memory of two Lents with a decade and half in between

There are those who have their own important dates fall into the Lent period. I am one of them. My conviction and conversion by the Holy Spirit was in Lent several decades ago. It was a time of both tears and joy, which words cannot express. Today I read and listened to the reading by Charles Finney on how he encountered the Holy Spirit on October 10, and remember how I too was miraculously transformed by the mercy and love of God.

I therefore borrow below excerpts of Finney’s rich account of his encounter with the supernatural God:

“There was no fire, and no light, in the room; nevertheless it appeared to me as if it were perfectly light. As I went in and shut the door after me, it seemed as if I met the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. It did not occur to me then, nor did it for some time afterward, that it was wholly a mental state. On the contrary it seemed to me that I saw him as I would see any other man. He said nothing, but looked at me in such a manner as to break me right down at his feet. I have always since regarded this as is most remarkable state of mind; for it seemed to me a reality, that he stood before me, and I fell down at his feet and poured out my soul to him. I wept aloud like a child, and made such confessions as I could with my choked utterance. It seemed to me that I bathed his feet with my tears; and yet I had no distinct impression that I touched him, that I recollect...

No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart. I wept aloud with joy and love; and I do not know but I should say, I literally bellowed out unutterable gushings of my heart. These waves came over me, and over me, and over me, one after the other, until I recollect I cried out, “I shall die if these wavers continue to pass over me.” I said, “Lord, I cannot bear any more;” yet I had no fear of death. . . .”

“In this state I was taught the doctrine of justification by faith, as a present experience.” ~Finney 

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What are some of the things participating Christians do? Fasting, praying, giving up some of their favorite activities/food or anything that they would otherwise enjoy. Please note that the actions do not give us merit. It is not a form of exchange with God for something we want. But it does benefit us in self-disciplined and an increase in awareness and sensitivity to the matters of God.

Some believers practice Lent as a family. Instead of focusing on an expectation of the excitement of hunting for Easter eggs, why not change our focus to looking at the Lord Jesus? In mission high school days, we had an event called, watch-night, to attend a Bible reading communion service on late Maundy Thursday night, to keep vigil and watch. The chapel remained opened throughout the night for those who chose to stay awake the whole night. Very few stayed. I did try to stay as late as possible to focus on the Lord. The memory of a few tiny persons in the empty chapel with the cool night air, alone sitting there, watching and waiting for something we did not understand then, is like a scene out of some movie. If I go back in time, would I do that again? I believe I would. Whilst I did not know Him, the Lord knew me even then.

The magnificent cathedral, the mission school boarding houses, and the weekly chapel duties, the class of 67. No one at that time would have thought of what we have each become today. Is this what the verse had meant, that whilst many were called few were chosen? Looking back, I cannot recall encountering God then. And yet, walking thus far, I now realize how close God has always been! He waited fifteen years to draw me back into His fold.

καί notes, 2023-03-07

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Lent is a Christian annual period that starts on Ash Wednesday February 22 (2023) and ends on Maundy Thursday, April 6th, for 40 days (not Including Sundays) representing the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the wilderness. It is practiced by some Christians, fasting and praying during the 40-day period of Lent to honor and remember the suffering of Jesus in the weeks before His death and resurrection.

Here is a list of days which signify important events in this relation:

Important Dates of Lent in 2023:

Important Dates of Lent	Brief Overview of Significance	2023 Dates
Palm Sunday	Celebrates Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem	April 2, 2023
Holy Week	The week leading up to Easter	April 2 – April 8, 2023
Maundy Thursday	Commemorates the foot washing and Last Supper of Jesus Christ with the Apostles	April 6, 2023
Good Friday	Commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary	April 7, 2023
Holy Saturday	Commemorates Jesus’ body resting in the tomb	April 8, 2023
Easter Sunday	Celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead and his victory over sin and death.	April 9, 2023

A general’s humble and honest testimony

His healing journey is spectacular. Yet it applies to so many of us. He has spoken what we might not have the boldness/openness/humility to speak. He has asked the question that we, for fear of shame and guilt and condemnation, would not ask. I have likened what little that I have been posting on the ways of God as that done by a reserved foot soldier, and this man is a general.

Strongly recommend: He healed them all’s author’s healed testimony! Living in the bonus world！As I watched his recent video teachings/testimonies I typed transcripts because I did not want to miss a thing. I strongly encourage all readers who come across this blog to see and listen for yourself. I pray you too will find the sharing immensely useful.

Strongly recommend: He healed them all’s author’s healed testimony! Living in the bonus world! (links and excerpts of transcripts)

watchman’s recent adventure: to the moon and back

Two things must match when we see the supernatural: (1) the supernatural wants to be seen; (2) we look with the eyes of our heart. How to sharpen our inner visual acuity? One must have a deep yearning for a situation to change.

Lately this watchman has been pondering on one issue that has dragged on for a year. Jesus said to His disciples that without unbelief, they can say to the mountain to move and it will move. “and nothing will be impossible to you.” (Matthew 17:20)

The watchman knows the crux of the matter is in the spirit. It has taken a whole year of practice on spiritual walking, seeking an undivided focus on God, to come back to the point when there is inner visual acuity which sees things from the unseen manifesting in the seen world.

Genesis 18 is a familiar record of Abraham’s seeing three angels and interacting with them. The watchman saw something never noticed before. Let us read the passage carefully:

Genesis 18:1-2 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

Four things to note:

1. The Lord appeared to Abraham: this shows the intention of God. He wanted to let Abraham see into the spiritual realm. He opened his inner eyes.
2. Abraham had to respond. It was the heat of the day, the hottest part of the day. And he went and sat at the entrance to his tent. Was he expectant of something? Did his spirit prompt him? How long had he been sitting there before he saw the angels? Did he hear God calling him to be prepared for the manifestation? Imagine, Abraham was 99 years old then.
3. It doesn’t mean that Abraham would automatically see them. The three men/angels were actually standing there, near the great trees of Mamre. It doesn’t say how long they had been standing there, but only when Abraham looked up toward that direction, he saw them. Had they been there waiting to be seen? Or had they appeared/materialized in his vision only when his eyes made contact with the spot where they were standing?
4. Abraham demonstrated one more important faith in action, he ran to meet them and bowed low to the ground, thereby acknowledged their presence.

Genesis 17 recorded God making contact with, and initiated a covenant with 99 years old Abram, changing his name to Abraham, father of many nations, giving him and his descendants all the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession. Is the event in Chapter 18 a subsequent continuation of his interaction with God? Anyway, we see that Abraham was prepared and ready for any supernatural encounter with God. When his spirit prompted him he immediately ran to the opportunity. Why? He needed more assurance.

The same for the watchman. Lately I heard a talk on “Do you recognize the presence of God?” Do I? Do I hear accurately? Can I really see with my inner eyes? I want to enter the spiritual realm to be sensitive to and aware of the presence of God and take from the spiritual all the healings we have been given by Jesus’ finished work on the cross.

On the morning of February 16, I was woken around 4am, and I sat before the Lord, prayed in tongue, read His words, talked to Him and asked Him things just as I have always done. Because my heart was still troubled, I asked for revelation. Then I heard the prompting to go to the front door, so I went and stood there looking out while praying in tongue, but there was the usual quiet and cool night out there. The little park in front was serene in the street lights.

However I was prompted further to get outdoor to the yard. So I changed into warm clothing and stepped out. It was rather chilly. I did not see anything unusual. But I then saw a flash of light right in front, and was prompted to come back to the house and took my mobile phone with me. There was a big tree in front and it seemed the flash of light came from that direction. So I looked intensely.

I was led to look way up to the tree top and saw a crescent moon, so I started taking pictures. A series of pictures were taken between 5:50-5:56. After that I looked at the pictures and realized that was the sign I asked for. The pictures captured the waning moon in crescent, then gibbous, then a near full, and then back to a gibbous waning moon, all within five minutes! I have never been interested in the moon before. This is the first time I take pictures of the moon. (Samsung SM-A515F)

So what does the sign mean? The following note is a summary of my personal understanding from the words of God and what I believe is the Lord’s answer to my question.

“The seen can be deceptive, like the physical symptoms: the swelling, lump, and whatever that bothers the afflicted is not the real thing/the root, which is hidden behind, and we don’t see it, it’s in the unseen. You don’t have to look at the seen and be anxious. ” (This is a generic way of describing a perspective to be adopted when looking at an affliction on the body)

What is the unseen that I need to focus on? The Father God’s goodness, mercy and compassion, as Jesus has demonstrated while on earth. Focus on Him who is the Creator of the body, trusting the Creator to get it right! God has a good plan for your body and your body will align with His plan which is for your good and not harm.

Jesus was never worried about the symptoms manifested by the multitudes. He just kept looking at people with compassion and He healed them all.

What does the Bible say? That is exactly how God looks at us right now, He makes sure His temple is kept intact and undefiled by diseases. We were bought by God with a price! God is very protective over our body because His Sprit lives in us. When we speak God’s words to our body, without unbelief, the body will listen and respond accordingly. The wrong will be righted. The faulty will be repaired and replaced. The original perfection as created will be restored. This is how God has designed us. I am drawn to these verses below that confirm this point.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? ¹⁷ If anyone ^{[a destroys]}defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? ²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body ^[a]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Rightfully thus, this should be an automatic condition, “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” (Psalm 91:9-10)

How did Abraham see into the unseen? He kept practicing his spiritual walk. It was a very long walk with God. He started when he was called at 75 and had Isaac the promised heir only at 100. After that he continued to live on until 175 years old. It means the calling lasted 100 years! Surely he was living in divine health by living spiritually.

I have been reminded that God’s presence is always here within me. I can draw on His supernatural resources, which flows from his life in my spirit, joined to His Spirit, anytime. The speaker, a brilliant Bible scholar and teacher, who asked the question, do you recognize the presence of God confessed his own near death encounter,

(Quote begins)I asked, What have I done wrong? How I got to where I am? (Reflecting on his past life.) What have I missed along the way? So I want to talk to you about the presence of God in our lives, what we should be looking for and what we should be expecting, and how we should be moving in an expectation level of God moving in our lives. And I guess being ambushed by a cancer death sentence all of a sudden out of the blue I mean I can’t even explain to you how shocked I was and having that happen to me I thought why didn’t I know this was coming why didn’t I see this coming why was I completely unaware of this and I have to be honest and sometimes being honest hurt. I don’t know what I am looking for because I am not sensitive to the presence of God. (End of quote)

Asking for a sign from the Lord could mean one has arrived at a watershed and needs to make a tough decision even life and death matter. Whilst we are sure of the life of God/presence of God in us, we need to be able to draw from His supernatural life to get the body healed. The ability to see into the supernatural, needs to be practiced. Yet, sometime ago I was reminded that God is so big that no one can limit Him, for example, in terms of the countless ways of healings and getting healed. The aforementioned speaker asked God two ways of healing. And the reply he received was, either way you will be healed.

Don’t limit God. Keep walking with God and asking Him for answers until you are sure and have no more unbelief. Agreed the watchman.

καί notes, 2023-02-19

5:50am

5:53am

5:56am

5:56am

phases of the moon over a month

a watchman’s testimony: grace and goodness encounter

He saw the vision again with open eye. Yesterday, while meditating on the goodness of God, walking back to a current abode, with bags of groceries on both arms and shoulders, the gain in chronological years caught on and required breaks, thus lengthening the time taken, while affording more opportunities to encounter the supernatural God.

No one was at the park, as it was a working day and kids were at school too. There was not a clean bench so the watchman put all the bags on the ground and stood still in the middle of the green park. Turning his body he took pictures in different angles. The sky was blue and the clouds white. The morning rain stopped two hours ago, and the stone path was dry, though strewn with fallen purple petals.

Lately he has been thinking of the goodness of God and the words keep coming out. A song too, repeatedly playing in his thoughts. “All my life You have been faithful. All my life You have been so so good.” These words are so true. He recalled a life filled with the goodness and faithfulness and undeserved favor God has given him, even in the midst of major disasters. He started praying around eight years old. And his prayers have always been answered.

As he thought of the past, he started saying aloud his thoughts, praising and giving thanks to God, who is both his God and his friend. “Yes, I am blessed, favored, and loved. Thank you Father. Thank you for Your goodness!”

Then a thought came, it has been a long time since he last saw the unseen realm coming into his physical realm. He was thinking of the golden rain (rays) phenomena that he witnessed in his kitchen one morning in August 2013. Won’t it be comforting to see a sign again at this time of yoke and burden in the soul? A year had passed and the waiting is not yet over.

Then he looked up, and saw a glimpse of shiny gold in the branches of clusters of tall trees ahead. He took up his bags and walked there and looked up. Yes, the gold came from a portion of one branch very high up a big tree. He took some pictures. He noted that portions of some other branches had the appearance of being gold-plated too. So he took more pictures.

By then he had been in the park for about 20 minutes. He remembered the rather optimistic purchases of loads. So he told the Lord Jesus that His burden is light and His yoke is easy. “Lord, you carry these and let me carry Yours, the light and easy ones!” After that, he crossed the main road and walked toward the guard house, refreshed and recharged, quite ready to walk home.

A car stopped and a lady (total stranger) came out and said she can give him a lift as she is going that direction. She took some of his bags and motioned him to get into the back seat and handed them back to him. So the watchman received the favor of God and favor of man after all that morning, while fulfilling his heart desires, for near weightless burden and easiest yoke, plus the bonus of the new year, the gold-plated branch in the park, which faded as he left.

At night he was still repeatedly listening to “The goodness of God”, and reading the Biblical words about God. He saw God as manifested in the fruit of the Spirit. Love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

“You are created in My image. Learn from Me. I am gentle and humble in heart. What I do, you can do also. Be joined to Me. Imitate Me.” (Genesis 1:26; Matthew 11:29; John 14:12, 15:5,7; 1 Corinthians 6:17, 11:1)

The use of the gold-plated branch to still the turmoil in his heart brings him back to the vine and the branch. Very comforting powerful words. What Jesus says, in John 15:4,7,9 (NKJV)

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

The watchman, awed in the whole encounter, notes one more faithful thing that God has done: the watchman did not even ask for the favor or the sign. Those were the desires in his heart. But he did not even think of asking for them at the time they were given. This is exactly what prophet Isaiah prophesied, Isaiah 65 ²⁴ “It shall come to pass That before they call, I will answer; And while they are still speaking, I will hear.”

God hears us. He even has records of what we say about Him. He keeps a book of remembrance. Malachi 3:16

¹⁶ Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,
And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him
For those who fear the Lord
And who meditate on His name.

καί notes 2023-02-12

a year of more grace: supernatural Christians

What does more grace look like for believers? Why do we need to know more?

2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

Moses was a realistic pragmatic leader. He knew what his enemy and the people were like. He had lived and learned from the rich and powerful, as well as the commoners and the poor, both Jews and Gentiles. He learned about God from his mother for the first 12 years, and trained and equipped for 28 years in Egyptian Pharaoh’s court to rule. He later worked (during all/part of his 40 years in the land of Midian) for Jethro, his father-in-law, a Kenite sheep owner and priest of Midian (northwestern Arabia). (After Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Jethro taught Moses modern management – delegation of authority.)

Despite his impressive resume, Moses knew he still lacked one thing, i.e. spiritual authority and supernatural power to override the arch-enemy, Pharaoh’s power. Moses had the fiery passion to be on God’s side. Otherwise he would not have risked his life and foregone all the riches and honor Pharaoh had given him. Yet, Moses’ first response to God’s calling was hesitation, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘the Lord has not appeared to you.'” (Exodus 4:1)

God had the answer all ready. He gave Moses three power tools. This is what we must know today for ourselves as believers. We need to live supernaturally as more than conquerers in Christ Jesus.

The rod, a dead wooden matter, turned into a living creature, a serpent. And turned back to a lifeless rod again. This is an instant switch between plant and animal species. From lifeless to life. (Exodus 4:2-4)

His hand, a normal healthy living part of his body, turned into leprous. And restored back into healthy, like his other flesh again. How fast a disease/health issue can come and go! This is an instant healing and restoration of the body parts. (Exodus 4:6-7)

Water from the river changed texture from clean drinkable water to stinking blood. Not only waters in their rivers, ponds, pools, waters in buckets and pitchers too! The fish in the river died. It’s officially called a “fish kill”. These events can have a variety of causes, but among the most common is a lack of oxygen. The main point is that in an instant, oxygen was instantly depleted from the waters, no matter where they were stored. (Exodus 7:19) (The redness was possibly caused by Chromatiaceae bacteria, which thrives in oxygen depleted waters, proliferated and covered the river, turning it red).

Fast forward to Jesus’ time. His turning water into wine miracle: It can take a full three years to get from the initial planting of a brand-new grapevine through the first harvest, and the first vintage might not be bottled for another two years after that. Jesus did not need to plant a vineyard, harvest, press the grapes, let them ferment and wait for the wine to mature. Water turned into the best wine instantly. He was able to change the composition of the water entirely and instantly. He was able to create the ingredients required for the wine.

Human beings are mostly water, ranging from about 75 percent of body mass in infants to about 50–60 percent in adult men and women, to as low as 45 percent in old age. Think of the importance of managing the water for our health. Exodus 19:22-26, and 2 Kings 2:19 recorded how bitter/poisonous waters were healed through Moses and Elisha!

Healing the sick, casting out demons, and resurrecting the dead. All done instantly by Jesus. Making the lame walk, blind see, dumb speak, and the deaf hear, was a simple job for Him. He healed all sorts of diseases, of which many involving changing of the condition of body parts. He put life back into bodies whose lives had left. He was able to give life to a mortal body.

He multiplied matters, such as loaves of bread and cooked fishes. The Gospel recorded two separate similar incidents (involving five thousands men and four thousands men separately plus women and children) just to make the point of His ability to create matter. He changed the condition of the nature we know: stilling strong wind and raging water, causing a fig tree to wither from the root and die, overriding gravity and walking on water, moving through locked doors/walls, instant movement between spaces/realms, unconstrained by time and matter. He was able to change matter, create matter, talk to the creation (life or lifeless) (after all He is the Creator and Sustainer!) and made them obey and changed accordingly.

What has this got to do with us? A lot. Everything. Jesus said this to His disciples and us.

Over the matter of healing any illness: Matthew 17:19-20

¹⁹ Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

²⁰ So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

Over the matter of removing all obstacles and getting prayers answered: Matthew 21:21-22 ²¹ So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. ²² And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

Take note that in both instances, Jesus asked us to speak directly to the sickness/causes of it and command it to leave the afflicted body. Jesus actually gives a blank cheque. We stay in union with Him, use His name (which signifies His authority), and carry out the action, which is speaking His words. All this requires faith, believing, without unbelief.

Some believers may be concerned with who can be worthy of such supernatural power? Moses spoke the same concern, while looking at himself, an eighty years old man who failed big time and ruined his career and self-appointed mission when he was at his prime at forty. But God called him and chose him and not others, not even Aaron, who would have appeared a more logical choice then. But God chose Moses. Aaron was only a mouthpiece for Moses. God will teach Moses what to say and do. Moses will speak to Aaron and put the words in his mouth. (Exodus 4:11-17)

How was Moses described in the Bible? “Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3) “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.” (Acts 7:22)

Hebrews 3:5-6 ⁵ And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward,⁶ but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end.

Grace is a gift. Gifts must be opened and used. More grace means more usages.

“If you have faith (in God), nothing will be impossible for you.”(Matthew 17:20) “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” (Mark 9:23) ” ²² So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³ For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴ Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. (Mark 11:22-24)

Having been born again by the Spirit of God, as sons and daughters of God, we have been given the same supernatural gifts as Jesus exercised while on earth. The Gospels tell us clearly what we have in Christ and how we may use them. Miracles are events that appear inexplicable by the laws of nature and so are held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God. All that Jesus did was beyond the law of nature. Moses was an example to foretell how a person can be used by God supernaturally. Both Moses and Elijah were seen together with Jesus by the disciples. And Elijah was described as a man just like us, with prayers that impacted the nature (rain and draught) (James 5:17-18)

As Jesus is, so are we in this world! (1 John 4:17)

2023 is a year of more grace and more actions for believers.

καί notes 2023-01-31