Embracing God’s Direction Instead of New Year’s Resolutions

For many years, I had tried to embark on a new year with New Year’s resolutions to better myself. To be honest, I failed in achieving many of those resolutions and along the way, brought a lot of guilt to myself. However, now I believe that as Christians, we have a unique perspective towards New Year’s resolutions. Rather than relying on our own strength and resolutions, we are called to seek the Lord and trust in His guidance. In this article, let’s explore three key reasons why seeking the Lord surpasses the need for New Year’s resolutions.

GOD’S GUIDANCE PROVIDES TRUE DIRECTION
Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”

Entering the New Year is akin to God leading Abraham to the promised land of Canaan. Just as Abraham stepped into the unknown, leaving behind familiarity and comfort, we too are embarking on a journey of uncertainty in 2024.

Like Abraham, we are called to trust in God’s guidance, even when the path is unclear. As we surrender our plans and desires to Him, He leads us into new territories, blessings, and growth. Just as Canaan held a future of fulfillment for Abraham, the New Year holds endless possibilities for us. With faith and obedience, we can step into the year ahead, knowing that God will faithfully lead us to our own promised land of purpose and blessings.

Our human resolutions often come from our limited understanding, but seeking the Lord invites His divine wisdom and guidance. When we surrender our plans to Him and seek His will, He directs our paths in ways far beyond what we can imagine. Let us trust in His faithfulness and lean on His understanding rather than relying solely on our own efforts.

Practical Steps: Spend Quality Time in Prayer – Set aside dedicated time each day to communicate with God. Share your thoughts, emotions, and desires with Him. Do the Handing-over prayer and listen attentively for His voice. Prayer is a vital channel of connection and intimacy with God. If you want to know where to go, pause and ask the One who has already been there.

GOD’S TRANSFORMING POWER BRINGS LASTING CHANGE
When we are in Christ, we become new creations. Instead of relying on fleeting resolutions, we have the privilege of experiencing God’s transformative power in our lives. Through seeking the Lord, He works within us, renewing our minds, transforming our hearts, and empowering us to live out His purposes. Our focus shifts from self-improvement to becoming more like Christ. And that is when our purpose and goals are being established.

The transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly serves as a powerful illustration of the supernatural work of God in our lives. No matter how hard a caterpillar may strive, it cannot bring about such a remarkable metamorphosis on its own. It requires the mysterious and wondrous touch of God’s hand.

Similarly, when we seek the Lord and invite His guidance, He begins a transformative process within us. Through His grace and power, He works in the depths of our being, reshaping us from the inside out. Our own efforts and striving are insufficient to bring about the profound growth and flourishing that God intends for us.

Just as the caterpillar must surrender itself to the cocoon, we too must surrender ourselves to God’s transformative work. In His loving care, He shapes our character, renews our minds, and molds us into the image of Christ.

Practical Steps: Engage in Regular Bible Study: Through the study of His Word, and obedience to His commands, we participate in this divine transformation. Make studying and meditating on God’s Word a priority. Read the Bible daily, seeking to understand its teachings, principles, and stories. Reflect on how it applies to your life and ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and illumination.

As we yield to God’s guidance, we will experience a remarkable journey of spiritual growth. Like the emergence of a butterfly from its cocoon, we are transformed into something beautiful, vibrant, and free. We gain new perspectives, develop godly virtues, and bear the fruits of the Spirit. So, instead of trying to fulfill our New Year’s resolutions, we simply bear the fruit of the Spirit.

GOD’S PRESENCE SUSTAINS AND STRENGTHENS US
In the presence of the Lord, there is fullness of joy. Instead of striving to fulfill resolutions in our own strength, we can find true fulfillment and joy in God’s presence.

In Isaiah 40:31, we read, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles.”

Eagles serve as a powerful symbol of strength and soaring above the earth. These majestic birds rely on the currents of the wind to effortlessly lift them high into the sky. Similarly, when we abide in the presence of the Holy Spirit, we discover a wellspring of renewed strength and the capacity to rise above our challenges. His presence becomes our source of sustenance, lifting us up when we feel weary and empowering us to navigate life’s difficulties with grace and resilience.

Life’s trials and tribulations can be overwhelming, but when we fix our gaze on God and abide in His presence, we gain a newfound perspective. We begin to see our challenges as opportunities for growth and transformation. We discover that even in the midst of difficulties, God’s sustaining presence lifts us up above the storms, granting us the ability to soar with wings like eagles.

Moreover, God’s presence empowers us to navigate life’s complexities with grace and resilience. In the New Year, as we dwell in His presence, we receive His wisdom, guidance, and inner fortitude. We find the strength to persevere, to make difficult decisions, and to press on in the face of adversity. His sustaining power equips us to overcome obstacles, endure hardships, and emerge victorious in the midst of life’s trials.

Practical Step: Cultivate a Lifestyle of Worship, Solitude, and Mindfulness of God’s Presence:

Build Up The Habit of Worship: Develop a habit of worshiping God not only during church services but also in your daily life. Offer Him praise, gratitude, and adoration throughout the day. Sing songs of worship, write your own songs and poems, or use creative expressions to worship Him.

Seek His Presence in Solitude: Set aside moments of solitude to be alone with God. Find a quiet place where you can disconnect from distractions and simply be in His presence. Use this time for listening, reflecting, meditating, and experiencing His peace.

Practice Mindfulness of God’s Presence: Throughout your day, practice being mindful of God’s presence with you. Remind yourself that He is always with you, guiding, comforting, and loving you. Constantly invite Him into your thoughts, decisions, and actions.

CONCLUSION
By seeking God’s guidance, we find true direction in life. His wisdom and guidance help us navigate the complexities of our journey in 2024, providing clarity and purpose. Through His transforming power, we experience lasting change. God’s love and grace mold us into the image of Christ, renewing our minds and transforming our character. And in His presence, we find sustenance and strength. God’s unwavering presence sustains us in times of trial, lifts us up when we are weary, and empowers us to overcome challenges with resilience. By embracing these truths, we can live a victorious life in 2024, marked by divine guidance, transformation, and the abiding presence of our Heavenly Father.

How To Hand Over All Interrupting Thoughts

One question that I received quite regularly is “How can I pray without interruption to my mind?” For years, I struggled with all the stray thoughts while trying to experience the presence of Christ in my prayer time. Then one day, I found a way and I like to share this with you.

MONKEY BRAIN – The anxiety that we sometimes experience comes from the constant barrage of thoughts in our minds. That barrage is like unruly monkeys jumping in and out. We can call this “monkey brain”.

This is disturbing especially when you want to enjoy the Lord’s presence.

How do you prevent these “monkeys” from interrupting you?

There is a way. It’s called “Handing-over Prayer”.

Most people make the mistake of trying to fight the thoughts that inundate their minds. When you fight a thought, you become “violent”. And that leads to stress. The very idea of fighting may be the reason why you don’t like to spend time with the Lord. It’s just too stressful.

So, what is the ideal way?

Here are some simple steps to help you focus upon the Lord whenever you pray:

IDENTITY – Instead of fighting the interrupting thoughts, you welcome them one by one. When an interrupting thought comes, you acknowledge it. You identify and welcome it. This is important because you are telling your mind not to be stressed by that stray thought. When a stray thought flashes in your mind, immediately identify and acknowledge it. This means that you are in control of it. You are not trying to fight it but you now have the power to manage it.

SHAPE AND COLOR – Some people think in images and pictures. If you are one of them, it may be helpful to give the interrupting thought a shape and a color.

For example, if the thought of a particular fear such as financial bondage comes into your mind, give it the shape of a black ball.

If a good thought comes but it is still interrupting your time with the Lord, you will want to give it a shape and color too.

Take an example, the image of someone you love appears. Identify the person, and in your mind, put a red heart shape frame around the person’s face.

HAND OVER TO THE LORD – Since your purpose is to spend time with the Lord, you will want to hand over all these good or not-so-good thoughts and images to the Lord.

You may lift up the interrupting thought with your hands (real or imaginary) and gently release that interrupting thought to the Lord… just like you are releasing a bird.

The other approach is to open your hands and drop the thought. It’s similar to dropping a heavy object.

Both approaches help to prevent the thought from staying in your mind and free you to worship and meditate upon the Lord.

REPETITION – If the thought interrupts again, gently repeat the process.

CONTACT POINT OF FAITH – Soon, you will realize that you are able to focus upon the Lord better. To help your mind remain in the presence of the Lord, you may like to use a word or phrase to serve as a contact point of faith.

As for me, when I realize that I am losing focus, I will call out, “Lord Jesus”. His name helps me to return my attention to Him. You may use any words. Some say, “Hallelujah” and others say, “Maranatha”. Every time, they are distracted, they simply say that word or phrase to serve as a contact point of faith. So, you can do likewise.

SPEAKING IN TONGUES – If you have the gift of tongues, you may pray in tongues after you meditate upon the Lord and enjoy His presence. Speaking in tongues helps you to remain in the Lord’s presence and also allows your being to rest in His embrace.

I trust that you will enjoy spending time with the Lord as you get saturated with His love and peace. You need to practice and get used to releasing all your stray thoughts and anxieties to the Lord. God bless!

Albert Kang

Here is a video teaching on Handing-over Prayer. Please check it out.
https://youtu.be/SXdOvskQiV8

Why Do You Drink Poison And Expect Your Enemy To Die?

In the teaching of the New Testament, believers and bitterness are contradictory to each other. It’s like fire and water. They just cannot mix. A true believer cannot harbor bitterness in his or her heart. Paul the Apostle encourages every believer to “get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.” (Ephesians 4:31 NLT).

Jesus emphasized that “forgiveness” is part of the basic character of a true believer.
Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.”
Matthew 18:21-22

The rabbis of antiquity recommended the “three-strikes-and-you-are-out” approach in forgiving. A person is required to tolerate and pardon three offenses of his opponent. However, after that, he is allowed to retaliate or take revenge.

Peter was more magnanimous than the rabbis because he recommended forgiving the offender seven times. Jesus blew the concept of three and seven pardons out of the water with His “forgiveness” standard raised to “seventy times seven”. Jesus did not mean that we should only forgive 490 times. His answer to Peter set the biblical standard: as believers, as long as the person repents, you have to forgive that person. If he offended you again and again and repented, again and again, you will have to forgive Him. Yes, countless times. The apostles who were listening with Peter finally exclaimed to Jesus in full recognition of their weaknesses, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:3-5).

However, you may say that it is easy to say but the feeling of unforgiveness and bitterness is difficult to overcome. It is especially difficult when you have been hurt by those whom you least expected to do so. As time extends, such unresolved anger gradually turns into full-blown hatred and bitterness.

Many believers are stuck in this rut of bitterness and feel totally helpless in overcoming it. The worse thing for them to realize is that the people who hurt them do not even seem to care how they feel. In their deep anger, the devil is having a wonderful time manipulating them. He suggests many ideas of malice and revenge. And that is why bitterness and hatred inevitably become the sin of murder.

Some secretly wish that bad things will happen to the offender such as dying a gruesome death. Others curse these offenders under their breath. The more religious ones pray imprecatory prayers of judgment upon their adversaries even though the teaching in the New Testament does not encourage that. Instead, the Apostle Paul exhorts believers saying, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not” (Romans 12:14).

If you can identify with these struggles, here are some helpful steps to help prevent you from poisoning yourself.

TELLING THE TRUE STORY TO JESUS
Stop and consider telling the most accurate story only to Jesus and yourself. Why? Because for too long now, you have created a story for others so as to justify your inner struggle, hurt, and pain. You also provide the reason why it is impossible to forgive the person or persons who hurt you.

Like a good detective, you may have to search through years of scattered memories and historical rubbles to determine the facts of the situations that caused you to retaliate in anger and hatred.

Is it what the person said or did, or is it being made to look ridiculous that offended you?

When I was around seven years old, I was “made a fool” by an uncle at one of our family gatherings. It was actually nothing – this uncle mimicked my childish voice when I addressed him. All my cousins laughed and I felt thoroughly embarrassed. Ever since that incident, I had a dislike for this uncle. It did not amount to hatred but at any family functions, I avoided him at all costs. It was not until I was 40 years old that I realized that it was that particular hurt that caused me to “dislike” this uncle. Thank God for revealing that to me. How did I resolve it?

The best approach to such a negative encounter is to confess, repent and hand the hurt feeling to the Lord in the Handing-over Prayer. That was what I did and I reconciled with this uncle socially and in my heart.

STOP TELLING YOUR STORY TO EVERYONE
One of the hurting people’s weaknesses is the desire to tell their negative stories to just about anyone. You can tell your story to a counselor or pastor so that you may receive helpful counsel and advice. However, if you repeatedly share your negative story with everybody you are keeping that painful memory alive.

When you prayed and surrendered that hurt to Jesus, He had begun the healing process in you. As you keep trusting and handing the struggle to Him, soon that inner wound will be healed.

Repeating your negative story is like digging into your old wound and making it all bloody again. Then Satan will control your life because he strives in conflict and pain. Unknowingly to you, the devil has shackled you with the chains of victimhood.

CHECK YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Another reason for the inner hurt may be that you have unrealistic expectations. Even though it is common for everyone to have certain unrealistic expectations, that does not mean that it is healthy.

An elderly missionary who returned alone to the USA from the mission field of Africa wanted to be treated with great honor and respect. However, the denomination did not really accord him the level of honor that he expected and according to his son, this missionary died an angry and bitter man.

A close relative had an adversarial marital relationship because she expected her husband to be able to read her mind and anticipate everything that she needed. She associated his inability to discern her needs as he did not love her enough. She was perpetually hurt despite the assurance from her husband.

Another friend expected her family members to respond in certain ways and when they did not, she was furious. For her entire life, the sad and often angry memories of her “uncaring” family members were repeated in endless narratives to others.

Unrealistic expectations are damaging because they are too complicated for any ordinary relationship to be established. These expectations are destined for failure. No amount of unforgiveness and bitterness will change your situation. By paying attention to why every unrealistic expectation ends up in failure or quarrel, we may become wiser and better at dealing with such disappointments.

TIME TO HAND OVER YOUR BURDENS

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
The Lord is definitely sympathetic to your hurts and brokenness. You can come to Him with your tale of sorrow, and He will not scorn you. You can cry upon His shoulders, and He will not push you away. In the deep silence, you will hear His voice of comfort and liberty. He will gently untangle your throbbing affliction and His peace will calm that stormy discrepancy.

Every hurting memory does not need to own or control you. Every flood of pain does not need to drown you. When all these come and they will come, all you need to do is to acknowledge each feeling of hurt and pain. Don’t fight it. Just acknowledge it, receive it, and then give it a shape and color in your mind.

For example, someone falsely accused me of something and I was hurt. The inner hurt continued to fester as long as I avoided it. When I took responsibility to acknowledge it. I gently received it and gave it the shape of a square and the color was green. Then what did I do with that angry feeling that had a shape and color? I gently handed it over to the Lord.

You may be wondering whether that painful thought ever come back and the answer is that it kept coming back. And I kept up with the same handing-over process. Then, one day, it just didn’t come back with that emotional baggage anymore. I recalled all the words of the false accusation, but they no longer carried that emotion of hurt, anger, and pain in them. I no longer disliked the person who said it. I was able to honestly pray for him and even fellowship with him without any hesitation in my spirit.

Jesus is not only most willing to give you rest but He assures that you will surely find rest in Him. When you trust Him with all your struggles, you will receive your spiritual refreshment. A strong dose of inner nourishment and deep peace will flow within when you hand every ugly thought and painful memory to Him.

As you hand over all to the Lord, you may want to enter into His service and bask in the light of His teaching. The first “rest” is while serving Him, you’ll find your purpose of being, and the second “rest” is found in His life-giving Word. You’ll discover daily purification from the filth of the world. Both are necessary for your spiritual refreshment and growth. And both these can only be found in Christ and Christ alone. May you refuse to poison your life and surrender everything to the Lord.

Here is the playlist of a compilation of Handing-over Prayer videos for you to listen to and share with others.
Playlist of Handing-over Prayer

Handing-Over Prayer Is A 24/7 Experience

Jenny was troubled by worries about her teenage children not doing well in school. The Covid-19 situation and the two years of perpetual lock-down had taken the enthusiasm for learning away from these growing youngsters. No matter, how she nagged, scolded, and even threatened, nothing changed. She prayed to God but even those prayers were so stressful. She was pleading and her voice of despair seemed to rise no further than her ceiling.

One day, she watched one of my YouTube teaching videos on Handing-Over Prayer. According to Jenny, she followed every step carefully. It took some effort to really believe that Jesus was actually interested in what she had handed over. As she faithfully handed over every thought of concern to the Lord, her body became relaxed with the sweet assurance of God’s presence. And the best part was that she began to see some changes in her children. Her kids actually performed well in their recent class tests. Jenny was elated. She decided to hand over her relational struggles with one of her sisters. And a miracle happened – that sister called her to reconcile. She then handed a difficult client to the Lord through Handing-Over Prayer. I believe you can guess the outcome – the client decided to buy the full range of health products that she had proposed.

Today, Jenny no longer finds prayer stressful. It’s no longer a duty or religious requirement. She mused, “For the first time, I am really enjoying praying.” She said that she loves using this Handing-Over Prayer because she wants to see how God answers her prayers.

What Is Handing-Over Prayer?
You must have read what Jesus said about coming to Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). Handing-Over Prayer is the process of going to Jesus with every one of our concerns, handing them over and then just resting in Him. One of the biggest struggles that we have when we pray is always the inundation of stray thoughts. We want to focus on Jesus but our minds are refusing to cooperate. And thus, praying becomes a chore. We are always fighting to keep stray thoughts at bay so as to stay focused on the Lord. However, the brain is designed to think. These stray thoughts are like a whole troop of monkeys jumping in randomly into your mind. And that is the reason why many fail in praying is because of this phenomenon.

Accepting All The Monkeys
In Handing-Over Prayer, you will never need to worry about the “monkeys” or stray thoughts. In fact, you learn to accept all stray thoughts and side issues as they rush into your mind. Yes, you have not read wrong – learn to accept all these thoughts. Whether they be good, negative, angry, hateful, lustful, or holy, welcome them.

As Handing-Over Prayer is not violent, you do not need to fight these “monkeys” or treat them as unwelcomed interruptions. As they come into your mind, recognize that they are there in your mind, and identify them. Then gently isolate them for the handing over to Jesus.

Do not ruminate upon them but just hand them over to Jesus. Your mind is not a warehouse for all these stray thoughts. In this instance, you should treat your mind as a clear channel or a transfer station. This means that nothing stays in you and everything flows through you to Jesus.

Do Not Feel Guilty
Anything may come to your mind. It may be thoughts of anxiety or joy. However, as long as they are going to distract your time with the Lord, you just acknowledge and identify them. Take time to gently hand over all your “monkeys”. Do not feel guilty if what comes to your mind are lustful thoughts or even evil thoughts. They are temptations and temptation is not sin. Acting upon the temptation is. There is no condemnation, stress, or demand on your part. Just come confidently before Jesus, hand over and let the Lord take care of all your thoughts and struggles.

As you hand over to Jesus, say this simple prayer: “This thought I hand over to you” or “this thought I surrender to you”. If the thought comes back many times, simply hand it over again and again. Do not resist it – just receive, identify, isolate and hand it over to God.

Where Can You Do The Handing-Over Prayer?
You can do the Handing-Over Prayer almost anywhere. Many believers do it while driving to and from work. Some told me that when they were stuck in traffic jams, instead of getting upset, they took the opportunity to do the Handing-Over Prayer. Many homemakers followed my advice to do it during their daily house-cleaning session. Others do it during their gardening. One creative account was doing the Handing-Over Prayer while showering. There is no limit of creative ways that you can use this prayer approach. It will be ideal if you can find a regular time in the day to do this Handing-Over Prayer. For example, in the morning, just before or after your devotion. The Lord encourages us to pray alone in a private place – “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6).

A 24/7 Prayer
This is indeed an ideal 24/7 approach to prayer and you can actually do what the Bible speaks about “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Praying all the time may be something new to you. Like all habits, it has to be practiced regularly until it becomes a part of your daily activities. I pray that you will enjoy handing over all your struggles and disturbing thoughts to the Lord and just rest in His presence.

Here are some helpful videos about Handing-Over Prayer.

Why We Rather Deny The Cross Than Deny Ourselves?

One of the saddest confusions in spiritual formation is to take “denying ourselves” to mean “rejecting ourselves”. We do not reject our position in Christ and who we are in the kingdom of God. However, we do need to get “ourselves” and our will and personal agenda out of the way, so that Jesus can show us His will and agenda.

Let’s explore further the deeper meaning of “denying ourselves” by looking at Luke 9:23-27:

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”

The two requirements that Jesus has made clear for all His disciples – the first is to deny themselves and the second is to carry their own cross. The idea of discipleship becomes blatantly clear – Jesus did not die on the cross so that we can just go to heaven. Going to heaven is already a guaranteed notion and it did not come at the instant moment that we were saved. There is another aspect that we may have to learn and that is Jesus died on the cross so that while we are living here on earth, we have the opportunity to learn how to die to ourselves.

THE CALL TO DIE TO SELF
Even though we have been justified by the death and resurrection of Christ, there is still the sanctification or transforming process that the Holy Spirit has to work within our lives. God accepted us as who we were before we were born again but He does not want us to remain in our old carnal selves. He wants us to be like His Son, Jesus Christ. He wants to get rid of our selfishness, self-centeredness, and self-focus, and so He said to take up the cross and not just one time but to take it up daily. God is actually asking us to lose our life permanently for the sake of the gospel. Just as Deitrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, wrote, “When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die.”

Like most believers, I am much happier to preach “how to deny the cross” not “how to deny myself”. I prefer to pick myself up daily instead of picking up the cross. It is hard to follow the instruction of Jesus to deny myself and pick up the cross because I like myself too much. However, taking up my cross daily is the message that I need to hear and you need to hear because it is the most important message from the Lord.

There is seldom a big moment whereby we will be martyred like Peter being crucified upside down or like Paul who had his head cut off. For most of us, it is not that one big moment of being a martyr for Christ. It is more like every day, every moment, every action that we do, every conversation, every discussion. It is our entire life, that we must choose whether we would deny ourselves or that we would deny our cross.

WE DON’T LIKE THE CROSS
The chances are that we would very naturally deny the cross. We don’t like the cross because we don’t like to die to ourselves. I am writing from real-life experience, and I think you can identify with me. And so, the decision that I am going to make for myself is a moment-by-moment decision. As I begin to focus on the moment and live for the “now” and that means that I am very aware of the presence of God, then all these little moments when I add them up, become my whole life. So, for us to have a spiritual life, we must take care of the little moments. And by carrying our cross in those little moments, we are learning to walk towards the heart of God, learning to become like His Son, Jesus Christ.

How do we know that we are really denying ourselves? We do so by listening to what we are saying and how we are speaking. If we talk a lot about our successes, achievements, glories, and trophies then it is obvious that we are carrying “ourselves” and not the “cross”. Once we focus upon Christ, we have begun the process of denying ourselves. The very moment, we drop this burden of carrying “ourselves”, we can then carry the cross. As in Matthew 6:24, Jesus said that no man can serve two masters. We have to hate one and love the other – so as long as we are carrying “ourselves”, we will hate the “cross”.

HANDING-OVER PRAYER
Even though in some unguarded moments, we may fail to deny ourselves and carry the cross, the Holy Spirit will remind us to do so. We may react to some unhappy events, have certain unhealthy conversations that will trigger our anger, stir our bitterness and drive us to the cliff of hatred. In those moments, the still small voice of the Holy Spirit will speak and guide us back to the cross.

That is why we recommend “Handing-over prayer“. It is a good praying approach as you learn how to embrace all the hurts of criticism and then gently hand them over to Jesus. You are saying to the Lord, “Your will be done”. You are learning to deny yourself the right to be angry or upset with another person. The Holy Spirit will encourage you, “I want you to release that bitterness to the Lord because you don’t have the capacity to hold this bitterness; keep this hatred; sustain this jealousy or carry this envy; you have to hand over.”

What a privilege to have the Holy Spirit guiding us at all times. Here is a message by Rev Albert Kang that may help you in your spiritual journey of transformation.

Why You Should Not Achieve “Spirituality” Anymore!

For many years, I longed to have that moment when I feel that I have achieved a certain sense of “spirituality”. I had read many books and articles about personal revival, listened to many sermons about this mysterious state of well-being or spirituality. How various “spiritual giants” attained their spiritual heights through intense discipline of long prayers and meditations. With my background in Buddhism and Chinese polytheism, the emphasis on self-discipline and self-attainment appealed to me. The image of me as a holy man sitting on a mountain top in deep meditation often came to mind. It was a funny image if it wasn’t for the fact that I took it so seriously at that time. However, little did I realise that I had mistaken the intimacy with the Lord to be an activity achievable by my own self-discipline. I had adopted the dangerous philosophy of asceticism – a belief that if I really wanted to have the fullness of the spiritual life in me, I had to deny the pleasures of my body since they were often the source of my temptation. That was why Christianity became such a struggle for me. At one time, I prayed for God to remove all the women from this world because I was often tempted by them.

WORKING HARD TO BE SPIRITUAL
You may be able to identify your experience with my struggle in the past. This compulsiveness may have given you a sense of direction and keep you busy. But after all these years, you may wonder whether you will ever reach this spiritual height or not. That is the reason why you tell the people around that you are far from reaching that mystical spiritual level and how you regret it. They applaud your sincere confession and humility. You feel kind of happy with your honesty and continue with your journey. However, I must burst your bubble because this self-made pilgrimage of yours will end in spiritual fatigue or burnout. You may not agree but allow me to explain.

Since the time of the early Church Fathers, many believers have sought monastic life so as to attain this mystical level of spirituality. Others have left the faith in order to try and find the answer through mystical religions. Rev. Dr. Rob Apgar-Taylor, the pastor of Grace United Church of Christ, is one of those who found his “deeper” spiritual experience in Tibetan buddhism which is taught in Kopan Monastery situated in Nepal. He said, “I have noticed a whole bunch of younger people, particularly LGBT folk but not even, also straight folk, young folk who say, ‘I used to be Christian. Now, I’m more Buddhist.’” (Source). Why is that so? Is it because the dependence of self-effort to achieve spiritual reality is more conducive than merely believing that Jesus has done it all for us? To many of us, ordinary folks, we are most probably throwing up our hands in frustration and say, “This is beyond me. I have tried my best.”

SPIRITUALITY IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE ATTAINED
The truth of the matter is there is no spiritual height to attain. As long as you are struggling to achieve, struggling to accomplish, struggling to be somebody spiritual, you will soon realise that innately, within your spirit, you will become anxious and restless. In your subconscious mind, you will always be comparing, evaluating and judging whether you are better than the other brothers and sisters. You will not be fulfilled because you know the truth about your own spiritual condition. No matter, how you justify your pursuit, whether you borrow the idea from another religion or develop the idea of spirituality through what you have read, you will never be fully satisfied.

This kind of “spiritual” quest also reveals a darker desire that is embedded in the carnal or soulish self. As you know, the soulish self is self-centred, self-promoting, self-asserting, self-willed and self-reliant. Such “spiritual pursuit” is a hidden form of “humanism” in spiritual garment that focuses on the human efforts. This approach reveals a mistaken notion that is rooted in the fallacy that one would be more lovable to God when more efforts are made in all these religious activities. This endeavour may look spiritual, sound spiritual, and even feel spiritual but it is a “religious facade”.

MY DISASTROUS “SPIRITUAL ACHIEVEMENT“
I experienced it myself – there was a time when through sheer discipline, I was able to consistently perform all the “required” routine of praying long hours, fasting for 40 days, reading 40 chapters of Bible every day, etc. All these were good if my motivation of doing them was in alignment with the Holy Spirit. However, the truth is that when I had “achieved” this perceived religious standard, I became “humbly” proud. I began to compare my “spiritual” standard with those of others by contrasting my own religious routines with theirs. Whenever I met another “spiritual” believer, I would immediately judge the person in my mind – How spiritual is this person? How many chapters of the bible has he read every day? How long has he prayed daily? How many days has he fasted? How much money did he give to the poor? How many orphans has he fed. How many ministries has he served, etc.?
All these revealed my deep insecurity that was further enhanced by my total misunderstanding of what praying, reading the bible and fasting are all about. At that time I really thought that I could earn spirituality and climb up to the spiritual height.

DOING VERSUS BEING
Well, thankfully, you and I can avoid all these pitfalls. You may have realized that what I really desired at that time was intimacy with God. What I have learned through all these years is that firstly, we have to realise that we do not need to exhaust ourselves by trying to BE spiritual when we are already BEINGS of spirituality.

There has been too much emphasis on “DOING” that we miss out on who we really are – our “BEING”. So what is the difference? Do we not do anything any more? The difference is this – you can DO without BEING but you cannot BE without DOING. For example, if your “being” is the sun, then naturally, your “doing” is shining. Once you focus on your BEING, you will find that your DOING is an expression of that innate realization.

As a young child, I was unhappy when my father asked me to help him at his chicken rice stall. When I reached 15 years old, I willingly went to help my dad. Before, that age, I was helping my father but reluctantly. Was I still his son? Yes, of course. But a very reluctant son. What happened at 15? I suddenly realised that my father had worked so hard for the family and I, being the eldest son, should be responsible in helping him. That realization of my BEING activated my DOING and changed my attitude, values, characteristics and behaviour towards my father and my family members.

Realization Makes The Difference
When you realise who you are in Christ and that you have been intimately loved by the Lord long before you have ever experienced any human love, that should blow you away. Especially when wave upon wave of love keeps coming in spite of all the sins and mistakes you have committed, then you know that you have encountered the unmerited favour of God. This grace of God, in the midst of total human failures, completely demolishes any human idea of meritocracy. Suddenly, counting your achievements and calculating your accomplishments become absolutely meaningless.

Intimacy is defined as having a close familiarity, emotional connection, experiential bonding and even a spiritual unity in a relationship. And the intimacy that all of us need is that wonderful closeness with God that is experienced only through God’s unfailing love. It is by grace alone. With God, we can be completely truthful and vulnerable. This is the truth that you and I must treasure in our hearts because it is the basis of our relationship with Him. By that same love, the Lord revealed Himself to us and became our Saviour. His “DOING” was by coming to earth, living an obedient life, dying on the cross, coming back to life through resurrection, so that we can have our “BEING’. This is our true identity as beloved children of God. Once we fully comprehend this truth, we will never need to strive to be “spiritual” but live out our “spirituality” as BELOVED CHILDREN OF GOD.

THE RESULT OF INTIMACY WITH GOD
The outcome is that my “DOING” is being poured out of my “BEING” – when I pray, it is because I enjoy talking to God. When I do my “handing-over prayer”, it is because I want to have an uninterrupted time with Jesus. And moreover, I can pray like this 24/7 (“Pray continually” -1 Thessalonians 5:17). I pray both in the Spirit and with understanding because I really enjoy the fellowship with God (“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” -Ephesians 6:18). I don’t feel guilty anymore if I were to spend a shorter time in prayer or pray later in the day. It is not a chore. It is a privilege. When I read my Bible, it’s because I enjoy reading His love letters. I have nobody to impress and no achievement to accomplish. When I preach a sermon, write an article or publish a book, they are all results of the intimacy that God has granted me. It is most comforting to know that I can come to God as I am, vulnerable and weak in many ways because He is my Father. And if you are a child of God then He is also your Father. You can trust Him.

Here is short video clip (8 minutes) on Handing-over prayer that dispels the myth that we need to be goal-oriented so as to achieve a certain spiritual height when we pray:

What To Do When Attacked By Demons of Gong Tau (Black Magic)

As we were preparing to leave the church for our residence, I felt an invisible force hitting me from the side and I became dizzy. Anyone could have thought that it was a physical symptom that needed medical attention. Immediately, in my spirit, I realised that I had become the target of a ferocious demonic attack. Even though the demons could not enter me, their force upon my whole being was overwhelming and consistent.

In one of our Elijah Challenge healing meetings, Grace and I ministered to a man whose life was turned upside down because of a curse caused by black magic or Gong Tau (降头) . The story began when this Malaysian man had an illicit relationship with a young foreign girl. When the relationship turned sour, this girl apparently used a black magic spell to send evil spirits against him. This type of demons possesses a stupefying power that totally dominates and subjugates the victim. The man became mentally confused and gave the woman all his money. Then, his emotional health started to deteriorate until he could not even hold a job. His friends who brought him told us that this man had been “blur” for two years after the affair. We proceeded to cast out the evil spirits. Immediately, the demons left and the man returned to alertness and full consciousness. Praise be to God.

A SUDDEN DEMONIC ATTACK
After the deliverance, we prepared to leave the church for our residence. Suddenly, I felt an invisible force hitting my head from the side and I became dizzy. Anyone could have thought that it was a physical symptom that needed medical attention. However, in my spirit, I immediately realised that I had become the target of a ferocious demonic attack. Even though the demons could not enter me, wave upon wave of unseen power upon my whole being was overwhelming and consistent. I remember telling Grace that “these stupid demons are attacking me!”

As my wife drove us back to the house, my head was still spinning. In the midst of that unswerving spiritual attack, a part of me was extremely calm and peaceful. The Holy Spirit was ministering to my spirit and that He was giving me the assurance of His support. I began the counter-attack by rebuking under my breath but Grace had already taken over in rebuking the demons.

My wife had absolute faith in the Lord – when she took over, she was relentless in her commands of authority from the Lord. She did not resort to speaking in tongues like what most believers would do because she knew that speaking in tongues is for the purpose of communicating with God and not for spiritual warfare. She took full authority in the name of Jesus and rebuked the evil spirits and they were gone. As sudden as it came, the dizziness also left.

The reason why you need to do ministry with another ministry partner is for the purpose of covering one another in the event of spiritual attack.

To me, the attack felt like it was for a couple of hours but my wife told me that everything was over in less than ten minutes. The presence of the Holy Spirit was so strong that the attack was lifted immediately and the demons fled. I thank God that my wife is my ministry partner and she is adequate in the “Two-hand Punch Ministry” of casting demons out, healing the infirm and preaching the Word of God. Now, that is the reason why Jesus specifically sent out His disciples two-by-two so that in the event of such attack, they could cover for one another. The rule of the thumb is never try to do this type of ministry alone. We must always go with a ministry partner.

BE ALERT AT ALL TIME
From time to time, spiritual attacks, such as what I had experienced, come as a tangible physical force against the body. It’s like being punched in the head. However, such direct demonic confrontations are rare. They are a form of spiritual attacks that is to create intense fear in the victims. For example, strange things may happen in the physical realm – the furniture are moving by themselves, plates start flying off the shelves, strange sounds may be heard and even apparitions start appearing.

.All these may look scary but when we know their intention, we can respond appropriately. If we were to respond with fear, then the demons would have succeeded. Simply stand your ground as a covenanted warrior of the kingdom of God, washed by the Blood of Jesus, and rebuke these manifestations in the name of Jesus and with the boldness of the Holy Spirit.

If no one places emphasis on prayer, then the demonic bondage will spread like virus and the power of the enemy will flourish.

PRAYING IS WELCOMING THE POWER OF GOD
In a previous article, I shared about the “demonic werewolves” that are very adept in the hit-and-run tactic of routine harassments and temptations. Whenever they find families, communities, cities and even whole nations that are poor in resisting them, they will seek to dominate and put them into spiritual bondage. That is why praying for your family, community and nation is very important.
Praying is welcoming the power of God over your situation, into the place of your authority and also into your life. When you pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”, you are basically coming in alignment with the will of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to break all spiritual strongholds. If no one places emphasis on prayer, then the demonic bondage will spread like virus and the power of the enemy will flourish.

Here are some steps that you can take in repelling the attacks of the enemy. Please note that there is no magic bullet or any mystical formula. To protect yourself from being overwhelmed by the demonic power, you need to take definite steps of faith, perseverance and have a deep personal devotion to Christ.

STEPS TO REPEL DEMONIC ATTACKS
1. Live A Repented Life – in short, you are to live a moral life according to the scriptural teaching of loving God and loving others as yourself.
Do not go back to any worldly and religious practices of your past – such as worshipping idols, getting involved in witchcrafts, visiting fortune-tellers, consulting bomohs, mediums, or astrologers. Break all unholy soul-ties, gangland involvements and adulterous relationships. Stop all activities such as flirting, seducing, gambling, and cursing etc.
Begin to grow spiritually by the sanctifying power of the Holy Spirit so that you will not only have the gifts of the Spirit but the fruits of the Spirit as well. And the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Spiritual transformation has to do with you being transformed internally to become more like Christ in your thought-life, emotion-life and decision-making life. It is not just an external behavioral change but an internal motivation and purpose to that of the lordship of Christ. This is what living a repented and moral life is all about.

2. Come Under The Covering Of A Church – You will notice that believers who reject being active members of a local Church usually come under spiritual attacks in the areas of their pride. These people are too proud to come under any spiritual authority and thus become isolated souls in the spiritual wilderness. As in the natural, predators always select and attack the isolated prey, so isolated believers become fair games for these demonic predators.
The Church is a spiritual organism and organization for spiritual growth, protection and ministry. Attending the Church services regularly will help to strengthen you as you receive the teachings, instructions and corrections of the Lord without the risk of straying from the Word of God. Many who are isolated from the community of faith ultimately depend a lot on self-instruction rather than that of the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. That is where the vulnerability to demonic attack lies. Find a home Church, learn humility, serve others, attend a cell group, pray together, walk in the love of Christ and get involved in the ministries there. You will be safer and spiritually healthier.

3. Apply The “Two-Hand Punch” – Learn to use “Power Evangelism” whenever you reach out to the pre-believers. In Luke 9:1-2, we read, “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick”.
The “Two-hand Punch” has to be applied so as to knock out the devil – one hand-punch is “to drive out all demons and to cure diseases” and the other hand-punch is “proclaim the kingdom of God.”

4. Engage In Daily “Handing-over Prayer” – Learn how to pray by handing over every unwelcomed thought, every temptation, and every uncontrollable concern to the Lord. This type of prayer is so easy that you may doubt its effectiveness. However, the biggest mistake that most believers make is having the belief that the power of prayer lies with themselves. The truth is that the power of prayer lies with God and not in you. He is the One who will hear your prayer, however feeble, and He is the One who is going to respond to you. Your handing-over prayers do make a difference in how the devil is going to treat you. This fallen angel does not like to attack someone who is spending a lot of time with God.

Here are some resources to help you grow in your walk with the Lord and also to engage effectively in spiritual warfare. God bless.
Albert Kang

Getting Started In “Handing Over Prayer”.
What is “Handing Over Prayer”?
How do you get started?
Learn how to have your own “Handing Over Prayer” in this free step-by-step video lesson by Rev Albert Kang.