You are the one!

    

Please click this link for the video version of today's blog :

https://youtu.be/4xi91sH0AMY?si=hSO9K7bkxij1kO7s

Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

      2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

     Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile. 

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.          **Sing a song to praise the Lord

      

     Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

      https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

**Please click this link to read how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Today's Time with Abba:  Psalm 89:46-52; Esther 4:1-7:10; 1 Corinthians 12:1-26; Proverbs 21:21-22

Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

Key passage:

When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes,and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate,because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them.5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law:that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.   Esther 4:1-17

Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.    

The topic I received today from Jesus is: You are the one!

I think that must be the situation that happened to Mordecai as he came into an awareness that he was the one to do something to the situation. The whole Chapter 4 recorded how Mordecai did everything he could to save the Jews and how God used him as a channel to bring Esther into the centre of confusion.

The same situation happened to Esther that she came into an awareness that she was the one to plead to the king eventhough she might be killed. But, she asked for a three days total fast for all Jews and her maids. That is what we called "Esther Fasting", three days without food and water. 

My first Esther fasting was in April 21, 1984, then after that another five  times. The last one was from January 17 Friday to January 19, 2025 Sunday crying out to God for a big rain to stop the big fire in LA. A big rain and flood came eight days after our Esther Fasting!

Please read what I wrote to our Archbishops and bishops asking them to join our Esther Fasting on January 16, 2025 Thursday:

Dear Archbishops, bishops, Canons, priests, pastors and leaders,

Bishop Page, Bishop David and I received an urgent call to have a Esther Fasting praying for rain, showers of blessings to quench the fire in LA which is not to be able to do with fire departments or any human hands. We claim the anointing of Elijah to be with Christian leaders who received the same call from our Lord Jesus Christ to accomplish this mission:

To fast from your time (no matter from Africa, Malaysia, US , Canada or any country) Friday 12noon to Sunday 6am. The time Jesus on the Cross, Friday around 9am and died around 3pm, and resurrected Sunday morning. There are 17 millions people under unbreathable air, contaminated water and the serious threat of fire devouring cities!

Please invite as many Christians to fast and pray during that 42 hours, your time: Friday 12noon to Sunday 6am!

Then what I wrote to them on January 28, 2025:

Wow! GOOD NEWS!

Big rain came starting two days ago Sunday, eight days after our three days Esther Fasting from January 17 Friday 12pm to January 19 Sunday 6am. A fasting without food and water to pray for big rain to LA.

God listened to many people fasting and prayer and rain came and keep coming!

Praise the Lord!

LA did not have a drop of rain for ten months!

Mordecai, Esther, her maids and all Jews were willing to do the thing they needed to do. Well, Esther hesitated a bit but she was willing at last. How about you? You are the one! Are you willing to do that special task for the Lord?

I am very sure that I am not the only one to call an Esther Fasting in January, there must be more Christian leaders who listened to the same call to have an Esther Fasting. But, I am one of those disciple of Jesus willing to take action and to have an Esther Fasting for people in LA! 

Are you willing if you receive that call from our Lord Jesus Christ to do something that you do not want to do, or hesitate to do?

Dear Lord Jesus,

Lead me and show me that I am the one to do your appointed job without hesitation, fear or excuse. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

Reflect on these questions:    

1. What inspiration have you received from today's catch and what have you heard from Jesus now?

     2.  What is your next step to be more closer to Jesus, to be holy - that is to do what Jesus wants you to do and not to do what Jesus wants you not to do?

    

    Family Corner:

     Find an opportunity to share with your family the importance of today's message. 

     For those who would like to have some background of the Book of Esther:

After the Babylonian Empire was captured, defeated and replaced by the Persians in 539 B.C., the center of government for the Jewish exiles transferred to Persia. The Babylonians previously had conquered and exiled the Jews throughout their empire. Under the leadership of Cyrus - who issued the initial decree permitting the Jews to return to their homeland - the Persians took control of the empire. The setting for the story of Esther is the Persian capital city of Susa during the reign of King Xerxes I who ruled from 486 - 465 B.C. The book covers the years 483 - 473 B.C. of his reign(1:3; 3:7), with most events occurring in 473 B.C. Esther became queen of persia in 478 B.C. (2:16)

Chronologically, the account of Esther in Persia falls between chapters 6 and 7 in the book of Ezra. That places the events between the first return of Jewish exiles to Jerusalem in 538 B.C. under Zerubbabel (Ezra 1-6) and the second return led by Ezra in 457 B.C. (Ezra 7-10). Though Esther is placed after Nehemiah in our Old Testament, its events actually occurred 30 years before Nehemiah's return to Jerusalem (444 B.C.) to rebuild the wall. While the books of Ezra and Nehemiah address issues involving the Jews who returned to Jerusalem, Esther records a crucial development among the Jews who remained in Persia.

The significance of Queen Esther is seen not only in how she helped save her people from destruction but also in the fact that she brought them security and respect in a foreign land(8: 17; 10:3). Through her actions, God made it possible for Nehemiah to serve as an official in the king's court several decades later and eventually return to Judah as governor to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. If Esther and the Jews (including Nehemiah) had been destroyed in Persia, the troubled Jews back in Jerusalem may never have rebuilt their city and the outcome of Jewish history would have been drastically different.

    Please click this link for today's Time with Abba one year Bible four passages: http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

     Let's have a time to be still and give the Holy Spirit space to speak through the passage we have just read. Offer this time to Jesus as you listen to Him.    

   For the Chinese version of this daily blog and video, please click this link (中文版請按此連結):

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningchinese.blogspot.com

     

     To know, learn and practice the method of Time with Abba, please click this link:http://twa.pastoralcareschool.org/

     If you would like to follow my "Subject shifting Devotion Method" from the "Time with Abba, Praising Singing", you are welcome to follow the direction below and then go back to the top of this blog to read today's key passage and my listening and sharing:

        Silence

1.   Put on your “brakes” and stop for a moment of silence

      2.   Wait for God. Breathe deep for God's peace and feel His presence. Exhale your worries.

     Praise and Thanksgiving

1.   Think through your day, all the times that made you smile

2.   Thank God for all those moments, and for all those people

3.   Sing a song to praise the Lord

      

Confession and Repentance (Subjective Shifting Devotion Method) 

https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/08/count-down-5-subject-shifting-devotion.html

1.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to shine on you that you are able to discover your sins and be willing to repent:

     “Dear Holy Spirit, shine your light into the places of darkness in my life. Show me my sins, everything that blocks me from encountering God and having Jesus as my Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

2.  Through the Holy Spirit, examine yourself for a short silence and then pray:

     "Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and being victorious over death and sin. I confess my sins to you(pause, to tell Jesus what the Holy Spirit has shown you). Forgive my sins by your blood and help me follow you. Holy Spirit, fill me that I may be able to receive your gifts to love God and His people. In Jesus Name I pray, Amen."

3.  John Stott's daily prayer of Christlikeness (Christopher J.H. Wright, Cultivating the fruit of the Spirit. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017, 13)

(Please click this link to see how God used John Stott to change my life:https://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/

           "Heavenly Father, I pray that this day I may live in your presence and please you more and more.

             Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.

             Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

 My first blog "Devotion on Fire"  was written in English only  (July 17, 2009年7月17日至November 22, 2012年11月22日). Each day one chapter of Bible, from New Testament and then Old Testament. Completed in four months and three years:

http://bishopsilas.blogspot.com/2009/07/blessings-from-rev-dr-john-stott.html

My second blog "Discipler 123"  was written in both Chinese and English (March 6,2011to December 31, 2016 ):

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2011/02/day-1-choose-light-away-from-darkness.html

and "Time with Abba" blog and video (January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2024): 

https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2017/01/1-2017.html

 

 

Connecting Workshop 2025(Session 2)

Bishop Silas Ng on Three Streams

 https://youtu.be/xiSOSFF9Iw0?si=puDWFD9Cx01ADm-o