Healing Flows Within

Healing Flows Within

I haven't been sharing healing testimonies for some time, after realising that those testimonies pointed people to me instead of Christ. That's the last thing I wanted. I had thought that testimonies would draw people to go after Him. But apparently, it didn't happen that way. My heart is to empower people to walk in this. That's the reason why I wrote the book on divine healing.

I'm sharing the following incident because I learnt a powerful principle when ministering healing today. In fact, I have been pondering deep about the Gospel and the kingdom of God recently. There seems to be something that I am missing about the Gospel which I thought I already knew on the inside out. This healing incident appears to be God teaching me further about the Gospel.

I went to the service centre to collect my coffee machine due to the same fault that happened last month. While waiting for the lady in charge of Breville to come out from her room (her colleague said that she's engaged on the phone), I had a word of knowledge for her healing.

She stepped out of her room with my coffee machine and I asked her, "Do you have any problem with your left foot?" She was taken aback, because I haven't even met her. But you don't need to see a person to have God speak to you about the person. For He is all-knowing and all-present.

She said, "Yes. How did you know? It has been there in recent months and it goes from my left thigh to my left foot. This is why I can't wear heels now."

I touched her finger and remained silent. You actually don't have to touch anyone or say any word to release healing. It's all about identity (I wrote this teaching in my book). I touched her finger to put her at ease, because she was already shocked.

To my surprise, she could pick up vibrations and told me how the vibrations traveled from me to various parts of her body. Personally, I don't go after manifestations. If there is, praise God. If there isn't, I walk by faith (truth). I have learnt to exalt truth (faith) above manifestations. Manifestations are shakable and uncertain. But truth (faith) always stands unshakable and unwavering.

Yet this particular manifestation has taught me a principle, which I'm searching through the Scriptures. I ignore spiritual experiences that are not grounded in the Word. Because I'm anal about the Word.

This lady said, "I can feel the vibrations coming from you." I asked, "You can feel?" She replied, "Yes. I'm very sensitive to this. In fact, when I walked out of the room to meet you, I felt that very positive energy flowing out of you and I can't explain it."

Note: This should encourage every believer. The Spirit of Christ within you is literally the hope of glory. The word 'glory' in the Greek also means 'divine quality' and 'unspoken manifestation of God'. In the Hebrew, 'kabod' means 'to be heavy or weighty'. It is a tangible manifestation of God. You may not feel it. But people can feel it.

She continued, "The vibrations enter my heart area now." Then she carried on describing the process of the flow. 

"It's now going down my body."

"It's going to my left leg and left foot. I now feel the tingling on my left foot."

Note: All these while... I was feeling NOTHING. I walked by faith, not by sight.

I learnt something... Many people say that our spirit rests in our belly (or near belly area). They quote from John 7:38, "He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his BELLY shall flow rivers of living water." (KJV, emphasis added)

I checked out various translations. NKJV, ESV and NASB use the word 'heart' and 'innermost being'. I checked out the Greek. In the context of John 7:38, it uses the word 'the innermost part of a man, the soul, heart, as the seat of thought, feeling, choice...'

In the Hebrew, it is the word בֶּטֶן. When translated to English, it uses the word 'belly'. But in the original word, it is the 'innermost part of a man.'

I believe that it is referring to our heart. The Old Testament and the New Testament have a parallel passage.

Keep your HEART with all vigilance, for from it FLOW the springs of LIFE. - Prov 4:23 (emphasis added)

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his HEART will FLOW rivers of LIVING water.'” - John 7:38 (emphasis added)

Even our seat of thought comes from our heart.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. - Prov 23:7

This is why when our heart is sick, our body gets sick (Prov 13:12; 3 John 2).

Could it be that our spirit (joined to His Spirit) rests in our heart? The kingdom of God flows from there. Healing flows from there. It always starts from within.

The ministry of healing for that Breville lady began from my spirit (heart) to her spirit (heart). The spirit man doesn't need a medium, which is why I don't have to touch or even say anything. The spirit travels in the Spirit. That explains why we see so many healings over a distance, over phone conversations, over the internet and over nations/continents without being physically present there to minister healing.

The lady felt the vibrations first in her heart (spirit). Healing always flows from our spirit, through our soul to our body. It works the same way when we minister to others. Because this energy/vibrations/power/healing/spirit travels in the Spirit.

When she described that the vibrations were moving down from her heart (spirit), she was in tears (soul) and she felt them reaching her foot (body).

The kingdom of God always starts from within (Luke 17:21). It flows from the spirit, through the soul, to the body, and into the atmosphere and culture around us. This is why our very seat of thought (in the heart) can take dominion on earth. 

Just a thought or an intent can heal the sick. Just a thought can cast out demons ---- you don't even need to speak or command the demons to leave, because dominion happens in the spirit and the demon is also in the spirit. Just a thought can raise the dead (like how God raised Jesus).

I'm seeing a whole world of possibilities (Eph 3:20) with the power of identity and the kingdom of God. When we learn to direct our innermost being, we will fulfill the Lord's prayer "Your kingdom and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Our Trust Must Be In Redemption

Our Trust Must Be In Redemption

Today, many people trust in organic, special diet and exercise. Those who are involved in such businesses earn a lucrative income, because these are more often driven by fears. One of the most powerful techniques in sales & marketing is to use fear. Induce fears and you will get the sales result.

As believers, our trust must not be in creation. Everything that has been created has fallen due to the Fall; that includes organic food. Research has shown that even the term 'organic' is subjective. Every source of organic food has different levels of 'organic'. In today's world where marketing is champion and $$$ is more important than integrity, no one knows which food is really organic or 100% organic. To trust in the labels of food products or companies is to trust in what is shakeable and uncertain.

The only unshakeable and unchanging truth is the Word of truth. Redemption must be what we trust in, as believers.

Disclaimer: I'm not saying that you should just eat junk. But if your conscience and faith allow you to do so, no junk will by any means harm you, because of divine protection. On the other hand, if your conscience doesn't allow you to do so, do not shipwreck your faith. The main issue is that we must not fall into the trap of trusting in creation.

Below is a short devotional by JP

"When Adam sinned and fell, everything about creation fell. Yet, people today are still putting their trust in creation. For example, they try to become healthy by eating what is called the “Eden diet”—vegetables and no meat. They are acting as if creation did not fall. They also forget that there are people who eat well and exercise regularly, and still drop dead in the prime of their lives!

Thank God that what creation cannot do, redemption can and did. Jesus demonstrated this when He spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and put it on a blind man’s eyes (see John 9:6–7). Now, it is certainly unusual to put clay on a blind man’s eyes because he would become doubly blind!

So why did Jesus do that?

He was demonstrating to us that all our body parts come from the ground and that because creation is fallen, the work of creation cannot open a blind man’s eyes. But the work of redemption can! That is why He sent the blind man to the pool of Siloam. The word “Siloam” means “Sent,” referring to the sent one, Jesus. When the blind man washed his eyes in the pool of the sent one, he received supernatural healing for his eyes.

Beloved, when we go to Jesus, the sent one who came to redeem us with the price of His blood, and we rest in His finished work, we will receive the miracle we need. If we believe that by His stripes we are healed (see Isaiah 53:5), we will have greater health than those who trust in creation.

Jesus was sent to redeem us from every curse that came upon creation with the fall of Adam (see Galatians 3:13). He has redeemed us from sickness, pain, sorrow, depression, poverty and even death. The world may know Him as the Creator. But today, we know Him as our Redeemer. Where the work of creation cannot save us, His work of redemption can and has!" ------ Taken from JP Devotional

Discipleship Challenges What Love Is

In recent years, we have swung to the other side where we focus a lot more on miracles, signs and wonders. We say, “Let’s just love on people.”

Now that’s nothing wrong with that statement. But it’s only one part of love. After ministering for a number of years in the streets of Singapore in all kinds of situations/locations with signs and wonders, I come to the realisation that it is way easier to give people an encounter of Love, than to disciple/journey with them.

It is easy to love on people by releasing healing, word of knowledge and the prophetic. It is another thing to live in close proximity with them and journey with them.

Reaching the lost, in my humble opinion, is way easier than discipleship. In the former, you just give them an encounter. You demonstrate the Power of love. You give them a hug and say, “Jesus loves you and I love you.” Everybody can do that, because it’s just for a moment or a session. Yet most of us celebrate that platform because it’s usually in the public and it’s very tangible with all the manifestations, etc.

But in discipleship and follow-ups, you get to see the reality of your maturity. Your time is challenged. Your service is demanded. Your love is tested. This is why I really applaud all those leading home groups or small groups. Preachers, on the other hand, often just need to preach and minister but not live in close proximity with the rest where values are challenged and iron gets sharpened.

Jesus was both. He was a preacher. But He also lived with the Twelve. He discipled them. Those were extremely difficult bunch of uneducated fellows. But never once did He say, “Well, don’t waste My time. This is not my calling. I just need to reach the lost.” 

The Scriptures tell us that “Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)

That included Judas, who betrayed Him. That included Peter, who denied Him. That included John, who wanted to call down fire from heaven. That included James, who wanted to be the greatest. That included Thomas, who doubted Him. That included Andrew, who had no faith. That included Philip, who still didn’t see Jesus as God’s Son. But Jesus still loved them to the very end.

In evangelism, Jesus demonstrated His love publicly. In discipleship, Jesus revealed and demonstrated His love privately. You can do a hit-and-run kind of love in evangelism, but you need persevering love in discipleship. The latter reveals the kind of love we really have on the inside.

I have been corresponding with a brother and the messages are sent from him. He ministered to a guy in the streets and the guy encountered Jesus and gave his life to Him. During a follow-up, he realised that the guy actually didn’t quite understand (still identify himself as a free thinker). 

In reality, this is what happens in outreaches. We often get overwhelmed by zeal (I used to be like that too) and think that people are born again because we led them to the Lord (salvation prayer and whatever religious blah blah blah) after an encounter. But in actuality, they only made a decision to know Him more, because they didn’t really understand. Their minds were still in shock after the encounters, signs and wonders. Their emotions were still getting a hold on them. So they just said “Yes” to receive Jesus into their lives. How many of us are guilty of not following up with these people who probably are not really born again because they didn’t exactly know what they said Yes to?”

Anyway, this brother found out the truth —— the toughest and the challenging part is not evangelism, miracles, signs and wonders. It is discipleship and the process requires true love, faithfulness and commitment.

Don’t mistake zeal for truth and miracles for love. And don’t mistake evangelism for the Great Commission and the Great Commandment.

Disclaimer: I love evangelism and I still minister to people daily. So let’s keep doing that, without neglecting the true essence of love found in discipleship.

Truth Triumphs Over Experience

Truth Triumphs Over Experience

In the world, you speak because you have experiences.

In the kingdom, you speak because you have truth. 

This is why we are to preach the Gospel.

Somebody once said, “Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words.” What the person meant is that you should just use your lifestyle to represent the Gospel.

That’s not complete. You need to use words to fully preach the Gospel. The early church all spoke the Gospel. Yes, the lifestyle is important, but you still need the words because you are not 100% perfect in your lifestyle.

Truth always triumphs over experiences. The enemy often uses experiences to silence truth. And this is why the world uses their vast experiences to deny the Gospel truth.

“Your life experience is not enough. Better be quiet and don’t talk about the Gospel.”

“Who are you to minister healing? You haven’t even received your own healing.”

We must understand that identity (truth) always supersedes experiences. The enemy exalts experiences. We as people of God must exalt truth.

The enemy: “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” He wants Jesus to prove who He is by experiences.

Jesus: “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ “ Jesus responded and spoke truth. By the way, there is no difference between rhema and logos. It’s the WOF that separates them. Scriptures confirm that they are interchangeable.

The enemy: “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down.” Again, the enemy wants Jesus to prove who He is by experiences.

Jesus: “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ “

The enemy took Jesus up on an exceedingly high mountain to SEE all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, hoping that Jesus would want to EXPERIENCE them. “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

Jesus replied, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only you shall serve.”

Jesus always spoke and lived by the truth. That kept Him unchanging and unshakable in the face of temptations and challenges. In a world where everybody exalts experiences, we need to be people of truth.

I used to live and find value in experiences years ago even as a full-time minister. But when I began to live by truth, I found authority and kingdom reality beyond what I ever had.

The temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4 is a warfare between experience (sight) and truth (faith).

We are called to live by faith, not by sight. Sight includes sensuality, the visible, the tangible and the experiences. 

Faith comes by hearing, and hearing the Word of Christ (Rom 10:17). In other words, to live by faith is to live by the Word, which is Truth, so that my eyes are not set on what I see and experience, but my eyes are set on the unshakable, unchanging, unwavering, steadfast and immovable Word, which God exalts above His name (Ps 138:2).

When we keep establishing ourselves in His truth and live by His truth, even if our reality hasn’t aligned to His reality, the day will come when our world will supernaturally be conformed to His. Jesus!

Disclaimer: Experience is not necessarily bad, if it is established, aligned and derived from truth. Otherwise, it is just sight-experience. We all need truth-experience. But our focus must be truth instead of experiences. 

“If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the TRUTH, and the TRUTH shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Naturally Supernatural Part 1

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. - 1 Kings 19:11-12

Men look at outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. The move of men focuses on the spectacular, but the move of God focuses on the inner and ordinary. The category of "revivals" in the past all began from the ordinary ------- a still, small voice.

But we men are still men. We tend to fix our eyes on the visible, extraordinary, radical, and the spectacular. We focus on powerful testimonies of healings but we forget about the process of life transformation and the tenacity required to pursue the identity of walking in divine health.

We focus on how a person is powerfully delivered in an inner healing session, but we miss out on how the same person is back in bondage a short while later. Because if you need ministry to set you free, then you'll need ministry to keep you free. But if you let truth set you free, then truth will keep you free. And truth may take time because it is in the ordinary.

The most powerful moments with God are usually not in the spectacular, but in the ordinary. A still, small voice can change everything. There are so many things I could share. But in Feb 2015, a still, small voice completely changed the course of my direction.

He said, "Your highest call is to be a father. For I am your Father." Short and sweet. But it broke deep into my innermost being. I couldn't stop weeping. I wasn't even thinking about anything related to this. He added, "Would you lay down your ministry and father your son in his foundation years?" 

I gave a 6-month's notice and left full-time church ministry. More than four years have passed and this decision has totally transformed my knowledge of who God is as a Father and the whole idea of the kingdom of God and ministry. The still, small voice did not transform me. It was the start of this transformation, which took four years.

We live in the microwave generation. We want everything instantly. That's why we look to the spectacular ------- we want it fast. Well, there is no shortcut. Until we fall in love with the ordinary, we will never truly grow in maturity.

I'm done with the sacred holly molly thingy about the perceived Christian ministry by many believers. I'm done with the usual calling thingy that people have been preaching about. Because I searched deep and realized that it is not in the Scriptures.

(I'm also done with the charismatic action-packed ministry. I'll share more in the next post.)

Don't separate the secular from the sacred. Don't separate the extraordinary from the ordinary. The kingdom of God is holistic and all-inclusive. Besides, there is only one main calling: to be conformed into the image of His Son (Rom 8:29). If we miss this and think that full-time church ministry or whatever kind of sacred ministry is our calling, then we miss the entire point.

We are not called to just present the Word. We are called to represent the Word.

A stay-at-home-mum is as sacred as a full-time church minister because the calling is to be conformed into the image of Christ. Unfortunately, though unspoken, many (including ministers themselves) think that there is a separation between clergy and laity. They may preach that it's the same in terms of sonship. But they practise (secretly or openly) it differently.

Well, the Cross of Christ has put everyone on the same page. We have the same playing field to start with. And we have the same destination. The only thing we need to focus on is becoming like Christ and being good stewards of whatever we are tasked to do.

Stop losing yourself praying and fasting for which job to take. For goodness sake, just get a job and represent Christ. The secret to Christianity lies in the being. Who you are is more vital than what you do. 

Fulfill the Great Commission wherever you are. And don't quit your job to go full-time church ministry thinking that it is the best way to serve God. That is compartmentalizing God. That is no different from a Sunday Christian. You don't serve God with your vocation. You serve God with your LIFE.

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. - Col 3:17

Disclaimer: If you are passionate about full-time ministry work, then go for it. However, as a wise pastor once shared, "Where two or three gather, politics take place." This is the same everywhere. Manage your expectations.

The God of Many Doors

The God of Many Doors

And a door was opened to me by the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit... - 2 Cor 2:12-13

God is not just the God who opens one door. He is the God who opens more than one. Having unrest (no peace within) in our spirit does not necessarily mean that it is not of God. For just as God speaks in so many ways, He works through many doors. 

Do not limit Him as though there is only one way. Yes. He is The Way, but through Him, there are many ways in the journey of faith. 

Stop fearing that your decision is not the best and allow it to cripple you from living. Start living by faith and cripple your fears.

"All roads lead to Rome" is true when all roads are traveled by faith in Him. While you are still waiting for God's best, God is waiting for you to trust Him with your best.