Posts

Showing posts from May, 2010

Generational Curse? - Like Father Like Son?

Generational Curse? - Like Father Like Son There is a great fear that all of us face and often we are reluctant to admit that it exists. It is the fear of repeating our parents’ mistakes. Growing up, you saw what your father or mother did in either raising kids or the handling of money or serving God, and then as an adult, you swore you will do it differently. As an adult now, you are seeing the same patterns and you are wondering what is going on and who can deliver me from these fears? Some may call it “generational curse” or other names but the fact remains that it hunts all of us. Personally, I disagree with the “generational curse” labeling because it offers us a good excuse not to change. If you want to talk about “generational curse”, then let’s go all the way back to Adam and Eve and not just to our immediate parents. In fact, the serpent (Satan) was the one cursed because he deceived Adam and Eve to sin. “You are cursed… and I will put enmity between you and the woman an...

Pride Before Fall

Pride Before Fall The more we study the book of Daniel and read about king Nebuchadnezzar (king Neb), I keep remembering Saddam Hussein. He was the strong man of Iraq (which is part of the old Babylonia Empire). Saddam became too strong and killed anyone he wanted at any time. He almost proclaimed himself a god until his time ran out. The world cheered the day Saddam was hung. In Daniel 4, we read about king Neb’s time running out. He had a dream that will forever humble him. Someone said that pride is a chip on the shoulder and most often you are not aware of it until someone else tells you. We are all full of pride and the lowest form of it is self dependency or reliance (proclaiming oneself a little god). You may disagree but you have just displayed your pride. It is a sin that plagues both the rich and the poor. Lucifer (aka Satan) is the master of pride (Isaiah 14:12-13) and passed it on to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:5). There is only one medicine for pride and that is humiliation or...

Even if God does not Deliver

Even if God does not Deliver We have seen numerous civil disobediences by people who are opposed to oppressive regimes and policies. The one that the World watched with horror was the stand-off at Tiananmen Square in 1989 when the Chinese communist massacred students who demanded reforms. Many die for various courses in opposition to injustice. There are still some Christians who die in defiance of denying their faith and God. Often we are willing to obey God and worship Him when we know the expected outcome. Today we come across three Jewish youngsters who are willing to worship God at all cost regardless of the outcome. We also come across king Nebuchadnezzar (king Neb) whom you would think may have learned his lessons as a result of previous encounters with the real God. Unfortunately, king Neb had not and would again test the sovereignty of our God. How many major life-events does it take for humans to see God’s supremacy? What did it take and for how long did it take us to see a...
The Dream from God There are all kinds of dreams. The most common is the previous evening pizza-induced dream. Then there are the bizarre dreams and weird dreams and the nightmares and visions. Sometimes you wake up wondering if you are still alive. Most of these dreams often do not mean anything to us. Often we forget a lot of these kinds of dreams. Some “dreams are said to derive from the activities in which the dreamer has been immersed during the day” See Ecclesiastic 5:3. There are however, the good dreams that are inspired by God and they do have meaning. King Nebuchadnezzar (Neb for short) had one such dream. We are familiar with the dream of Joseph (Genesis 37) where he dreamed about his brothers and parents bowing to him. It turned out to be true and God used Joseph for His purposes. Have you had a God–given dream? Who do you go to for interpretations of dreams and visions (bible refers to visions and dreams almost as being the same)? God has given Daniel the meaning an...