Tithe & Healing [Kenneth E. Hagin]

I love this story illustrated here about a girl who was healed in her mentality when she was once acting and thought like a 3 years old at the age 14years old. It all happened after she went up to altar, got saved and was filled with the Holy Spirit. Later in life she became her own contractor and financier over a building project of few hundred thousands. Just amazes and encourages me to read of testimony like this to know how much the Lord can accomplish in us.
I bought this pocket book by Kenneth E. Hagin on "Obedience in Finances" to make up for the $30 for a free membership card. Little did I know it confirms to me again what the Lord has been speaking to me lately on having a wise and brilliant mind when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. It's long though :)

Obedience and Tithing

A Sunday School teacher in one of the Pentecostal churches I pastored in North Central Texas was a widow with five children. She and all the kids would pick cotton for a 40 cents a hundred. They lived in a little old house out behind another house.
Yet she'd come by the parsonage on Saturdays and say, "Brother Hagin, we made a few dollars to buy a little food, and here's the tithe. I don't want to wait until tomorrow, because I'll spend it--I know I will--I need it so desperately."
I'd take it, and as she left the parsonage I'd close the door and weep. I know that I had to take it; otherwise, I would be depriving her of blessing and benefits. I've had her come by with a dime, saying. "We made a dollar. Here's the dime; here's the tithe."
Her oldest daughter spent seven years in the first grade and never learned to write her name. She never got out of the first grade. Finally the authorities asked her mother not to send her to school anymore--here was a 14 years old playing with 7 years olds. There was no special classes or state schools for retarded children like her in those Depression days.
In church she acted like a 3 or 4 year old; she had about that mentality. If she happened not to be sitting with her Mother and wanted to get up where she was, she would actually get down and scoot along on her stomach under the pews to get up front. Then she would stretch out on the pew like a little kid and go to sleep.
One night during a revival, this girl went up to the altar(nobody asked her to go) and knelt along with others. She got saved and filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke with other tongues. Instantly there was a drastic change!
Before, she wouldn't bathe. If she got neglected, her appearance would be pitiful. But overnight--the very next night--she came in, sat down, and acted as intelligent as any 18-year-old young lady. Her hair was fixed, she was dressed up, and she looked nice.
We could hardly believe what we saw. Receiving eternal life and the nature of God increased her mentality 90 percent! This was one of the greatest miracle I have ever seen.It happened at the beginning of World Was II. The girl went away to visit some relatives, and while she was there, she acted so nice and looked so nice that a neighbouring farm boy asked her for a date. She had never had a date in her life. They began to like each other, and when he asked her to marry him, she took him up for it. After her husband was drafted, she lived with her mother-in-law awhile, and her mother-in-law taught her to read and write.
I left that church to go into the evangelistic field. In the process of time I went back to help the pastor preach the funeral of one of the elderly people. I asked the church secretary, "Whatever happened to the girl?" She led me outside and said, "You knew that her husband was killed in that truck accident?" I said, "Yes." She said, "Well, because of their construction business, he was heavily insured and she received several hundred thousand dollars of insurance money." She pointed off in the distance and said, "See that housing addition?"
I could see a number of new houses being added to this small town. The secretary continued, "She is building that addition to the city. She is her own contractor; her own financier. She handles all her own money. Think of it!"
I stood there and wept again--this time a different kind of weeping. I was so glad, praise God, thhat I had obeyed God and had taken her mother's tithes. This girl had learned to pay tithes too.
The secretary said, "I'm still secretary of the church. You can count on it, she is on the front pew every Sunday with her two little children. They are the best dresses, best mannered children in the church. Her envelope with her tithes and offerings is always there. Every Sunday" I thought back to where she had come from : Here was a young woman not 30 years old who's building an addition to the city, and when she was 14 years old she had been seven years in the first grade without learning to write her name.
I thought, too, of that Scripture, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor..."(Luke 4:18) Hallelujah, God didn't just single her out and say, "We're going to make an exception out of her." No. the same gospel belongs to everyone.
What was the difference?Eternal life. The life of God. It was something that came into her that increased her mentality 90 percent. But not only that--she had been planting seed. She'd been paying her tithes and giving beyond her tithes back when she'd had just a few dollars from her husband's allotment checks. Now she had many dollars, but still she was doing the same thing. Would she every have gotten to that place if she hadn't been obedient in her finances?

Your heart is where real wisdom lies

As I was walking to Sun Plaza yesterday, I was pondering on what I just wrote on wisdom. If being filled by the Holy Spirit gives you a brilliant mind and makes you extremely wise, then how do you become filled? The word heart was also something I've been thinking about after what Elaine told me the other day that wisdom is also translated as having a hearing heart when God asked Solomon what he wanted in a dream. Hmm..I thought that was quite interesting. That many times we associate wisdom with knowing rather than a heart issue.
Interestingly, when I stepped into a Christian bookshop with the intention of only browsing the books, I end up buying one and two mini book to make up for the $30 for a free membership card. The second book that I browse was with the title, "Discover the Keys to Staying Full of God".And of all pages, the first page it open up to was with the subheading "Perfect Wisdom" =) followed by..your heart is where the real wisdom lies. Everything I wanted to know. How not to buy haha~

Perfect Wisdom by Andrew Wommack

Your mind doesn't have near the capacity for understanding and processing things that your heart does. Your heart is where the real wisdom lies. As a born-again believer, you "have the mind of Christ"(1Cor2:16) and the Bible says to :
Put on the new man [your spirit man], which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. Colossians 3:10
Even in the natural realm, experts say that we only use 10percent of our brian. I believe that if you were using 100percent of your brain, it still wouldn't be able to compete with just 10percent of your spiritual mind. Your spiritual mind has the mind of Christ in it!
Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 1 John 2:20
That's not talking about your natural mind. Your last test score proves that. It's your spirit--not your brain--that knows all things. In your born-again spirit, you have the perfect wisdom and mind of Christ. You know all things in your spirit. But if you allow your heart to be darkened, what good is all the wisdom and God speaking to you if you can't perceive it? God speaks to you through your heart

I asked Him, "What is wisdom?"

This questioned became more apparent to me after I read the reply my friend sent me last Wednesday.

"Wow..Words of wisdom..e msg did hit me. Bt i hardly tok to u? Hw u now wats on my mind??"
While I was messaging my friend, something in me felt led to tell him what the Lord had impress on my heart. I was very certain then it came from the Lord but I contemplated for awhile because he was not someone I connect much with. What if I was wrong? I thought. But more than that, I was more curious about his reply on the word wisdom.
What really is wisdom? When or what do I say is wisdom...because sometimes it's just something I randomly say or things I thought you would have already know. How do I make decision that is wise? There are so many proverbs on wisdom but when situation arises, the actions you take is not clearly written in the Bible. How then do I know.
I didn't have a clear definition of wisdom. It was a vague thing I knew to be good if I obtained it. Ask yourself this before you read on. How do you make wise decisions?
From that moment, I set out to ask Him specifically this question. What is wisdom? I knew clearly He would answer me. And He really did and I have never been so clear about it as now =) So here's the story :)
The next day after the sms on wed, I went to do a search on the internet with the key word - What is wisdom. There were of course a sea of results on wisdom..in estimation a total of 320000000 found. Here's a sensible answer on the definition on wisdom :
1) The ability to discern and judge what is true, right, or lasting insight. 2) Common sense, good judgement.
The world definition of wisdom :
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad (Miles Kington, via the News Quiz).
I was in hospital recently, and got to thinking about wisdom.  I'm still not sure on what the nature of wisdom is.  Is it a state or a process?  Is it a quality of thoughts, writings, people or actions?  It appears from what people have written that a wise person is one who lives wisely because they have wise values and wise thoughts leading to wise decisions and wise actions....
Wouldn't you be more confused just reading the above? Heh~I did that night.
As I was searching, the Lord impress upon my heart the word Holy Spirit. Still I didn't know why then..
Amazingly, the next day 26th Sept, The One Thing Daily Devotional passage was entirely on wisdom!
God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not fools. (Ephesians 5:15). Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, "Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is"
So what is the will of the Lord?...be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." (Ephesians 5:18-19)
...I also find an inner prompting to make certain decisions which in the end, turn out to be better than anything I could have come up with my own.
As I read on more, there were three things that I realised is much associated with wisdom. His Word, Holy Spirit and godly counsel.
On Sunday, I had an opportunity to lunch with Deacon Jack and his family. He invited me to join him along with his family friend whom I brought to church that day. I declined at first but changed my mind later. I wanted to take every opportunity to hear from this man Pastor has spoken much about. According to the estimation of Pastor Lian, he's the the second wisest man in church :) It was't a spiritual lunch that day haha...but we did the wisest thing that anyone would and that is to take away our left over curry fish head that was so yummy. heh~but what struck me as I lie on my bed that night was a family that is so richly blessed because of the wisdom that was given by God on this man. I opened up my Bible that night and it happened to fall on this passage. Wise people are rewarded with wealth Prov 14:24. What a confirmation.
Yesterday as I was hurrying my way out to work...I randomly grabbed an old edition of the Solid Rock magazine to read on the train. It was the Sept 2007 issue. Pastor's main topic was on Godly Leadership - Following the Anointing Within. Time and time again I go 'wow' at how He opens up His word to me. It's simply to long to type them out but I love this part Pastor begins with,
Many Christians wants to walk in love. But do you notice that there is a place for wisdom and discernment in your love walk? Matthew 10:16" Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves", The word "wise" here is phronimos in the Greek, which is also the word for understanding, insight and prudence..
We still need to have the Word because the Scripture outlines our direction and purpose, the way the railway directs the train. The Holy Spirit inside you is like the engine of the train where the power to control and propel comes from.
As I flip to the back of the magazine, it was a write up on three leaders in our church and how they lead with wisdom. I already knew by then what the answer was. The way to wisdom is to be led by the Holy Spirit in you. I was so certain then that in each of their sharing, there'll be a main portion about it. How true :) 
"Deacon Matthew shared that when he follows the "prompting in the inward witness", even if he's not aware of all the details, things will surface and he begins to see what God wants him to see"  Dn Matthew
"When he is faced with difficult decisions, Deacon Chee Ram automatically' goes back to God's Word. "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, He will lead you to the turth. I remember one incident where I sought the Lord , and He led me to Ezekiel, and based on the Word I read, my conviction about the situation became strong, and there was no problem making that difficult decision. Also, I knew that God would back me up all the way" Dn Chee Ram
"And she ensures that her relationship with God is a two-way street - He leads her through the inward witness and promptings, and she entrust the issues she faces to Him and talks to him about them."  Dn Jeannie Yeo
In the afternoon inside the sleeping room after settling down my children to bed, I brought along my Bible with me. I just felt prompted then to read 1 Corinthians. And to my surprise again, the subheading was "Wisdom From the Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
That night, I continued to search on Scipture passages that links Wisdom to the Holy Spirit. I found two verses which sums it all up for me and has helped clear all the questions I have.
I especially love this verse from Daniel 5:14 about the spirit of God in Him and how wise he became. Cool how different version puts it =)
Daniel 5:14 I've heard about you--that you're full of the Holy Spirit, that you've got a brilliant mind, that you are incredibly wise
(MSG) I've heard about you-that you're full of the Holy Spirit, that you've got a brilliant mind, that you are incredibly wise..(ESV)and the light and understanding and excellent wisdom is in you...(CEV) have given you special powers...
Daniel 6:3 Then this Daniel  did his work better than the chief rulers and the captains, because there was a special spirit in him; and it was the Kings purpose to put him over all the kingdom.
Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the Lord will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He' ll know the Lord's will and honor him.
Summary :) If not knowing the Lord's will make you unwise(Eph 5:17), then what makes one wise is knowing His will. The will of the Lord is revealed by the Holy Spirit living in us. He leads and prompts us to make the wisest decision. Consider Daniel who was full of the Holy Spirit and was made in charge of the whole kingdom. I strongly believe he was someone who makes spirit led decision.
There's so many Proverbs and Sciptures on wisdom. It would be impossible to remember them all. But how nice to know NOW that the Spirit in you brings to remembrance ALL things. My msg to my friend would not had been a word of wisdom if it had not come from the Lord. It would just be another passing comment.
Allow the Lord to lead you first in the small things. Follow the promptings of the Spirit. When a bigger promotion comes, the ability to take on that role would not be difficult because He'll still be the one leading you to make the wisest decision =)

Fatherhood

I had an interesting discussion with my boss this morning as we were sharing about work. She went to sharing with me about how women are a pillar of support to their husband and the measure of their success. And most men focus are in building a successful career.
"Really haha...I just read it this morning", I interrupted her. (wow ..)
"Read?..."She looked rather surprised with my statement.
It was last night while browsing in my school library that I decided to look for something different to read. I chance upon this book called, "The gift of fatherhood" by Dr. Aaron Hass. I thought then it would be interesting to know how does a father feels and what struggles they face with their kids. And maybe thru it I'll gain more understanding of the Father heart of God.
Here's the excerpt I read this morning :
"Men feel good about themselves because of what they achieve. Men derive a sense of satisfaction from the status they attain. That's how we measure ourselves, that's how we determine our success. You don't get recognized by your peers for being a good father. You engender their respect because of how much money you make, how much power you yield, how productive you have been. And we are always comparing. Is his bigger than mine?
...I tell men that having children is potentially psychologically healthy for them. Good fathering implies a willingness to give up some of our self-centeredness. Good fathering requires the defeat of some of our overbearing narcissism. When you are being a good father you are loving another unselfishly, without ulterior motive. And when you are a good father, you will reap the rewards of love and closeness which will more than compensate for what you fear you may lose. You will feel less driven to achieve, less driven to impress"
I would not say I am in the position to know how a man thinks or feels as much as a married woman would =) A large part of my life was spent with my girl frens. Heh. But what went through my mind as I was reading it this morning was that it takes a purposeful effort to understand and relate to your child. Wherelse, for ladies we are naturally born with a nature to nurture. Another thing I saw was the similarity in a father-child r/s to me-others r/s that I could apply.
My dad lost his dad at a very young age. Therefore there was not fatherly figure in his life. He wasn't a Christian when he was young and that makes it even harder I feel at times for him to understand Fatherhood. Expressing love for us in words, touch or affection was not something that came naturally to him. I'm not disappointed at him because I know he loves me. He tells us and shows me in other ways.
But one thing I feel that is lacking in a family today is a fatherly figure. Fathers are so driven to provide. It may be his language of love to the family but may not be the child or spouse love language.
His need is met and not the child. (Just saw this =))...Ever wonder if the father meets the needs of his wife and child, his need for success will come naturally. God's focus has always been for family.
If the love of our Father in heaven could help us withstand the storms in our life, how much better to have an earthly daddy who could reflect His love to us.
It's my heart to see this in every dad. Maybe, we as daughter or son could help our dad in this by first being open to love =)

Nothing is too small

This quote comes at the conclusion of Mrs. Piper’s profile of the missionary doctor to Africa, Helen Roseveare:

"Perhaps the deepest underlying personal factor in Helen's tension was the need she felt to do her very best and, if possible, to be the very best. God called her to Africa where that was not possible. There were continuing lessons for her: learning to treat malaria by symptoms rather than with prescribed lab tests, having to operate without having been trained as a surgeon, needing to make bricks rather than spending the day with patients.
Perhaps that is an issue for some of us--struggling with the reality that God has called us to do less than we want to do or less than what we believe is best. That can happen in any setting. For me, it's been especially true in my years with small children - 'I got a college degree for this?' Maybe the problem is the way we see ourselves. Maybe we think more highly of ourselves than we ought.
If anyone was too good to die, it was Jesus. If anyone should have done greater things than walking dusty roads and talking with people too dense to understand him, it was Jesus. In Philippians 3 . . . is the verse, "that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (verse 10). When God called Helen to less than she expected, he was helping her become like Christ, rather than like the best                                           

Faithful Women and Their Extraordinary God by Noel Piper

Let’s not worry about being the best, but eagerly give our all to the broad calling of serving...

Both taken from http://girltalk.blogs.com/girltalk/page/3

Marked '08

I thought maybe I should write an after post of the camp =) after all I predict many people would be asking me or had asked, "How was camp?" just like one would ask before camp, "What are my expectations" Heh-
I would say this was one of my best camps ever. We did nothing particularly spectacular, in fact it was a very restful camp. But it was in this camp I experience His touch so real.
The night before the camp, I receive a news that left me shattered. I've not felt this way for a year and now the feelings are back. I had my assignment still left to complete and my bag left unpacked. In these moments, all I want to do was not to do any of these but I knew I had to. Tears just stream down my face. I knew too I had to get to bed that night.
I sign up to this camp with no expectation but I went with one. It was for God to give me an answer to the situation. I didn't share to anyone about the matter because I know that my answer lies not in talking about it. During the games outing, someone I just got know asked me again what my expectations were. My answer was simply to receive. I did not ask God for new revelation but rather to give me an answer through Pastor's preaching.   
The first three days I still didn't have the answer. There was no clarity.
On the last night, I felt impressed to ask Pastor about what he thinks about it. I knew I had to follow the life in me but he was on stage before the final praise & worship starts. Surprisingly, he walked down and I took the opportunity to ask him. What he told me was what I thought I should do. He said it was a confirmation. I got the answer that night. He prayed for me thereafter. The life I sense for the steps to take was the same I had for some decisions I had made. There's finally a clarity to it. I felt victory that night and every feeling of condemnation left me. 
I was sharing with Coach Jo-Ann after that about what I should do and what I feel the Lord is saying. As I was sharing, the word faith and purpose came alive to my spirit. She shared to me her portion too of what the Lord is showing her. Much of what was said was confirmation to both of us.
For it to happen the night just before the camp I believe was for a purpose. If it came after the camp, I would not have the strength and clarity to handle it. Just like how Esther was made queen for such a time as that to save the Jews. God has it all planned.
This camp was awesome because of the people. The caregroup grew so much closer. Thank God for Pastor Benjamin who has been a great blessing into my life. Love you Pastor and Pauline.
Not forgetting the kids =) As you can see, most of the pictures is about them haha.. Manage to carry Zoe away from her mum at the final day after an hour of warm up! It's a great joy to know when the kids are comfortable with you when they open their arms to be receive by you =) 

Here's a picture we both love :) Mum said she seldom smile directly at camera. Melts me to see her in this picture. Heh..

Playing with the Kung Fu props. "Funny face..."

Self-explanatory haha~

I walked out of the house with uncertainty, but I walked in with clarity and joy beholding a piano in my house! Unbelievable. I really think that God really wants me to brush up on my piano skills. Heh- I understand from the maid this afternoon that my landlord got it as a gift from someone. Indeed, all your household will be bless because of you =D