[ Pertinacious Faith ]

2011: Culmination & Definition

2012-02-08T15:24:00.006+08:00

There are endless countless things that I could write in this post regarding 2011, whether what it meant to the world on a global scale or what it meant to me personally as in individual. Believe me, this is my third time attempting to actually finish writing this blog post! It has been extremely difficult to even begin to summarize 2011. However I write in good faith now that I think I’ve finally figured out how to write this post. (after being on this PC for 6 hours today) *laughs*

2011 has been a year of culmination & definition. A culmination of hope in the midst of anguish globally; natural disasters, political unrest, economy crashes and instability, basic value of human life revisited – hope finds its place. In natural disasters, we’ve seen time and again mankind putting aside their differences to dive into chaos to help nations in distress (the countless earthquakes, hurricanes, floods). In political unrest, we see global political dictator oppression subside and eradicated (the Jasmine Revolution of the Middle East overthrowing dictators in the quest of freedom and change). In economic crashes and instability, we see the ridiculousness of the money game being exposed thus putting more young minds to question the wisdom of actually giving themselves over to the game (the US credit crunch, Eurozone’s mass debt crisis, Iceland & Greece’s bankruptcy just to name a few). In the basic value of the human life, we’ve seen how the general public was enraged by reports and news of lives exploited or abused or died because of lack of justice or compassion (such as the videoclip of a child knocked down lying motionless on the street where countless people walked by).

The world is groaning. The earth is going through birth pangs. In as much as we fear that things would have flipped and swung into greater chaos, the Sovereign Almighty Lord is always in control and the beautiful choreographer of mankind’s greatest moments. I believe 2011, is the culmination of everything of mankind from the beginning of time till 2010 and a definition reference point of everything that is to come beyond 2011. Never have I felt, observed, and witnessed a magnitude of a seismic shift of mankind’s timing as like in 2011. The Lord had 2011 in mind even before the creation of time. He had something up His sleeve, and in 2011, He pulled it out! *grins*

Approximately 100 years ago, the outpouring manifestations of the Holy Spirit swoop across the globe in a shocking unprecedented unexpected way. Since then, the world and the Church was never the same again. Through men like William Seymor, people began to see that the Lord could use whoever and wherever. There was a glimmer of hope that God IS the global answer for all of the world’s problem and mess. As the gospel was preached accompanied by signs, wonders, miracles & healing; God truly was doing a mighty thing. Churches sprung up all over the earth. Missionaries increased at a rate never seen before. Cities, towns, villages experiencing God’s love and power went down in history books. This was believed to be considered the latter rain the Bible talked about. However, slowly but surely, it seemed that the clarion call for riches, wealth, name, fame, success, achievements became more important than God. Man’s desires left their creator and landed on created things instead. However, back then in 1909 or so, it was declared that 100years from then, a coming of the rain of the Lord that has never been seen would come. The coming of both the latter and former rain beckons. It will take the world by storm in such a way where no eye has seen, no ear has heard.

Fast-forward 100 years, you have 2009. The year where for me, the world was in a state of indefinite-definitions. The lines between right and wrong, cold or hot, love or hate, important or unimportant were in a state of blur. The 100year promise of the Lord seemed to tarry; it didn’t seem to fit. Life went on. Toward the end of 2009, the Lord revealed to several of His prophets that there would be another 2 years of waiting for the coming of the combined latter & former rain. I knew then the remaining of 2009 and 2010 were ultimately crucial for the world and for me as in individual.

I zoned in and contended further preparing myself to brace for 2011 and beyond.

What I didn’t know was that this last phase of contending for the ushering in of a new season would hit me like a brick wall and shatter me good.

Part of 2010; part of 2011 would be times where I found myself in my most exasperated, breathless, wounded, vulnerable, empty state. Kneeling down in anguished surrender and looking up in utter disbelief were all too familiar poses during those times. Yet it is only when you are completely broken that you see things as they really are. The Lord God my vindicator, my banner, my redeemer, my restorer, my healer, my deliverer, my provider, my comfort, my peace, SHOWED UP! When you are down to nothing, He sure is up to something!!

Nothing + God = Everything you need (quotes Patricia King)

What has been happening with the rekindling of fire in me individually since March 2011 and the outpouring of the Lord in my local church since April 2011 is nothing less than a culmination of everything that I’ve been contending for since I heard God’s call at age 10 and walked into that call in 2001; definition of everything else that is to come in my life and through my life beyond 2011. I believe, things are never the same again and there can only be greater things that lie ahead.

I remember back in 1994 when I was 10, I heard the call of the Lord and for some reason I knew that 17 and 27 will be important yardsticks or checkpoints in my life. And that these points would click with the global outlook and the state of the Church worldwide. True enough, at 17 I answered the call of the Lord that before my 18th birthday, I would have burnt my bridges and walked into my calling. The Lord asked for the next 10 years of my life and He asked only for one thing – "Would you stand and never pullout no matter what?". I said "Yes".

Before I hit my 27th birthday (Dec2011) I had every possible logical reason to NOT stand and to pullout from the Lord’s call upon my life. I’m glad that my His grace, strength and perfect love, I stood ground. I stood ground not knowing what exactly to hope for or to expect. With so much disorientation of the mind, will and emotion, I thought I’ve lost my heart and passion in the process. Yet in all His mercies and grace, I found my heart more founded than ever in Him. I went into a time of reviewing His faithfulness to me and my experiences of Him since my pre-school times.

All the times where I’ve seen heaven, angels, visions and dreams; heard His audible voice, sounds of heaven, and that never leaving still small voice in my heart; times experiencing His tangible presence of being drunk in the Spirit, holy laughter, slain under the anointing, shaking, heat and electric sensations; translated from place to place, trances, out of body experiences; all came back hitting my conscience wave after wave. At a point, I asked Him, ”Lord, why all these old stuff? Why are you showing me this now?”. He just assured me saying, “Son, that’s My love for you and that has never changed. It was never taken away from you and it will never ever be taken away from you. These things you’ve had with Me in times past, are all just a foretaste of what’s to come. It’s coming soon…very soon”.

Little did I know, that He was up to something. Something genius. Something that only by His absolute knowledge & greatness being above the limitations of time & space could have choreographed this wonderful synchronization – where His global destined timeframe for the world, for His Church worldwide, and for this unknown individual named Jason Wong En Seng; aligning them into one and the same culmination & definition – HIS KINGDOM COME!!!

The appointed time has come. The kairos season where this individual would rise to move

in his calls & gifting according to the apportioned grace by Christ to corporately steer the Church to bring Kingdom invasion to the world has begun!!

From March 2011, there were numerous heavenly visitations and encounters, visions&dreams, impartation of anointing, timely fellowship with fellow ministers, expansion of faith, favor & providence, signs&wonders, healing&miracles and many more that happened in my life and through my life. All of which would be too numerous to write them all in this one blogpost.

I encourage whoever reading this post that God HAS a great beautiful plan for your life. And even if you feel like you've missed opportunities or messed up your life, God can redeem you lost time&opportunities and recycle the mess into something wonderful. As much as I'm amazed at how the Lord has been watching over me and choreographing everything to it's bit detail of synchronizing my individual timing into His global timing, I'm absolutely positive that He can do the same with yours. Look to Christ the beginner and finisher of your faith.

Be blessed`~

I sign-off with this,

2012: The end of the World, The beginning of His Kingdom

Being Truly Loved

2011-09-21T12:13:00.003+08:00

Are we loved enough? When is enough ever enough?

Why can't anybody truly actually fill that void and longing in our hearts to be totally loved?

Here's a video of what God has thought me in regards to this. Posting up the video first. In coming times, I'll be posting up postings along this line.

Be blessed!

Video link: http://vimeo.com/28110095

Am I Holy Enough? Part4

2011-04-02T14:06:00.001+08:00

After looking at all the impossibilities of attaining right standing and holiness in our own accord, the good news is that there is a solution. There is a way. There is hope. And hope everlasting. This hope and solution is found in one person and one person only - The Lord Jesus Christ.

He is the embodiment of everything that we were supposed to be and the solution to the right we have given up. He has come to save us from ourselves – from our sinful selves. And to reinstate us back to our rightful position of being in right standing with Him – righteous AND holy. This is called the bond of grace, or freedom. Freedom from the law. Freedom from eternal judgement. Freedom from this guilt gut feeling that we are not good enough and will never be good enough. With Him and through Him, we are MADE right and good enough, holy enough. Living this life of freedom; free from bond is not attainable with our own human efforts. It is a promise given to us by God. This Promise is embodied in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

When we have Him in our lives, we are free from this guilt feeling. Being free towards something gives the understanding that one does something because he is already in that position of freedom to do something. This is doing something FROM something. Very unlike the self-effort way of doing something for something.

So how exactly do we live our lives holy from this holiness through Christ?

God has given us His Holy Spirit as His promise. When we have Christ in us, we are given the Holy Spirit to be with us and in us at all times. This enables us to be led by Him in our daily lives. He is not limited by space nor time nor distance. We simply need to allow Him to lead us in everything that we do in our daily routines. When we live life as such, the evidence of a life led by the Holy Spirit can be quite spectacular. We will then see ourselves able to live FROM love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control and not FOR these. Mark this down carefully, these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, NOT fruits of us trying to be holy.

In conclusion, we need to always be Holy Spirit led through faith upon Jesus Christ then we will be living our holy lives from our inherited position of authentic holiness through Christ and not for a counterfeit self-achieved ‘holiness’.

So back to the title question, ‘Am I holy enough?’

By my own human efforts through the promise of the law, no I’m not holy enough and will never be holy enough no matter how hard I try.

By acknowledging that Jesus the one who fulfilled all the law, the one who has made me in right standing, and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead me in my life, yes I am holy enough!

Yes, with Christ, you ARE already made right and holy enough. Don’t let the accuser tell you otherwise. Your life of victory is here today. Time to raise the banner of victory and shout, “The Lord is my banner”.

So again, am I holy enough?

Oh yeahh, you betcha~!

Am I Holy Enough? Part3

2011-03-18T14:14:00.002+08:00

We talked about two choices in the previous post. Let us take a look at the first choice in this.

The first choice is one that most people will make and try to keep at it for as long as they can. In this era of attaining success through hard work and know-how, many have tried to reach this supreme God with their own efforts but have failed.

Why has so many failed to reach God?

Is this God so cruel and has made it so impossibly difficult for us to reach Him for fun?

No.

The truth is in fact the opposite. WE have made it so impossibly difficult for ourselves to reach Him; not Him. He never wanted this. He is the God of love. But because we have sinned, we have unknowingly taken ourselves out from our supposed right standing we have with this Holy God. God being perfectly holy, cannot come into bonding with the unholy - us.

Some might argue that they are good responsible human beings. Why can’t they reach God? Why isn’t their rightness being accepted by God? Can’t He see that at least they’re putting in some sort of effort? I’m sure he does but here’s the problem, it’s not the things that we do that are not accepted by Him. I believe all the good things that any human being does on earth is well endorsed by God. It is our sinful nature that He cannot accept. Let me clarify that He cannot accept our sinful nature not because He doesn’t want to accept to play hard-to-get, but rather, He cannot. ‘Not wanting to’ and ‘not able to’ are two different things. He cannot because it is His nature that He’s holy and cannot accept the unholy - us.

Before you draw your swords at me feeling injustice for blanket-labeling ALL humans (including you, yes you) as unholy, allow me illustrate for a better understanding. I did NOT say that you are a bad person. I said ‘unholy’. So yea, cool your nuclear reactors eh. J

In a nutshell: You are a human being. You need the blood of a human being to flow in your veins for your body to function. Specifically, you need your very own type of blood to run in your veins to stay alive. Say IF you got into a terrible accident and needed a blood transfusion, not only you need the blood of another human being to be transfused into you, you need the blood of another human being that has specific blood types accepted by your body. Not that you didn’t want a type B blood transfused into you (if say, you are a type A blood). You cannot have a type B blood transfused into you because that’s not your nature. You need a type A (or O) which is accepted by your nature to be transfused into you.

Likewise with God. It’s not that He doesn’t want to accept you in right standing. He wants to but He cannot if when we are sinners. Why? Because He is holy. We are not. Holy and unholy cannot mix. It’s as simple as that.

Solution? We somehow some way or another have to become holy enough to be able to be in that right standing with Him again.

But how? Like earlier mentioned, many have tried to reach God with their own efforts. Some have tried to be more and more good. Some have tried to do more good hoping that the good they do erase and outweigh the bad that they have done. Again, it doesn’t work. Because no matter how much good we have done, it still will never take away the bad nature (not doings) in us. Many have tried religion – trying to follow a set of rules hoping to be blessed by God and reach this right standing with God.

The problem with religion is this; It further binds you down with more ‘do’s’ and ‘don’ts’ thus inflicting upon oneself an even higher demand to reach ‘holiness’. Unknowingly, you have subscribed to a slave-bond mentality that is laced with fear and unrest. You do right because you fear that something bad will happen to you or what blessing you will lose. We try not to this and not to do that so that we can be holy. We fear that if we do these bad things that we will not inherit the promises of God.

By the way, whether you are a Christian or not reading this, let me throw this in; being in this slave-bond mentality of religion, I wasn’t just referring to non-Christians. I was referring to religious Christians as well. In fact, some of the most religious people I’ve ever met in my life aren’t outside but inside the four walls of the church. Many Christians worry sick on whether they will lose their salvation and blessings more than how they can bring salvation and blessing to others. That’s sad and that’s religious. It’s fear-driven and not faith-driven and powerless.

One will come to realize at the bottom end of religion is that it is impossible for one to reach freedom from sin and attain holiness with self-effort. Let me logic this for you: If you are in a wrong position already, it doesn’t matter what right you do, it’ll still come out wrong. Doing something right from a wrong position doesn’t make it right. This is called the bond of law. This is doing something FOR something.

And this isn’t the promised life that God has for us. The promised holy sin-free life comes only with the gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.

More on this ultimate once and for all solution in my next post. Be blessed!

Am I Holy Enough? Part2

2011-03-08T16:13:00.004+08:00

Greetings again readers,

From my previous blogpost, I presented two questions, “Am I holy enough?” and ‘Am I good enough?”. I would suggest if you haven't been following my blog, do read from the beginning to get a fuller picture of what we are addressing in this blog. It is my hope that it will benefit you to have pertinacious faith in Christ Jesus as you walk this face of this earth.

In this post, I hope to tie the dots between these two questions and by the end of this post, to encourage you that there is hope in this pursuit of being holy and good enough.

Human beings have this inexplicable need to feel ‘good enough’ about themselves. We literally worry if we are not acceptably good enough in the presence of a new acquaintance. We always wonder if we have done well enough upon a completion of an exam, assignment, or a project.

I believe that a human being is made up of his spirit, soul and body. Not until and unless he can make peace with all three, he will still worry if he’s good enough. This feeling is conceived together with each one of us when we came into this world. Many people know how to handle the things which they can feel with their five senses. The ability to improve oneself in their physical bodies and in the mid-deep levels of the human psyche such as the mind, will and emotion are often grasp considerably well by most in this intellectual age. However, I believe that not unless a human being is assured deeper past the soul realms - in one’s spirit - he will not be able to be at peace to have a deep knowing that he’s good enough.

This will also lead to this era of paranoia of people trying to find their identities and self worth from the things they do hoping that it’s good enough. I call this the outside-in life. What we really want to do is to live a genuine inside-out life don’t we?

Thus, the question of whether are we good enough, leads to the more accurate question of, “Are we holy enough?”

Let me just summarize the actual reason of why we have this feeling of not being good enough. In a nutshell, God created us very good. Man felt good enough and in right standing with God. Man sinned. Man gave up his right to be in right standing with God. From then on, man is born with this feeling of not being good enough to stand before this Holy God. Paranoia sets in. Man tries countless ways to feel at peace with himself and God again.

Wow! Enlightening huh?

Not really.

What’s the outcome?

Bad news. Many have tried to make peace with God and themselves but still felt eternal gripping guilt, shame and hopelessness at their deathbeds. Every culture that ever existed in the history of mankind has historical traces and proof of trying to be good enough to reach this supreme being whom we refer to as ‘God’.

There are typically two ways to reach this God. One is to try and be good enough. The other is to be made good enough. Either way substantiates the fact that we need to know we are good enough to be at peace with this supreme God.

It’s a choice that every human being will have to make in their lifetime. However, one choice is the solution. The other choice drowns you deeper into the problem. One is the outside-in life. The other, the inside-out life. Thankfully we have a choice. Hopefully, the choice is made correctly.

In the coming post, I'll talk about how to make and live with the right choice. Always remember, no matter what, Jesus loves you. Be blessed!

Am I Holy Enough? Part1

2011-03-01T20:05:00.005+08:00

Rich or poor, old or young, socialites or unknowns, educated or uneducated, criminal or patriot; one thing that all cannot segregate themselves is that everyone are in fact, human beings. If there’s one thing we all have in common as human beings regardless of our different standings, is that each one of us wants to be good enough.

So many people are pushing themselves to their limits of self-improvement these days. Different people do it for different reasons. Some want to prove to themselves that they are able. Some want to prove to others that they are able. Some want a better future- for themselves or for loved ones. Some does it for the competition. Some does it for the adrenaline rush. Some does it for more holistic reasons such as wanting peace and ultimate sense of serenity in life. Some don’t even know why they want to improve themselves but just do because that’s what the whole world seems to be doing.

Attaining more knowledge, skill, ability, respect, likable charismatic personality, affordability, wealth are all part and parcel of today’s modern life. All these things are good in itself but it has gone to such spiraling extremes that I would safely say it’s to the point of paranoia. It is with this urgency I would like to explore the underlying issue of this behavior.

Why are we so desperate to be more able and to improve? When will ‘good’ ever be good enough?

In my humble opinion, I think that unless and until we know why, we will soon come to the bitter truth that we are just chasing an uncatchable wind. We feel it, we run for it and try to chase and catch it, but end up catching nothing. At the end of the day, after one has strived and sweated trying to improve and improve, one can still be found wondering, ”Am I good enough?”. It eats up ones soul from the inside when deep in ones soul, he somewhat knows that he STILL isn’t good enough. Is it all really for nothing? Or is there something more to this modern notion of ‘Get all you can get’ that needs to be addressed?

As a pastor, I have many people wondering whether or not is my job vocation still relevant in this modern era. People tend to associate church, Bible, clergymen, and the likes – as traditional, conservative, old-fashioned, holy. I humbly accept these views because while not accurate, it still has some truth in them. I do not think that I’m traditional, conservative or old-fashioned. I think I’m more of a trendsetter than a traditionalist. I’m more ready to be flexible than to keep to the traditions just for the sake of traditions. I do not think that I deserve the ‘conservative’ label as well. If I may add, I’m the exact opposite. Not saying that I’m a rebel, but simply I’m liberal. Old-fashioned? *laughs out loud*. Last I checked, I wasn’t wearing pope-ish looking garments.

Holy?

Ahhh…,that I can safely say a confident “YES” on another’s account. On my own account, ‘never’.

Good enough?

Same answer as above.

In my own account by my own accord, I can never be holy and good enough. So, what now? Can we ever be good enough? When is ‘good’ ever good enough? If no, why would I even want to give my life to God for His will to be done if I already know that I’m never good enough? Believe me, as a pastor, I’ve asked this question over and over again and for some reason, there is a very good answer on why I can be fully confident that I’m able to fulfill this call that’s upon my life despite of my weaknesses and shortcomings.

You’ll find out why in my coming posts.

Give yourself some time to digest this before my next post. Be blessed!

Grounded Faith, Not Fantasy Faith

2011-02-23T18:27:00.004+08:00

A statement of faith in itself does not have any power whatsoever. It’s just a statement. Faith needs a place to grow in; a ground of some sort (grounded? Ground floor? ground coffee??! Lol) to take root in.

There’s this saying that anything put into our hearts, grows. The ground for faith (or fear) is our hearts.

The fertile ground refers to our open hearts. When faith is planted in a fertile believing heart, it will then grow. It grows as we allow words of faith that have been planted to be nurtured. Nurtured how? Many times, words of faith are nurtured through situations where we need to act on these words of faith that are planted in us. That’s where exercise comes in. We exercise by being faithful to these words of faith in our hearts. Faithful in a little, then more will be added to you.

Many Christians are trapped in our own fantasy of one day experiencing ‘breakthrough’ in our lives or in certain areas of our lives yet excluding the Lord Jesus from our daily lives and decisions. Newsflash, the supposed ‘breakthrough’ will never come. Why, because the one who gives the breakthrough hasn’t been given room to break through anything.

If you want your breakthroughs to come, you need to begin to live your today with Christ and allow Him to lead you to and through your breakthrough points. Oh by the way, I should also throw this in – a breakthrough can only happen when you’ve been allowing Him to lead you until you reach those breakthrough points. Do not confuse this with self effort of doing and doing until hopefully you reach those breakthrough points that He finally notices you and gives you some magic dust to ‘breakthrough’. What we are talking about is pertinacious faith in surrendering your every day to Him. Surrendering to something is the evidence of having faith on something.

Faith on Him is of the now and the today. Do not delay any longer. Allow God to lead you today.

I’ll close this post by saying, “’Someday’ isn’t good enough to give everything you’ve got to Jesus. It needs to be today!”

Perception of Faith Explained

2010-10-23T23:31:00.007+08:00

Let me start by stating my conclusive notion that living a life of pertinacious faith involves both a journey of growing in faith and experiencing moments of powerful faith explosions. To simply put it - an explosive journey of pertinacious faith.

Let us not be blinded that we need to 'balance' between the two 'types of faith' and in the process deprive ourselves of how real Christianity is meant to be. Jesus says in John10:10b,"I have come that they may have life, and life to the full".

NEITHER of these ways of having faith is the complete way to life our Christian life to the full.

It's easy to lean to one side and forgetting the other. I see many Christians faithfully going to church every week yet experiencing NO power; NO faith explosion happenings in their lives. They live their lives 'just like that'(local malaysian expression, ie - 'like that lor') without any anticipation and expectation of the realm of the supernatural to take place. In fact, it would surprise them if something bizarre happens.

This is blind faith! Don't get me wrong; Faith is stepping into the unknown, yes - but that's just half of it. I would like to further define faith. Faith isn't just stepping into the unknown. It's stepping into the unknown knowingly.

Unknown = yet to be but surely will be known.

Knowingly = knowing that God is already there.

It isn't blind faith. It is purposeful expecting faith with a 100% assurance that there’s nothing too big that He cannot bear or anything too small that He doesn’t care!

Yet there are some(or we sometimes) believers go to the other extreme where we dreamily anticipate and expect only the extravagant extraordinary to happen all the time and when it doesn't happen according to our expectations - we get anxious, we worry, we wonder if God sees our ‘extravagant faith’, we begin to doubt if God really is faithful, we may even wonder what has gone wrong. Then we open ourselves to the blame game of questioning whether there’s something wrong with me, or with others, with our spiritual leaders, or even with the church.

Another problem with this faith extremity is, when we do experience the extravagant and extraordinary, we tend to monumentalize these moments and get stuck with them failing to see that we should never stop moving forward.

Let me say this, faith isn’t wishful thinking. It isn’t crossing your fingers hoping by chance that something will happen. Faith manifests through conviction-filled actions. Faith without works is dead. There IS works involved. However, we do the works not because we are trying to qualify for a result. We do the works because we are convicted knowing that our God is faithful and has already predestined us to live a life of sufficiency in all things – be it natural resources or grace & favour for the impossible – all means absolutely all!

Action from conviction is involved. Faith needs to be exercised. Exercised for what? Exercised so that when an opportunity for a supernatural impossible faith-filled explosion appears before you, you will be ready to recognize it, and to apply that faith to see the impossible become reality.

Let us take a very elementary example of what I mean. Let’s take healing as one. If someone hasn’t learned to believe for healings through Christ for small matters such as a neck ache or a common flu, how is it possible for him to believe for a bigger healing such as from a terminal disease or a condemned organ? It is like trying to carry a 15kg dumbbell with an untrained arm.

This is the reason why Jesus said that faith is like a mustard seed. It has the potential to move mountains (Matthew 17:20) if it’s planted on fertile soil (Luke 8:4-16) and grown until its full measure.

Jesus also said when you are faithful in a little, more will be added to you. If you are not faithful in the little that you have, even what you have will be taken away (Luke 19:11-26). Perhaps, this is why there are certain real experiences you have had from the Lord that you wonder why you have not experienced more. Sometimes, it’s because we were not faithful with what has been already given to us and we remain dreamily just wishing for more wondering if God still loves us forgetting that we need to continue sowing works of faith.

Dear beloved of God, don’t be condemned by guilt if right now if you are recalling certain instances where you were not faithful with the little that you had. It’s never too late and there’s always hope everlasting. Know this, that you are greatly loved by Him and that He will never leave you nor forsake you. Come back to His embrace and be restored to your right standing in Him.

Combining these two lopsided versions on faith, we get a fuller picture of what it means to live a life of pertinacious faith – ‘adhering resolutely to God in complete trust’ and not ‘adhering occasionally to God in partial trust’.

Just exactly how are we to keep exercising our faith?

More application coming at you in the coming posts. Stay tuned.

Perception of Faith

2010-10-18T22:17:00.006+08:00

I post this post as a mean of a reflection on the importance of how we perceive faith to be. It’s important to perceive something accurately. What you perceive becomes what you believe in. What you believe in, becomes how you live.

I believe that knowing what you belief in is fundamental in living a life of purpose. I see so many people in this modern era chasing after everything without pausing to actually contemplate on what actually ARE their beliefs. At some distance later, they become disorientated because after all the chasing, they suddenly wonder what are they running after. And worse, not knowing where to place their trust in because they don't have a clue what to they believe in in the first place.

More so for Christians. We should know what we believe in and what our faith is all about. If not, we could be allowing ourselves to reach a point of disorientation even in our faith in God.

Is faith a gradual step by step progressive process of a monotonous journey or is it a momentous manifestation of an eye popping mind boggling occasion that goes down in history books? Should we be contended with just being faithful with our Christian duties week after week even if it doesn’t have any exciting explosive faith happenings? Or should we strive ala desperado for moments of insane manifestation of faith happenings and dismiss the time gap in between as unimportantly irrelevant?

Many believers today are unknowingly confused and often living their daily lives leaning to either extreme of one of these perceptions of 'faith'.

Let us look at both premises and how sometimes we face this challenge in living our lives with faith.

Do we settle for a mundane quiet ‘just-like-that’ Christian faith life? Or do we believe for powerful out-of-this-world stuff to happen? Do we believe in both? If in both, how exactly?

Great! I think I’ve successfully spurred you to think further and deeper about this. Over the course of my next few posts, I hope to unravel some truths in regards to this that I believe will help you live a powerful victorious life of pertinacious faith.

God bless you!

2010-10-14T17:25:00.005+08:00

Hi again!

Why am I not surprised this is my first blogpost this year? laughing

(clearly shakes his head knowing that he was never an avid blogger)

I was never someone who jumps on any new trend bandwagon just for the sake of. I was one of the last who jumped on to the 'MSN messanger' bandwagon. I sticked with ICQ till the day where I realized I was only chatting with the same few people every day. LOL. I'm an old faithful if I may say. I'm STILL in all the way for emails. I found it more streamlined and personally directed at specific people whom I need to specifically address a specific matter.

But then again, blogging is one of the many modern tools enabling us to widen our influence to point more people to the one and only glorious loving God. Here's me to trying to wield this 'new' tool to channel more glory to Him.

So here it goes, brace yourselves for the floodgates of some real life in-your-face talk of our pursuit of pertinacious faith!

(Ends this blogpost knowing very well that his blog experienced some sort of resurrection some time last year but was left in a zombiefied state). ‎

Blog resurrection!

2009-11-06T21:32:00.005+08:00

Hey there people. Wow! It's about time my blog gets resurrected. It just celebrated it's one year anniversary with just 1 posting in it's 1st year!

I bet it's 2nd year will have manifold more postings! ...or not... haha...

It has been a topsy-turvy year for me (in a good way). Lots and lots of new happenings and frontiers has just been keeping me high alert on my toes like a sprinter at the line seconds before the gun goes off. SO nerve wrecking!

Not complaining here though. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's just awesome to be living life on the edge. It keeps things fresh and clear in the pursuit of life in all it's fullness. And that's how life is meant to be ain't it? Who wants a murky hazy stale life??

In the coming postings, I will be zoning in on what are some of the challenges of one who has decided to adhere resolutely to God in complete trust might face; and hope to encourage and inspire you to press on and continue living life as such.

May we all live with pertinacious faith as a lifestyle and not having a 'hot hot chicken shit'1 faith lifestyle.

So if you are reading this and want to make 'adhering resolutely to God in complete trust' a lifestyle, join me in my coming postings! Let us together explore the wonderfulness of our gloriousness living God.

*Jason grins and points to his laptop's 14.1" screen and declares*,

"BLOG RESURRECTION!!"

(1. as the Malay adage goes, 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam'. Which means getting very enthusiastic about something, however very quickly losing steam as well).

The name, why the name?

2008-10-10T17:03:00.001+08:00

Perrr tiii na ci....perr tiiii naaa ci uu....perti what?!!

Before you nail me on a wall for coining (technically no, this word DOES exist) such a fabulicious (fabulous + delicious) name for my blog, allow me to bring you up to terms.

PERTINACIOUS is such a strong awesome word to begin with. I was in search of a word that reflect a state of being where we belong in our faith yet always being on the move with God the beginner AND finisher of our faith.

It takes a lifetime to learn about faith with God and rightfully being so - faith isn't something that we can wrap our mind around it in a straightforward 2-dimensional plateau. In fact, the moment we reach such 'surety' of what faith is; get this - we have switched from the state of real FAITH to the state of what-we-think-and-feel-that-we-already-know-it-all-about-faith.

Hey, wait a minute...

Isn't faith something that we believe in because we have seen the results before?

eg, - 1. I've seen the effects of gravity when I dropped my mum's favorite vase; so I'm sure that if I threw my hamster out the balcony, I'm pretty sure my hamster would hit the ground and not somehow miraculously fly instead.

- 2. I've tried playing badminton before and I looked like a fool with a raquet; so I'm pretty sure that if I tried tennis, I'll be a double fool.

- 3. I've given and prayed for God to bless me with a double-fold return before; so im quite sure that if i did the same again, I'll get another double-fold return.

True...

But not true enough. That's just half the truth. Faith of which God speaks about does not refer to just what we have known, or experience, or seen. 'Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things NOT seen' (Hebrews 11:1-3). Faith in it's real sense is ALSO continuously believing even for the things that we have YET to know, YET to experience, and YET to see.

Now, this is where the Christian faith with God becomes so real and powerful (accompanied with a whole lot of fun too!).

Still on Hebrews 11:1-3, we can see that because there will ALWAYS be more that we have yet to know, experience, and see - we will ALWAYS have reason for us to fix our eyes on Jesus and DISCOVER new things. 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the beginner and finisher of our faith..', another translation puts it as, 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2a). Beginner and author gives us the understanding that the moment we dared to say "God i believe You are real, You do exist", God has already started the work of faith in us. Finisher and perfecter on the other hand, shows us that faith is a journey. Not something that we can journey by ourselves because we can never be our own finisher or perfecter of faith even if we tried.

Faith is active. Always on the move. Always meant to grow higher, wider, deeper. Faith was never meant to be stale, boring, and predictable(no fun factor).

Hence my blog's name,...

Pertinacious Faith

Per.ti.na.cious.

adjective

Latin pertinac-, pertinax, from per- thoroughly + tenac-, tenax tenacious, from tenēre

1 a: adhering resolutely to an opinion, purpose, or design b: perversely persistent2: stubbornly tenacious

Faith

noun

Middle English feith, from Anglo-French feid, fei, from Latin fides; akin to Latin fidere to trust

1 a: allegiance to duty or a person : loyalty b(1): fidelity to one's promises (2): sincerity of intentions2 a(1): belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2): belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b(1): firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2): complete trust3: something that is believed especially with strong conviction