Pages
▼
October 29, 2012
October 26, 2012
Defining OEM as an International Church
Click on the full screen icon in the bottom right side corner to read comfortably
October 22, 2012
Prayer Retreat Details
We had an amazing time in Wonsan Island...the details will come soon and meanwhile you can go through our pictures CLICK HERE and go ahead and like our Facebook Page
October 14, 2012
October 8, 2012
The choice is yours to make
The choice is yours to make
When God spoke to the Israelites
through Moses and urged them to choose life and prosperity over death and
destruction (Deut. 30:11-30), he was fully aware of his sovereignty. But this sovereign God honored his people so
much that he made them partners in creating the best possible life. This partnership began in the Garden of
Eden. The sovereign God punished man for
their disobedience instead of overruling man's actions because of his sovereignty;
how can humans be held accountable for their actions in the world of a
sovereign God? Yet at the same time out
of his sovereignty, he made the clothes of skins and cast them out of the
Garden so that man could have a second chance in creating the best possible life.
This same sovereign God who
punished Adam and Eve for their disobedience is also the sovereign God who
rewards those who seek him diligently (Heb. 11:6) even though he grants grace
for life to go on even if we do not seek him diligently.
Therefore, as believers who claim
to be the children of this sovereign God, let us seek him diligently. In seeking him diligently, let us not forget
that our faith matters. The writer of Hebrews
in 11:6 says "it is impossible to please God without faith" and
according to Jesus "everything is possible for him who believes"
(Mark 9:23). Paul takes this a step
further by claiming "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens
me" (Phil. 4:13). We could go on
and on to see how Bible values the attitude of faith in matters of life in this
world and also for the world to come.
I am fully aware that many of us
struggle in life from one way or the other.
Some of these struggles have been there for a long period of time and
now it appears as if you will never be able to overcome them. But I want to encourage you by saying that there
is absolutely nothing beyond God's ability to change or transform. When you read statements like this, it makes
you throw out, right? But I tell you, when I used to hear or read a statement
like this, that is how I used to feel when I was going through my struggles in life. But early in life I made Mark 9:23 the verse
of my life and even when I saw the impossibilities surrounding my life, I kept on
repeating and believing that promise along with others that spoke to my
struggles. After years of standing on these
verses, I can testify to you that Jesus means what he said. The tree did dry from the bottom at Jesus'
words (Mark 11)!
So, if you are struggling in your
health, keep believing and speaking the promises of healing. If you are struggling in your finances, keep
believing and speaking the promises of God's provision. If you are struggling in your marriage and
family, keep believing and speaking God's promises of a happy and blessed
home. If you are struggling with certain
sins that beset your walk with God, keep believing and speaking the promises of
God's forgiveness and complete victory in Christ. If you are struggling with some kinds of
addictions, keep believing and speaking the promises of God's ability to set
you free from all bondage. If you are struggling
with broken relationships and hurt, keep believing and speaking the promises of
God's healing and restoration in which even your enemies will come to live in
peace with you. If you are struggling
with the loss of hopes and dreams, keep believing and speaking in God's ability
to restore the years locusts have eaten from your life; keep believing and
speaking God's ability to make all things new.
Whatever may be the struggle…never lower your faith in God's ability to
do the impossible in the face of seeming impossibility!
The choice is yours to believe
and dream even when there is no evidence and if you are a constant believer and
speaker of God's promises, you will look back and praise the Lord like never
before when you begin to see him act on your behalf. You will finally say "I never thought
this was possible…but God"!
Or, you can choose not to believe
in God's promises and allow your struggles to dictate the course of your life
until it ends in losses and misery of all kinds only to realize how much you
missed while on earth. You hoped and
wished for a better day but that day never came, and now you stand before the
Lord trying to tell him what went wrong with you while on earth! As you stand before the Lord in the portals
of glory; your mind rushes back to earth and…
Church attendance could have been
much more joyful. Worship could have
been a delight. Prayer could have been a
pleasure. Charity could have been a
treasure. Marriage could have been a
paradise. Friendships could have been
richer and deeper. Health could have
been robust. Material life could have
been a blessing. The journey through
earth could have been an amazing adventure and discovery. But all those amazing possibilities were squandered
because you chose to allow the struggles to dictate our stay on earth instead
of God's promises.
That is why, Moses the man of God
commanded Israelites to make up their minds to choose life and prosperity by
"loving God" by "walking in his ways" and "keeping his
commands and decrees" (Deut. 30:15).
Saint John sums up Moses' instructions in two commandments; 1) believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ and 2) love each other (1John 3:23). Faith and love will see us through the
struggles of this life. Therefore, let
us choose faith and love and in doing so, we will inherit life and prosperity!