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Often people do not experience the power of God because they lack true faith. God is looking for faith in people’s hearts. When there is faith, God responds. At times, in greater ways than we expected. Consider the story of the paralysed man and his friends that took unusual steps to bring him to Jesus in Mark 2:1–3 (NIV84) 1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. These men came to Jesus with faith, and it unlocked an unexpected response from Jesus. From this narrative, we discover 3 things that occur when we have faith. 1. RECEIVES GOD’S FAVOUR Mark 2:4-5 (NIV84) 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” When Jesus saw them, what was His response? He called the paralytic “son”. A term that indicated warmth and favour. If some men broke through the roof of my house, I might call them a few things, but definitely not “son”. I would not view them favourably. This emphasised how deeply Jesus was impressed by their actions. What was it about them that Jesus viewed favourably? Jesus saw their humility. They were humble enough to admit that they needed help and sought for help. They knew that they could not solve their problem by their own efforts. Only Jesus could help their friend. So, they acted in the only way they knew to get to Jesus. Even if meant breaking through roofs. It takes humility to ask for help. How many of us avoid asking for help, because it was too embarrassing to ask for it! We may not be physically handicapped like the man, but we may be emotionally, mentally, socially or spiritually handicapped in some way. Yet often we may be too proud to admit it. We might be having a dull pain of loneliness or insecurity, but we hide it and appear cool. We might even try drowning ourselves with alcohol or drugs. Only to wake up in the morning with a big hangover and still the same hole in our hearts. I know of those who look like they have it all together. They have the looks, the brains, the personality. But inside they are a mess! Will we humble ourselves enough to recognize we need help, just like the paralysed man? And turn to God? God favours those who are willing to humble themselves. Isa 66:2 (NIV84) … "This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, ..." God favours those who are willing to humble themselves. Jesus saw their determination. When the 4 men saw the huge crowd around the house, they knew there was little hope of their friend getting the attention he needed from Jesus. How in world would they even get close to Jesus? That was when they got a brilliant idea to jump the queue. Doing so meant getting through every obstacle. So they lifted their friend on a mat up to the roof. Then they dug through the roof itself. Most likely the roof was made of a thick layer of compacted earth over a rough wooden ceiling. This wooden ceiling probably was framed by trimmed tree trunk beams upon which close fitting smaller branches were laid. Strong enough for men to walk upon. These men dug through the earth layer, pulled out the branches to open an area large enough to fit their friend lying on a mat through it. A considerable effort! The queue jumpers got an F for courtesy but an A+ for determination. They would not take a “No” for an answer! Jesus was impressed with their determination, their doggedness. They needed help and they were going to get it. True faith is characterized by its determination to obtain an answer from God. True faith is characterized by its determination to obtain an answer from God. Jesus saw their faith for healing. So certain was their faith in Jesus’ ability to heal their friend, they literally broke through every barrier to get to Jesus. The Bible makes it clear that faith is a critical ingredient that pleases God. Heb 11:6 (NIV84) "And without faith it is impossible to please God…" It was not just an intellectual faith but a faith that truly trusts by taking action. 2. RECEIVES SOLUTIONS TO REAL NEEDS Since Jesus had favour upon these men and the paralysed man, what did Jesus do? Mark 2: 5 (NIV84) When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Imagine the poor paralysed man and his friends who went through the huge effort to get to Jesus, expecting to receive miraculous healing. He came to be healed physically, but Jesus dealt with his spiritual problem. Perhaps the man must be thinking, “Excuse me? I can’t walk! Nice to be forgiven my sins, but I still can’t walk!” We often seek for solutions to our perceived needs. But those needs may not be our real or greatest needs. It could be imagined needs. “If only I had more money or more time. If only I was more beautiful, had a better body shape. If only I can speak better. If only I had more friends.” It is like taking Panadol for brain tumour. Or it could be secondary problems. Dealing with our flu when we have cancer. We live in a society that seeks the quick fix. If we have problem in our relationships, just read Relationship for Dummies or check on YouTube for latest advice. If we have depression, just pop this pill or read “5 easy steps to overcome depression”. But Jesus is more interested in dealing with the deeper, main problem first. Which is sin. Sin is shown by our selfishness, self-centeredness. Isa 53:6 (NIV84) "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; ..." Sin is the root of most problems in our lives and in this world today. It can only be dealt with properly when people repent and turn to God, and to follow Him. Then God will forgive us. The paralysed man had true faith in God and because Jesus saw it in his heart, He had mercy on him and forgave his sins. Those with true faith will often receive more than they asked for. God may answer by dealing with our greater needs first. Those with true faith will often receive more than they asked for. God may answer by dealing with our greater needs first. 3. RECEIVES THE TOUCH OF GOD Some teachers of the law, religious scholars, were upset with Jesus forgiving the man’s sins. “How can Jesus forgive anyone their sins? Only God can! It goes against all our theology.” Mark 2:6-7 (NIV84) 6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” An incorrect worldview can be a great hindrance to receiving what God has to say or do! Ever noticed that there were no Pharisees or teachers of the law who were healed by Jesus? Jesus immediately knew what was going on in their hearts. And He challenged their thinking. An incorrect worldview can be a great hindrance to receiving what God has to say or do! Mark 2:8-12 (NIV84) 8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralytic, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Jesus demonstrated that He had the power to forgive sins by healing the paralysed man miraculously. Jesus sought true faith and he saw it in those men. God is delighted to find true faith and moves in response to it. Ps. Jerry Stott, a friend of mine, recalled an incident when he was called to a hospital because a church member’s brother was on life-support. This young man, a husband and father, was unconscious, barely alive. The doctors were quite certain he would not make it. Ps. Jerry started to make a simple prayer for his soul when suddenly he heard God say, “I will raise him on the third day.” Shocked, he asked God to confirm with a sign, that the man’s eyes would open. Right at the moment, the man opened his eyes! Ps. Jerry decided he had to rise up in faith to trust God. So he informed the man’s family not to take the man off the life support and that God will heal him on the third day. Ps. Jerry then went off on a planned family vacation. When he returned a few weeks later, he discovered that the dying man sat up and was completely healed on the third day. The man and his family even came to join Ps. Jerry’s church. God intervenes, when there is true faith. God intervenes, when there is true faith CONCLUSION True faith is when we are willing to trust in God fully. God delights in such faith. He will respond to us favourably. He will even provide us more than we ask. God will touch us, even miraculously. Shall we rise up and be found with true faith? Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Plastic surgery is booming today. People line up to have fat removed, features reshaped, and unwanted parts cut away. They willingly submit to the surgeon’s knife because they believe the change will set them free. The Bible never speaks about plastic surgery, of course. But it does speak about removing something from our bodies through circumcision. The Old Testament spoke not only of the physical act, but also of the deeper reality God has always desired: the circumcision of our hearts. And in many ways, the story of Israel mirrors our own. The Israelites wandered in circles for forty years. Stuck, delayed, unable to enter the Promised Land. Many of us know that feeling. You sense God has more for you, yet something keeps holding you back. Something feels missing. Something feels uncut, unremoved. Maybe what you need is not a new strategy, not a new season, not a new breakthrough— but a circumcised heart. Today, we are going to talk about what that means. Why it may be the very thing that unlocks your Promised Land. WHAT IT MEANS TO CIRCUMCISE YOUR HEART Joshua 5:2–3 (NIV) 2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. God gave Joshua a strange command at a strategic moment: make knives out of stone and circumcise every Israelite male. So many men were circumcised that the place was named Gibeath Haaraloth—the Hill of Foreskins. It was a dramatic, painful, unforgettable act. Circumcision was not a random ritual. It was the sign of the Abrahamic covenant, the physical mark that identified a man as belonging to God’s chosen people. To the Jews, circumcision wasn’t optional; it was the entry point into covenant life. God Himself said in Genesis 17:14 that any uncircumcised male would be cut off from His people because he had broken the covenant. But here’s the crucial truth: God never wanted mere surgery. He wanted a symbol of a deeper reality. Physical circumcision was always meant to point to something far more profound— the circumcision of the heart. Before Israel could enter the Promised Land, God required a cutting away. Not just of flesh, but of anything that kept their hearts from fully belonging to Him. And the same is true for us today. True circumcision is of the heart What God truly seeks is not a physical circumcision, but a circumcision of the heart. True circumcision is an inward matter of the heart. Deuteronomy 30:6 (NIV) "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." Again, in Jeremiah 4:4 (NIV) "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts…." In fact, those circumcised outwardly but not in their hearts are as good as being uncircumcised. This is made clear in Romans 2:28-29 (NIV) “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." What God ultimately desires is not the cutting of flesh, but the cutting of the heart. Physical circumcision was always meant to point to an inner, spiritual reality. Moses said it plainly in Deuteronomy 30:6 (NIV) "The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." This was echoed in Jeremiah 4:4 (NIV) "Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts…." In other words, God is after something far deeper than a ritual. He wants a heart cut free from stubbornness, pride, sin, and divided affections. Scripture makes this even more striking: A person who is circumcised outwardly but unchanged inwardly is, in God’s eyes, no different from being uncircumcised. Paul drives this home in Romans 2:28–29 (NIV) “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." True belonging to God is not marked by a physical sign, but by an inward transformation. True circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit. It is the Spirit who cuts away what does not belong, who reshapes what is hardened, who marks us as God’s own. Heart circumcision is not about surgery; it is about surrender. Not about removing flesh but removing anything that keeps us from loving God fully. True circumcision begins with our union with Christ. True circumcision doesn’t start with human effort, it begins the moment we unite with Christ. Paul says in Colossians 2:11–12 (NIV) “in Him you were circumcised… not with a circumcision done by the hands of men, but with the circumcision done by Christ.” When we were buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith, God cut away our old sinful nature and made us alive in Christ. Under Joshua, the Israelites were circumcised with flint knives—pieces of rock. Today, Christ the Rock performs the circumcision. He is the One who cuts away the old life, the stubborn nature, the sin that once ruled us. Heart circumcision cannot happen apart from Him. It is His work, His blade, His Spirit. But just as Israel had to submit to the knife, we must respond to Christ. Grace is never passive. Salvation is fully God’s gift, yet it demands our surrender. Christ provides the Rock; we choose whether our hearts will be cut. Outside of Christ, our hearts remain uncircumcised—unchanged, untouched, spiritually dead. In Christ, we are positionally circumcised, marked, cleansed, and set apart as His own. Heart circumcision begins at conversion, but it continues as Christ keeps cutting away everything that does not belong in a life united with Him. True circumcision continues with your following Christ. True circumcision doesn’t end at conversion; it continues as we walk with Christ day by day. Positionally, God already considers us circumcised in Christ. But experientially, we must keep responding to Him in faith and obedience, because God continually looks at the condition of our hearts. Paul says in Galatians 5:6 (NIV) "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love." And in 1 Corinthians 7:19 (NIV) “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts.” Notice the ongoing tense—this is a lifelong journey. True circumcision means continually setting your heart apart for God. It means choosing His voice over your flesh, His will over your impulses, His commands over your convenience. It is the daily, deliberate shaping of a heart that belongs wholly to Him. True circumcision involves cutting away your sinful flesh Walking with Christ has two sides: the positive—faith and obedience. And the painful, cutting away the sinful nature. Moses said in Deuteronomy 10:16 (NIV) “Circumcise your hearts… and do not be stiff‑necked any longer.” Heart circumcision requires removing what resists God: pride, stubbornness, selfishness, hidden sin. Physical circumcision was painful and required days of healing. Spiritual circumcision can feel the same. God cuts away parts of us that we have grown attached to: habits, attitudes, desires, comforts, even roles or responsibilities we cling to for identity. This is the daily work of putting off the flesh. Every decision becomes a moment of examination: Did my flesh influence that choice? Was it for my glory? Was it for my personal gain? Was it simply to make me feel better? If the answer is yes, then the call is clear: cut it off. Circumcise the flesh. Throw it away. Let God remove what does not belong. This may touch even sensitive areas—your preferences, your comfort zones, your leadership roles, your sense of importance. If someone else can do a better job, let God cut away your pride. If you have grown overly attached to a project and it gets in the way, let Him prune that too. True circumcision says: “Lord, shape me however You wish. Cut whatever You must. I am Yours.” This is how God fashions a heart ready for His purposes. One cut free from the flesh and set apart for His glory. WHY YOUR HEART CIRCUMCISION IS IMPORTANT TO GOD God Himself requires the circumcision of your heart Joshua 5:2 (NIV) “At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “…circumcise…””. God didn’t suggest it, He commanded it. Jeremiah 4:4 (NIV) echoes the same call: “Circumcise your hearts.” Why? Because when your heart is circumcised, your flesh no longer stands in God’s way. The generation under Moses had the outward mark but not the inward reality. Their uncircumcised hearts produced unbelief, complaining, rebellion, and spiritual paralysis. They could not trust God, and they would not obey Him. But the generation under Joshua was different. Their hearts were cut. They trusted God. They silenced their fleshly thinking. They willingly became vulnerable, even in enemy territory, because they believed God would fight for them. God can only do great things in us and through us when our hearts are circumcised. Your flesh cannot carry you into your calling. Only a circumcised heart can. When God spoke to my wife and me about coming to Brisbane to plant a church, we were ready to go obediently despite not knowing what lay ahead. Because our hearts were already circumcised. Disobedience leads to an uncircumcised heart Joshua 5:4–6 (NIV) 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. The men of Israel were physically circumcised (v5), but when they refused to enter the Promised Land, their rebellion disrupted their covenant with God. Their outward mark meant nothing. God considered them as uncircumcised. Paul affirms this in Romans 2:25 (NIV) “Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you become as though you had not been circumcised.” That is why none of the males born in the wilderness was circumcised. The covenant had been disrupted by disobedience. When we choose ongoing, wilful disobedience, our hearts drift back into carnality. We stop being set apart for God. Heaven feels like brass. Our prayers lose power. Our spiritual authority weakens. And if we persist, we can be disqualified from God’s calling. Just like the Israelites who forfeited the Promised Land. Disobedience doesn’t just slow you down. It uncircumcises your heart. Heart circumcision restores your covenant with God Joshua 5:7 (NIV) So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. When Israel crossed the Jordan, they demonstrated faith and obedience. Something their forefathers never did. That act of trust re-established the covenant. God renewed His relationship with them. The same is true for us. When we repent, when we allow God to cut away what does not belong, our covenant relationship is restored. 1 John 1:9 (NIV) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Repentance is heart circumcision in action. It brings back purity, clarity, anointing, and spiritual authority. I have seen this in real life. I know of a pastor who lost his anointing after his adultery and sin of divorcing his wife. But when he repented, the anointing returned. Why? Because heart circumcision restores what disobedience disrupts. BLESSINGS THAT COME WITH YOUR HEART CIRCUMCISION It draws God’s approval Joshua 5:9 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day. When Israel circumcised their hearts through obedience, God said, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” The shame was lifted. The displeasure was removed. There is no greater joy than knowing the King of the Universe is pleased with you. That your life is aligned with His will, that your heart is positioned at the very centre of His purpose. Heart circumcision brings you into the place where God says, “I am pleased with you.” Let’s make sure our lives continually draw His approval. We can experience God’s covenantal blessings Joshua 5:10–12 (NIV) 10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan. Passover is God’s covenant in action. A visible reminder that when God makes a covenant, He pledges Himself to His people. In the Abrahamic covenant, He promised blessing, multiplication, provision, and victory. But covenant blessing flows when we keep our hearts set apart for Him. Passover proved that God never abandons His people. In Egypt, He delivered Israel, judged their oppressors, and caused judgment to pass over His own. A circumcised heart keeps us under God’s covenant covering. God stands with us, protects us, and blesses those who bless us. We see this in real life. Jackie Pullinger, as a young woman, served among triads and drug addicts in Hong Kong. Often in dangerous situations, yet God protected her because she walked in covenant obedience. Her ministry thrived and experienced much breakthroughs. God is a covenant‑making God and a covenant‑keeping God. Eating the produce of the Promised Land (v11) was another sign of covenant fulfilment. After forty years of delay caused by disobedience, Israel finally tasted what God had promised. When we persevere, we too taste God’s promises. Hebrews 10:36 (NIV) "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised." Sharon Damazio, the wife of Ps Frank Damazio, was unable to have children despite much prayer. They adopted 2 children. Then to their great surprise after 12 years, God blessed them and gave her two children. Then the manna stopped (v12). Manna was miraculous, but it was baby food. Meant for the wilderness, not the Promised Land. Many Christians still live on manna, depending only on Sunday sermons, never learning to gather and prepare spiritual food for themselves. But God wants maturity. He wants us to cross the Jordan, step out in faith, and learn to feed ourselves and eventually feed others. When our hearts are circumcised, we grow by God’s grace from needing manna to producing fruit. And we’ve seen it in our own church, those who choose heart circumcision grow rapidly and deeply. They are the ones who are able to minister life to others. CONCLUSION True circumcision of the heart is about surrender, cutting off the world’s influence and setting ourselves apart for God. It is allowing the Holy Spirit to progressively cut away areas in our lives that are not aligned with God. That draws God’s approval and covenantal blessings of fruitfulness. Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Ever sat in a worship service but not engaging in worship? Perhaps we lost some motivation or inspiration to worship God? Let me share why we should choose, even will ourselves to worship God. Why we need to break past those obstacles to worship in our hearts. CALLED TO WORSHIP Psa 98:4-6 (NIV84) 4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King. The Psalmist called upon all the earth to worship God. This reflects God’s call to all the earth to worship Him. Not only has God created us to worship Him, by putting in us an inherent inbuilt desire to worship God (see my article ‘Even Stone Will Worship”), but He also calls us to worship Him. Just like a conductor who desires to draw out the best from his musicians, God is drawing out worship from all the earth. But why does God call us to worship? Does God even have to do that? After all, don’t we have that innate desire in our hearts to worship God? One big difference between us and inanimate objects and even animals is that we have understanding and choice. We worship only when we choose to, because we desire to. Yet how many of us know the reality that so many Christians find worship difficult? Why is that? Because so many have had their innate desire for worship of God damaged, tainted by sin. There is this ache for worship but so deep in us that many of us don’t even realise it. So, we reach out to worship something else. So many have had their innate desire for worship of God damaged, tainted by sin. Rom 1:25 (NIV) They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator… As a result, mankind ends up worshipping all kinds of things. Whether it be worshipping other spirits or idols, sex, entertainment, money, music, celebrities and so forth. All of these further buries our desire to worship God even deeper. But all of these are never truly satisfying. They are never truly lasting. It is like giving toddlers soft drinks instead of milk. They may go hyper active, but it is not deeply satisfying. Not nutritious. Many still have all those years of misdirected worship suppressing our true worship of God. Now when a Christian comes to God, many still have all those years of misdirected worship suppressing our true worship of God. We have to get past the distractions, the wrong perspectives, our garbled spiritual senses. We need retuning. Tuning away from distractions. Tuning into biblical perspectives. We need God’s help to retune our spiritual sense to God’ Presence. So that when our spiritual senses have been adequately restored – we will resonate with God when God turns up. When He manifests His Presence – we sense it. When we worship God – it is like heaven’s doors open! We then sense the joy, peace, strength, power and so on. We need God’s help to retune our spiritual sense to God’ Presence. Once, I was with a bunch of young Australians and they were discussing what it was like to enter God’s Presence in worship. One of them used to be a drug user and he said worshipping God is like having a drug high, but without the hangover or addiction. An interesting comparison. So why does God call us to worship? It challenges us to rise up to worship. To awaken the innate desire in our hearts for worship. Let us look at some of the means that God challenges us to worship. Why does God call us to worship? It challenges us to rise up to worship. To awaken the innate desire in our hearts for worship. WORSHIP FROM THE OVERFLOW OF OUR HEARTS Psa 98:4 (NIV84) Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; Our worship is never meant to be quiet, private. Rather we are to shout for joy and to burst forth into jubilant song. When you want to wake up somebody who is sleeping soundly, you do not tiptoe quietly and whisper to them, “Wake up”. You shout, “Wake Up, Jeff!” just like the famous Wiggles. In the same way, when you want to awaken worship in our hearts, you do not tiptoe and whisper. You stir it, you stimulate it, you revive it. You give it a shot in the arm! You wake up your soul and spirit to worship! Psa 57:8 (NIV) Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. So when you come to worship God, it does not help if you are quiet, subdued, reticent in your worship. You ought to worship with gusto. We cannot be subtle. Shake off the cobwebs over your worshipper’s heart! Pull away the layers of misplaced worship! When our eldest son Paul the toddler, he did not learn to crawl because he was all wrapped up in layers of clothes during winter. We had to take away the layers of cloth! Only then could he move enough to learn to crawl. Dust away the sin that covers over our innate desire for worship. Let the worshipper shine forth! Most importantly it must come from our hearts. Scriptures declare “shout for joy”. It is not just a worship shout but a shout that overflows from our joyful heart. Worship can only truly happen when we discover the joy in God. God is challenging us to come to that place in our hearts. Because true worship is not about being compelled by external forces. Rather, it is being compelled by inner desire. True worship is not about being compelled by external forces. Rather, it is being compelled by inner desire. John 4:23 (NIV) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks… It must come from our heart, our spirit. True worship should not be defined by how great our worship band is. It is defined by how desirous you are to worship God. When I was a young Christian, worship was an obligation, something expected of Christians. Now worship is about meeting with God, about expressing my heart to Him and allowing Him to touch my body, soul and spirit. WORSHIP WITH ALL POSSIBLE WAYS Psa 98:5-6 (NIV84) 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King. We are called to worship God with all of our creativity! God gave us creativity so that we may worship Him creatively. With every instrument that we can create. We are to make a joyful noise with them all. God gave us creativity so that we may worship Him creatively. When you worship God in song, in dance, in music, in painting, in poems, in graphics and so forth - you begin to awaken different parts of your soul to worship God. It is like stimulating all the different parts of your brain to re-discover how to worship God. It is like stretching worship muscles you never even knew you had. All of who you are were created to worship God. Your body, soul and spirit. Every part. So worship God with all that you are. May I encourage you to discover all the different ways to express your worship of God. God gave us our creativity. Use it to the fullest to worship God! All of who you are were created to worship God. Your body, soul and spirit. OUR CAUSE FOR WORSHIP Psa 98:1-3 (NIV84) “1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” The psalmist sang about experiences of God that stirred a desire to sing praises to God, to worship Him. In the psalmist’s context it was God demonstrating His saving grace to the house of Israel. God showed He was faithful to Israel. Possibly God had protected Israel from some terrible situation. We do not have any details of that in the Bible. Yet this portion reminds us that there can be reasons or causes that stir us to worship God. One is having an awe of God that moves us into worship. Another is when we experience God’s blessings, it can motivate us to worship. So there are things happening around us that can be a cause for us to worship God, if you recognise God’s hand in it. You will have a cause to worship when you recognise God’s hand working around us. You will have a cause to worship when you recognise God’s hand working around us. CONCLUSION God created you and I, in fact all of creation, with the capacity and the innate inclination to worship God! Let us throw aside all the hindrances of distractions, of wrong perspectives and retune ourselves. So that we reach the purity of response to God. Let us respond to God’s call by choosing to worship and allowing ourselves to connect with God through worship! Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever heard these questions being asked? Why should sex be only between married couples? Why is fornication and adultery such a big issue with God? If two consenting adults love each other, why can’t they have sexual intimacy? Perhaps you have asked those questions yourself. The more important question should be what is God’s intention is for sex? Have you ever heard questions like these? Why should sex be reserved for married couples? Why does God treat fornication and adultery as such serious matters? If two consenting adults love each other, why shouldn’t they enjoy sexual intimacy? Perhaps you’ve asked these questions yourself. But beneath all these questions lies a deeper one: What is God’s intention for sex? To explore that, we will examine 1 Corinthians 7:1 - 6 (NIV) 1 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. 3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command. To understand the principles Paul teaches in this passage, we must first appreciate its cultural and historical context. The Corinthian believers came from a wide mix of cultural and philosophical backgrounds. One influential idea shaping their thinking was dualism—the belief that humans consist of body and spirit, with the spirit being superior and the body inferior. Some took this in one direction: the desires of the body were considered impure or even evil. Others went in the opposite direction: whatever they did with their bodies was irrelevant, because only the spirit mattered. This distorted thinking likely led certain women in the church to write to Paul, saying, “It is good for a man not to touch a woman.” They were referring to sexual intimacy. They believed they had risen above the need for sexual relations with their husbands. To them, participating in sexual intercourse was beneath their new “spiritual” identity. They even attempted to use Paul’s singleness as justification: Paul is an apostle and does not engage in sexual intimacy—so we are being spiritual like him! But this mindset created another serious problem. Husbands, deprived of sexual intimacy, began seeking it elsewhere—often with prostitutes, which was culturally acceptable in Corinth even for married men. These Christian husbands likely believed it was harmless because, in their dualistic thinking, what they did with their bodies had no impact on their spiritual lives. Same philosophy, different application. Can you imagine Paul’s frustration with this tangled, contradictory reasoning? With that background in mind, we will now examine several key issues Paul addresses—and consider how they apply to us today. SEXUAL INTIMACY WAS INTENDED FOR MARRIAGE ALONE 1 Corinthians 7:1-2 (NIV) “1 Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” 2 But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.” Paul makes an emphatic point: it is neither acceptable for married couples to withdraw from sexual intimacy nor to seek sexual fulfilment outside the marriage covenant. Husbands and wives are meant to enjoy healthy, regular sexual intimacy. Full stop. Why does Scripture place such weight on sexual intimacy within marriage? Because it goes back to God’s original intent. Let’s explore three key purposes. Sex was intended to facilitate the marriage union. When Adam was alone in the Garden, what did God do? Did He give Adam an animal companion—a dog or cat—to keep him company? Did He create another man and declare that to be just as good? Did He form a crowd of people and tell Adam to live in a free-for-all commune? Did He invent the internet so Adam could bond with a smartphone? None of these. Genesis 2:20 - 23 (NIV) 20 …But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” God created a woman—similar to Adam in countless ways, yet gloriously different. Formed from Adam himself. Imagine Adam’s awe: “She is like me—yet wonderfully unlike any other creature!” This woman was designed to be Adam’s counterpart, his complement, his partner, his helpmate. And Scripture continues in Genesis 2:24 (NIV) For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. The phrase “one flesh” is far more than a physical union. Leaving father and mother involves emotional, relational, and social separation from the family. To form a new family with his wife, to form a new intimacy. Becoming “one flesh” therefore means forming a holistic union—body, soul, and spirit. Paul reinforces this in Ephesians 5:31–32 (NIV) 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. The union of Christ with His Church encompasses spirit and soul, more than physical. This Christ-Church union is the basis for the husband-wife union. God intends marriage to be a threefold union of body, soul and spirit. Thus God intends marriage to be a threefold union of body, soul and spirit. As Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NIV) says, “A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Sex is therefore not merely physical. It is part of a larger, deeper joining of two persons. Sex is therefore not merely physical. It is part of a larger, deeper joining of two persons. C. S. Lewis captures this beautifully: "The monstrosity of sexual intercourse outside of marriage is that those who indulge in it are trying to isolate one kind of union (the sexual) from all the other kinds of union which were intended to go along with it and make up the total union." Sex was always meant to be part of a larger package—a connection that strengthens the entire marriage bond. Think of an old set of RCA plugs: yellow, red, and white. The connection is complete only when all three are properly joined. In marriage, the emotional and spiritual connections are joined—and sex completes the physical connection. In a healthy Christian marriage, their souls connect and unite. The husband and wife influence one another’s thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Their spirits interact through their shared life in Christ and their closeness to one another. Sex deepens this connection. Though physical, it also touches the soul and spirit because of its intensity and vulnerability. This is why Christian counselling speaks of soul ties—connections formed through sexual intimacy, even in tragic situations like abuse. Something of one person becomes intertwined with the other. Now imagine the impact of multiple sexual partners or casual sexual encounters. It is like repeatedly joining and tearing apart a limb. Damage accumulates. Their capacity for deeper wholesome intimacy is progressively damaged. What some call “sexual conquest” is actually self-inflicted harm. Many people enter marriage emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and even physically wounded by past sexual experiences. They need healing. But when sexual intimacy is practised within God’s design, it strengthens and enriches the marriage bond. Sex was intended for procreation. One of the outcomes of sexual intimacy is procreation—though it is not the only purpose. Genesis 1:28 (NIV) God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it...” God designed sex to function within a beautiful context: the loving, committed covenant between a man and a woman. Through this most intimate act, God ordained the creation of new life. How fitting that the climax of marital love can result in a child—a love-child in the truest, godly sense. Within such a stable, complete family unit, children receive the best foundation to grow into whole, healthy adults. They, in turn, form their own families and continue the multiplication God intended. Sex was intended to reflect the glory of God. Ephesians 5:31 - 32 (NIV) 31“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. The love between husband and wife—including sexual love—is intended to reflect something of the holy, profound intimacy between Christ and His Church. Our earthly marriages are meant to mirror the heavenly, glorious union between Christ and His Church. Marriage is a shadow, a signpost pointing toward a greater reality—the divine masterpiece of Christ’s covenant with His people. What we experience in marriage is not the ultimate; it is a foretaste of the union made in heaven. The love between husband and wife—including sexual love—is intended to reflect something of the holy, profound intimacy between Christ and His Church. Proverbs 5:18 - 19 (NIV) 18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love. This delight between lover and beloved is meant to echo the joy, devotion, and deep affection Christ has for His Church. This delight between lover and beloved is meant to echo the joy, devotion, and deep affection Christ has for His Church. Scott Hahn captures this beautifully: We desire intimacy, sexual union. We find it in other persons. But that desire points to a deeper desire, which only union with God can meet; and union with God proves to be deep intimacy, unimaginable ecstasy, infinite fulfilment of the desire to love and be loved, to give and receive totally, to become one with the other. Our vision of marital love—and of sexual intimacy—should therefore be shaped by this divine reality. Marriage is not merely a human arrangement; it is a living parable of God’s covenant love. Let this truth inspire every married couple, and every single person who hopes one day to enter marriage. SEXUAL INTIMACY IS A MUTUAL RESPONSIBILITY 1 Corinthins 7:3-4 (NIV) “3 The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. 4 The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife.” The emphasis is on willingness: each partner is called to give, not to demand; to offer themselves, not to wait for the other to initiate. Paul teaches that every married couple must take personal responsibility to fulfil their marital duties—including offering their bodies to one another in sexual intimacy. The emphasis is on willingness: each partner is called to give, not to demand; to offer themselves, not to wait for the other to initiate. Why is this so important? First, because love in marriage is meant to be self-giving. Sexual intimacy is one of the ways husbands and wives express that selfless love. Second, because marriage creates a new reality: two individuals are now joined as one. In God’s eyes, a married couple is no longer “me” and “you,” but us. Everything is shared—life, resources, responsibilities, and yes, even their bodies. Paul’s language reflects this profound truth. In marriage, our bodies are no longer solely our own; they belong to the union. Sexual intimacy is therefore not an act of personal ownership but of mutual giving, mutual honour, and mutual responsibility. SEXUAL INTIMACY SHOULD NOT BE MISUSED 1 Corinthians 7:5-6 (NIV) “ 5 Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 I say this as a concession, not as a command.” Paul addresses two distortions of sexual intimacy. First, withholding sex to deprive one’s spouse. Second, Sexual immorality arising from lack of self-control. In both cases, sexual intimacy is misused—either by avoiding it or by seeking it outside God’s design. Let’s consider several forms of misuse. Sex is not a weapon. Sex must never be used to assert power or control over another person. Acts such as rape, sexual abuse, or sexual threats are violations of God’s design—and tragically, they can occur even within marriage. Sex should also never become a bargaining chip or a tool for manipulation. To weaponize sex is to take something sacred and twist it for selfish ends. God intended sexual intimacy to be part of a loving, giving relationship—freely offered and freely enjoyed. Sex is not a vehicle for pleasure. Sex was not designed merely as a pleasure-delivery system. When pleasure becomes the goal, disappointment follows. Sex was not designed merely as a pleasure-delivery system. When pleasure becomes the goal, disappointment follows. This is the hedonistic paradox: the more one chases pleasure for its own sake, the less pleasure one ultimately experiences. Those trapped in pornography addiction know this well. When sex is reduced to pleasure, performance becomes the obsession. The other person becomes an object to extract pleasure from. Over time, pleasure diminishes—and marriages suffer when sexual intimacy no longer “feels good enough.” But God designed pleasure to be a by-product, not the main pursuit. The more we embrace God’s intention for sex, the more genuine pleasure we discover. In a healthy marriage, sexual pleasure is richer because it is joined with the joy of giving, the joy of covenant love, and the joy of deep intimacy. Sex should be honoured and kept pure. Sexual purity matters deeply to God. Hebrews 13:4 (NIV) Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. Sex is meant to occur within an exclusive covenant—one man, one woman, joined in marriage. Just as Christ’s relationship with His Church is exclusive, so sexual intimacy must be exclusive. Outside marriage, chastity is God’s call. Sexual immorality wounds the soul. It damages our capacity for intimacy. It leaves scars. It undermines faithfulness and integrity. It destroys marriages. It contradicts the very nature of God. It insults His beautiful design for marriage and His ultimate purpose—the union of Christ and the Church. Because we understand God’s intentions for sex, let us keep our marriage beds pure. Let singles keep themselves pure, saving sexual intimacy for marriage. CONCLUSIONS Because God designed sexual intimacy with profound purpose: to unite husband and wife in a holistic, body‑soul‑spirit union to nurture and strengthen the marriage covenant to participate in God’s creative work through procreation to reflect the glory of Christ’s union with His Church to be mutually offered in love and responsibility, and to be honoured and kept pure— Our sex lives should honour God by reflecting God’s character. Self‑giving love, faithfulness, purity, and covenant commitment must shape how we understand and practice sexual intimacy. Our sex lives should honour God’s design for marriage. Sex is a sacred gift meant to flourish within the exclusive, lifelong union of husband and wife, strengthening their bond and pointing to the greater heavenly reality. Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Some years ago, I stayed near a little creek and with a nice little stretch of trees. Many mornings I can hear the birds sing amongst the trees. What beautiful songs. Sometimes a bird or two may even perch on our windowsill or roof to sing. Although once a while they start singing at some unearthly hour in the morning! I wonder if sometimes they are singing songs of worship? Worship is so important because the Bible instructs us to worship God and God alone. Yet I would like to expand our perspective about worship. To help us understand that worship was intended by God to be a fundamental part of what we were created to do... ALL OF CREATION WAS CREATED TO WORSHIP Psalms 98:7-9 (NIV84) “7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. 8 Let the rivers clap their hands, 9 let them sing before the LORD… A question that arises is, “Surely not all of creation can worship? How can inanimate objects worship?” Surely it is simply poetic license to talk about the sea and rivers and everything in the world, as if they can worship? We can examine an incident when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey and all His followers were so excited and cried out “Hosanna. Hosanna! Your king is coming”. And the Pharisees were offended. Luke 19:39 - 40 (NIV) 39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!” 40“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Jesus was not using poetry then. Can you imagine stones clacking together and singing “Hosanna!”? Inanimate objects may not have thoughts and feelings to worship in the way we may understand, yet is it possible that God created all things such that there is a worshipful response to God’s Presence? Is it possible that God created all things such that there is a worshipful response to God’s Presence? For example, all materials have a resonance frequency where certain mechanical/acoustic vibrations, or electrical frequencies are amplified. Glass can break when certain frequency of sound hits it with enough energy. Even at the atomic level there is resonance when subjected to certain electro-magnetic frequencies. Perhaps there is a God frequency that triggers response from inanimate objects? Perhaps there is something about God’s Presence? Rev 5:13 (NIV) Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” I used to deal with this verse by saying every creature must mean humans in submarines, on aeroplanes and on land. But when I studied it deeper, it means literally every creature will worship God. From the eagles in the air, to the mice on the land to the starfish in the sea. And they are literally singing a song of honour and worship unto God. Now they may not sing it in human language – but they will sing the substance of worship. This is reinforced in another psalm. Psa 148:7 - 12 (NIV) 7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, 8 lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding, 9 you mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, 10 wild animals and all cattle, small creatures and flying birds, 11 kings of the earth and all nations, you princes and all rulers on earth, 12 young men and maidens, old men and children. Louie Giglio from Passion City Church once demonstrated that even the heavens proclaim God by showing how music is emanating from the stars. He did this by converting the frequencies emitted into sound we can hear. How incredible. How amazing. How mind blowing! God created all things to worship Him! That brings us to the critical point to understand. WE WERE CREATED TO WORSHIP Psalms 98:7 (NIV84) “Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Notice that in v4 it talks about earth but in v7 it switches to world and it does the same in v9b “He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.” I believe that when the term world is used it is talking specifically about the human world – us. The same Hebrew word is used also in v7. We too are to worship. Just like the rest of creation, each one of us was created by God to worship, from the moment we were birthed from our mother’s womb. Each one of us was created by God to worship, from the moment we were birthed from our mother’s womb. Psa 8:2 (NIV) From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise... Worship is inherent in us. It has being inbuilt in us. We were designed to worship God. Worship is a longing deep in our hearts. Something should trigger in us when we are around God’s Manifest Presence. When we fail to truly worship God, we fail to discover one of our key purpose. Imagine if someone who had never seen music instrument picked up a violin. Not knowing what it is, they begin to swing it around like a bat. A violin is designed specifically to play beautiful music, not to a hit a ball. It would be a misuse of the violin to hit a ball with it. When we fail to truly worship God, we fail to reach our highest potential. Worship is inherent in us. Worship is a longing deep in our hearts. When we fail to truly worship God, we fail to reach our highest potential. One of the things that happens when we worship is something begins to realign in our souls and spirit. We touch God and God touches us deeply. Just like iron dust realign in the earth’s magnetic field to the north and south magnetic poles. That is why the psalmist was happiest to dwell in God’s presence. Psa 84:10 (NIV) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. When we truly worship God, it brings us into a zone of fulfillment. Because that is what we were made for. You are created for worship! When we truly worship God, it brings us into a zone of fulfillment. CONCLUSION God created even the stones to worship. How much more would He have created you to worship. Will you offer back to God what He created you for? Will you walk in fulfilment of your destiny to be a worshipper? Will you realign your heart to worship God today? Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever examined the paintings of artists thoughtfully? To understand what they like to paint and how they paint them? When we analyse their artistic work, it often gives clues to the artists. It reveals something of their personalities, preferences, interests and so forth. Similarly, when we see the handiwork of God, it reveals to us something about Him. Even divine miracles tell us so much about God. Divine miracles do not only serve their immediate purpose. It also reveals to us something about the nature of God. Often, we are very excited to see miracles in our midst. We want to see more of God’s divine action in our midst. Yet it is important for us to realise that divine miracles do not only serve their immediate purpose. But often it has higher purposes, God's purposes. It also reveals to us something about the nature of God. In understanding these, it may also help us understand why, at times, God does not intervene supernaturally or in the way we expect. Why does God intervene with divine miracles? From the passage of Joshua 4:15-5:1, I will unpack 5 aspects. Joshua 4:15–5:1 (NIV) 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” 1. BECAUSE HE IS A MIRACLE-WORKING GOD Joshua 4:15–19 (NIV) 15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. The piling up of the River Jordan showed divine intervention. Exactly as God commanded the priests, at exactly the precise time they stepped out of the river, the water flowed again. At flood stage. It was not a coincidence. It was supernatural. It was a divine miracle. God is a miracle-working God. This divine act points to us several truths. a) God is above natural physical laws. God made the universe and set into motion the physical laws that govern the entire universe. God works with these natural laws, and He is quite happy to do so most of the time. Yet God Himself is not bound by any of those laws. Jeremiah 32:17 (NIV) ""Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you." Job 42:2 (NIV) ""I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." God is above and beyond the natural physical laws. He is omnipotent. That is why God is not bound by time – He is eternal. That is why God is not bound by physical limitation – He can be anywhere at any time, at the same time. His knowledge is boundless. He is omniscient. In his very being, God is supernatural. He is not limited by natural laws. b) God can intervene in natural laws (v18) “…waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.” God set up the physical laws of the universe, like gravity, entropy etc. Because those physical laws work well, God prefers to let them operate as they should most of the time. This is the same with every other principle, whether spiritual, social, or authority, etc. But God can and does intervene at times. God stopped the Jordan River from flowing. God can suspend gravity. God can stop the Earth’s motion around the sun as in Joshua 10:13. Yet it is just as easy for God to part the Red Sea as it is to heal a person of a cold. God did not have to exert Himself to part the Red Sea. It is all equally easy for Him! So when we ask God for miracles – it makes no difference whether He heals us from the flu or removes a terminal cancer. That’s why Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 (NIV) "He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."" It is not so much the size of our faith that matters. But so long as we have the right quality of faith. A faith that unwaveringly trusts God for it! So why does God intervene with divine miracles? Simply because He can! He is the Almighty God! 2. BECAUSE HE IS JEHOVAH-JIREH Joshua 4:19–23 (NIV) 19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. God provided for the Israelites’ need to cross the Jordan River to get to the Promised Land. He made sure it was fully accomplished. Why would God do that? Because God, in his character, is the Provider. That is why He is known as Jehovah Jireh. Just as when God provided a sacrificial ram in place of Isaac. Genesis 22:14 (NIV) "So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide..." a) God provides for our needs. God is a compassionate God whose heart is to provide for us at our point of need. Indeed, Jesus often healed out of compassion. God wants to provide for our needs - whatever the need might be, so long as it is genuine. He promises in Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." I am not referring to wants, preferences and such. God does not want to spoil us! Although in God’s mercy and abundance of heart, He does at times provide those as well. Just as good fathers want to be providers for their family. God provides for His family. Often, God provides for us by helping us understand universal principles of prosperity and blessings. Yet at times, in making sure He provides for us, God intervenes with miracles. Years ago, there was a woman in Bangkok who suffered from HIV. It caused her tremendous difficulty, for it was before there was any HIV medication. The senior pastor prayed for her again and again. At first, nothing happened, then one day she was miraculously healed. The doctors could not find any traces of it. There was no way that she could be healed unless God intervened. b) God provides for our obedience. The Israelites were not just having a need met in crossing the River Jordan. But they were doing so in obedience to God’s instructions. God not only provides for our needs, but He is especially eager to provide for our obedience. God does miraculously intervene to help us move another step further in our obedience. God will give us extra support to fulfil His purposes! Abraham was enabled by God to have a child in his old age, as revealed in Hebrews 11:11 (NIV) "By faith Abraham, even though he was past age--and Sarah herself was barren--was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise." When we set out to pioneer a group for God as instructed by Him, be assured that He will provide! When we reach out to touch the hearts of the lost and hurt, He will provide! When we seek to touch our community, He will provide! When we give by faith towards God's work, He will provide! God provides for His people, especially when they are walking in obedience. Throughout Scripture, we see God provides for His people, especially when they are walking in obedience. Are we walking in obedience today? 3. BECAUSE HE IS GLORIFIED IN HIS POWER Joshua 4:24 (NIV) He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” a) God demonstrates His glory that we might have faith. The manifestation of God’s power leads to glory for God. God’s revealing of His glory is not for showing off. It has a higher purpose. It serves to help us realise how awesome He is – that we might place our faith in Him. Many unbelievers turn to God once they realise that God is more powerful than any gods they worship. We have heard of many witches and warlords who turn to Christ after they realise how infinitely more powerful God is. None of their witchcraft can hinder God’s power. God overrules them easily. b) God is glorified in our weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV) "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." It is in our weaknesses that the power of our miracle-working God can be revealed. In such times, God can be glorified. God could have given them ferries or boats to cross the river. But that would not have given much glory to God. In the miracle, it was obvious that God intervened. That is why we must give honour to God for His divine miracles and blessings! Don’t ever rob God of His glory! 4. BECAUSE HE IS TO BE FEARED ABOVE ALL ELSE Joshua 4:15–5:1 (NIV) He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.” a) We are to fear God. In much modern preaching, the concept of fearing God has been diluted. In reaction to the excesses of fears driven by ignorance, modern society has sought to reject all irrational fears. Of course, non-believers and liberal theologians consider the fear of God as part of this as well. Hence, there are preachers who emphasise the love of God, the mercy of God, the gentleness of God and de-emphasise the holiness of God, the judgment of God, the wrath of God! We totally agree that all irrational fears should be dealt with. Fears that are not based on fact. Do we still have irrational fears? Who is afraid of rats? Who is afraid of heights? Who is afraid of enclosed places? God is to be feared because He is a holy God who will deal with sin! Irrational fear of God or fearing God due to ignorance must be addressed. Nevertheless, there remains the fact that God is to be reverentially feared! Isaiah 8:13 (NIV) "The LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread…" The word “dread” has the nuance “terrified”! When was the last time we were terrified of God? God is to be feared because He is a holy God who will deal with sin! 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV) "Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear." Believers who deliberately walk out of God’s grace will be judged by God. Romans 11:20-22 (NIV) "20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. 22 Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off." God is to be feared because He will judge our souls! Jesus said in Matthew 10:28 (NIV) "Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell." Jonathan Edwards had a powerfully convicting sermon entitled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in which he laid bare the danger of sinners falling into God’s angry hands. For example, in Acts 21: 21-23 is recorded the judgment of God upon King Herod.. b) So our fears would not be misplaced. Most people have fears of various kinds. And we allow those fears to rule our lives, even more than the fear of God. For example, our fear of how our mates think of us, so we compromise to please them. Or our fear of lack so we trust our finances more than God. But if we truly fear God above all else, then we would obey Him! If we truly fear God above all else, then we would obey Him! The ultimate way is to love God! Deuteronomy 6:5 (NIV) "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." But when our love for God is not that hot! Then the fear of God has an important role to play! Do we love to be law-abiding citizens? Or do we fear the long arm of the law? Our love for being law-abiding may not be great! But at least, because we fear the consequences of breaking the law, we will not break it! God wants us to fear Him above all else. 5. BECAUSE HE IS JEHOVAH NISSI Joshua 5:1 (NIV) Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. The people in the land of Canaan became afraid once they realised that the Israelites had an awesome God. It became evident that Jehovah was the source of victory for the Israelites. To the Israelites, God was their banner of victory. The Jehovah Nissi. This title was proclaimed after the Israelites won the battle against the Amalekites. Where Joshua overcame, as Moses interceded by holding up his staff. Exodus 17:15 (NIV) "Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner." God is to be our victory banner. God will move miraculously to grant us victory. Years ago, our churches in Thailand were persecuted by certain authorities. Of the 3 top policemen in the nation, 2 actively persecuted the church. Both were removed some time later. But the one who did not persecute the church remained. God is the victorious banner over His people. Others will recognise God’s support, as we are God’s chosen people. Isaiah 45:2 (NIV) "I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron." When we stay close to God, He will be our victory over the most difficult circumstances. When we stay close to God, He will be our victory over the most difficult circumstances. We need not be overcomed. He is our Jehovah Nissi. CONCLUSION Divine miracles reveal God for who He is. God acts out of who He is. This gives us tremendous assurance in following Him. Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

What is the secret sauce to be Olympic champions? What do they have to do? What do they have to become? How much more the Christian who runs in a far greater event of eternal consequence! What are some keys to be champions of God? In Part 1, we unpacked some key principles based on 1 Peter 1:13. 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV84) Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. We shared about the importance of our preparation to be a champion of God. In Part 2, we unpack more truths from the passage to be the champions God intended us to be. BE SELF-CONTROLLED TO FINISH WELL (v13b) “…be self-controlled…” The need for self-control. To be prepared is good, but preparation alone is not enough. We also need self-control or discipline. Imagine the tennis match again. I may have made all my preparations but during the match, I must maintain my composure. I must maintain self-control. Otherwise, all my preparations are for nothing, if I panic, or get distracted. Athletes exercise self-control by undergoing the rigours of training, strict diet, etc. All for temporal prizes. Yet they pursue it so seriously, with so much dedication and sacrifice. We are running a race of eternal consequences. We should be even more eager to discipline ourselves that we may finish well. Paul reminded Timothy. 1 Tim 4:7 (TLB) Spend your time and energy in the exercise of keeping spiritually fit. Self-control helps us complete our race well. Self-control also helps us overcome many spiritual battles that we are confronted with. 2 Cor 10:5 (NIV) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Paul used military terms to describe the war waged for our minds and in our minds. To overcome, we must demolish the false arguments and pretensions. It requires discipline of our minds. We should realize that self-control is not so much for suppressing, but for harnessing. Self-control can help us harness our thoughts, our energies for excellent things. Just like a laser multiplies its energy because it focusses the entire energy output into a single fine point. Self-control can help us harness our thoughts, our energies for excellent things. God wants us to rise above mediocrity. To be people of excellence. Someone once said, "The world belongs to the disciplined." Those who are disciplined and squeeze more out of what they have. They are able to control themselves to go higher and farther. Developing self-control. This we cannot achieve by our own efforts alone. We need the Holy Spirit to enable us. Gal 5:23 tells us that one aspect of the fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Only God can fully bring about this fruit in our lives. We must work together with God. A young man once asked George Muller, a great man of prayer, to pray for him that God would help him get out of bed every morning to pray. Muller replied, “I will pray if you promise to get your feet out of bed every morning”. Muller understood that God will not do everything for us. We have to do our part. Start with little things then progress to bigger things. Start with regular devotions. Start with reducing unnecessary spending! Simple discipline to finish tasks for the day. St. Augustine, one of the Early Fathers of the Church wrote: O that I might have Towards my God, a heart of flame Towards my fellow men, a heart of love Towards myself, a heart of steel. Let us truly determine today to discipline ourselves so that we can be used of God! BE FOCUSSED ON THE HEAVENLY TROPHY (v13c) “…set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.” Do champion athletes compete in a race with every expectation to lose? Does a businessperson start a business to fail? No! They expect to succeed! And those that succeed, usually succeed because they were properly focussed. What we need to understand is this: A heavenly trophy awaits. What is the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed? In v10, the "grace that was to come to you" refers to our salvation. The reason our salvation is referred to as God's grace is because we could not work for it. It is a free gift from God. We have experienced God's grace through salvation in the past when we accepted Christ. We are experiencing God's grace in the form of His salvation working in our lives now. And we will experience God's grace in the completion of our salvation in all its fullness. When Jesus comes again. This is our heavenly trophy that awaits us when we reach the finish line. Champions hope fully. God's grace has already been freely made available to us. The key is our response. We need to place our hope in it. To "hope fully on the grace to be given you." When we are drowning in the sea and a life jacket is thrown to us, we need to place our hope on it. The difference with champions is that they fully hope in God's grace. Those that fail to fully hope will not live as champions. Imagine in the women's gymnastics with the uneven bars. If the gymnast is not fully confident with those bars, will she throw herself around with maximum force? The champions have absolute confidence in the equipment and so can perform to the fullest. In the same way, unless we hope fully upon God’s provision, we will not be able to run the race of faith vigorously and excellently. The race we run will be handicapped by our lack of hope in God's grace. Similarly with our Christian walk. Paul speaks specifically about this. Unless we hope fully upon God’s provision, we will not be able to run the race of faith vigorously and excellently 1 Cor 9:24-27 (NIV) 24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. In our Christian walk we have been assured victory if we run according to God’s way. Our assurance is firm because our hope is based on certainty. Sometimes when the going gets tough, when the chips all seem to be down. Refocus on the trophy that awaits us. CONCLUSION We are called to be champions of God. Let us live like champions. Let us prepare ourselves to run the race of faith like champions. Let us be self-controlled that we might finish the race well. Let us be focussed fully on the grace of God, that we might receive our heavenly trophy! Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

The Olympics is the pinnacle event for champions to rise up and demonstrate what they are made of. Behind every triumph and every loss lies a story of a champion who rose up against the odds to reach the pinnacle of their sport. How much more the Christian? Do you desire to be a winner rather than a loser? To be at the top rather than at the bottom? Do you want to succeed in God! The Scriptures clearly tells us that God intends for us to be champions. Champions who succeed, who overcome, who are victorious. We find some of these keys in 1 Peter 1:13. 1 Peter 1:13 (NIV84) Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. From this passage we discover some keys to living as champions. As Christians we have every reason to live as champions. God has chosen us to be part of a family of champions. God has made every provision for us to succeed in this journey of faith. He is with us every step of the way and has provided us the power to be champions! God has chosen us to be part of a family of champions. He has made every provision for us to succeed in this journey of faith Yet to be as champions, we need to live as champions. So how do we live as champions? BE PREPARED LIKE A CHAMPION (v13a) "…prepare your minds for action..." What does it mean to be prepared? In 1 Pet 1:13 (KJV) "…gird up the loins of your mind…". It provides a graphic description based on the Old Testament times. An Israelite male wore a long, sleeveless shirt that reached to the knees or ankle. When at work or war, it was tucked into the belt at the waist to leave the legs free. That is what it meant to gird up. Gird up the loins of your mind means to make ourselves ready for action mentally. To be alert or watchful. To be prepared. It is well known that for athletes and sports people to perform well, they need to be prepared mentally. Have you ever watched some of the weightlifters in the Olympics before they go out to lift huge weights? They are mentally psyching themselves up to step unto the stage. Why do they need to do that? Isn’t it all about their brawn? You might be surprised to learn that the mental game is just as important as the physical side. In the same way the Bible is telling us that our minds must be mentally prepared for action. If you are to live as champions, you need to prepare your minds like a champion. This applies also to our Christian faith, our work or any area of our lives. If you are to live as champions, you need to prepare your minds like a champion. Why should we be prepared? There are a number of reasons why we should be prepared mentally for action. Firstly, because we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Ephesians 6:12 (NIV84) For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Unless we are alert spiritually, we become a casualty of the Enemy. A soldier that is not alert gets wounded or killed easily in the battlefield. The problem is Christians often do not realise they are in a battlefield. We need to open our spiritual eyes to recognize that there are spiritual terrorists around us. Waiting to blow us up if we are complacent. In Australia, the terrorists have not been able to do anything significant because our security forces are so alert. Are we alert? Or are we getting blown up? Secondly, we are called to advance God's Kingdom. How can we advance God's Kingdom unless we have been prepared to do what it takes? No army can advance into enemy territory unless it has been well trained. How can you pioneer care groups, develop new ministries, plant churches? When Lai Ling and I went to start the church in Brisbane, we were not unprepared. We were equipped because we prepared ourselves as best as we could in God. If you want to be used of God significantly, you need to get prepared! God has destined you to be a champion. Now prepare like a champion! How do we be prepared? Just 2 key pointers: 1. Renew our minds. Rom 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. As we renew our minds, we will become more aware of God's purposes. We will change our thinking about ourselves. Instead of seeing ourselves as losers, we begin to see ourselves as champions as God intended. We view the world differently. As God sees it. Losers see problems. Champions see opportunities! We view the world differently. As God sees it. Losers see problems. Champions see opportunities! Zig Ziglar, a famous motivational speaker and Christian once said, "Your attitude determines your altitude"! The key is your perspective of yourself. Go to God's Word, go to God in prayer. Let God renew your thinking! 2. Train for a winning response. Sports people train themselves for a winning response. Imagine if in a tennis match, we have to try and work out what force and spin our opponent is hitting and then work out exactly what we need to do to counteract it each time, it will be too late! Instead, good tennis players acquire all the top skills to be used when needed, during their practice times. In a match, they pull out the skills that they need to return or make any shots. If we are to live as champion, we must train for winning responses, not just mediocre responses. In a tennis game, there is a huge difference between simply trying to get the tennis ball back and aiming to beat the opponent with a winning shot. If we are to live as champion, we must train for winning responses, not just mediocre responses. How do we train for a winning response in our lives as Christians? Are we seeking to understand key winning principles from God's Word and applying it in our lives regularly? Not to make do, but to excel! Heb 5:14 (NIV) But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Have we trained our hearts to forgive quickly? Have we trained to give a soft reply to harsh criticisms? When we know and apply God's Word constantly in our lives, we will become more proficient in spiritual matters and see great success in our lives and ministry. It is the same in other areas of your life. Train for winning response, whether at work, at school, in doing life! To be continued in Part 2 [Click] Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have you ever wondered what sort of difference the church should be making in our communities, our nations? What would God like the Church to do? In Feb 2013, there occurred a spectacular meteor explosion over Central Russia. Russian scientists estimate that it was about 10,000 tonnes and entered the earth’s atmosphere at over 54,000 km/h (50 times the speed of sound) and exploded at least 30 km above land. Scientist estimated that the explosion was equivalent to 20 times the Hiroshima atomic bomb! The sonic shockwave shattered thousands of windows and collapsed some roofs and doors in over 3000 buildings in 6 cities. Over 1000 people were reported injured by shattered glass. All because of an explosive impact of a meteor in our atmosphere. An impact can be explosive and have a ripple effect that changes the status quo. God’s mission for His Church is to impact this world with His Good News and redeem the world back to Himself. The Church is meant to multiply across every locality, every people groups, every nation of the world. The challenge for us, is to be and do as God intended. To resonate God’s heartbeat and to make God’s mission our own. To allow God to work in us and through us. Because we are sons and daughters of God. Because we are simply faithfully living our Father’s way. When we do so as a people and as a church, we can make an impact that is explosive. That was the intent expressed by Jesus that is summarised in Acts 1:1-8 Acts 1:1 - 8 (NIV84) 1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The challenge for us, is to be and do as God intended. To resonate God’s heartbeat and to make God’s mission our own. The same intent that Jesus gave His disciples are intended to carry forward until today. We are supposed to make the same kind of explosive impact upon our world as the Early Church. It is not enough to reach our local communities; we must always have in mind the global communities. After all, Jesus’ command has not changed. The Holy Spirit is still with us. Let us dive in and look at this passage and begin to see what it means to us today. SOURCE OF IMPACT: THE RISEN CHRIST (v1-3) At the very beginning of this book, Luke started with the key person to the establishment and growth of the church – Jesus Christ Himself. He reminded Theophilus that he recorded about what Jesus did and taught. How Jesus was crucified and rose from the dead and for 40 days instructed His disciples about the Kingdom of God. It all begins with Jesus; He is the key to explosive impact. Jesus is the reason for the explosive impact. Without Jesus there would be no explosive impact. Without Jesus there would be no “Good News”. Without Jesus there would be no “lives transformed”. Without Jesus there would be no “supernatural encounters with God”. Jesus is the source, the epicentre. Jesus is the source, the epicentre. It all begins with Jesus; He is the key to explosive impact. I harp on this to make it clear that the very impact that we, the Church, are to make upon this world hinges totally upon Christ. If ever, we take God out of the equation and imagine that we could transform this world, we will fail miserably. Some liberal churches have tried that, and they all eventually decline and go backwards. If we are ever to make a significant difference, it is all because of Christ. However, it is important for us to recognize that knowing about and relying upon the source of impact is not sufficient. It is crucial that we appreciate our role. THE PLACE OF PERSONAL IMPACT (v4-5) Acts 1:4-5 (NIV84) “4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”” God desires the explosive impact to occur through you and I, the instruments of His grace. But we cannot be such instruments unless we too have been impacted by God. The greater the extent that we have been impacted by God, the greater the extent we can be used by God to impact others. In these verses, we note 2 keys that help us be impacted by God. The greater the extent that we have been impacted by God, the greater the extent we can be used by God to impact others. Respond with obedience and faith When Jesus commanded His disciples “Do not leave Jerusalem but wait…” What did His disciples do? Did they gripe about it or doubted His instructions? Did they say, “Jesus did not say when the Holy Spirit will actually come. After all, one day is as a thousand years to God!” They obeyed, they believed in faith. As a result, they received what was promised. Obedience and faith are keys to experiencing God’s impact in our own lives. As I looked back, I realised that when I walked in faith and obedience to God, it puts me on the journey to be impacted deeply by God. When I disobey, I am pulling myself off track. If I may put it this way, if I obediently follow God’s GPS, it will get me to the right place. But if I disobey, it gets me off the correct road. I start wandering around, missing the right place. Let us choose to obey God, obey His Word. Then God will bring us through that journey of faith to mature us, so that we can better impact others. Imagine when a potter seeks to mould a piece of clay to make a beautiful vase, but the clay protests and refuse to be moulded. It keeps resisting and will not maintain the shape the potter seeks. What will be the outcome? Our obedience and faith will allow God to mould us much easier and shape us into the noble instruments of God to impact this world. Our obedience and faith will allow God to mould us much easier and shape us into the noble instruments of God to impact this world. Empowerment by the Holy Spirit Jesus instructed His disciples to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The reason for the baptism of the Holy Spirit is to give us power (v8). The baptism of the Holy Spirit opens the door into a realm of supernatural power in God. It was critical that the disciples be baptised in the Holy Spirit, because without being empowered by God that way – it would not be possible to have the kind of explosive impact that God intended His Church to have. It would be like soldiers going to the frontline without appropriate weapons. How much more impact can we make if we are to tap into supernatural gifts from God? What if we were just like the Early Church believers with signs, wonders and miracles? Many Christians live mundane, natural lives because they fail to enter into the supernatural element of the Christian life that God intended. What a boring, limited existence. Take that step of faith and come with us into the supernatural realm. I trust that this year many amongst us will take that big step into the supernatural power of God. Many Christians live mundane, natural lives because they fail to enter into the supernatural element of the Christian life that God intended. EXPANDING KINGDOM IMPACT (v6-8) Acts 2:6-8 (NIV84) “6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” At that time, the disciples still had expectations that the Messiah would come to liberate them from the Roman Empire and establish an Israelite Empire. However, it was not God’s plan to restore national Israel but to establish the Kingdom of God. Jesus revealed that with the power of the Holy Spirit, the Christians were to be witnesses at the local level, at Jerusalem. And at a regional level in Judea and Samaria and globally, to the ends of the world. They were thinking Israel, but Jesus said the world! This was far broader than the disciples had ever imagined. They were thinking Israel, but Jesus said the world! God wants to broaden our perspective and help us realize that with God, we can have an impact way beyond our local scene. That is why in all our churches, we have to focus on these 3 levels as well. Our local community, our nation and globally. Our local community, our nation and globally. Local front On our local front we should be involved in God’s mission. That is, to make a difference by choosing to live God’s mission every day. Acts 8:4 (NIV) Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Wherever we go, whether the hairdresser, the local takeaway, down our neighbourhood street, we can be God’s missionaries. In other words, be willing to be a witness to others about Christ, sharing with others about God’s goodness to you. If you are just willing to walk across the room, across your office, across the neighbourhood and touch someone’s life. One lady shared her testimony that she was depressed with problems with her husband. Her co-worker could see her unhappiness and invited her to church and talked to her about Jesus. She kept refusing until finally she relented. When she went, she was touched by the warmth and spiritual atmosphere. She kept going until she accepted Christ. What she needed was a Christian to take notice and be a friend at a crucial moment. Someone who just walked across the room with an offer of hope. That could be you. National front Beyond our local front we must consider our national front as well. Can we be involved in local missions to help establish another locality in our nation? Can we pray for, support even perhaps join a team to establish another church in our nation? In Thailand alone our churches aim to reach all 77 provinces in the nation over the next few years. National church planting and missions is much easier as we do not need a visa and the language and culture is usually the same. Perhaps some of us make business trips to another city or state regularly or visit family and friends. Allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to reach out to them. Global front HIM is a Great Commission movement of churches. Faithfully carrying out Jesus ' commission. Our movement has been spreading to many different localities and now have people and conventional churches in over 400 locations around the world. When we include our house churches as well, we are now in almost 70 countries. There are incredible opportunities for us to be involved in missions worldwide. Even in the existing countries with churches, there far more churches that are needed. Then there are over 130 nations where we are yet to have churches in. In Europe, our house church teams regularly visit other nations as part of their efforts to seek new opportunities to start new churches across Europe and beyond. Sometimes with just the leading of the Holy Spirit. Amazing stories emerge of divinely appointed meetings and souls saved! Our Australian churches now oversee churches in 15 countries, especially in Africa, and are continuing to press into more nations. The Kingdom of God continues to expand, and we have a key role to play! God has called us to the world. We must start to think and act locally with a global goal. CONCLUSION God will fully establish His Kingdom one day. Jesus is at the epicentre of this explosive impact. We, the Church is the key to an explosive impact. The question is what role would we have in it? Will we choose to respond with faith and obedience? Would we have helped touch 10s of lives? 100s, 1000s? 10,000s? It starts by being missional. Making God’s mission our mission. We can reach locally, nationally and globally. Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim & Lai Ling Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

Have we ever taken a moment to ponder about the kind of faith we have? Apostle Peter commended the recipients of his epistle for their faith in this way. 1 Peter 1:8–9 (NIV84) Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. Despite the fact that they had never seen Jesus, yet they believed in Him and loved Him. Peter was referring to the fact they believed Jesus is alive even though they had not ever seen Him physically. So what kind of faith do we have? What kind of relationship is there between what we see and the faith we have? How much does our seeing influence our faith? How much does our faith influence our seeing? Allow me to bring you through a range of types of faith-seeing relationships and perhaps it might inspire you to grow to the next level of faith. 1. Not believing despite seeing Consider the Pharisees who refused to believe even though they saw and interacted with Jesus. Or Pharoah who was at the receiving end of God's 10 supernaturally devastating plagues. They simply refused to believe out of the hardness of their hearts! I once tried to share the Gospel with a girl who absolutely refused to believe. After some time of trying with absolutely no progress, I finally asked her, "If God was to appear right in front of you, would you believe?" She said, "No!" I was stunned by her unmoving heart. This is a negative faith relationship. One that refuses to believe no matter what they see. It arises from a stubbornness and pride deep in their hearts. Woe unto them at the Judgment seat. 2. Believing after seeing There are those like Thomas who refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Unless he personally touched Jesus. John 20:25 (NIV) So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” Some only believe when they see a vision of Jesus or experience a miracle of God! Thank God that at least they believed! Some will put their criteria upon God to prove His own existence or to prove the veracity of His promises. But there is one major problem with such expectations. God is not obligated to conform to our expectations! God is not begging for us to believe. Some only believe when they see a vision of Jesus or experience a miracle of God! Thank God that at least they believed! If you will only believe on such terms, then you will miss out big time! For you are trying to squeeze God into a test tube! That kind of faith will not get us very far with God because it shows a very limited level of trust in God. 3. Believing despite not seeing When finally, Thomas saw Jesus, Jesus had this to say. John 20:29 (NIV) Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus was pointing to a better faith. That is real faith. In fact, faith is defined in Heb 11:1. Heb 11:1 (GWT) Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see. Do we believe in God and His Word, even though we cannot yet see? In the time of Noah in Gen 6 and 7, he was commanded by God to build an ark. A huge, almost box-shaped ship. This ship was built on high ground, far from sea! A huge ship with no sails, no oars. It was immediately ridiculed by everybody else. How will it sail anywhere? How is God even going to flood this earth? They refused to believe that God will flood the whole world. The Bible teaches that we are not to just rely on natural eyesight, but spiritual eyesight! 2 Cor 5:7 (NIV) We live by faith, not by sight. Let us put on our spiritual eyesight. Then you can begin to see and appreciate what God is doing! Many years ago, I told our small fledging church that we will move from our little seminar room in the University of Queensland to a large lecture theatre nearby. And that we will overflow it. Some years later we did. Eventually to the point we could not fit in everyone. We had to run 2 services there. I was confident because I saw it with my spiritual eyes. Let us put on our spiritual eyesight. Then you can begin to see and appreciate what God is doing! Later, I saw spiritually that God will give us our own building on a large piece of land. In 2012, we completed building our facility called Unidus Community Centre on 7.1 hectares of land. God will speak to us about different things. Will we believe even though we cannot see yet? Will we believe that God can use us in areas we cannot even imagine of now? Can we believe for victories that God has spoken about? 4. Believing despite seeing. At times we may see or experience things which may seem to contradict God's character and promises. Yet it is often because we failed to understand God's purposes and intent. Blessed are those who will still trust even everything else seems in contradiction. This is called persevering faith! Blessed are those who will still trust even everything else seems in contradiction. This is called persevering faith! The prophet Habakkuk lamented the difficult situation he saw yet he looked with eyes of faith. Hab 3:17-18 (NIV) 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. All the natural evidence seems to point the other way, but Habakkuk persevered in trusting God that His promises would be fulfilled. Abraham believed God even though he was reaching 100 years old that he would be given an offspring. Even though he had waited for almost 25 years! Even though he was too old to bear a child and so was his wife! Abraham persevered in faith! Teresia Wairimu from Nairobi was married to a European missionary, but the marriage failed. She was left to care for a daughter as a single mother. She was devastated as she wanted to serve God. Nevertheless over a few years, she got her life together and began to teach small groups of Christians. But she realised that she lacked power! She did not have the anointing to make the impact she had hoped for. In July 1985, God woke her up and called her specially to His service. After that she began to see some spiritual gifts released in her ministry. In 1988, at Uhuru Park in Nairobi she heard evangelist Reinhard Bonnke and was greatly inspired. She prayed in her heart that she that she could be anointed to reach souls, “Just give me a hundred souls”. Faith arose in her heart that Reinhard only had to pray for her that she would receive the anointing to do so. But no matter what she did, she could not find a way to reach Reinhard. In 1992, Teresia heard that Reinhard will preach in a church in Oslo, Norway. She decided to save up all her money and with some friends help, travelled there. At the end of Reinhard’s message, she queued up with many others to be prayed for. When Reinhard laid his hands on her, there was an explosive reaction to his prayer. Teresia literally flew backwards, out of her shoes. Teresia came back with new power. People got saved. Hundreds came, then thousands. Her ministry grew and some years later she found herself preaching in Uhuru Park to some 200,000 people. Today she leads a large ministry and church in Kenya, ministering to tens of thousands every week. True faith rests upon the promises of God regardless of outward circumstances. True faith does not depend on what our eyes see. True faith does not depend on what our natural understanding conceives. True faith is seeing what God sees. True faith rests upon the promises of God regardless of outward circumstances. True faith is seeing what God sees. Let us mature in our faith relationship with God! Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

I don’t have any lower molars in my right jaw. I lost them all some years ago.  Because of that I could not chew food properly on my right side.  I had to get dental implants.  Why did that happen?  I did not brush and floss my teeth properly.  Lots of impurity stuck on my teeth.  Food impurities which caused plaque and decay.  The dentist had to keep patching up decaying molars.  Eventually my lower molars broke up, one after another.   Impurities can have a profound effect in places where there should be purity. Purity is a central characteristic in the Kingdom of God.  Because it is the very nature of God to be pure, to be holy. And hence, God desires His people to live in purity as well.   1 Corinthians is a letter to the church in Corinth.  Corinth was a city full of sexual immorality.  Prostitution, even temple prostitution was rampant.  There were all kinds of sexual perversion.  And these had also crept into the church there.  In many ways our modern Western society share those immoralities and perversions.  And within the Church also has struggled with many of these issues.  Some studies suggest that pornography is almost as prevalent within the Western church as it is in the society.  I am not naïve to think that we are immune to these issues.    As we study the passage of 1 Corinthian 6, we begin to see God’s perspective on purity—and what it means for how we live today. From this text, I want to highlight three key truths that speak directly into our lives.   A KINGDOM FOR THE PURE   1 Corinthians 6:8-11a (NIV) “8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  11 And that is what some of you were.”   Paul launched a strong rebuttal of the Corinthian church’s misplaced perspectives about the Kingdom of God.  However, it raises some controversial issues.  Does “the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God” imply that believers can lose their salvation if they persist in immorality?  Or as some would argue, Paul was only referring to unbelievers who think they are Christians, but are not?  Firstly, allow me to explain what it really is.     A warning for believers (v9a) “Do you not know…? Do not be deceived.”   The entire segment of v1-8 was directed at believers in the Corinthians church.  For the parties in the dispute were referred to as “believers” and “brothers”.  The recipients of the entire epistle were referred to as “saints”.  So this entire epistle was directed at believers.  Here, Paul was challenging the perspectives of the believers.  “Don’t you know this? The wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived!”   However, in v9-10 Paul was referring to the unbelievers, to highlight how much God’s wrath is upon the wicked, their orientation, their lifestyles.  Paul contrasted the wicked with the current position of the believers in Corinth.  The Corinthians used to be amongst the wicked, but now sanctified, justified in Christ.  In other words, they have been saved from the wrath of God because the righteousness of Christ covers over them.  Unrighteous living dishonours God and what He has done for us.    But, just as God is not pleased with immorality and unrighteous living, He continues to be displeased with such immorality.  It should not be the lifestyle of believers.  Unrighteous living dishonours God and what He has done for us.  You see, we must understand the second thing, that God has His criteria.   God’s criteria for inheritors of His Kingdom (v9a) “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God?”   Paul lists some characteristics of the wicked.  Those who will not inherit the Kingdom of God.  It dealt with immoral behaviour as well as sexual immorality of various kinds. Behaviours and lifestyle which were occurring in the Corinthian church. God will not welcome anyone.  God’s Kingdom is reserved for those righteous before God.    Paul made a crucial point.  God will not welcome anyone.  God’s Kingdom is reserved for those righteous before God.  The unrighteous, the wicked will not inherit God’s Kingdom.  They will not enter in nor participate in its treasures. For God demands righteousness.  True believers are counted righteous in Christ, and therefore welcomed into His Kingdom.  No one outside of Christ will ever be considered righteous enough to enter God’s Kingdom. God transforms people from the inside out—but only those who entrust themselves to Him and choose to follow His way.   Why this distinction?  God transforms people from the inside out—but only those who entrust themselves to Him and choose to follow His way. Every person is corrupted by sin and powerless to change themselves. Those who resist or ignore God cut themselves off from the only One who can make them truly righteous.  It’s like a patient who doesn’t trust their doctor. The doctor prescribes what will heal them, but the patient takes the medicine only occasionally and chases herbal cures, spiritual healers, and old wives’ tales. The doctor cannot help someone who refuses to follow the treatment.   In the same way, God can only transform those who trust Him enough to walk in His way.    A warning for carnal Christians.   Just as Paul sounded a warning, let me sound a warning.  Now I believe we are saved only by God’s grace through faith, as we personally make a choice to trust in Him for our salvation.  Nothing we can do or accomplish can ever earn us merit to get into heaven. I also believe that it is possible to fall away from God, or commit apostasy.  Hebrews 6:4-6 (NIV) “4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age, 6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.” Salvation has a start point, a journey and a destination to be reached.    It is not what we do or fail to accomplish that causes us to fall way.  Rather it is our choice to wilfully reject Christ.  When we choose to reject God’s grace for salvation.  Salvation is not a once off.  For salvation has past, present and future aspects.  Salvation has a start point, a journey and a destination to be reached.    It is like you have been given a free ticket for a boat cruise with Christ. Until you get to the destination, you can choose to jump off the journey.  The journey itself is guaranteed.  You are in totally safe hands.  But will you trust God enough to reach the destination?  The journey component is the on-going aspect of our lives.  Where God is transforming us, cleaning us up.  Philippians 2:12 (NIV) “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed--not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence--continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling…” Every immoral lifestyle leads people away from God.   How does this relate to what we’re looking at? Every immoral lifestyle leads people away from God. It deceives them into thinking they can live however they want, without Him—which is the opposite of trusting Christ for salvation.  The danger is that deception can grow until some believers no longer see their need for Christ at all. In the end, some may even reject the grace offered to them. It’s like throwing away a free cruise ticket with Christ and saying, “Why bother going to the destination Christ promised?”   Sexual immorality can wear someone down until they believe God cannot help them, or shame drives them from Him. Idolatry replaces God with something else. Greed consumes a person until their desires consume their whole life. Immorality puts people on a slippery path toward embracing wickedness and ultimately rejecting the God who calls them to righteousness.   I am not saying that any believer who sins is instantly in danger of losing salvation. But unrepented sin leads to backsliding, and backsliding can lead toward apostasy—unless we turn back to God in repentance.   THE CROSS AND PURITY   1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV) “And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”     Do you realise what God did when you came to Christ? He washed your sins away—completely. He sanctified you, setting you apart as His holy possession. Deuteronomy 14:2 (NIV) “You are a people holy to the LORD… His treasured possession” We are called to a new life—set apart for God.   And He justified you—declaring you righteous because of Christ. The Cross changed your standing before God forever. This is why Paul urged the Corinthians: “You belong to Christ now. You cannot live like the culture around you.” We are called to a new life—set apart for God.  Romans 12:1 (NIV) “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices… holy and pleasing to God”.  This is real worship: a life that is pure, holy, and pleasing to Him.   So how do we live this out?  Romans 6:12 (NIV) “Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  So fix your orientation toward God. Turn your attention toward Him. Respond to His voice above every temptation.  From experience, when I choose God first—right at the moment temptation calls—His presence becomes louder than the pull of sin. And that choice, made again and again, shapes a life that truly honours Him.   CALLED TO PRACTICAL PURITY   Let me share from this passage some practical thoughts on purity.   Purity from addictions   1 Corinthians 6:12-13 NIV) “12 "Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”   Paul confronted the Corinthian slogan, “Everything is permissible for me,” because it was only half‑true. Yes, we have freedom in Christ—but not everything is beneficial, and nothing must be allowed to master us. We are meant to be mastered by God alone. Luke 16:13 (NIV) “No servant can serve two masters…”  Anything that masters us will eventually oppose God’s work of purifying our lives.   How do you know something has mastered you? When you cannot surrender it to God. “God, You can have anything… except my phone, my money, my relationship, my comfort.” Those “excepts” become roadblocks in our walk with Him.   How else do you know? When you listen to it more than you listen to God. Some listen more to a spouse, a friend, a habit, or a craving than to the voice of the Lord. Choose today not to be mastered by anything but God Himself.   And how do you know you’re addicted? When you cannot lay it down for a extended time—whether it’s alcohol, drugs, smoking, social media, coffee, or your mobile. I have resolved not to be mastered by anything. So I urge you: Choose today not to be mastered by anything but God Himself. Seek help. Confront the addiction. Take responsibility. Honour God.  Don’t believe the lie of the Devil who whispers, “You can get out of it anytime.  Just enjoy it first.”   Purity of our temple   1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NIV) “15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.  19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”   The Corinthians believed it was acceptable to visit prostitutes – that it did not matter. But Paul shows why it absolutely matters.   First, our bodies belong to God. He is our Master. We must not use His property in ways that dishonour Him. It’s like scratching your boss’s car—you simply wouldn’t do it.   Second, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. They are sacred space. So we must ask: Am I treating my body as something holy and pure before God?   Third, our spirit is united with Christ. How can we join God’s temple to sexual immorality? How can the holy be joined to what is unholy?   Fourth, sexual sin harms our own bodies. It violates their holy purpose and pollutes what God has set apart. Even “casual” sexual relations can create unhealthy emotional and spiritual bonds—leaving unholy marks on the soul.   Scripture is unmistakably clear: Keep God’s temple pure.   Purity by fleeing (v18) “Flee from sexual immorality.”   The best way to avoid sexual immorality is to keep far away from it!  Sexual immorality is not an area where you can say, “I have sufficient self-control.  I can come really close to it.  Examine it, prod it, even live with it and will not fall for it.” But those who do will eventually succumb to it!   The best policy is to get away from it.  Do not allow ourselves to be tempted.  Put some distance between yourself and the temptation. Don’t watch X-rated media.  Don’t click that porn link.  Don’t stay with your girlfriend or boyfriend in the same household – you are only tempting yourselves!  And when you are at your weakest moment – it will pounce on you!   CONCLUSIONS   God’s Kingdom is holy and pure—and His House must reflect His nature. Only those made legally pure in Christ and who actively pursue righteousness will be found in His Kingdom. So let us stay alert to sins that pull us away from God. Instead, embrace your new life in Christ and pursue the holiness He calls you into.   How do we walk this path of purity? Choose today to be mastered by God alone. Guard the purity of His temple—your body. And when temptation comes, don’t negotiate with it. Flee.  Let us honour God with lives that are pure, surrendered, and set apart for His glory.   Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.

In the Sydney Olympics of 2000, a group of women athletes were chosen to be in the last line to carry the Olympic torch.  The line up was a highly kept secret.  It was a moving scene as we saw women athletes of past and present carrying the torch in the stadium.  One by one, different athletes appeared as the torch was passed on to them.  The final and greatest honour was accorded to Cathy Freeman, the 400m gold medallist - who was the darling of Australia at that time.  What an incredible honour it was for her as she represented Australia in lighting the Olympic cauldron.      When we serve God as leaders, we have been chosen of God to represent Him. 1 Timothy 3:1 (NIV) "Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task."  Paul urges us to the work of leading in God’s church, the most important work in the world.  When our motives are right, this work pays eternal dividends.  It is a tremendous honour to be chosen of God to serve Him.   This topic is important to understand why God chooses someone to be His leader and what kind of leader we should aspire to be.  But maybe you do not aspire to be a leader.  But you should, for that is God’s purpose for every believer.  We are all called to be salt and light in this world – to influence it.  That is leadership!  When we become parents – we are to be leaders in the home.  The issue is not whether we are expected to become leaders.  The issue is what kind of leaders we become.    The issue is not whether we are expected to become leaders.  The issue is what kind of leaders we become.  This article helps us understand some of that.  For followers, it is helpful to understand what kind of leaders we should follow.  We can discover 4 key points from Joshua 4:1-10 in relation to that.   CHOSEN TO ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PLANS   Joshua 4:10 (NIV) “…until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done...”   It was clearly recorded that God’s commands were carried out fully – not Joshua’s, nor Moses’. God chooses His leaders to accomplish His plans, not the leaders own. Even Moses was giving instructions to Joshua on behalf of God!  The leader should not seek his own agenda, His own dreams – but God’s.  Jeremiah 45:5 (NIV) "Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. ...”   Like a good CEO who implements the direction and scope set by the Board of Directors, leaders implement God’s agenda.  This is why God chooses certain kind of leaders to accomplish His plans.  We examine 2 qualities here.   Accomplish through faithful leadership (v10a) “…until everything…”   We note that Joshua was faithful in making sure that every part of God’s command was carried out.  As leaders we must be faithful to God and in all that He commands us. 1 Corinthian 4:1-2 (NIV) "1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." God did not choose us primarily because we were so gifted, God chose us to accomplish His task.   Why is faithfulness so important?  Because when God chose leaders, He entrusted to us His plan, His Great Commission. We must be faithful to carry it out.  God did not choose us primarily because we were so gifted, God chose us to accomplish His task. That’s why unfaithful leaders will be removed by God in due time. King Saul was removed by God. 1 Samuel 15:10-11 (NIV) "Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel: 11 "I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions."    Jim Bakker, was a famous tele-evangelist who founded PTL (Praise The Lord ministries).  He started right but got caught up in fame and wealth he was exposed to.  In 1989 he was convicted of fraud and served 5 years in prison.   If you want to be a person that will be used of God in the long-term, we should be faithful in our responsibilities now.  If you made a pledge before God, be faithful in it as best as you can.  Be faithful in little things, then you can be faithful in bigger things in God.  Faithfulness in ushering or reception.    When I was a young Christian, I started to serve in the church.  I was involved initially with the tape ministry where we recorded the Sunday service unto cassette tapes! This was decades ago.  Then later, I got involved in the bus ministry where I bused church goers to and from church. In both ministries, I was faithful and carried it out diligently.  That was foundational to my serving in increasingly bigger roles in the church.   As per the parable of talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the faithful will be given responsibility of greater things.  Gideon was faithful to demolish the Asherah pole (Jud 6:25-28) hence God could use him to overthrow the Midianites. It is a tremendous honour to be chosen of God to serve in a leadership capacity – let’s be found faithful.   Accomplish through motivating leadership (v10b) “…was done by the people.”   Joshua was able to motivate all the people to fulfil God’s commands. Consider this. It is easier to carry out God’s commands ourselves than it is to get many others to carry it out.  The latter requires a leadership that motivates.   As leaders we should seek to motivate others towards the will of God.  That is our responsibility.  That is why leaders should grow in their leadership – so that they can inspire, motivate and lead multitudes to God.  Nehemiah was such a man.  Nehemiah 2:18 (NIV) "I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work."  For years no one rebuilt the walls, but Nehemiah motivated them.   But don’t just challenge leaders to motivate us cynically! We should determine to be great followers before God.  Do look at my article “Are You A Great Follower?”   CHOSEN TO PROVIDE CONTINUITY IN LEADERSHIP   Joshua 4:10b “…just as Moses had directed Joshua”.   Note the continuity in leadership.  First Moses, then Joshua – both intent on carrying out the commands of God.     Continuity of God’s purpose despite the leader.   God’s purpose is paramount and He will raise leaders to accomplish it. Judges 2:16 (NIV) "Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders."  God will see His purposes fulfilled regardless of the success or failure of the leaders. If a leader is not able to bring it to completion, God will raise another.  Moses was such an anointed leader, yet God raised another who is better equipped, to take his place.  That the Israelites may be led into the Promised Land and to conquer it.  No leaders should think that only they alone could bring God’s purposes to pass.    No leaders should think that only they alone could bring God’s purposes to pass.  We are merely vessels, instruments in God’s hands. God works with and through a leader, using his gifts, qualities and strengths at different stages of His plans.  Moses was important to inspire the people out of Egypt and to lay the prophetic foundations of the nation.  Yet Joshua was better suited to systematically conquer the Promise Land.  Don’t compare Joshua with Moses because God chose them for different purposes. Daniel 2:21 (NIV) "He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them..."   Should a leader fail, in due time God will raise another.  For example, Eli the priest failed to maintain the priestly standard in God’s temple, so God raised Samuel instead.  That should give a deep assurance to us, that God’s purposes will continue!   Continuity of God’s purpose is the leader’s responsibility.   We are not in a race to see whether our leadership is better than preceding ones. When new leaders take over a responsibility from a previous leader.  Our primary concern should not be for us to make our mark, bring our particular flavour, etc.  Rather it is to ensure God’s purposes are advanced.  We are not in a race to see whether our leadership is better than preceding ones. The test is how faithful we are to God’s purposes.  Joshua did not set out to make his leadership distinctive.  He set out to make sure it was God-centred.  Thank God when our church leadership is God-centred not ego-centric!    CHOSEN TO LEAD THROUGH CHALLENGES   Joshua 4:12-13 (NIV) 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.   Many challenges lay ahead as they were stepped across towards war in the Promised Land. The Promised Land is theirs to take – if they would face the challenges of war.  What are some challenges leaders faced?   Challenges to unite God’s people (v12).   God calls us to serve Him as a church, not individuals.   Joshua was able to unite the Ruebenites, Gadites and half-tribe of Manasseh with the rest of Israel in this common task of conquering the Promised Land.  Leaders have a responsibility to unite God’s people so that we may be ready to confront the challenges ahead.  We cannot win world by ourselves. That is why the urgency to make disciples and to unite them in God’s purposes.  God calls us to serve Him as a church, not individuals.  The challenge of leadership is to unite for God’s purposes!   Challenges that shake us (v13) “… to the plains of Jordan for war.”   Joshua was chosen to lead the nation into war!  It was going to be tough!  They will face incredible odds that will shake them to their boots!  Leaders have to confront earth-shaking challenges!  Leaders must not turn tail and run!  Leaders are not primarily called to manage.  They are called to advance.  Leadership is not easy – but challenging.  Yet also exciting and fulfilling.  Do you like the exhilaration of Xtreme sports?  Leadership can be like that! God is looking for people He can raise up to advance His kingdom. Leaders who will not run from challenges but confront it by the grace of God!   God is looking for people He can raise up to advance His kingdom. Leaders who will not run from challenges but confront it by the grace of God! The key is to deal with challenges is the way we see it.  Our perspective often determines whether we give up or rise up to the challenge.  The challenges we face are often not the real problem.  The problem lies with us.  Some people can face huge problems in their life but seem to just whistle along.  Others face small problems but are devastated by it.    Consider the example of David & Goliath. 1 Samual 17:45-46 (NIV) "45 David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head..."   When leaders dare to face their challenges, they pave the way to victory for others.   CHOSEN TO BE A REVERED EXAMPLE   Joshua 4:14 (NIV) “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.   Revered to be followed (v14)   God will exalt His chosen leaders before His people so that the people may honour and follow their leadership. God will exalt His chosen leaders before His people so that the people may honour and follow their leadership. Joshua 3:7 (NIV)  "And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses." God may do this in different ways, to demonstrate His favour upon a leader.  Often it is through some special successes.  We can sense the anointing! It flows into the things the leader touches!   God will choose as He sees fit.  God’s choice is not according to age or experience.  But according to their heart, their availability and their gifting.  God can choose a 20 year old to lead the 60 year olds.  For example,: Timothy in Ephesian church.  Martin Luther and the Reformation, Bill Bright and Campus Crusade, Loren Cunningham and YWAM, Billy Graham and evangelistic crusades.  They were all under 30 when God started to use them mightily.   Revered but humble   Despite God’s exaltation, leaders must remain humble before God.  Despite God’s exaltation, leaders must remain humble before God.  With humility, God will continue to use us.  James 4:10 (NIV) "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."  We must always remember – pride unchecked will take us out of the will of God.  Remain humble and we will remain in God’s will.   CONCLUSION   God has an awesome plan for His Church.  And to fulfil His plan, He will choose leaders who will function as His instruments.  It is a tremendous privilege to be called of God into roles of leadership.  Let us be a people that desire to be used of God in such a capacity.  We should not run away from leadership responsibilities but instead seek to be a leader chosen of God – that we may influence others for God.  God will use those who determine to make a difference.  This can be you!   Copyright©️2026 by Wilson Lim. All rights reserved. Materials are free to be distributed in whole or part as long as proper acknowledgement is given to the author and not sold for profit.