Embracing all that God is doing in our Lives

4 May 2014 by Natasha Kim CM-

Pastor Peter Khoo recently preached on at Puchong Tabernacle Assembly on the 13^th of April, where he said, “I believe God is in the business of changing lives. I believe He is in the business of transformation.” The fact that “his ways are not our ways” should be in the forefront of our minds, as we go through our daily lives. Too much worry is given to the systems of the world we live in, when we are only here for the time being. According to the Bible, in Mark 12:17, Jesus reminded the people to give what was is dued to Caesar (leader of that era) and give to God our priority. This simply means that we should give what is due to the world while we’re in it. But to God, He deserves our life, our attention and our choice. Jesus was in the world but not of the world, and we should do likewise by following His teachings in order to be aligned with the purposes of God’s Kingdom. With that, Peter began by citing the Bible verse in Mark 5:14-17.

Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. ¹⁵When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.¹⁶Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. ¹⁷Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region. (Mark 5:14-17)

According to the scripture above, after Jesus casted away the demons in the possessed man, the thousands of demons fled and went into two thousand pigs who then ran and committed suicide. The people tending to the pigs became even more afraid of the man who was in his right mind and reported this incident. They had already been familiar to being around that demon-possessed man and his antics. Instead of rejoicing for the good that had happened, they were afraid and angry that their pigs had died. “I find this passage quite interesting, because when the demon saw Jesus, he recognized Him and ran to Jesus pleading that He would not cast them out; and after that, the people were afraid after he had been set free,” said Peter. This man had been possessed for many years and though he had been in chains many times, the demons in him were so strong that he was able to break the chains that held him.

“They rejected Jesus because they chose to maintain a lifestyle that’s not compatible with what the Bible teaches,” shared Peter. Simultaneously, there are people who reject the things that God wants to do in their lives. “We can be church-going people, we can be faithful in attending all the services, but at the same time we say no to God especially when God wants to do a deeper work in our lives,” he said. Why do people reject God’s work instead of embracing it? There are all kinds of things that people are afraid of. Fear often keeps man from embracing what God wants to do in their lives.

Four areas of Fear

“Some fears are foolish but some are very deep. Some fear causes us to come to a place where we cannot respond because we are afraid and some fears cause us to reject what God wants us to do because we are concerned, possibly about being not able to handle it,” shared Peter. These four areas of fear that Peter touched on pertains to why the people rejected God in the Bible story above.

1) Fear of the unfamiliar

Everyone has a comfort zone. “If I talk to you in a certain distance, no problem, but if I come a bit nearer you will begin to get very uncomfortable,” said Peter. It’s easier for people to be comfortable when they know what to expect. “For many years, the children of Israel went through a cycle of rebellion, judgment, and restoration. It always had to do with the problem of idols that they would bring in foreign gods,” shared Peter. Through that, they created a systematic way of worship that did not include God in their lives. When Jesus came, they had a problem with it because they didn’t know what to do with Jesus who did not fit into their comfort zone. Fear of the unfamiliar will stop you from embracing what God is doing. Peter then went on to encourage everyone and said, “When we step out into the unfamiliar, we will see the faithfulness of God follow us. If God calls you, move into it.”

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11)

2) Fear of the Uncontrollable

“You cannot control God, if you do not know that you better learn that right now,” said Peter. As humans however, we always want to be in control of things but what happens then, what if God begins to do something that is beyond your control, would you reject it or embrace it? “At times people don’t reject something because it’s not from God, at times people reject it because they cannot control it,” shared Peter. Even though something may not be in your control, remember that God is always in control!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8)

3) Fear of the Cost of following Jesus

“Your faith and your Christian life will cost you, for some it costs them their job because they decide that they want to follow God’s principles. For some it costs them their relationships and for some others it costs them their family, if their family rejects them being Christian,” shared Peter. Believe in the abundant blessings of God, but nevertheless, know that nothing comes without a price.

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life^[^a^] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

4) Fear of Confronting your Convictions

In this case, there is always one key area of your life where obedience is just not happening; it’s getting in between you and God. You hear the Holy Spirit telling you that certain things need to change, but you’re pulling out the selective listening skills and acting like you didn’t quite hear Him. You may not be trying to rebellious and it may be because the particular sin you’re engaging in is solving some other very real problems in your life. Satan is working overtime to convince you of your fears, and tell you that you’ve become dependent on your current lifestyle. Hence in your mind, changing it would cause a lot inconveniences and you’re afraid. Whenever God asks you to do something that you do not have the internal resources to do, acknowledge where you’re stuck and ask Him to help you get where you should be. The Lord thrives in the role of Hero. He likes to be the One who rescues us if we are only brave enough to ask. We need to do what’s right in the eyes of the Lord wholeheartedly, because at the end of the day, God looks at our hearts.