Is God with us or not?

 

 

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSmT2qR_KM0

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

      Please click this link to worship with us - 10,000 Reasons

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3K3roEF36k

      

     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 18:37-50, Exodus 15:19-17:7; Matthew 22:1-33; Proverbs 6:20-26

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

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

Key passages:

     The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin,traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2 So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.”

Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

3 But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

4 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

5 The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.7 And he called the place Massah[g] and Meribah[h] because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

                                                              Exodus 17:1-7

The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock!
    Exalted be God my Savior!
47 He is the God who avenges me,
    who subdues nations under me,
48     who saves me from my enemies.
You exalted me above my foes;
    from a violent man you rescued me.
49 Therefore I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing the praises of your name.

50 He gives his king great victories;
    he shows unfailing love to his anointed,
    to David and to his descendants forever.

                                Pslam 18:46-50

      My son, keep your father’s command

    and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
21 Bind them always on your heart;
    fasten them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you;
    when you sleep, they will watch over you;
    when you awake, they will speak to you.

                                                              Proverbs 6:20-22

                       

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

The topic I received today from Jesus is: Is God with us or not?

       Today's Exodus recorded the Israelites had no water and food three times. Three times they grumbled and quarrelled, testing God saying, "Is the Lord among us or not?"

     Why the Bible uses "testing God" to describe the relationship with the Israelites with God? In what kind of circumstance, what kind of act do we do means testing God?

1. Do not believe God is the one who save you, provide you, listen and answer you, exalted you  (Psalm 18:37-50)

       

      2.  Do not understand even you have God with you, you would still have no water, no food, lacking lots of things. Because God wants to use those time to train your faith so that you experience His salvation and provision, lead you to experience what Psalm 23:1 says "I shall not want"  (Exodus 15:19-17:7)

    

3.  To grumble and quarrel against God's servants in the midst of lacking something (Exodus 15:23-24, 16:1-3, 17:1-2, 7)

May you enjoy the daily abiding love and presence of God each day like what it says in today's Proverbs 6:20-22  to give you guidance, protection and provision that you won't cause grumbling and quarrelling against God's servants in your home church so that you can truly experience God with us, God with you, Emmanuel! 

 

Dear Lord Jesus,

Help us not to cause grumbling and quarrelling against God's servants in our home church so that we can truly experience God with us, God with me, Emmanuel. 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. 

      

       

       Please click this link to Old Testament Psalm 15 blog:

       

        https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/02/to-praise-and-pray-but-not-grumble.html

     

      Please click this link to today's Old Testament Exodus 2:11-3:22 blog and video: 

    https://timewithabbaprayinglisteningenglish.blogspot.com/2025/02/to-praise-and-pray-but-not-grumble.html

  

      

       Please click this link to today's Old Testament Proverbs 6 blog:  

       https://discipler123.blogspot.com/2021/07/day-156-2021-dont-burn-yourself-because.html

   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

     

     

       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