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.

Mary came back from shopping one Saturday morning. When she entered the house, she found the house to be a mess.  Her 4 children were running all around the house shrieking in delight and chucking clothes at one another, jumping over chairs, leaving furniture overturned, clothes everywhere. Shocked, she was about to shout out to the kids to stop and warn them that Dad will discipline them.  When suddenly, Tom her husband rushed around the corner and threw clothes at the children and her!  She groaned, “Can I have some maturity in the house?”   Have you ever had anyone look at you and ask, “Can I see some maturity here?”  Or perhaps you have asked that of someone else.  When there is a lack of maturity it can be rather frustrating.  Especially in those who should have become more mature.  The same situation can occur in the church.  In fact, immaturity occurs far too often.  But this issue also occurred in the Early Church such as in the church in Corinth.    The context of 1 Corinthian 6 is the occurrence of disputes between members of the Corinth church.  Disputes which are ending up in the secular courts to find resolution. These came to Paul’s attention, including a specific dispute between one brother against another brother.  We do not know about the nature of the dispute, but it was so bad that it required a legal resolution.     The way Paul addressed the problem, opens our eyes to broader concerns.  As usual Paul was not just concerned about the specific dispute alone.  He was much more concerned about what it revealed about the immaturity in God’s house.   He was also very concerned that God’s church should operate God’s way, especially in the light of what the church is called to be.   So, as we study this passage, it enlightens us on 3 key aspects. Aspects which may challenge us as to our own maturity.    WHEN MATURITY IS LACKING IN GOD’S HOUSE   Apostle Paul was horrified to observe that there was so much immaturity within God’s house at Corinth. You can sense that in the language he was using.  The immaturity was clear in several ways.   Widespread carnal behaviour   1 Corinthians 6:1, 7-8 (NIV) “1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.”   Paul was basically saying, “Why have these disputes got so out of hand?  To the point that you even bring it to the courts of law? The fact that it reached there means all of you have completely failed!  Even the one suing.  If you have been wronged, if you have been cheated, then let it be so rather than letting it reach this extent.”   You mean, just let someone cheat and wrong you?  Well, Jesus taught in Matthew 5:38-41 (NIV) 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' 39 But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41 If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. It is carnal, worldly thinking for believers to fight for their rights and justice by relying on the world’s way, through the world’s systems.    Paul applied the principle Jesus taught to this situation.  He concluded that it is better to be cheated and wronged than to bring it to the secular courts against another brother.  It is carnal, worldly thinking for believers to fight for their rights and justice by relying on the world’s way, through the world’s systems.  Where is the trust in God and His Church to provide justice?    Now I am not suggesting a blanket avoidance of working through the legal system.  Not at all.  And it is not my intention today to expound all the key principles involved in biblically dealing with the courts of law.  But we must ask ourselves, are we simply falling in step with the world’s way of thinking?  Have we stopped to carefully consider what is the biblical, godly way of dealing with such matters?  Have we prayed and sought God?  Rather than simply running to our lawyers? Cheating another believer is like cheating your own father, or mother, or sibling. Because the church community is meant to be like a family!   Paul went on to point out, “It is bad enough that a member is cheating others.  Worse still he cheats another brother!”  It is such a big thing to Paul because cheating another believer is like cheating your own father, or mother, or sibling.  Because the church community is meant to be like a family!  This is terrible carnality!   When there is lots of immaturity in God’s house, we see all kinds of immature carnal behaviour.  For example, immature people get offended easily.  Just because people are not very careful with their words and put things the wrong way – we get offended!  People forget to invite us to their birthday party – we get offended!  People accidentally overlooked us – we get offended!  There are so many believers who get offended all the time in church and even leave the church.  That is so sad!   When conflicts and disputes are occurring a lot in the church it shows there is considerable immaturity in the church.  A church that my brother once used to attend in Malaysia had so much conflict between one congregation to another.  Between elders to elders.  Over money, over property, over who had more rights.  Absolutely sad!  They could not resolve it objectively, amicably, biblically.  When immaturity is widespread within a church, it is an indication how unhealthy the church is.    When believers wrong another by cheating them or mistreating or discriminating against them and so forth, it is carnality and immaturity.  When immaturity is widespread within a church, it is an indication how unhealthy the church is.  That it is not growing as it should.    Problems cannot be resolved in-house   1 Corinthians 6:5 (NIV) “I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?”   Not only was there considerable immaturity within the church, what saddened Paul even more was that there did not seem to be anyone mature enough, wise enough to judge the dispute.  There was none mature enough!  It was not a case where they have lots of new believers in the church, so it would be understandable that there is still considerable carnality.  But by then here should have been some who have matured enough to handle such situations.  Yet there were none!  What a shameful situation! The Church is intended by God to be the answer to this world’s problems.    Why?  Because the Church is intended by God to be the answer to this world’s problems.  The Church was designed by God to be a righteous community, full of love.  A light on the hill, declaring God’s purposes.  A living demonstration of heaven lived out on earth!  When God’s Church is done God’s way, it should feel like a piece of heaven has come on earth.  Better than freshly baked bread and freshly brewed coffee!  So continual immaturity is a blight on the church. It ought not to be. 1 Corinthians 14:20 (NIV)  Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults. When God’s Church is done God’s way, it should feel like a piece of heaven has come on earth.    The sad problem amongst many believers today, is that we are too focussed on resolving issues pragmatically, just like we learnt in the world. Instead, we need to learn to step back and think about God’s way. Think about how Jesus would do it.  Think about how God would view the whole issue.  If each one of us would do just that, it would revolutionise the way we live.  The God’s way would become increasingly evident in God’s Church.  As it ought to be.   Yet the problem in Corinth continued to get worse.   Immaturity was publicised to the world   1 Corinthians 6:6 (NIV) “But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!”   Paul was appalled that the dirty linen of the church was brought into the world.  In Corinth, such legal disputes are settled in the magistrate courts which usually are held in the middle of the market square.  So anybody and everybody can hear it all.  Imagine if your children one day publicise the dirty linen of your family, the private intimate family matters to the world!  Just tweet it all!  Reality show style like the Kardashians! When the church fails to address problems within, or addresses it terribly, then it is broadcast to the world, it gives the Devil more means to attack the church.    When the church fails to address problems within, or addresses it terribly, then it is broadcast to the world, it gives the Devil more means to attack the church.  It undermines the credibility of Gospel. This was an insult to the Church.  An insult to God!   I am not suggesting that wrongs within the church should ever be hushed up.  It needs to be addressed.  But not in a way that drags down the name of the Church and the name of God.  Imagine if certain very bad things happen in a local church.  It is when the church rises up and deals with problems in a godly, gracious, fair and wise way.  Then the world will sit up and be amazed!  Did you see how the church dealt with this issue?  Our courts would never have resolved it in such a gracious and fair way!   That should be the way!  God’s Church, God’s way.    WHY MATURITY IS DESIRABLE FOR THIS LIFE AND BEYOND   Here Paul briefly gives a reason to the Corinthian church why wisdom, maturity is so important within the church.  Why it is so important for the age to come and also for the present.  From Paul’s explanation we can gather a couple of key principles.   Reflects who we are in Christ   1 Corinthians 6:2a (NIV) “Do you not know that the saints...”  In Christ, we are saints, justified, sanctified, set apart for God.     Paul made the point of referring to the Corinthian believers as saints (the Greek hagios).  For its meaning emphasizes those who have been sanctified unto God as holy.  In Christ, we are saints, justified, sanctified, set apart for God.  And it is precisely because we are saints, our daily lives are meant to increasingly reflect saintliness, godliness.  We are to mature into the very image of Christ.  Romans 8:28-29 (NIV) 28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Because we are saints, our daily lives are meant to increasingly reflect saintliness, godliness.  We are to mature into the very image of Christ.    It is all about growing up!  Not according to the world’s criteria.  But to God’s standard.  To be more like God in character, in our thinking. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NIV)  And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.   One day, Prince George will be the king of England.  In 2015, Prince George was 2 years old.  As he grows up, he should increasingly understand what it means to be a king and conduct himself more and more in a manner befitting a future king.  But what a disaster if he turns out to be a lazy, unreliable, immature, rascal of a person?  He is meant to be a king, but he is unfit to be a king.   What a disaster when Christ-followers are called saints but live in rather unsaintly ways, or even worse, like the devil.  Ephesians 4:1 (NIV) As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.   We are not speaking about putting up a front, a veneer of respectability. So we appear to be saint-like.  Rather I am talking about genuine transformation inside.  Growing in the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. When we grow in the fruit of the Spirit and in understanding of spiritual matters - that is growing in spiritual maturity.   When we grow in the fruit of the Spirit and in understanding of spiritual matters - that is growing in spiritual maturity.  Let’s aspire to that.  Because that is what God has called you to.    Reflects our call to greater roles   1 Corinthians 6:2-3a (NIV) “2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3  Do you not know that we will judge angels?”.    Paul pointed out the irony of the whole situation.  The church in Corinth had no one competent enough to judge the dispute between the members.  How can this be?  When God’s intent is that believers will one day be involved in judging this world, and even the fallen angels.  These are celestial beings.  Vast multitudes of mighty angelic beings who back in time past, in heaven above – fell into sin when they joined Satan in rebellion against God.       It requires us to judge creatures we have minimal understanding of, in a context we have not even begun to experience yet, in an era way beyond our time. Imagine you were informed that one day you will be appointed to be a judge at the International Court of Justice of the United Nations.  This court deals with legal disputes between countries.  Yet at present you cannot even deal with a dispute involving a minor traffic violation.  It is all simply too difficult!  How can you possibly prepare to be a judge of international stature one day? God has prepared for us huge roles in the Kingdom of God in the coming age.   We need to understand.  Being called to be judges is simply one of many areas that God is planning for us to take bigger roles in the Kingdom of God.  But this gives us a clue about how big the roles can be.  God has prepared for us huge roles in the Kingdom of God in the coming age.   I don’t know about you.  But I want to prepare myself for such roles.  I like the challenge to grow, to mature, to be wiser and be more ready for such roles!  And as we grow towards such huge responsibilities, it will be easier to deal with the issues we face today!   So let’s aspire to grow in maturity, according to God’s call upon our lives.   WHY WE SHOULD DEVELOP IN MATURITY NOW   As part of Paul’s debate with them, he applies it to the present, the now. In effect it gives us a key reason why we should develop in maturity right now!    Present opportunities to mature   1 Corinthians 6:3b-4 (NIV) “How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church!”   Paul made the point that since God intends us to judge the world and even angels, how much more we should be engaged in learning to be competent while we are still in this life.  Let even the men of little stature be given opportunity to learn.  Hebrews 5:12-14 (NIV) 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Our time on earth is our opportunity to learn, to gain experiences, to mature for heaven.    In other words, our time on earth is our opportunity to learn, to gain experiences, to mature for heaven.  The challenges, the struggles we have to face can help us grow up.  What happens to the child who attends school but is too busy playing, day-dreaming, doing their own stuff most of the time?  They will not learn what they were meant to. Have you ever thought about the fact that our time on earth is like a big school?  Now is the season of learning and preparation for the bigger responsibilities in the age to come?  I have developed as I have because I have grabbed hold of every opportunity to learn as much as possible.   So how many of us are taking the effort to learn, to experience, to grow in God?  Or are we too focussed on other things?  Things which do not matter that much in eternity?  Let’s refocus on learning and growing into maturity.  Carpe diem.  Sieze the day.  Today!   Rewards for faithfulness.  God will reward us based on how faithful we have been in this present life.   Do you realise that God will reward us based on how faithful we have been in this present life to Him?  It will be according to God’s measure, not the measure of this world. Colossians 3:23-24 (NIV) 23  Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.   Hebrews 10:35-36 (NIV) 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36  You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.   God’s measure is how faithful we have been to Him.  In our seeking to know Him well as His children.  To serve Him as servants.  To grow in maturity be more like Him. God will reward the faithful!    CONCLUSIONS   God desires maturity in His house, the Church.  For God’s intent is that we mature to the extent that one day in the coming age we will be competent to judge this world and even the angels.  God has incredible responsibilities in store for us but we must prove ourselves faithful by growing up while in this present life.  Will you be one of those 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.

One day in 1860, a huge crowd were watching the world-famous tightrope walker, Charles Blondin, in his attempt to cross the Niagara Falls.  Blondin crossed the rope numerous times. He even did it with a wheelbarrow!  A 1000 foot trip, 160 feet above the raging water. A fall meant certain death.  The story is told that he spoke to the crowd, asking if they believed he could take one of them across on a wheelbarrow.  Of course, they all enthusiastically gave their agreement.  Then he asked for one of them to volunteer.  Dead silence.  They gave their mental assent, but when it can to the crunch - they did not trust Blondin enough with their own life.   Those who truly trusted Charles Blondin could cross the seemingly impossible.  But those who did not, never crossed the Niagara Falls. Their lacked faith.   Joshua 3:9-17 is a critical moment in Israel's history.  The crossing of the Jordan River.  A momentous occasion.  A challenge of faith.  A faith to cross a seemingly impossible situation.  Just like the Israelites, there are times in our lives that God may stretch us in order that He may work miracles through us!  He may desire for us to cross impossibilities in our lives, our ministries.   I believe it is important for us to understand how we can develop such faith!  To cross challenging situations in our lives!  From this passage we look at the faith of Israelites and the ingredients that enable this faith.   READY TO RECEIVE THE RHEMA   The starting point of crossing the impossibilities is hearing God.  Now, God speaks to us His children all the time.  Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” Rhema relates to the spoken word of God.   But the question is - are we ready to hear His voice?  To help us, we pose a couple of questions.   Whose initiative is it?   Joshua 3:9 (NIV) Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.   Joshua encouraged the people to come and listen to what God had to say.  It indicates to us that we must take responsibility to seek God and to hear Him.  Psalms 81:13 (NIV) “If my people would but listen to me, if Israel would follow my ways…”  When we open our heart and spirit to listen to God, that is when we can begin to receive the rhema word.  The key is to be ready to listen.    We should take the initiative to prepare ourselves to hear from God.  When we purify our hearts - we are more ready to hear from God.  Sometimes, God may take the initiative too - but we have to be ready to receive.  Sometimes God may speak to us in the middle of the night.  Are we ready to receive?  Sometimes God speaks to Lai Ling in the night and she wakes up to pray.  I turn over in my sleep.  So God does not speak to me in my sleep - or rarely anyway.   Is your spiritual mobile phone turned on for God?  Then you are more likely to hear God. Or is it in sleep mode.   How does it sound like?   How does the rhema word from God sound like?  How do we know when God speaks to us?  The key is to become acquainted with the tone of God's voice. Just like a baby learns to understand its natural parents.  For example, Samuel in 1 Samuel 3 initially thought that God’s voice was Eli because he was unable to distinguish the difference.   We can hear God’s voice to us through many ways:   Through scripture. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.   Through God's servants such as teachers, prophets or visions:  Hosea 12:10 (NIV) I [the Lord] spoke to the prophets, gave them many visions and taught parables through them."   God can speak to us directly as we pray, through burdens, impressions, visions and also through His voice.  Acts 11:5-8 (NIV) 5 "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. I saw something like a large sheet being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to where I was. 6 I looked into it and saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 Then I heard a voice telling me, 'Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.' 8 "I replied, 'Surely not, Lord! Nothing impure or unclean has ever entered my mouth.'   Are you hearing God’s voice? Are your spiritual ears open?    What does it inspire?   God's voice inspires faith in those who listen.  It energises for miracles!  Joshua assured that the people would know that has God spoke and was with them. How?  Because God's voice inspires faith in those who listen.  It energises for miracles!  When God's word sinks into our hearts - it inspires faith to believe!  Rom 10:17-18 (NIV) Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.   This is one distinguishing mark of God's voice.  Of course, at other times, other characteristics of God is revealed.  So if you hear a voice in your heart that stirs fear and doubt - it is probably not God.  Faith causes the impossible to happen!  It is impossible to walk into a river at full flood and see it well up like a dam.  But nothing is impossible with God! Jesus said in Matthew 17:20 (NIV) 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."   Faith can cause mountains to obey us!  Faith has authority over physical limitations and impossibilities.  Indeed, Jesus constantly demonstrated His authority over physical limitations. Mark 4:39-41 (NIV) 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"   Are you looking at your physical limitations, or do you believe God? Are you listening and believing for a miracle? Mark 10:27 (NIV) "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."   RESPOND WITH REVERENT CHOICES   Joshua 3:14 (NIV)  So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them.   After God speaks to us, we are faced with a choice.  How will we respond?  We can respond reverently or ignore God.  A reverent choice will move us one step closer to crossing impossibilities. We look at 2 characteristics of a reverent choice.   Respond with a desire to obey   Joshua 3:14a (NIV) "So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan…"   After Joshua explained to the people what God had told them to do, what did they do?  Did they have a debate, a discussion, form a committee?  And pondered over such question as: Did God really speak?  Did Joshua hear everything right?  Is Joshua theologically correct in his interpretation?  Should we obey God?   Their very actions reveal to us their attitude.  Immediately they broke camp.  They got ready to cross the Jordan river.  Their heart was to obey God!   There is little point to ask God to speak if our attitude is that we are not going to obey. Or we are only 30% ready to obey. Jeremiah 7:13, 16 (NIV) 13While you were doing all these things, declares the LORD, I spoke to you again and again, but you did not listen; I called you, but you did not answer…. 16So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you.    God is looking for those who are eager to obey God.  Whose respond to God, is Yessir!  Joshua was such a man.  We never hear about him complaining to God or attempting to negotiate with God.  Yet how many times have we tried to negotiate with God?  With an attitude that reveals our less than complete trust in God.  “God, don't ask this of me.  It is too much.”   But with Joshua it is, "Right away Sir!"  Because Joshua responded in such faith, full of desire to obey God - God was able to use him mightily to win over the Promised Land!  Pastor Che An shared about a time when God told him to witness to the TV repair man who had turned up at his house.  Turned out he was a backslidden Christian.  It turned the man around!  Ps. Che An just obeyed God and look at the outcome! When God speaks, it is time to make the reverent choice!  Will we trust God? Respond with a godly choice?   When God speaks, it is time to make the reverent choice!  Will we trust God? Respond with a godly choice? By nature I am a cautious man.  But when I hear God's rhema word - I get excited! Because I have learnt that obeying God's word always releases great blessings!   Has God spoken to you?  Perhaps about giving for the church or for someone in need?  Perhaps to take up a different job or even to relocate?  To witness to a stranger?  This is your demonstration of a reverent choice, because you desire to obey God!    Respond with action plans   Joshua 3:14b (NIV) "…the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them."   The priests did not just happen to be in front and happen to be carrying the ark. Imagine if Joshua only tried to find the priests to carry the ark on that very day.  “We need 4 priests that usually carry the ark.  Where are they?”  Finally, after getting them ready, they discover the ark is 2 km away from Jordan River.  So they weave their way through the entire camp of Israel, couple of millions of people. Remember no one else is to touch the ark of the covenant!  Imagine the entire trip through the camp, with armed guards around the priests to protect the people.  Slowly, painfully, they finally reach to the river.  It would have taken a whole day or more if they lacked plans.  Why were they able to just move forward?  Because they had a good logistical plan.  Plan for the possible, leave the impossible to God.  Our responsibility is for what we can do.  God's responsibility is for what we cannot do.    Some people misunderstand about moving with God.  They think that if God says so, it means God will do practically everything.  That is not the case.  Plan for the possible, leave the impossible to God.  Our responsibility is for what we can do.  God's responsibility is for what we cannot do.  Prov 16:3 (NIV) Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.   God wants us to learn how to work things out and to work it through.  God wants us to learn how to work things out and to work it through. God told Joshua to bring the priests with the ark in front of the people and into the river. Yet God did not tell him details. Why? God expected Joshua to work it out.  For example, God may impress you with a certain amount to pledge in faith or challenge you in some way about your giving.  Whatever it is, it is not the end of the matter to make a faith declaration.  You have to work out as much as you can.  You need to work out a basic plan on how you will give.  Plan what is possible and the rest the leave to God.  It is best to plan weekly and monthly to save certain amounts.   Whenever God told Reinhard Bonnke where to hold the next major crusades across Africa, Reinhard Bonnke goes!  But before he goes, a lot of planning has to happen.  Often it takes 1 to 2 years to plan.  They scout out the city.  Get to know the local churches and leaders.  Find a suitable location to hold the open-air crusade.  Obtain permits.  Work out the dates and all the preparations, advertising, etc before hand.  They even plan out the precise route where the huge container trucks will travel to get there.  They even scout it out before hand.  Because roads in Africa are notoriously unreliable.  For what you see on the map may not be there.   When we were planning towards our community centre, the building committee did what we could in designing the building, preparing and coordinating reports, etc.  What we could not do, such as the City Council decisions and timing - we left to God!   ACTIVATE BY ACTING UPON THE RHEMA   Joshua 3:15-16 (NIV) 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.   Often taking the first steps can be challenging.  This is where the rubber hits the road. The key in releasing God's blessings is usually our first steps of faith.  Notice that the Jordan River was in full flood.  The river starts at lake Huleh and runs 120 km through the sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea.  It runs along the lowest depression on earth to the Dead Sea that is 393m below sea level.   The sides of the riverbanks are steep and deep.  During floods the river rises quickly and is deep.  Near Jericho the river current is usually swift, even more so during floods.   For 3 days the Israelites camped near the river and watched it in full flood.  Raging and turbulent – over a km wide. Anyone attempting to cross it at this stage is likely to be swept to their death.  Even when the priests came to the river's edge, nothing unusual was happening.  The river still looked as imposing as before.  Perhaps the greatest challenge for the priests was at that point of stepping into a raging river.  They might be thinking, “If God does not turn up - I am dead!”  When we step into what is impossible by faith, God steps in.     But the moment the priests took the first steps into the river, God began to hold the river back.  All the way back to town called Adam 26 km away, the river piled up!  The further the priests stepped into the water, the more water receded until the river was dry.  Sometimes, some Christians want God to open the doors before they act.  But often God is wanting us to exercise our faith at the point where we step beyond what is possible for us.  When we step into what is impossible by faith, God steps in.  Prov 3:5-6 (NIV)  "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."   We had an older man called Allan who was healed when one of our leaders acted by faith to pray for him.  2 years ago, he could barely walk a short distance.  After that, he walked for many kilometres!  As you believe even to cross impossibilities, start with the first step!   MAINTAIN FAITH UNTIL COMPLETION   Joshua 3:17 (NIV)  The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.   A very important part of obtaining what God has inspired us towards is to understand this principle.  The principle of maintaining faith.  In what way are we to maintain faith?   Maintaining the first steps   These priests stood firm in the middle of the river that they know are being held back by nothing more than the power of God!  If the power of God lapsed for whatever reason, the river would come rushing in.  Like a torrent and they would be dashed to their deaths.  I might have been tempted to sprint across the entire river! Yet they stood firm.   Sometimes we can be quick to raise our hands at an altar call and say “yes! Please send me! I want to do it!” then just as quickly forget our commitment.  Just like in Matthew 13:20-22 (NIV) The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.   Often the Devil attacks us just as we begin to take the first few tentative steps of faith.  He does not want to see us progressing in God.  He will attempt to cause us to doubt.  To be shaken.  So that we might retreat!  Imagine the priests running back from water's edge!  Would that have undone the miracle in progress? Your commitment will be tested. Be steady and continue in God to cross the impossibilities.   So don't be shaken. Your commitment will be tested. Be steady and continue in God to cross the impossibilities.   Maintaining until the task is complete   For the task to be completed, we must maintain our faith in God.  It took a while for every Israelite to cross the river.  During this whole time the priest had to maintain faith.  At various points our faith may be tested.  Unexpected situations may crop up.  Things may take longer than expected.  We get really tempted to give up or to settle for less.  Let us have the attitude like Paul who refused to give up and pressed on until the end. Philippians 3:14 (NIV) I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.   We only obtain the goal of our faith when we reach the end.  So do not give up half-way. We can cross the impossibilities in God!   CONCLUSION   When God has spoken, when we have received it and responded to it in the proper way, when we have acted upon it - the blessing of God will be released.  Then we have to continue to maintain it before 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.

What comes to your mind when you think of church?  Quiet pews and a solemn altar? A large gathering with vibrant worship and a dynamic preacher? A warm, loving community? A place to worship God?  All of these may be good, but here’s the real question: Are our views shaped by Scripture—or simply by our preferences, traditions, and past experiences?   Paul rebuked the Corinthian church for thinking about church in a worldly way (v1–4). Their attitudes, expectations, and measurements were shaped more by culture than by Christ. And if we’re honest, the same danger confronts us today. Church must never be built by the standards of this world. It must be built by God’s standards. God’s way.   Now imagine what church looks like when it is built God’s way.  Where love isn’t a vague, sentimental “50 shades of grey,” but the rugged, sacrificial love of Scripture.  The kind of love that gives, serves, and lays itself down as Jesus did on the cross.  Where community isn’t a slogan but a lived reality—practiced, experienced, and strengthened through real relationships.  Where godliness and righteousness aren’t just Bible study words, but deep desires of the heart—pursued with humility, shaped through challenges, refined through hardship, and proven genuine even in suffering.   God’s Church, built God’s way, isn’t flashy. It isn’t trendy. It’s authentic. It’s holy. It’s pleasing to Him.  There are many aspects to God’s way of building His Church, but from 1 Corinthians 3 we will focus on three essential elements—three foundations that help us build God’s Church, God’s way.   WHEN WE HONOR HIS BODY   1 Corinthian 3:16-17 (NIV) “ 16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?    17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.”   Paul makes a massive statement here—but most of its force is lost unless we understand the Old Testament backdrop. His entire argument rests on the sacredness of God’s dwelling place.  In Moses’ time, God’s presence wasn’t an abstract idea. It was visible. Tangible. Awe‑inspiring. A pillar of cloud by day.  A pillar of fire by night.  The glory of God filling the Tabernacle so powerfully that even Moses could not enter without permission.   Exodus 40:34–38 describes this vividly.  When the cloud settled on the Tent of Meeting, “the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Israel moved only when God moved. They stopped only when God stopped. His presence determined everything.  Later, when Solomon built the Temple, the same thing happened.  1 Kings 8:10–11 says the priests could not even perform their duties because “the glory of the LORD filled his temple.”   The message was unmistakable.  Where God dwells is holy. Untouchable. Weighty. Sacred.  Only priests could enter.  Only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place—and only once a year.  Anyone who entered wrongly was struck down.  This is the level of holiness Paul is invoking. Now, the Church—God’s people—is His temple   Why does Paul bring all this up? Because now, the Church—God’s people—is His temple.  His Presence no longer dwells in a tent or a stone building.  He dwells in His people. In us. Among us. The Holy Spirit lives in every believer.  The Spirit dwells in the gathered church. God’s presence marks us as sacred.   So the Church is holy.  Sacred.  Precious to God.  Because His very Presence is in the Church.  1 Corinthians 3:17 (NIV)  If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.  God gave a stern warning, “Don’t touch My Church. Don’t harm My people. Don’t dishonor My dwelling place.” If we revere God, we must revere His Body the Church.  If we honour God's Body, we must honour His people who make up the Church.    Because the Church, His Body is so holy.  Because it is so sacred.  Because it is God's dwelling place.  We must honour His Church. Do not treat it with disdain.  Not with indifference. Not with carelessness.   If we revere God, we must revere His Body the Church.  If we honour God's Body, we must honour His people who make up the Church.  Give them respect that is due them as people who belong to God.  For His Presence dwells in them too. If we revere God, we must honour our own bodies as well.    If we revere God, we must honour our own bodies as well.  We are to keep ourselves holy precisely because He dwells in us.  When we sin, we sin against God.  When we sin with our bodies, we sin against God and His temple!  Sexual sin especially sins directly against God's temple.  How can we read or fill our minds with lust, pornography and immoral entertainment whether it’s “50 shades of grey” or anything else?  It totally dishonours God! We cannot claim to honour His presence while feeding our flesh with what grieves His Spirit.   If we have sinned against our bodies or against the Church, we must repent, confess, seek forgiveness and cleansing.  Otherwise, we slowly damage God’s temple—His Church, His people, ourselves—“by a thousand cuts.”   Let us honour God, His Body, His people.  May it elevate our perspective about God’s Church, that we may give it the honour it deserves in our hearts and in our actions.   WHEN WE SERVE IN GOD’S HOUSE   In 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 Paul confronts the Corinthian church for their immaturity. They were saved, but still thinking and behaving like the world—full of jealousy, quarrelling, and personality-driven loyalties.  Some said, “I follow Paul.” Others said, “I follow Apollos.” Paul’s response is sharp: “Are you not acting like mere men?”   They had turned God’s servants into celebrities. Paul, Peter, Apollos—great leaders, yes. But Paul insists they are only servants. Instruments. Vessels. Not spiritual superstars.  Not personalities to fight over.  We live in a world obsessed with celebrity culture.  People argue endlessly about who is the tennis GOAT—Djokovic, Federer, or Nadal.  Or who is the greatest female performer—Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, or Beyoncé.  If we’re not careful, we can treat preachers, worship leaders, or Christian influencers the same way.  But Paul dismantles that mindset completely. God grows His Church—but He chooses to work through us.   Paul says, “I planted.  Apollos watered. But God made it grow.”  The message is unmistakable. Only God can produce spiritual growth. Yet—amazingly—He chooses to involve us.  Not because He needs us. Not because we are impressive. But because He delights to work with us and through us. God grows His Church—but He chooses to work through us.   Some respond to God’s call. Some ignore it.  But God uses the willing.  Reinhard Bonnke the German evangelist who was used greatly by God in Africa, once shared that God told him he was not the first choice, nor the second—just the one who said “yes.”  God uses the responsive. God allows our faithfulness—or lack of it—to affect the growth of His Church.   This is astonishing.  God allows our faithfulness—or lack of it—to affect the growth of His Church. It’s like giving our children chores at home.  We don’t assign tasks because we can’t do them. We do it so our children learn responsibility, gain ownership, develop skills and grow in maturity.  Even when the children don’t do it well, we don’t give up. We persevere, hoping our children grows into the responsibility.  In the same way, God invites us into His work—not because we are perfect, but because serving grows us.  God opens the doors of His House wide. He invites every believer—regardless of background, personality, or ability—to participate.   Pastor Bayless Conley, founder of Cottonwood Church in California, once shared a powerful story. A mentally challenged young man in his church would often regularly though awkwardly greet him. One day, the young man brought a beautiful young woman to church. She responded to the altar call and gave her life to Jesus.  It turned out she was a former Miss California.  When Pastor Conley asked how this happened, the young man simply said: “You always told us to invite someone. I asked God who to invite. He pointed her out at the beach.  So I invited her.”  The young woman, with tears in her eyes, explained that she was going through a terrible season and had cried out to God in desperation, “God if you are real, send someone to me and invite me to church.  Then this young man came up to me at the beach with a big shy smile and said Hi! Do you know Jesus?  Can I invite you to church?  So I had to come and I am so glad I did.”  God used the least likely person—because he was willing. This is how God builds His House.   Serving doesn’t start with a title.  It starts with a willing heart.  Serve in your small group.  Bring lunch.  Help someone.  Don’t just consume—contribute.  Join a ministry. Offer your hands, your time, your gifts.  As you serve faithfully God will reward you. You will grow. You will mature. Your service will rise to God like a fragrant offering—just like the Old Testament sacrifices. God grows His Church. But He invites you to be part of the miracle.   WHEN WE INVEST IN HIS FAMILY   1 Corinthian 3:10-15 (NIV) “ 10 By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds.    11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.    12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,  13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.    14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.    15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.”   Paul didn’t casually build churches. He built intentionally. Skillfully. Faithfully. He invested his best into God’s people—because he knew the Church belonged to Christ.   To illustrate this, think of a master craftsman.  I once watched a glassblower in Murano, Italy create a stunning glass horse.  He pulled a glowing blob of molten glass from the furnace, shaped it with breath and precision with a pincher, pinched out legs, formed a neck, bent a head, sculpted hooves, and flared a tail—all in under two minutes.  Yet every movement was deliberate. Every touch was purposeful.  You could feel the love and mastery in the work.  You can always tell when something is made with care.   The same is true in the Church.  When we invest our time, our heart, our skill—people can see it.  God sees it even more.  Investment always reveals what we value.  We invest in what matters to us. A baker invests love into every cake. A parent invests in their children’s growth. A craftsman invests in every detail of his creation.  In the same way, my wife and I invest deeply into people’s lives.  We invest financially into our church building and Kingdom projects—not because we have to, but because we believe in what God is building.  Investment is a declaration of value. God is not only interested in what we do, but how and why we do it.   God cares deeply about how we build His House.  Jesus taught this in Matthew 25.  Each servant received talents to invest.  Some multiplied what they were given. One buried it.  The master rewarded them accordingly.  The point is this.  God watches how we invest what He has entrusted to us.  Right motives produce lasting fruit.  Wrong motives produce empty results.       Faithful investment brings eternal reward.  Neglect brings loss—even if we are still saved.  God is not only interested in what we do, but how and why we do it.   Lai Ling and I had the privilege of seeing the ceiling of Sistine Chapel.  It is simply a marvel of art.  It is said that once someone noticed Michelangelo painting away in a little corner of the ceiling and said to him, “Why do you bother to spend so much time on a corner that no one will notice?”  He replied, “But God will see it!”  That is the heart of true investment.  We don’t serve for applause.  We don’t give for recognition.  We don’t build for human approval. We invest because God sees.  We invest because God values His Church. We invest because Christ is the foundation.   Paul challenges us: “Be careful how you build.” So the question becomes: •     Will we invest our time? •     Will we invest our talents? •     Will we invest our treasures? •     Will we invest through tithes and offerings? •     Will we invest in people, relationships, discipleship, the next generation?   CONCLUSION   When we invest in God’s Church, we are investing in what is eternal.  Gold, silver, costly stones. Not wood, hay, and straw. May we build in a way that lasts.  May we invest in God’s family with love, excellence, and faith—because His Church is worth it.  Let’s build God’s Church, God’s way.   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.

We are all on a faith journey with God. And in the end, what matters most is not how we began, but whether we finish well. Finishing well depends on one thing: how we keep walking with God day after day. How we keep moving forward with Him.   Yet many believers find themselves stuck—caught in a kind of spiritual paralysis. They’ve heard God. They’ve encountered God. They’ve even stepped out before. But somewhere along the way, they stopped moving. Something froze their faith.  For some, it was a painful failure when they tried to do something for God and it didn’t go as planned. For others, doubts and fears crept in and quietly took over. And for many, they simply don’t know how to keep taking the next step with God.   But God never intended for us to stay stuck. He wants to move us forward—into maturity, into fruitfulness, into the very things He has called us to accomplish. To do that, we must learn how to keep moving with Him.   In this passage, we discover five key principles for moving on with God. The context is powerful: after more than 40 years of wandering, Israel is standing at the edge of the Jordan River. Joshua has been appointed to lead them into the promise. In Joshua 3:1–5, he prepares the people to step out in faith. And now, at last, they begin to move—one decisive step at a time—into God’s future for them.   MOVE WITH GOD   Make sure we follow God – nothing else   Joshua 3:6a (NIV)   “… “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” …”   Why did the priests go ahead?  Because the people were meant to follow. Joshua 3:3 (NIV) makes it unmistakable: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God… you are to move out from your positions and follow it.”  The ark represented God’s presence. Israel wasn’t following a strategy, a personality, or a trend. They were following God Himself.  We must do the same. Our greatest danger is not outright rebellion—it’s quietly drifting into following our own desires, ambitions, or comfort.    Keep your eyes on God. Keep seeking Him. Our greatest danger is not outright rebellion—it’s quietly drifting into following our own desires, ambitions, or comfort.  Israel didn’t follow “someone” or “something.” They followed God alone.  We must resist the temptation to chase the latest Christian trend or copy what another church is doing. They may be doing good things—but the real question is:  What is God saying to us? To our church? To our ministry? To our lives?   Hard questions we must ask ourselves Are we following God—or just following our personal preferences? When God moves, do we hesitate because we’re too comfortable with our house, our job, our lifestyle? Has God shifted direction, but we’ve already locked in our own plans?   Perhaps the ark goes north, but we insist on going south.  Are we too focussed on these: My goals. My ambitions. My timeline. Nothing can change it.    The call is simple and urgent. Are we moving with God?  If we want to move with Him, we must learn to seek Him—to cultivate a life that pays attention to His presence. A life that listens. A life that watches.  Because when our eyes are fixed on Him, one thing becomes clear: When He moves, we move.   Leaders have a responsibility to move with God   Joshua 3:6b (NIV) “So they took it up and went ahead of them.”   The priests—the spiritual leaders—didn’t wait for the people to move first. They stepped out ahead. They carried the ark and walked into unknown territory because that’s what leaders do: they move with God before others do.  Joshua 3:3–4 (NIV) “When you see the ark… you are to move out… Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.”   The people had never travelled this path. They couldn’t discern God’s direction on their own. They needed leaders who were already listening, already watching, already moving with God.  This is the weight of spiritual leadership.  Leaders must walk closely with God so they can lead others in His way.  When leaders follow God well, they become living examples—visible models of faith, courage, and obedience. Their lives inspire others to follow. Leaders must keep one eye on God and one eye on the sheep—attentive to His voice, and attentive to the people entrusted to them.   It’s an awesome responsibility. Leaders must move with God in a way that others can follow. Leaders must keep one eye on God and one eye on the sheep—attentive to His voice, and attentive to the people entrusted to them. So we should thank God for our leaders. Who have been faithful.  And we pray for them—because when leaders move with God, the whole community moves with God.   BE ATTENTIVE TO GOD’S LEADING   Be alert to God’s continuing instructions   Joshua 3:7 (NIV) “And the Lord said to Joshua…”.   God had already spoken to Joshua about crossing the Jordan. Joshua even told the people, “In three days you will cross” (Josh 1:11). By Joshua 3:2, those three days had passed and right at that moment, God spoke again.  Joshua was listening. He stayed alert for God’s next instruction.  For God often speaks progressively, not all at once. Hearing God once is rarely enough. In a variety of ways, He confirms, clarifies, and deepens His instructions over time.  This is captured beautifully in Isaiah 30:21 (NIV) “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.’”   Many believers hear God at the beginning but stop listening along the way. Then they wonder why things drift off course. The issue isn’t that God stopped speaking; it’s that they stopped listening.  NASA has sent out many probes to explore our solar system, like the Voyager series.  NASA maintains constant radio communication with their probes. The probes continually adjust their trajectory based on those signals. But if the receiver fails—even slightly—very soon the probe drifts off course.   The same is true spiritually.  We stay on course only as we keep receiving God’s ongoing guidance. This is why God didn’t give us only a manual—He gave us a Guide.  Scripture is essential, but the Holy Spirit is the One who leads us step by step.  So keep your ears open. Stay attentive. Stay listening. When God speaks again, be ready.   God’s instructions become clearer as we move with Him   Joshua 3:8 (NIV) Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ ”   In Joshua 1, God told them what would happen (cross the Jordan) and when it would happen—but not where or how.  In verse 6, God revealed the “where” by telling them to watch where the ark went.  In verse 8, God revealed the “how”: The priests were to carry the ark and step into the river.   God leads us step by step.  He rarely gives all the details upfront.  He starts with the big picture, then clarifies as we obey.  The more we move with Him, the more He reveals.  Abraham is the classic example.  God first said in Gen 12:1 (NIV) “Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you.”  When Abraham travelled to Canaan, God spoke again “To your offspring I will give this land.”  Then in Gen 13 (NIV) “All the land you see I will give you...” Then in Gen 15 God defined the boundaries. And in the same chapter, God revealed the timing for taking ownership of the land. Clarity grows as obedience grows.    The pattern we see is this.  First God spoke of a land.  Secondly, God points out the land.  Thirdly, God gives an idea of the scope of the land.  Fourthly, God outlines the land as well as the timing.  Step by step.  Layer by layer.  Clarity grows as obedience grows.  So don’t panic when God hasn’t given you all the details.  Some personalities—especially detail-oriented ones—get anxious when the full plan isn’t laid out. But God rarely works that way.  If you don’t move, God won’t reveal more.  Movement brings deeper revelation from God. Just as a car can only be steered when it’s moving. Movement brings deeper revelation from God.   Why does God lead this way? Because He is forming something in us—trust and obedience.  In June 1956, just days before his twenty‑first birthday, Loren Cunningham was praying in a small guest room in the Bahamas, asking God what he should speak on that evening. As he looked up at the plain white wall, God gave him a vision that would change the course of global missions.  Loren suddenly saw what he later described as a “living map of the world.”  He watched as waves crashed onto the shores of every continent—again and again—each wave coming further inland than the one before, until the continents were completely covered. Then the scene sharpened.  The waves turned into young people.  Teenagers. College students. Even children.  They were everywhere—preaching on street corners, sharing Christ outside bars, going house to house, caring for the poor, and carrying the gospel to every nation. They came from everywhere and went everywhere. Then, just as suddenly, the vision ended.  God gave him a vision. God didn’t give him a full blueprint. He gave him a vision—and as he moved, God unfolded the details until YWAM was formed and undertook its global missions until today.   TRUST THE LORD TO LEAD THE WAY   Trust in the provision and power of the Almighty God   Joshua 3:10 (NIV)  This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites.   God promised Israel that He Himself would drive out the nations before them—nations stronger, more experienced, and more battle‑hardened than they were. Humanly speaking, Israel had no chance. When the odds are overwhelming, our minds whisper: “Is God really able?” “Can He actually do this?” Or worse: “It’s impossible.”   But Joshua anchors their faith in one truth: “The ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth…” Not the Lord of Israel only. Not the Lord of the wilderness. The Lord of all the earth. He is Almighty.  Nothing is too hard for Him. Nothing is beyond His reach.   Once Smith Wigglesworth was called to pray for a man who just died. The atmosphere was heavy with grief.  Wigglesworth walked into the room and felt a fierce unshakable faith rise from within. He pulled the dead man’s body out of the bed.  Propped the body up against the wall and declared with authority, “In the name of Jesus, walk!”  Nothing happened.  He stepped back, grabbed the body again and threw him against the wall, commanding life to return.  Still nothing.  The family grasped.  Some thought he had lost his mind. Others begged him to stop.  But Wigglesworth refused to back down.  The third time, he lifted the corpse, slammed it against the wall and shouted, In the name of Jesus – Live!”  This time, the body gasped, his eyes opened and stood to his feet – alive!  The room erupted with shock and joy.  The man lived for many years after that moment. Wigglesworth wasn’t reckless — he was utterly convinced of God’s power. His actions came from a deep, Spirit‑filled certainty that Jesus is stronger than death.   Trust God to lead us   Joshua 3:11 (NIV) See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.   Some believers believe God can do all things…but quietly wonder whether God will really lead them. But when God calls us to move with Him, He does not abandon us halfway. He does not lead us into uncertainty and then disappear. God promises in Isaiah 42:16 “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known… I will guide them… I will not forsake them.”  He leads.  He guides. He supports.  He comforts. He provides.  We are reminded in Proverbs 3:5–6 (NIV) “Trust in the LORD with all your heart… and He will make your paths straight.”   When we choose to trust Him and follow Him, He proves Himself the Great Shepherd. Faithful, present, and utterly dependable.  We saw this when we planted the church in Brisbane—stepping out even though my work visa for Australia had only 3 months left. God led. God provided. God made a way. He always does.   STEP OUT IN FAITH   Faith receives God’s Word (v12-13)   Joshua 3:12-13 (NIV) 12  Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13  And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”   Joshua delivered God’s instruction to the people—and they didn’t argue, negotiate, or complain. They received it by faith.  Humanly speaking, the command made no sense.  “You mean… step into a flooded river? Seriously?”  But faith begins right here: receiving God’s Word even when it stretches us. Before we ever step out, we must first take God at His Word.   Faith acts upon God’s Word   Joshua 3:14–15 (NIV) 14  So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15  Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge…   Joshua and the priests were commanded to step into the Jordan River—a river that was no gentle stream.  A few realities about the Jordan:  It begins at Lake Huleh, runs through Galilee, and plunges down to the Dead Sea—393m below sea level, the lowest point on earth.  Its banks are steep and deep.  Near Jericho, the current is fast even in normal seasons. But in flood season—as in verse 15—the river becomes a raging, kilometre‑wide torrent.   For three days, Israel camped beside this impossible river.  They watched it roar.  They felt its spray. They saw its fury. And they knew: There is no human way across. Yet by faith, they acted. They broke camp. The priests lifted the ark. And they stepped toward the impossible. You can almost hear the Levites whispering, “Step into that? You’ve got to be joking.” But faith always begins with a step.  The priests stepped forth into the raging river!  And the miracle of God began! A journey of a thousand miles begins with one obedient foot forward. As we obey, God moves.   A journey of a thousand miles begins with one obedient foot forward. As we obey, God moves.   Years ago, friends of ours were informed that someone they knew was dying from a brain tumour.  He was going to be operated on but the prognosis was not good.  God prompted them to visit and pray for the man the night before.  His relatives were gathered around him because this may be the last time to see him.  Even though he was not a believer, he allowed them to pray for him.  The next morning as the surgeons prepped for surgery, the last scan revealed that the tumour had disappeared.  Although the man never turned to Christ, many of the relatives who were there did.  Faith is not passive belief.  Faith is obedience in motion.  Faith is not passive belief.  Faith is obedience in motion.   Faith in action encounters God   Joshua 3:15–16 (NIV) 15  Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16  the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.   Yet as soon as…”  Those four words change everything.  The moment the priests’ feet touched the water’s edge, God acted.  Just imagine every step the priests took.  Each time they stepped ankle deep into the water, the water subsided further.  Until they reach the bottom of the river and the river dried up!  Upstream—26 kilometres away at the town of Adam—the waters stopped.  The river piled up.  And suddenly, the impossible became a highway. This is the pattern of faith.  God opens the door after we step—not before.   This is the pattern of faith.  God opens the door after we step—not before.  Hebrews 11:1 (NIV) “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” We don’t wait to see before we step.  We step—and then we see.  When we move in faith, we encounter God’s power. When we obey, we experience His provision. When we step out, we discover He was already there waiting.   PERSIST IN FAITH   Joshua 3:17 (NIV) “…until the whole nation had completed the crossing…”   The priests didn’t just step into the Jordan—they stood there. Right in the middle of the riverbed.  Holding the ark. Holding the line. Holding their faith. Until every man, woman, child, animal, and possession had crossed safely. That could have taken the entire day.  Imagine the pressure.  Were they tempted to worry? “What if the water suddenly comes crashing back?” “What if this miracle doesn’t hold?” But they didn’t flinch. They didn’t retreat. They persisted—because faith doesn’t just start; faith finishes. Persistence in God is the difference between almost and fulfilled.   If we want to reach what God has called us to, we must persist in faith.  Many people start well but give up too soon. They step out in faith… but they don’t stay in faith.  They begin the journey… but they don’t endure to the end.  And because they stop halfway, they never see the miracle God intended. Persistence in God is the difference between almost and fulfilled.   John Wesley understood persistence.  A page from his diary reads: •     May 5 (AM): Preached at St. Ann’s — asked not to return. •     May 5 (PM): Preached at St. John’s — deacons said, “Get out and stay out.” •     May 12 (AM): Preached at St. Jude’s — barred from coming back. •     May 12 (PM): Preached at St. George’s — kicked out again. •     May 19 (AM): Preached at St. Somebody’s — deacons held a meeting and banned him. •     May 19 (PM): Preached on the street — kicked off the street. •     May 26 (AM): Preached in a meadow — chased out when a bull was released. •     June 2 (AM): Preached at the edge of town — kicked off the highway. •     June 2 (PM): Preached in a pasture — 10,000 people came to hear him. If Wesley had quit on May 5… or May 12… or May 19…He would have missed June 2. Persist in faith—because the miracle is often on the other side of endurance.   Don’t give up too soon. Keep persisting until you see the fruit. Keep standing until God completes what He started. Keep believing until God says, “Turn.” Hebrews 12:1 calls us to this kind of endurance: “Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”   Persist in faith—because the miracle is often on the other side of endurance. CONCLUSION   Let’s determine to move on with God.  By focussing on God. Paying attention to God’s instructions step by step with faith and obedience.  Trusting Him for His provision.  Stepping out to act in faith.  With perseverance.  And we will see the amazing things God will do. 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.

Does the error of your past hang over you like dark cloud? Like a guillotine hanging over your neck? We may have mucked up but God has not given up on us. In Part 1 we discovered that God will not forsake us despite our wrongdoing. Instead, God provides us the opportunity to find reprieve, in order that He may bring redemption and help us rebuild our lives – if we would look to Him. In Part 2, we explain more on how God works. God provides us the opportunity to find reprieve, in order that He may bring redemption and help us rebuild our lives – if we would look to Him. NOT FORSAKEN DESPITE LENGTH OF TIME Exodus 2:23 (NIV84)  During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. Two things to point out: Length of time does not mean God forgot. On one hand, we see Moses in a rash bid to take leadership over Israel and now a "long period of time" in which we see Moses doing something seemingly unrelated to his calling - shepherding sheep! Moses could be forgiven for thinking that he has been forgotten by God! To think he has lost his chance to help Israel! However, God is not a prisoner of time. God is not hasty. It is this fact that means we can trust Him. It is because God isn't rash, He doesn't quickly react, that we can really trust His character. Sometimes our time schedule is based on our agenda, not God's. Are you rushing into things that God isn't? When you are stressed about things that "aren't getting finished fast enough". Are you in God's timing or in your own? How about waiting on God in your quiet time? Do you actually wait for Him? With patience? Or are you fidgety and distracted because you don't value the wait? Imagine if we had a health condition develop. Do we go to see the medical specialist even though it may take a little while for the appointment? Or do we rush off and self-medicate with the quick advice of Dr. Google? How about waiting on God? Better for us to wait on God than to rush of and mess things up further! God will work according to His timing. God does not forget, even though it may seem like forever. God will work according to His timing. God does not forget, even though it may seem like forever Why it can take time Notice how during that the long period “the king of Egypt died” and “the Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God.” God was waiting for certain things to progress. The present Pharoah to die. The enslaved Israelites to really turn to God in desperation. Moses to gain the heart of a good shepherd, as he will really need that later. God's agenda is bigger than our tasks, it includes our character, and His greater plan for His Kingdom. It is funny how when we get a dream or a vision, we expect God to drop His agenda to match our timing! However, God is not impressed with our timing, our goals, our ambition. He is impressed with our submission to His will! God is not impressed with our timing, our goals, our ambition. He is impressed with our submission to His will! Clearly Moses had ambitions, that were on the surface godly, to save God's people. But these ambitions had to be tempered and submitted to God's character and purposes. Sometimes God will call us to great things, but He still can't use us if we are not submitted to him, or if our calling becomes selfish ambition. James 3:14-15 (NIV84)  14 But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15 Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. God is not focussed on building our kingdom, but His! Everything God does is in accordance with His perfect timing. Even the saving of our souls! Jesus came to die in perfect timing to God's will. Why did Jesus not come earlier, so more people could hear the gospel earlier? It is according to God's perfect plan. There are many things that God will patiently wait for. Even including the repentance of the nations. 2 Peter 3:8-9 (NIV84)  8 With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. What about you? Are you willing to wait for the same things that are important to God? What does your list of priorities tell you about how well you know God? Moses had to be trained through those years to discern the character of God, to develop a quieter, calmer heart, to learn gentleness, to learn patience. What gets you impatient? Are those the same things that God is "urgent" about? What things aren't happening fast enough for you? Is it because God is slow, or is He trying to do something in you first? What things aren't happening fast enough for you? Is it because God is slow, or is He trying to do something in you first? NOT FORSAKEN BECAUSE OF GOD’S COVENANT The Israelites could have been left in affliction and forgotten. But the people of Israel were not forgotten by God. Why? Because of… His covenant to His people Exodus 2:23–24 (NIV84)  23 …The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. 24 God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. Long before Moses' time, God made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the forefathers of the Israelites. As part of this covenant, God promised that He would bring them out from Egypt and bring them back to the Promised Land. Gen 15:16 (NIV84)  In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” Our God is a covenant making God. A covenant is an agreement made between God and man. With these covenants, God makes clear to us what we can expect of Him and what He expects of us. He spells out the terms of His covenant to us so that we may understand the scope and boundaries of His covenant with us. When we are stuck in a tight corner, God's covenant become very important to us. Why? Because it assures us of God's faithfulness. Deut 7:9 (NIV84)  Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. When we are stuck in a tight corner, God's covenant become very important to us. Why? Because it assures us of God's faithfulness. God has established the New Covenant with us through the sacrifice of Jesus, as the sacrificial lamb, on the cross. When we accept Christ as our personal Saviour, we enter this New Covenant with God. As part of this covenant, God assures us that He will never forsake us. Heb 13:5 (NIV84)  … God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Amazingly, God has obligated Himself to us. Hence, rest assured. Even when we are in the tightest of corners, God will never forsake us. So let us make the decision to continue trusting God. Remember the story of Donna Rice? She was a committed Christian in high school and a high achiever academically and a cheerleader. But she began to compromise, dating non-Christians, began to make her decisions her own way. Dropped out of church. Then one day she was date raped. That was when she began more involved sexually and got involved in glitzy social circles. She tried becoming an actress and model and got involved romantically with a drug dealer. She tried to work hard in a pharmaceutical company but her workaholism was an attempt to run from her past. Then she met Senator Hart in a party in 1987. Then everything fell apart when their adulterous relationship was found out. She was distraught and in depression. Her mother' friend encouraged her to come back to God. Donna knew that she had created her own mess. She repented before God. God brought her into a church that began to nurse her back. God never gave up on her! His covenant of love Exodus 2:23–24 (NIV84) …  God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. God's concern on the Israelites revealed His heart for them. This reveals to us that when God makes a covenant with us, it is not some sterile business deal. God was not counting business opportunities, leveraging of greater market share or even win-win solutions. It is a covenant birthed out of compassion and love. 2 Chr 6:14 (NIV84)  “O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven or on earth—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way. Because God's love is behind His covenant, we are doubly sure that He will search us out and not forsake us. Rom 8:38-39 (NIV84)  38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Because God's love is behind His covenant, we are doubly sure that He will search us out and not forsake us. In Sydney Dec 15 2003, an out of control car smashed into a child care centre where 36 toddlers were sleeping. It burst into flames trapping 2 girls under it. One girl was Sophie Delezio who suffered horrific burns to 85% of her body. When her mother Carolyn arrived at the hospital the doctor told her that her daughter looked like she was in the Bali bombing. The doctors did not expect her to survive. Carolyn called everyone she could to pray. The little toddler surprised many by surviving. But she lost her right ear, her right leg, her left foot, her fingers of her right hand. Carolyn fought with her daughter every step of her recovery. Carolyn never gave up. Today Carolyn and her husband has set up a charity Day of Difference Foundation. That is the strength of a mother's love. Yet God's love is even greater. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Not our unloveliness, not our failures, not our situations. CONCLUSION Even though we may have mucked up bad in our lives, God does not forsake us. If we will look to Him, He will give us the opportunity to find reprieve, find redemption and rebuild. He will take the appropriate time to do what He needs to do with our lives, even though it does not match ours. For God knows the perfect timing. What we need to do is to trust Him. Trust His faithfulness, His covenant with us that He will not give up on us.       Are you feeling squashed in a tight corner? Look to God. For God does not forsake us. 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 happens when we muck up in our life? When we did something clearly sinful, perhaps abhorrent even to God? Is there any hope left? Can we ever be restored again? This is such an important issue for many who have made mistakes and regret it for the rest of their lives. When we study the Scriptures, we discover an incredible example of one man who truly messed up his life. In Exodus 2:11-15, we find Moses who thought he could save his people from the ruthless Egyptian slave masters. But his way involved killing a slave master. Pharaoh found out and he had to run for his life. Imagine how it must feel. To be running away in fear and guilt. With a past that threatens to catch up and a doubtful future ahead. Life is hanging on a thread. What a tight corner! What a lonely and hopeless situation to be in. Perhaps we may be experiencing challenges in our life right now. Or we may have experienced it in the past. Or if we should face such challenges in the future, how can we respond? When we seem to be stuck in a tight corner, one thing that often trouble people's minds is: Has God forsaken me? Is there any hope for me? From this passage we will discover the certainty that God never forsakes! NOT FORSAKEN DESPITE WRONGDOING Moses had mucked up bad. He was now a fugitive. He became a stranger in a strange land, separated from home and family, from all that he was familiar with. Perhaps like Moses, we may have done something wrong. We may be running away from certain things of our past. Perhaps, like Moses we may find ourselves deep in a dark tunnel of despair when suddenly a light appears at its very end. In the very midst of a situation gone horribly wrong, when we feel like being squashed in the corner, when one may expect God to forsake us because of our sins, the opposite occurs. Instead, we discover that God perseveres with us, and He provides us opportunities to get out of the tight corner. We discover that God perseveres with us, and He provides us opportunities to get out of the tight corner. Opportunity for reprieve Exodus 2:15 (NIV84)   When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian... Though Moses had done wrong, God provided him an opportunity for reprieve to escape the clutches of Pharaoh, possibly the most powerful man on earth at that time. What made the difference was although Moses had mucked up, he continued to look to God for help. Heb 11:27 (NIV84)  By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. Though Moses had done wrong, God provided him an opportunity for reprieve to escape the clutches of Pharaoh, possibly the most powerful man on earth at that time. Have you ever done something silly? Mucked up because you did not understand, or were rash, or lost it for a little while? Only to realize what you had done and cried to God for help? Moses probably was in that situation. And God provided him a reprieve from Pharaoh's punishment. Indeed, God has promised that He will never leave or forsake us. Psa 9:10 (NIV84)  Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. We are never forgotten nor forsaken despite our wrongdoing. Even if you mucked up really bad! Isn't that comforting? As long as we do not forsake God Himself. Further, when God provides a reprieve, we should not always think that God has delivered us and that is the end of the story. Usually, God reprieves us to buy us time. Time for what? Opportunity for redemption Exodus 2:16–20 (NIV84)  16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” he asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.” God provided a reprieve for Moses so that God may now redeem Moses. For that is God's heart. God provided a reprieve for Moses so that God may now redeem Moses. For that is God's heart. To redeem the lost. Even though Moses was on the run, God did not forsake him. In the sequence of events, we can discern the hand of God. We may fall out of God's plans, but God seeks to help us fall right back in! We may fall out of God's plans, but God seeks to help us fall right back in! Moses was accepted by strangers. But it was not any stranger. Reuel may be a Midian, but a priest of the Most High. We have strong evidence of this because of several factors. Firstly, the name Reuel meant a "friend of El or God". Now Reuel is probably also known as Jethro, who later became Moses' father-in-law. Scholars have proposed different theories on the link between Reuel and Jethro. The different theories arose because in the Hebrew the word translated "father-in-law" just means a relative by marriage. And the word translated "father" can mean grandfather as well. Some suggested that Reuel was actually the grandfather Zipporah and Jethro was his son and hence Moses’ brother-in-law. Yet the simplest and most reasonable explanation is that Reuel and Jethro is the same person. Secondly, Ex 18:10-12 reveals Reuel/Jethro's attitude of thanksgiving towards God and familiarity in making sacrifices to God. Exodus 18:10–12 (NIV84)  10 He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods, for he did this to those who had treated Israel arrogantly.” 12 Then Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God. Reuel/Jethro is clearly a follower of God who was probably instrumental in influencing Moses later. He helped draw Moses closer to God and to understand God's ways. Moses may have thought he was finished as far as it relates to the purposes of God. But God was not finished with him. Moses ran away from Pharaoh and ran into God's provision for redemption. Moses who was arrogant and took matters into his own hands will now be humbled and taught to look to God. We may think we are washed out, but God wants to clean us up. We may think we are washed out, but God wants to clean us up. How does God redeem us despite us mucking up? Often when people muck up really bad, they are not in shape to go through God's normal route to mature us. Instead, He takes us on another route. A longer, slower journey to give time for restoration and rebuilding of our character foundations. It is like the difference between normal school and special school for children with some developmental challenges. Because it is like we are somewhat retarded spiritually or wounded and need a longer and slower education. In 1987, Donna Rice's name hit the tabloids in a highly publicized sexual scandal with former Colorado senator Gary Hart, a married man. Hart's bid for the 1988 Democratic nomination was trashed and so was Rice's reputation. Rice disappeared from the public eye, but she's back--passionately committed to God and to "Enough is Enough," a Christian organization fighting to keep pornography out of the hands of minors. Donna was a backslidden Christian who had wandered further and further from God. But God turned her around and redeemed her from the errors of her way. Rice is most thankful for God's work in her life: "God loves us, but he doesn't grant us immunity from the consequences of our choices. However, when we mess up, if we ask his forgiveness, he'll redeem those choices, using our mistakes as a 'door of hope' for other people (Hosea 2:14-15). I have great empathy for victims of sexual abuse and pornography. God has brought purpose to my pain."  -- from Today's Christian Woman. Christian Reader, Vol. 35, no. 2. Opportunity for rebuilding Moses thought that he had lost everything. But Moses was given an opportunity to make a fresh start. To begin rebuilding his life. God not only provided a way to redeem Moses, but also prepared for him a new life through his marriage to Zipporah and in becoming a father. Exodus 2:21–22 (NIV84)  21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. 22 Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, “I have become an alien in a foreign land.” God provided Moses opportunity for reprieve, redemption and rebuilding. Because God does not forsake us. In all this, it is because God wants to bless us, to do us good. Jer 29:11 (NIV84)  “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We can experience reprieve, redemption and rebuilding if we choose to look to God in faith, like Moses. London businessman Lindsay Clegg was selling his warehouse property. The building had been empty for months and needed repairs. Vandals had damaged the doors, smashed the windows, and strewn trash all over the place. As he showed a prospective buyer the property, he took pains to say that he would replace the broken windows, bring in a crew to correct any structural damage, and clean out the garbage. The buyer said, "Forget about the repairs. When I buy this place, I'm going to build something completely different. I don't want the building; I want the site."  That's God's message to us! When we become God's the old life is over. He makes all things new. All He wants is the site and the permission to build. There are still some trying to "reform," but God offers "redemption." All we have to do is give Him the "property" and he will do the necessary "building." --James S. Hewett, Illustrations Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 51. We may have mucked up through some bad decisions we made. But God does not forsake us. God will give us the opportunity for reprieve, redemption and rebuilding. God does not forsake us. God will give us the opportunity for reprieve, redemption and rebuilding. There are more reasons why God does not forsake us. Find out in Part 2 . 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 considered where the richest place on earth is?  The answer will surprise you.   “The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.” ― Les Brown   How do we avoid wasted possibilities in our lives?  To enable the potential richness in our lives to blossom?  It requires us to use what God has given us to the fullest, as it was meant to.  Some of these answers may be found in 1 Corinthian 1:1-9.   Let’s start by understanding the context of Corinth.  Corinth is a large cosmopolitan city of perhaps 600,000.  Due to its location it was a bustling trade centre.  Due to its diversity, it became a cauldron for religious syncretism and immorality.  It developed a reputation for depravity.  There was even a Gk word korinthiazomai (Corinthianize), which meant "to practice fornication."     1 Corinthian was an epistle or a letter written by Paul to the believers in the church at Corinth.  It was written with the specific purpose to address various issues that had arisen there.  Because Paul wanted the church to operate God’s way, rather than in their worldly thinking influenced by the philosophies in that city.  As Paul greeted the church in Corinth, he sought to encourage the church.  He reminded them that knowing Christ has resulted in tremendous richness from God, in their lives.  In all manner of ways.   We will examine some of this richness of God in our lives, its implications and some practical applications today.   ENRICHED BY HIS GRACE   1 Corinthian 1:4-5 (NIV) “4 I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.  5 For in him you have been enriched in every way …”   Apostle Paul reminded his readers that God showed His grace, His favour to us through our relationship with Christ. A favour that is undeserved by us.  Because we are in Christ, a natural overflow is that we are:   Enriched in Knowledge (v5b) "…in all you knowledge…...”. Something tremendous is meant to occur in our lives as a result of our coming to know Christ and as we walk with Him. We are to be enriched in our knowledge.  In what way?   Firstly, we gain new perspectives due to Truth.  We begin to see things from the perspective of truth, the perspective of Scripture, the perspective of heaven.  Romans 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.   It could be like in Matrix the movie or Inception where what is perceived is not always reality.  It takes a waking up of our sense to the true reality.   God’s Word and His Holy Spirit renews our minds to perceive what really is. The more we understand Scriptures, a whole new vista of truth begins to dawn upon us.    Secondly, the more we understand Scriptures, a whole new vista of truth begins to dawn upon us.  We discover spiritual truths and realities that we had not known before. The more we know God, the more we experience God, the greater our appreciation of the spiritual realities that lie behind the words of Scripture.    Thirdly, the more we know God, the more we experience God, the greater our appreciation of the spiritual realities that lie behind the words of Scripture.  We come to know, taste and feel what we had understood conceptually.  Have you ever tasted some exotic fruits that perhaps you have only heard of?  You could be given descriptions of its flavour, its texture, its aroma, etc.  But until you actually hold it and eat it – it lacks tangibility. It takes on a reality that you could not have fully formed until you held and ate it.       Our enrichment in knowledge is not limited to biblical truths.  With the new Kingdom perspective, the greater understanding of biblical truths and deeper experiences in the things of God, should also enrich all the other collection of knowledge and experiences we have.  All our knowledge begins to gain new implications, new depth and richness.  As a former scientist and one who enjoys science, my knowledge of science has been enriched as I align it with my biblical perspectives.    Enriched in Behaviour (v5a) "…in all your speaking…...”.   Speech is part of our overall behaviour. Just as our behaviour has been enriched through our relationship with Christ.  We should be more loving, compassionate, gracious, respectful in our behaviour including our speech.  Colossians 4:6 (NIV) Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.   If we truly, genuinely accept Jesus as our personal Saviour and begin to walk with Him - our behaviours will gradually begin to change to be more Christ-like. If we claim to know God but we do not demonstrate real change in our hearts and in our actions, then it has to be asked whether we had genuinely come to know God.  1 John 3:10 (NIV) This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.   In effect, we should be getting more gracious, more refined, more wholesome in our behaviours.  The more we are being changed by the grace of God.  When people observe us and how we behave.  They should be thinking, "Wow! I am so inspired with the way this person interacts with others.  I learn so much watching how this guy deals with conflicts.  I am amazed at this calmness and peace in the midst of great troubles."   Years ago in the church I attended in Melbourne, a retired couple would almost every Sunday invite overseas students over for lunch and took a genuine interest in their lives.  It touched the lives of many including ours.  In fact, we honoured him to have him drive my bride to our wedding.   How we behave, what we do, should be enriched by our relationship with God.  We should be more righteous in our actions, more trustworthy, more loving, etc.   Enriched in Spiritual Gifts (v7) "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.”   Scriptures declares that every believer has at least one spiritual gift.  It is meant to enrich us personally and the Church.  1 Corinthians 12:4, 7 (NIV) 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit...  7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.    Every person has something important to contribute. You have something that will add to the greater good of the Body. For that is the intent of the spiritual gifts that God has given us.  1 Corinthians 12:8 - 10 (NIV) 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,  9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,  10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. Every necessary spiritual gift that is sufficient for the church already resides amongst the congregation.   I believe that every believer should access at least one of the above gifts.  Will you exercise faith to grab hold of what God has already provided for you?  Hence use it to build God’s church, God’s way.  To serve God. To serve others.  Did you know that every necessary spiritual gift that is sufficient for the church already resides amongst the congregation.  It may be in seed form, but it is there.  Because the Holy Spirit gives what is adequate for building His church   KEPT BY GOD   1 Corinthians 1:v8-9 (NIV) “8 He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.” God has provided for us everything we need to overcome and finish the race well.  Nevertheless, we have to choose to continue in His grace.    God will help us be faithful to the end by His grace.  Through the means of grace, God has provided for us everything we need to overcome and finish the race well.  Nevertheless, we have to choose to continue in His grace.  We could reject or neglect His grace.  The choice is ours.  Acts 13:43 (NIV) When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. One key principle that helps us finish the race well is when we apply the richness of His grace in our lives.   Let us choose to finish the race well.  One key principle that helps us finish the race well is when we apply the richness of His grace in our lives.  It is as we use it for His Church that it helps us to grow and mature, and strengthen our faith in God.  As a young Christian, I started to serve in Audio-visual ministry where it helped me to learn excellence in serving God.  I learnt to be spiritually more aware of the spiritual atmosphere.  Where the anointing was resting.  To be very diligent, not to miss any part of the service.  It helped me to grow in some aspects of my personal life and understanding something more about serving God.   CONCLUSION   God enriches our lives in every way by His grace.  But we have to chose to come to Him, to lean upon Him, to learn to tap into His grace.  The more we do so.  The more we serve Him.  We will discover His enriching grace. Copyright©️2025 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.

How can we experience success in our lives?  In our work or ministry? Often, we think of our personal victory but have we ever considered that God also desires us to experience community victory?  That there is a victory to be found when we follow God together?  When we unite our hearts to seek God’s victory together?  There is something powerful about uniting to move forward together under God.   I believe God wants His people to move forward together even more.  Especially each local church.  As we consider Joshua chapter 3, there are 4 key insights we can learn about moving forward with God together.  The context of Joshua 3 was that Israel was camped on the eastern side of the Jordan River waiting for instruction to cross the river to take the Promised Land.    DISCERN THE LORD’S LEADING TOGETHER   Joshua 3:1–4 (NIV) 3 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.”   It was recorded in v1 that “Joshua and all the Israelites…” listened and responded to God. Not just Joshua. Not a handful of the faithful. The entire nation moved as one.  When God’s people unite in obedience, heaven’s power is unleashed on earth.  This is why we must move together—united as a local church. One in heart. One in purpose. One in pursuit of God.  When leaders stand shoulder to shoulder, and members walk in step with their shepherds, something shifts. The Spirit begins to stir. God begins to move.  Unity isn’t just a virtue—it’s a vessel. And when our hearts beat together in surrender, God fills that vessel with His glory.   In v2, “When you see the ark…” - the Hebrew grammar places weight on the ark itself. The emphasis is unmistakable: watch God’s Presence.  The Ark of the Covenant was no ordinary object. It was a sacred chest, a throne of mercy, a vessel where God chose to dwell for a season. It represented His presence, His holiness, His movement.  In the wilderness, the Israelites didn’t move unless God moved. By day, a pillar of cloud led them. By night, a pillar of fire lit their path.  The pillar never left its place in front of the people (Exodus 13:21–22).  They watched it closely.  They broke camp only when the presence stirred.  They were trained to be alert, responsive, surrendered.   In the same way, we must move beyond passive watching but gain a posture of a God-chaser. Colossians 4:2 (NIV) “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” As a local church, we must be spiritually attuned - discerning what God is doing in our midst. Sometimes His movement is marked by peace. Sometimes by divine disruption.    When we first purchased our church land in Brisbane, it wasn’t just a decision—it was a discernment.  The year before, I prophesied that God would move us into a new phase.  And He did.  This was accompanied by new growth, new excitement and new steps of faith.  Let us be a people who watch the ark.  Who move when God moves. Who chase His presence with holy urgency.   In verse 3, a clear command was given to Joshua and the Israelites, “…you are to move out…”.  Not ponder. Not delay. Move. When God moves, we must move with Him.  Imagine being stuck while the pillar of cloud moves forward—God advancing, but we anchored to comfort or to other commitments.  For example, a 25-year house mortgage can feel like a chain.  That is why when Lai Ling and I bought our house, we chose one we could release quickly—so we’re free to follow God’s lead.  It meant committing well within our means.   Could we be holding unto a job that knots us up?  Perhaps extra family commitments that lock us down unnecessarily?  These things can quietly steal our availability for God.  Be careful not to grip the things of this world too tightly.  Be ready to move. Swiftly.   When God moves—He moves.  Divine opportunities don’t wait around.  When the call of God comes, we must respond.  Don’t cling to old ways, old traditions.  If God requires change—then change.  Don’t resist Him. Flow with Him.  Let us be a people who are light on our feet, heavy with purpose, and ready to move when God says, “Go.”   In verse 4, the Israelites were given a solemn warning: Do not come too close to the holy ark.  This wasn’t a casual caution—it was a matter of life and death. In 2 Samuel 6:3–7, Uzzah was struck down by God for touching the ark as it was being transported to Jerusalem. His intentions may have been noble, but his actions disregarded the holiness of God’s presence.   This is a sobering reminder. Do not rush ahead of God.  Do not presume upon His presence.  Be prayerful. Be discerning. Wait for God’s timing.  Give God the reverence He is due.  Negligence in following His lead can cost us dearly. But when we walk with a posture of holy fear—when we move with reverence and obedience— God grants success.  God releases victory.  Let us be a people who honour His presence, wait for His prompting, and move only when He moves.   PREPARE OUR HEARTS TOGETHER   Joshua 3:5 (NIV)  Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”   The Israelites were commanded to consecrate themselves before a holy God.  They underwent purification rituals, not as a formality, but as preparation to encounter the divine.  We must realise that God uses holy vessels. He will use you if you set yourself apart for His purposes.  Kathryn Kuhlman once said she had to die to self before God could entrust her with the ministry of miraculous healing. The anointing flows through surrendered lives. Romans 12:1 (NIV) “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.”   I am deeply blessed to have met those who clearly consecrated themselves before the Lord.  I have seen God’s anointing upon their lives.  Yes, God can use anyone—even the unconsecrated—but the depth and reach of that use is often limited.  Holiness expands capacity. Surrender sharpens the edge.   Let us purify ourselves as a church.  Let us set our hearts right.  Let us be ready.  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior—finely honed, straight and swift—let us be equipped to fly far and true.  Get spiritually trained. Get sharpened.  Enrol to be equipped in God’s Word.     I challenge each of us.  Set yourself apart. Die to self. Live for Him.  When the time is right, God will call.  The question is—will you be ready to be used?   Joshua stood before the people and declared with unwavering faith and expectancy, “Tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”  Not might. Not could. Will.  Lack of faith limits us.  But faith opens the horizon to the miraculous.  Smith Wigglesworth believed God for healing—and heaven responded. What and incredible legacy of faith Smith Wigglesworth left us.   William Carey, the father of modern missions, once thundered: “Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God.”   You must believe in the call of God upon your life.  Do not waver.  Do not shrink back.  Have great faith.  Live with holy expectancy.  Trust that God will work through you—powerfully, personally, prophetically.  So I ask you:  Who will rise in faith? Who will commit themselves fully to God’s purpose?   The Lord is ready to do amazing things. Are you ready to believe?   LEADERS LEAD TOGETHER   Joshua 3:6-7 (NIV) 6 Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.  7 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. ”   In Joshua 3:6–7, we see a powerful picture of spiritual leadership: the priests carrying the ark went ahead of the people, setting the pace for Israel’s journey into the promises of God. Leadership wasn’t passive—it was prophetic, bold, and faith-filled.   If you are a leader, set the pace. Don’t wait for the crowd to move—lead the charge. Step into the waters first. Trust God when the path is unclear. Your courage creates a pathway for others to follow.  As leaders, we carry the responsibility to go out ahead—not just in strategy, but in faith. We model surrender, obedience, and expectancy. We show what it means to move with God.   Thank God for every strong and faithful group of leaders in your midst. But let’s not settle in complacency. Let’s continue to grow, to stretch, to reach our fullest potential in Christ.   This is the season to rise. To lead with conviction. To walk ahead with the ark—not for applause, but for breakthrough. When leaders move, the people follow. And when we move with God, miracles unfold.  Let’s lead well. Let’s lead with unity. Let’s lead forward.   TAKE THE STEPS OF FAITH TOGETHER   Joshua 3:8 (NIV) Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ ”   This was no gentle stream. The Jordan River, fed from Lake Huleh, surged 120 kilometers through the Sea of Galilee, plunging into the lowest place on earth—the Dead Sea, 393 meters below sea level. Its banks were steep. Its currents swift. And during flood season, it became a raging torrent.   For three days, over a million Israelites camped at its edge, watching the river roar. Impassable. Uncrossable. Unthinkable.  Then came the command: “Step into the river.”  Can you imagine the Levites? “You’ve got to be joking!”  Yet Joshua believed. The priests obeyed.  Faith doesn’t wait for calm waters.  Faith steps in while the river still rages.   The journey of a thousand miles begins with one trembling, obedient step.  And that step—into the impossible—is where miracles begin.  As God speaks to you in this season, don’t wait for the flood to subside.  Take the step. Live the faith.   Stand in the river—and watch what God will do.   CONCLUSION   Let us move forward—not alone, not scattered, but united together with God.  Let us walk in rhythm with the Holy Spirit, not lagging behind, not rushing ahead.  Galatians 5:25 (NIV) “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”  This is not just a gentle stroll—it’s a divine march toward victory.  When we align our steps with His, we step into the miraculous.  When we move as one, led by the Spirit, heaven’s power meets earth’s obedience.  And surely, we will experience the incredible victories of God. Not because we’re strong, but because we’re surrendered.  Not because we’re fast, but because we’re in step.  Because we are doing it together. Copyright©️2025 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.

In Part 1 [click] , we shared about the true Sabbath is now to be found in Christ alone. The ultimate rest for our souls is to be found in Him. Yet how can we appropriate this in practice? Firstly, we need to realise that we can find rest in all areas of our lives. 1. FIND REST IN GOD’S PROVISION. Psa 34:9-10(NIV) 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing. Do not fret, nor be anxious but know that God will provide. Whether it be unemployment, meeting household budgets and other needs. God never backs away from His promises of sustaining us if we continue to trust Him and act righteously. God never backs away from His promises of sustaining us if we continue to trust Him and act righteously. I chose to obey the Lord when He beckoned me to stay back in Melbourne upon completing my university degree. That also meant I would need to also find a job to help support my stay here. Jobs were not easy to come by in those days. Yet I chose to pray and trust the Lord for His provision whilst I actively sought for a job. My savings were dwindling fast despite good economical financial management on my part. God is the Lord of the eleventh hour! He graciously provided me with a job that allowed me time to pursue another practical accounting course and being able to work at flexible hours whilst being paid at a graduate’s rate. How good is that!! 2. FIND REST IN GOD’S GUIDANCE Jer 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Prov 3:26 (NIV) for the LORD will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being snared. Life is always filled with choices, crossroads of decisions. Hence it is important for us to make good decisions. We need not be unduly troubled by tough, difficult choices when we choose to trust in Him. Let God’s Word guide us, let the Holy Spirit lead us. It was recession in Melbourne in 1989. I was now married and was looking for a full-time accounting position. God provided me a job in a small manufacturing company. A week into my work there, I was asked to go for an interview in a medium sized company. That sounded pretty lucrative. Yet as I prayed before God, I sensed Him encouraging me to stay in this small company. There was no peace to go for the job interview with a bigger company. I trusted in God’s guidance. Praise God for His goodness in leading me. About six months down the track, the medium sized company folded up and many people lost their jobs. If I had found employment there, I would have ended up like them. I learnt about the importance of being guided by the Lord and finding rest in Him. 3. FIND REST IN GOD’S COMFORT Some of us may be going through a valley experience. We may be attacked by anxiety or depression when such situations arise. These can be very real. Let us really find our rest in Christ’s comfort through the Holy Spirit. We should lean in into His comfort. Psa 107:14 (NIV) He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. I was looking forward to our first child in 1994. Then on the 36th week of my pregnancy, I discovered that I had contracted the dreaded chicken pox. On top of this, I had developed a secondary infection resulting in extremely high fever and lesions all over my body. I had to be admitted to the hospital and was placed in isolation. Each day was a day filled with nurses (adorned in full protective medical gear as I was highly contagious) coming in to take tubes of my blood for further testing. And consultants coming in to examine me. All day long I felt I was being “shot” at by some “gun” due to the intense irritation of the chicken pox infection. I found out later that they were concerned that I would deliver my baby when there were presenting complications at stake. Yet God’s Presence was so real to me. Instead of feeling deeply troubled whilst being isolated in the hospital, I virtually felt rested and comforted by the Lord. I spent my days praying and reading through an intercessory/spiritual warfare book by Cindy Jacobs. I thank God that I recovered quickly and finally delivered our first child a few days later when I was no longer infectious. Praise God!! Jesus is our Sabbath. He is faithful and true to His Word. Let us rest in Him. PRACTICAL WAYS OF FINDING REST IN GOD: Here are some quick practical tips on how we may appropriate God’s rest for our hearts. Persist in prayer.  We ought to seek God’s face. For prayer builds faith and trust in God. It deepens our assurance that He is our security. Psa 27:14 (NIV) Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. Persist also in worship, as it draws you into God’s Presence just like prayer. His Presence can bring a peace that surpasses all understanding. It helps us gain a revelation that God is sovereign. Trust Him and allow Him to be in charge of your life. We should not be a “control freak”, seeking to always be in control. Part of trusting God is to let go and let God. Part of trusting God is to let go and let God. Persist in acknowledging God’s Word.  God is faithful and He keeps to His Word. Claim the promises in His Word. Recall testimonies of how God got you through previously. John 10:28 (NIV) I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. Persist in keeping godly and supportive company.  Your godly Christian friends can pray with you and encourage you. They can also be a good listening ear and be good sounding board. They faith, their support can help you trust God more deeply. Prov 17:17 (NIV) A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Persist in resilience.  While you are resting in God, you need to be resilient in casting off doubt, worry, insecurities and the desperate need to be in control of our situation. Don’t let these steal the rest you have in God. Isa 40:31 (NIV) but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. God’s rest is available for us in Christ. Each day, we have to draw that grace of rest from Him. The more we do so, the more we learn to draw upon this grace. God’s rest is available for us in Christ. Each day, we have to draw that grace of rest from Him. Copyright©️2025 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.