beloved nation…  We just say: Lord, watch over our country…  We naively declare: You are Lord over Malaysia…  Please forgive Your church.  Please forgive Your people.  Please forgive me.

Dear Lord, we have also use too much positive thinking and positive talking in our prayers.  We simply claim victory over this and claim victory over that…  We mindlessly cast this out and cast that out…  We used Your Name in vain to curse this and to curse that…  Please forgive Your church.  Please forgive Your people.  Please forgive me.

And Father God, in addition to all the above, most of our prayers are just concerned with blessings.  Give us this and give us that…  Bless this and bless that…  Let me be happy, let me be successful, let me be healthy, let me be wealthy…  Make all my problems disappear…  Please forgive Your church.  Please forgive Your people.  Please forgive me.

For such a time as this… in my beloved land, Malaysia; is blessing what my country really need?!  Is blessing all that I know how to pray for my nation?!  And, how do we expect You O Lord to bless Malaysia?!

O Lord God, move us beyond just praying for a blessing over Malaysia.  Stir us to know a little bit more about what is happening in this land.  Let us be aware of the challenges in our country… in the Government… in the Business Community… in the Society at large… in our Schools… in our Neighborhood… in our Churches…  Only then can we begin to intercede.  This is my prayer.

O Lord God, as You stir us to want to become more aware; may each one of us make effort to open our eyes and look around us… may we begin to take time to read and to think… may we take note of names and people and places and issues at hand…  Only then will our intercession be meaningful.  This is my prayer.

O Lord God, as You stir your people to arouse us from our slumber; may I be an instrument that You could use… may I be Your mouthpiece to speak to my brothers and sisters around me… may I be a channel that You could use to provoke another to love and good works… may I not be lazy, not be shy, not be afraid, not be ashamed to say something and do something for You.  This is my prayer.

O Lord God, we do want Your blessings upon Malaysia.  But forgive us Lord for thinking that such blessings are confined only to prosperity, peace, unity, education opportunities, economic growth… and all the rest of the good stuff alone.  Ultimately, You want Malaysians to repent from our wicked ways… You want the people to seek Your face… You want us to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ…  Lord God, help us to understand that often the “blessings of the good stuff” actually will not contribute positively to what You want in Malaysia.  This is my prayer.

And so Lord, please bless us with whatever it will take to awaken us from our indulgence in sin, so that we may repent and return to you O Lord.  Bless us with trials, troubles and tribulations; if these will contribute to the coming of Your Kingdom.  This is my prayer.

For Your Kingdom… Amen!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Jason Fong believes that the Lord is leading him to pray more meaningfully for our beloved nation Malaysia.  He is sharing these prayers with the church at large through this blog and the Facebook.  He hopes that this series of prayers will further catalyze more Christians to watch and pray.

Please read Jason’s earlier article: LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY in this same blog, which was posted on 23 March 2011.  It would be a helpful reading for us to learn to pray more biblically.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this prayer may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.

prayer4MYnation #3

Yahweh God, I want to pray for leaders and people holding authority in Malaysia.  Even as I pray for the Malaysian Government, I remember that in times of old, You have dealt directly with kings, rulers and nations.  You caused Nebuchadnezzar to eat grass like an ox, when he became proud and arrogant…  You sent plagues upon Egypt when pharaoh refused to let Your people go…  You rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah to punish the people’s great sin…  Yahweh, I know You have not really worked in such ways for a long time.  I do not know why.  In my natural thinking, I do wish You would manifest Yourself like before… but I do not dare to ask.  For I know that Your ways and thoughts are higher than mine.

As I continue, first of all I bring the PM and his cabinet ministers before Your throne.  As I pray that these leaders may be men and women who will fear God, hate injustice, embrace truth and love the country; I know that if they deliberately choose to do what is wrong, You could nothing with harden hearts.  You have given us all the freedom of choice, and therefore You will not violate this precious gift.  And so, O Lord even though You could direct the king’s heart like a watercourse, often You would not choose to do so.  Understanding this, I will still pray for the Malaysian Government.

I also pray that good and responsible people, especially Christians who have access to the PM and his cabinet, will have the boldness and conscience to speak up.  I know that this will be a very very difficult thing to do…  In this fallen world, there is always a price to pay for doing and saying what is right.  And so I uphold these people before Your throne O Lord.  Please strengthen them, please guide them, and please protect them.

I pray too for our top decision-makers in the Judiciary, Police, as well as the Army.  These are leaders who need to serve with integrity and good judgments.  They need to serve without fear nor favor.  But in many sense, Malaysians have lost both our faith and our respect for so many of them.  Still we must pray for them.  O Lord, please do not allow the conscience of these people die or harden completely.  Please help them to do what is good and right.

Even as I press on in this prayer, I must confess that I do not really believe that Malaysia would be transformed… that justice would be restored… that corruption would be eliminated… that poverty would be eradicated… that our hopes and dreams for a harmonious country would come true…  No Lord, my unbelief is not because I doubt Your power to bring about such transformations, for You are the omnipotent God who created the heavens and the earth in six days!  No Lord, my unbelief is not because I doubt Your love and compassion, for You are the most merciful God who has given us salvation through Your only Son, Jesus Christ!

My unbelief here is in the contexts of my understanding that all things would work towards setting the stage for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  You have affirmed in Your Word that in the last days lawlessness will increase… that people will be lovers of themselves and money; that they will be boastful, abusive and unholy; and that they will act slanderously, treacherously and in conceit.  This is the direction humanity is heading, both in Malaysia and all over the world.  This will all finally lead to the outpouring of the woes of the seven seals, the seven trumpets and the seven bowls.

O Lord, I struggle as to how I should pray with the End Times in mind…  O Lord, I tremble in fear when I realize the futility of it all…  Therefore, my ultimate hope, is not in the transformation of this nation.  My ultimate hope, is the new heaven and new earth.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.  Yahweh God, I pray this prayer believing that Your Word would always come to pass, and Your sovereign will would always be done.  In Jesus’ Name… amen!

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Jason Fong believes that the Lord is leading him to pray more meaningfully for our beloved nation Malaysia.  He is sharing these prayers with the church at large through this blog and the Facebook.  He hopes that this series of prayers will further catalyze more Christians to watch and pray.

Please read Jason’s earlier article: LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY in this same blog, which was posted on 23 March 2011.  It would be a helpful reading for us to learn to pray more biblically.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this prayer may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.

prayer4MYnation #2

Father God, it is so easy to go into despair when one becomes aware of the social, political, economical and spiritual climates in our nation.  I cannot help but feel so discouraged and so lost.  The challenges and problems Malaysia is facing as a nation seem so deep-rooted, complex and insurmountable.

Could this be the reason why some of us prefer to put our head into the ground like ostriches?  We don’t want to know…  We prefer not to know…  We pretend that we do not know…

But, so what if I know?!  There is really nothing much that I can do.  And, there is a huge price to pay if I want to do something.  And even so, there is no guarantee that the “something” I could do; would or could result in any meaningful or significant transformation in this beloved nation…

Lord God, I need wisdom and understanding.  We need wisdom and understanding.  As your Church and your people in Malaysia, we need to know Your Word, Your Will and Your Ways…

I will be so naïve to think that there are simple answers that could resolve all the issues we are facing.  Watch and pray?!  This is supremely important but yet this will not simply, magically or miraculously make all the problems disappear.  Nonetheless, Lord by Your strength I will continue to watch with alertness and pray with understanding.

Stand up and speak out?!  Surely this is something we must do as good Christians and responsible citizens.  But in what manners and for what causes should I stand up???  And what should I say and how much should I speak???  And will standing up and speaking out eradicate all the problems???  I am not sure what I should do.  I am not sure how I should counsel others who come to me for guidance.  Lord help me!  As the Bible has instructed me, Lord I want to live peaceably with all men; but yet if I perish, I perish.  Lord I am willing…

Church and State should not mix?!  Lord Jesus, You have taught Your disciples to give to Caesar what belong to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.  We have also learned from history the effects on the Church when the Emperor Constantine embraced Christianity.  Lord, so how then should we live?  Lord, it is not that simple, isn’t it?  Whatever it is, I remember Peter’s reply to those in authority: “We must obey God, rather than men.”  Lord, help me…

Almighty God, even though we are all the same Your people, and You are the same God we are all worshipping; different Christians and different churches have developed different convictions and perspectives concerning the issues at hand.  Why…?!  Is there something wrong with us…?!

Lord, I really don’t know.  Perhaps not…  Maybe not… For such a time as this, perhaps there is room for a diversity of various responses…  In such a time as this, maybe You have called us to take up different positions and to play different roles…  Lord, I really cannot be sure…  But in all that I decide to do (or not to do), let me be intentional and purposeful; to bring honor to Your Name, and to expedite the coming of Your Kingdom!

And so Lord, I need wisdom and understanding.  We need wisdom and understanding.  As your Church and your people in Malaysia, we need to know Your Word, Your Will and Your Ways…  Holy Spirit please teach me and guide me…  I am willing to learn.  Speak Lord, I am listening…  In Jesus’ Name, amen.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Jason Fong believes that the Lord is leading him to pray more meaningfully for our beloved nation Malaysia.  He is sharing these prayers with the church at large through this blog and the Facebook.  He hopes that this series of prayers will further catalyze more Christians to watch and pray… and to act as the Holy Spirit guides us respectively.

Please read Jason’s earlier article: LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY in this same blog. which was posted on 23 March 2011.  It would be a helpful reading for us to learn how to pray with a more biblical perspective.

Please note that the views and opinions expressed in this prayer may not necessarily reflect those of the Christian organization Jason works in, nor the church or denomination he belongs to.