Our natural inclination is to be so precise– trying always to forecast accurately what will happen next– that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing. We think that we must reach some predetermined goal, but that is not the nature of the spiritual life. The nature of the spiritual life is that we are certain in our uncertainty.

Consequently, we do not put down roots. Our common sense says, “Well, what if I were in that circumstance?” We cannot presume to see ourselves in any circumstance in which we have never been.

Certainty is the mark of the common sense life– gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life. To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, not knowing what tomorrow may bring. This is generally expressed with a sigh of sadness, but it should be an expression of breathless expectation. We are uncertain of the next step, but we are certain of God. As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives with surprises. When we become simply a promoter or a defender of a particular belief, something within us dies. That is not believing God– it is only believing our belief about Him.

Jesus said, “…unless you…become as little children…” (Matthew 18:3). The spiritual life is the life of a child. We are not uncertain of God, just uncertain of what He is going to do next. If our certainty is only in our beliefs, we develop a sense of self-righteousness, become overly critical, and are limited by the view that our beliefs are complete and settled. But when we have the right relationship with God, life is full of spontaneous, joyful uncertainty and expectancy.

​Jesus said, “…believe also in Me” (John 14:1), not, “Believe certain things about Me”. Leave everything to Him and it will be gloriously and graciously uncertain how He will come in– but you can be certain that He will come. Remain faithful to Him.

- Oswald Chambers-

The apostle Paul was a tremendous witness for Jesus, and almost every time he was brought before governors or magistrates or kings to answer the accusations of those who opposed him and his message, he took the opportunity to try to win them to Jesus—and he started with his own personal testimony: “This is what happened to me!” (Acts chapter 26).

People are interested in people. Life stories are more effective than getting into theological arguments and preaching sermons. When you start telling people your life story, instantly you have their attention and they quickly become fascinated. When you tell them your own personal experience, if you say it with sincerity in the power of the Spirit, they will believe that you’re telling the truth.

Your testimony is one thing they cannot deny. And the moment they admit that it has happened to you, then they have to admit that it’s possible for it to happen to them. Win them to yourself and your own happiness first, then they will want whatever it is that makes you that way.

You’re the proof of the pudding. You are the product of the Gospel and the love of Jesus. So tell others how His miracle-working power has worked in your own life, as a genuine living example and proof of what He can do.

Acts 26: 24
And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I am speaking true and rational words. For the king knows about these things, and to him I speak boldly. For I am persuaded that none of these things has escaped his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.” And Agrippa said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.

- Anonymous

Secular scholars have long argued on how flawed the Bible is and the context should not be taken literally. The Book of Genesis is argued as a book merely used by the author to express theories of human origin and that Adam and Eve should be viewed as a symbolic prototypes of mankind.

A part of me wishes to find a footing of my faith in this secular world. There must be a way whereby God has imprint His sovereignty that even secular scholars could not argue against. Then that day came, upon reading an encyclopedia of Bible related articles, I found the author wrote, “In all the inevitable questioning over the biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus, one fact seems beyond dispute: Jesus’ disciples were prepared to stake their lives on its veracity.” The author goes on stating his wonder on the fact that this martyrdom still continues down through the ages. His scholarly attempt to debunk this power seems to elude him.

Jesus is not a mythological deity that we pray to, He is alive and He still reigns. Not only He rose from the dead, but He now lives in every heart that invites Him in. And because He lives, there is no questioning that He is ever present in our lives and is at full work in bringing the completion of His promises in our lives.

Ephesians 3: 16 - 17
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love.

- Irene Soon

Psalm 44: 4
You are my King and my God. You command victories for Israel.

Here is no foe to your growth in grace, no enemy in your Christian work, which was not included in your Savior’s conquests.

You need not be afraid of them. When you touch them, they will flee before you. God has promised to deliver them up before you. Only be strong and very courageous! Fear not, nor be dismayed! The Lord is with you, O mighty men of valor - mighty because the Mightiest is with us. Claim victory!

Whenever your enemies close in upon you, claim victory! Whenever heart and flesh fail, look up and claim victory.

Be sure that you have a share in that triumph which Jesus won, not for Himself alone, but for us all; remember that you were in Him when He won it, and claim victory!

Reckon that it is yours, and gather spoil. Neither strongholds nor fenced cities could daunt or abash you. You are one of the conquering legion. Claim your share in the Savior’s victory. We are children of the King. 

- Anonymous

Have you been in a tug-of-rope war? Each side will pull the hardest they can, and if both sides are equally strong, the rope doesn't seem to be moving at all even though great effort is being put in.

Have you ever felt like that? Perhaps you feel like you might be subjected to the pressures and tensions in life, but feel like it's a stalemate, nothing seems to be going anywhere. Perhaps the wait seems like it's going on forever!

Be courageous and take hope! You have a God who dreams bigger and better things to be! Don't base your faith on what's happening but let God be the author and finisher of your faith. You might see yourself as the "little old me" but God is thinking of you with eternity in mind - He sees you as a mighty nation with an eternal future!

“The least of you will become a thousand, the smallest a mighty nation. I am the Lord; in its time I will do this swiftly.” Isaiah‬ ‭60:22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:13-16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The deep says, "It is not in me"; the sea says, "It is not with me." – Job 28:14

I remember a summer in which I said, “It is the ocean I need,” and I went to the ocean; but it seemed to say, “It is not in me!” The ocean did not do for me what I thought it would. Then I said, “The mountains will rest me,” and I went to the mountains, and when I awoke in the morning there stood the grand mountain that I had wanted so much to see; but it said, “It is not in me!” It did not satisfy.

Ah! I needed the ocean of the Lord's love, and the high mountains of His truth within. It was wisdom that the “depths” said they did not contain, and that could not be compared with jewels or gold or precious stones.

​Christ is wisdom and our deepest need. Our restlessness within can only be met by the revelation of God's eternal friendship and love for us.

- Margaret Bottome

How much does a prayer weigh? The only man I ever knew who tried to weigh one still does not know. Once he thought he did. That was when he owned a little grocery store on New York’s West Side.

​It was the week before Christmas of 1918 when a tired-looking woman came into the store and asked him for enough food to make a Christmas dinner for her children. He asked her how much she could afford to spend.“My husband was killed in the war,” the woman answered. “I have nothing to offer but a little prayer.”

“Write it down,” he said with a huff, and turned to attend to other customers. To his surprise, the woman pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and handed it to him over the counter. “I did that during the night, while sitting up with my sick baby.” The grocer took the paper before he could recover from his surprise, and then regretted having done so. What would he do with it? What could he say?
Then an idea came to him. Without even reading the prayer, he placed the paper on one side of his old-fashioned weight scales and said, “We shall see how much food this is worth.”

To his astonishment, the scale would not go down when he put a loaf of bread on the other side. And it still didn’t go down as he added more food—anything he could lay his hands on quickly, because people were watching him. His face turned redder the more embarrassed and flustered he became.
Finally he said, “Well, that’s all the scales will hold. Here’s a bag.” And he turned away.

With a little sob, the woman took the bag and started packing the food, only stopping to dry her eyes on her sleeve from time to time. The grocer tried not to look, but he had given her a big bag and couldn’t help but see that it wasn’t quite full. Without another word, he tossed a large cheese down the counter. Had he let down his defenses enough to actually look at the woman, he would have been rewarded with a timid smile and look of deepest gratitude.

When the woman had gone, the grocer examined his scales, which had worked fine for the previous customer. He never figured out how or when it had happened, but they were broken. The grocer had never seen that woman before, and he never saw her again. But for the rest of his life he remembered her better than any other woman that ever came into his shop, and he always kept that slip of paper with her simple prayer: “Please, Lord, give us this day our daily bread.”

Psalm 34:17-20 ESV
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.

- Unknown Author

2 Corinthian 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Many times I have encountered this verse, and often times I thought I understood it. Afterall, it is one of those verse that has been typically preached to death, or used when the going gets tough. Yet the revelation of this verse comes rather slowly at times, and how I have come to realise my depth of understanding is in how one respond in times of stress and in times of vulnerability. For example. When the world demands our attention and our commitment overwhelms us.

Let this verse seep into your inner being, meditate upon it. Such irony that when we are weak, we are actually strong. What a constrasting use of verb but it goes to show the limitation of our strength - no matter how successful we think we are, we are limited. I believe it is only when we come to the realisation of our own limitations, be it any area of our life, that we realise exactly how much we need Him.

How beautiful is the verse above, like a father's provision to his precious child - you. What do you need today? His name is Emmanuel, God with us.

- Elizabeth Tan