SOLOMON UNDERSTOOD THE DOUBLE PROSPERITY PRINCIPLE

Solomon was the wisest and richest king. His father, King David, left tremendous wealth for him to build God’s Temple. Solomon understood divine principles for God to prosper him and manage wealth. People came to him, sought his wisdom, and brought him wealth. Proverbs 28:25 (NLT)25 Greed causes fighting;trusting the LORD leads to prosperity.Solomon said that trusting the Lord will lead to prosperity. When we trust Him, we will go where He leads and take the paths we have not taken before. Trusting the Lord and going where we have never gone before takes faith. Solomon reckoned there were two ways to prosperity.Ecclesiastes 11:5–6 (NLT)5 Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.When Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes, he was already in a backslidden state. But he still had the wisdom he acquired. Solomon said we cannot understand how the Lord does things and shouldn’t try to figure it out; no one could ever fully understand. The key is to trust, and we should develop greater trust in every Word of the Lord and go where the Holy Spirit leads.Solomon understood the double prosperity principle. He knew the spiritual principle of sowing and reaping; as we sow, we will reap. He was also wise to advise us not to be lazy. Solomon said we are to sow, continue working, not be lazy, and optimise our remaining time. Because we don’t know which way prosperity will come. We should take hold of every opportunity that comes our way so that the Lord can prosper us.When we sow seeds, we will surely reap because this is God’s divine principle of prosperity. When the economy is good, we keep busy working, and we will prosper as well. So, it is a double prosperity blessing. If the economy is bad and weak, and there is not much business to keep us busy, we will still reap because we had sown. The double prosperity principle is in our Chinese culture - we give two Mandarin oranges and stick double happiness Chinese characters on our doors during special occasions. When God restored Job and blessed him again, God prospered Job with double what he lost. The Lord doubly blessed Job, not because He had a divine plan for him but because of God’s extreme compassion and mercy (James 5:11). Our God is the Father of double blessings.James 5:11 (NKJV)11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

GOD PROSPERED JOB FOR NO DIVINE PURPOSE

Job's blessings were not necessarily tied to a grand divine plan but instead given out of God's grace and Job's faith. The story of Job shows that faith should not be transactional (serving God only for blessings) but should instead remain steadfast. Job was neither an ancestor of Jesus nor a descendant of Abraham. His blessings and restoration were not linked to God's covenantal plan for Israel or the coming of Christ. Job's prosperity was not instrumental in advancing God's divine plan for the salvation of humanity. Yet God prospered him mightily. Job 1:1 (NLT)1 There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil.2 He had seven sons and three daughters. 3 He owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 teams of oxen, and 500 female donkeys. He also had many servants. He was, in fact, the richest person in that entire area.Job knew and feared God, and God prospered him. He lived in northern Syria and became the greatest or richest man in the east (to the Euphrates River). Job 1:9–10 (NLT)9 Satan replied to the LORD, "Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. 10 You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is!Job and Satan knew God prospered Job, making him the wealthiest and greatest man in the east. Job had nothing to do with Jesus being born as a Son of man. In other words, for no divine reason, God prospered Job. Satan knew God protected Job and all he had. God prospered Job. Job's prosperity was like God's investment in his life. Of course, God protects His investments. When God prospers us, we need not fear but believe He protects all we have, and the devil cannot steal it. You may ask, but how come Satan could destroy all Job had? Job 3:25 tells us why. Job 3:25 (NLT)25 What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true.Job's fear of losing everything had opened the door for Satan to accuse him before God. Even when his children had celebrations, Job was presumptuous and afraid that his children could have cursed God. So, Job made offerings to God out of fear, not faith (Job 1:4–5 NLT). But Job understood what it took for God to prosper him. Job 36:11 (NKJV) 11 If they obey and serve Him,They shall spend their days in prosperity, And their years in pleasures.Job served and obeyed God, and God prospered him mightily. As we serve the Lord and obey the Holy Spirit, He will prosper us like Job. Obeying the Holy Spirit would develop trust, sensitivity and flow with Him. Then, we will trust and follow the Holy Spirit to go where opportunities await. The Heavenly Father delights in prospering His children without any divine purpose. Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

BASIS FOR GETTING CLEAR DIRECTIONS FROM THE LORD (2)

There is a foundational basis we must go by to ensure we get clear directions from the Lord. What are they?#3 Acknowledge You Need The Father in All Your WaysProverbs 3:5–6 (NET)5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.6 Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight.Hebrew “know him”. The verb יָדַע (yadah, “to know”) includes mental awareness of who God is and the consequential submission to his lordship. To know him is to obey him. The sage is calling for a life of trust and obedience in which the disciple sees the Lord in every event and relies on him. To acknowledge the Lord in every event means trusting and obeying him for guidance in right conduct. [Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.]We need to acknowledge that we need His help, His guidance, His leading, His wisdom, His revelation, and His strength. And we are to wait and seek His will, plan and promises for us in every area of our lives.The Father will make your path straight means: tn The verb יָשָׁר (yashar) means “to make smooth; to make straight” (BDB 444 s.v.). This phrase means “to make the way free from obstacles,” that is, to make it successful (e.g., Isa 40:3). The straight, even road is the right road; God will make the way smooth for the believer. [Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.] #4 Ask the Heavenly Father for the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation Ephesians 1:16–17 (NKJV)16 do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him …Ask the Father to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in His knowledge so that we may know the next step.#5 Seek Counsel from the EldersProverbs 20:18 (NLT) 18 Plans succeed through good counsel; don’t go to war without wise advice.Seek the counsel of older people who have gained more life experiences. Many ideas we have not considered may come forth as we do that. #6 Pray till You Have it Clear What is the Next Step Spending time praying much with unknown tongues will allow the Holy Spirit to redirect and show us alternative ways or even a change in the direction we are to take. Then, we will get it very clear in our spirit what to do next.The Heavenly Father longs to help us. He wants to see us go the right way. His unfailing love for us is extreme, so He will do His utmost to help ensure we are on the right path.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

BASIS FOR GETTING CLEAR DIRECTIONS FROM THE LORD (1)

Jesus gave the Great Commission to His apostles before He ascended into heaven to be seated at the Father's right hand. However, when finding someone to replace Judas Iscariot, Jesus did not give instructions. The 120 disciples of Jesus (including the 11 apostles of the Lamb) were praying in the upper room. They were in unity, with one mind and purpose. Peter was then directed to a passage in the Book of Psalms and received illumination from the Word of God that they needed to look for someone. At that moment, they did not know who to select. So they first nominated Joseph and then, led by the Holy Spirit, chose Matthias. Subsequently, they prayed again and were led by the Holy Spirit; all cast their lots on Matthias.In our walk with the Lord Jesus, we often encounter such a situation ourselves. There is a foundational basis we must go by to ensure we get clear directions from the Lord. What are they?#1 Seek to Do the Father's Will, and You Will KnowJohn 7:17 (NET) If anyone wants to do God's will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority.We will know the direction if we seek to do the Father's will. We will surely know if we want to do the Father's will. If we are not getting directions from the Lord, either we are to continue in the present place and do what the Lord has already given, or we are unwilling to do what He has instructed. There was a guy who walked into our church service one day. At the end of the service, he asked me to pray for him so that he could know exactly what God called him to do. He attended Bible school twenty years ago and then worshipped at a megachurch. I told him to forget about praying about whether God had called him to full-time ministry. I said God would have shown him long ago if he had a call to ministry. Praying for a long time and still not knowing God's full-time call, he could have perhaps been unfaithful in obeying God, or there is no calling in his life. The Bible tells us God called us when we were in our mother's womb. We do not need to pray for twenty years and still not know our calling. For many people who are called to pastor but do not answer the call, the time to enter the pastoral ministry has passed; they would have more likely missed the season. #2 Go by the Father's StandardWhen the 11 apostles of the Lamb had to look for someone to replace Judas Iscariot, they had to go by God's standard. Acts 1:21–22 (NIV)21 Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22 beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection."These conditions were God's standard. If we seek a spouse, God's Word must be our standard. We must also follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us not to be unequally yoked with an unbeliever. Another criterion is whether we want a godly spouse.Seek to do the Father's will, and we will always know what He has planned for our lives. The Word of God must be the standard to judge every situation. We obey His direction once we know it is the Father's will and does not violate the Word.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE YOUNG PROPHET?

The old prophet prophesied to the man of God, the young prophet. 1 Kings 13:15–19 (NIV)15 So the prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat.” 16 The man of God said, “I cannot turn back and go with you, nor can I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 17 I have been told by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’ ” 18 The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” (But he was lying to him.) 19 So the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.Not heeding God’s instruction to the end, the man of God, a young prophet, was killed by a lion on the road. He would not have met the lion if he had not turned back but gone straight ahead. God saw what was ahead and warned him not to turn back. God was trying to protect the young prophet.1 Kings 13:23–24 (NIV)23 When the man of God had finished eating and drinking, the prophet who had brought him back saddled his donkey for him. 24 As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.Walking by faith and being strong in faith is a commitment to a Person, the Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, and a commitment to do what He says. This faith commitment is simply trusting what the Word of the Lord says. Be sure you heard from the Heavenly Father, the Word from the Lord.Always remember what the Heavenly Father says - His instructions and commandments to us. Do not allow anything (circumstances or reasonings) to persuade us against the Word of the Lord. Obey what God said because we do not know what lies ahead. Never change what God said! Obey what God tells us at all costs. Always go where God directs and do what He directs us to do. Keep on going forward, never turning back or looking back. Obey Him all the way.Do not accept any prophecy that contradicts what God personally said to you by His Holy Spirit. It does not matter whether an apostle or a prophet spoke to you; do not change your direction just because they prophesied to you. Hold fast to what God said to do or where God told you to go.Do not accept any spectacular revelations, be it from dreams, visions, prophets, or angels: 1. If it contradicts what the Heavenly Father already said to you.2. If you do not have an inner witness in your spirit about it. The Holy Spirit, dwelling in your spirit, will bear witness with your spirit whether these revelations are from the Father God.3. If the revelations violate the written Word of God.Only accept guidance from Christian counselling or guidance deduced by psychological methods if you have the witness in your spirit. If the man of God had held fast to what God told him, he would have lived.We must test every spirit by the Word of God and the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit.Do not change what God said even though you do not understand how it will come to pass. Do not allow alternatives to change what God said.God did not send the lion to kill the young prophet because he disobeyed. Instead, God was trying to protect him by warning him. Therefore, we must esteem the Word the Heavenly Father speaks through the Holy Spirit very highly; this is how we should honour Him. The Heavenly Father will always show us things to come, especially if danger awaits. However, most of the time, He will only reveal some, not the whole scenario, to you. Hence, we need to trust Him. One Word from God is more than enough for us to live by. There are consequences if we turn back or look back when the Holy Spirit told us not to. When the man of God followed the old prophet back to his home, thinking it was an angel who spoke to him, and out of respect because he was an old prophet, and so turned back, it resulted in his death. When Lot’s wife turned back, she turned into a pillar of salt. When Adam and Eve changed what God said or turned back on what God said, they died spiritually, and sin (the power of Satan) came into the world. When the Heavenly Father says not to go back or turn back, and when someone does, it seems like death will be the end most of the time.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less

WE ARE CHILDREN OF LIGHT, AND GOD'S TEMPLE

1 John 1:5 (NKJV)�5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.We are in Him because He is in our spirit. We are in Christ because of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Since God is light, and we are in Him, there is no darkness at all in our spirit. If believers do not pray and read the Word, they are unaware of that light because they are busier with many natural things. Yet that light in their spirit is still there. But they go about life influenced by everything around them. So, they are utterly oblivious to that light. In other words, they are soulish, living their lives based on their minds, emotions, will, and the desires of their flesh. 1 John 1:7 (NKJV) 7 But if [we may or may not] we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."If" is in the third condition of the Greek word and should be translated as 'we may or may not'. Hence, outwardly, we may or may not walk in the light as the Holy Spirit is in the light; we, our spirit can still fellowship with one another.The word "cleanses" is a present active verb that denotes a continuous cleansing action. The word "sin" is a noun referring to Satan, the power of sin. It is not a verb that indicates an act of sin. Therefore, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us of the power of sin (Satan). It is the grace of God. Outwardly, our souls may or may not walk in the light; however, the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us of the power of Satan. And our spirit can still fellowship with God and one another because the Holy Spirit is light in our spirit. We are also the temple of God because He dwells in our spirit. 1 Corinthians 3:16 (NKJV)16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?The Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit, Who dwells in our spirit. We are God's temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead is in our spirit. Believe it, confess it, and we will release His power for our soul to restore our emotions and body to keep us healthy and healed if we need healing. Our spirit is perfect because it is holy and righteous and without any sinful nature. God the Holy Spirit will not dwell in an unholy and unrighteous temple. Neither is He going to dwell in a temple that is sinful. God the Holy Spirit dwells in a perfect temple. Your spirit is that perfect temple He dwells in. Our body is also called the Temple of God. 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NKJV)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?Our body, though it has its sinful nature, is God's temple because the Holy Spirit and our spirit dwell in it. That means our body belongs to God, and He will keep it safe and healthy by the power of the Holy Spirit within.Rev. Cheong Yew KwongFaith Church SingaporePlease visit our website at faithchurch.sg#goodtoread ... See MoreSee Less