Focus | Stephen Kong

You're listening to a message to go from acts church. We hope this message

will light up your day. So if you have a Bible for you,

when I need to turn to Hebrews chapter twelve, verse one to two,

okay, it's it's a scripture that talks about our focus or you know,

or how we we should move forward. Okay. Uh. And and I

think last week I said about faith, you know faith. I think it's

also from Hebrews chapter eleven, one chapter before, so he actually talks about

how the heroes of faith in a Bible. You know, you you can

go and read all the way there. It's from you know, Abraham was

there to who else was there? I think you know it was there.

There's many of the names that there in Hebrews chapter eleven. Okay. And

then we come to this chapter in chapter twelve okay, verse one, which

is a continuation of the heroes of faith in the Bible that we celebrate.

Okay. And so in chapter twelve, verse one, if you're there,

say yeah, okay. And the title of this passage in the Bible,

in my Bible is even the race of faith. Okay. So verse one

says, therefore we also since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of

witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the scene which is which is

so easy and snates us. And let us run with endurance the race that

is set before us, looking onto Jesus, the author and finisher of our

faith, who for the joy there was set before him, and durre the

cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of

the throne of God. Amen. So this is going to be the key

verse of scripture of my message today. And my main point is that this

year we need to focus. And when somebody say focus, focus is very

very important for us in this question of scripture. Right in verse two,

he says looking onto Jesus, uh. And I think there are other versions

that actually says, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Okay, fixing our eyes

on Jesus. Why because he is the author and finisher of our faith.

Amen. And so what is focused? Focus is basically to give undivided attention,

Okay, to give your attention uh to someone or to something or another

word for that is concentration. Right when you take your exam for the two

hours you would normally empty your mind and just focus on finishing an exam,

right. What else? You know? When you when you drive, most

of us would focus on the road. Of course, you should focus on

the road. Even if you are listening to music or listening to a message,

or you're talking to your friend. Usually you will concentrate on the road,

Okay. You won't look at your friend like on your side and drive

the car right. So that's what we call by by focus right. Or

when you are in an important meeting, Let's say, let's say you're meeting

a lecturer for your FIP or your PhD, or you're meeting your boss,

right, or if you are speaking to your to your parents or whatever it

is, right, you will usually look at them right. You will focus

on them right because you want to hear what they have to say, uh,

you know, and and and what they have to tell you or to

instruct you. Right. So that's what we do. Right. So we

all understand focus, Okay, in one way or another. We all understand

focused. Even if you don't understand it, you have done it before.

You've definitely done it before. Okay. So even as we enter the new

year of training training four, the question for us is what will be our

focus, okay. Uh, And as usual, most of us will set

new year resolutions, right, you will set new year goals. Why do

you do that? You do that simply because you want to focus on accomplishing

something for the year, right. Uh. And many of us will set

resolutions like, you know, I want to be more kind to someone.

You know, maybe I want to go I want to hit the gym three

times a week. You know, maybe I want to lose five kilos or

maybe something worse one to gain, depending on uh, depending on your your

genes, you know. Uh, you know, we we set our goals

right for the year, right. And the reason why you set our goal

is because you want to focus on accomplishing something for the year. Right.

You don't waste your year because if you don't set goals at the end of

the year, you realize time flies and and you look bad, like what

in the world, Like one year just went by and I don't know what

did I do? You know? And that is why we set goals,

right, We set resolutions, right, and I pray that in your resolution

or in your goals for the year, you will at least have something that

involves God. Okay, let me give you some example, maybe I want

to play a little bit more. Okay, how much more? Define it?

Okay? Because if you want to set smart goals, you're smart people,

right, you know what smart goals? Right? Okay. If you

want to set smart goals, there needs to be set timeline involved. It

needs to be specific, right. Okay, you go to s M A

T. I can't remember all them smart, specific, measurable, attainable,

realist take time okay, time sent to TV. Oh, you guys are

so smart. Okay. So when you set goals, you you you need

some time, right, you know, put some timeline involved in it.

Right. So I pray that you would have something in your resolution that involves

God this year. Amen. Uh, you know, pray a little bit

more, read the Bible, a little bit more, worship more, you

know, so that we can increase in our faith. Amen. May God

be in the picture even as we set our goals for the new year.

Amen. So I want to encourage us and implore us to stay focused for

the year. Okay, do not be tempted by the things of the world.

That's why this scripture tells us that we need to lay uside every weight

and the sin which so easily ensnares us. So let me put it in

this simple illustration. When you run a marathon, how many you're here?

Run a marathon before? Half a marathon? Wow? A maerthon before?

It's amazing. Alo half a marathon and we half a marathon? Okay,

half a marathon? Yes, okay, my wife has run half a marathon

or okay, okay, wow, okay? Maybe tanny kilometers? Anybody run

tenny klometers before? Ten kilometers? Wow? Okay, there you go.

More hands come out? Okay, there you go. Yeah. So I'm

sure in your in your high school, maybe you have went you you went

for when thasday start? When thusday start? Right? Maybe you run five

kilometers? Three kilometers are extra sport? Davis ran I think five km?

Okay? Uh? Five km? Okay? So you know when you run

a marathon or you run a long race, right, you will never carry

a backpack with you? Quite? Not right? Maybe maybe in your wisdom

you say it, Oh, I'm running a marathon. I need some water,

so I carry a backpack field water in my bag. Will you do

that? You won't, right, You won't right, because when you run

a long race, you want to go as light as possible, right,

you know, you will wear the lightest clothes you can find your in your

in your in your wardrobe, you know. And so likewise same in life.

When we enter the new year, we need to lay aside every burden

and every weight. You know, twenty twenty three has its problem for yourself.

It's done. You can never turn back time, you know. So

it's it's best that we lay aside what has passed in twenty twenty three and

look forward for twenty twenty four. And we want to do that by reducing

our weight, not physically in the sense, but reducing our burdens. Okay,

that weigh us down. That's what the scripture says. Okay, so

don't don't carry your past, hurts, your past, burdens that will hold

you back because it will not take you anywhere for the Okay, it will

only slow you down. In fact, I like to say this, e

factically, the only way you need is your faith. If you want to

carry a weight from the past year, carry a weight of faith, okay.

And may our faith be weightier, meaning you actually grow in your faith

in a sense. Okay, there's something that you can you can bring on,

Okay. So how how do we stay focused for the new year is

by, you know, by staying close to him, okay. And I

mentioned earlier we stay focused to him by looking unto him, right, fixing

our eyes upon Jesus. Okay. And you and I can walk closely with

the Lord. Did you know that if you go back all the way to

the book of Genesis, you will know that actually Adam and Eve walked with

God, walked with God in the garden, okay, because the Bible actually

says when God was walking in the cool of the day in the garden,

Adam was actually hiding. Okay. So I can't tell you for sure whether

God physically walked. Of course, maybe they don't see m physically in a

sense. But it tells me that God walked walked in the garden okay,

and Adam actually hid from the Lord because they actually had just seen they had

the fruit, the forbidden fruit, which you're not supposed to eat. You

can go really in Genesis, okay, But you and I can walk with

the lot. Okay. I think the Bible also talks about enough worked closely

with the Lot, and because of that, you know, do not taste

death. God actually took him up right, do not taste death. You

know, we can walk closely with the lot. But most importantly, we

need to stay focused. Because what happened Adam and Eve, even though they

walked with God, they also were distracted by a good looking fruit, right,

fruit in the garden, knowledge of good and evil. Right, So

I pray you, and I I want to encourage you on to employ you

so that we should not be distracted by Satan. Don't get distracted by Satan.

The Bible reminds us that we need to lay us at every weight,

not just to wait, but also the sin which easily and snatch us.

Do not allow the Satan to rob you of your joy and the snare you

and and then eventually become a stranglehold. So we need to focus on a

lot. Amen. Joseph when he was in forty fast house. Also,

it's very for because need know that because when he was in Joseph, when

he was in fortyfast House, Joseph managed everything in party fast hand. Okay,

the Bible Act, you say you're gonna read it. Joseph managed everything

in forty fast house except what he ate Okay, except what Joseph, what

Partifa was going to eat everything else was in Joseph's hand. So when Fortifas's

wife tried to deceive or tried to tempt Joseph to sleep with her, Joseph

said, no, I will not do it, because my master has put

everything in my hands. I cannot do this evil thing. So Joseph was

very focused on his mission. He knew exactly what was his assignment, and

he would not be suede or will not be tempted by evil. So I

pray you and I this year will also be likewise the same, that we

can focus our eyes on Jesus and not be tempted by the things of the

world. Amen. Second Covincience, four verse sixteen to eighteen. Second Covintience,

Chapter four, verse sixteen to eighteen. Therefore we do not lose heart.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, Yet inwardly we are being renewed day

by day for our light, and momentary troubles are achieving for us, and

eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fixed our eyes not on

what is seen, but on what is unseen, Since what is seen is

temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Amen. So what is unseen

God. Right in the natural we don't see God right. It's unseen,

and that is why we fix our eyes on Him, which is unseen and

which is eternal. Everything else that we see today on earth is temporary.

You can't bring your car to heaven, you can't bring your house to heaven.

You can't bring your bank account to heaven. Everything is temporary here on

earth. In fact, the Bible reminds us that we are just pilgrims,

okay, or another word for it. I think it's so generous, okay.

Basically, we are just passing earth right. And I remember this one

song, you know. I think the song was called a blessing by story.

I think that the song talks about when pain and suffering, you know,

only reminds us that this is not our home, miss Earth. It's

not our home. It's temporary. Heaven is our eternal home where we were

one day we site there together. Amen. So this place, this ground

that we're standing on right now, is not our home. It's temporary.

This will pass away, and we will live eternality forever in Heaven, which

is our eternal home. So the Bible reminds us we are just passing by

literally just passing by the duration of your time spent in eternity is far bigger

than what you spent here on earth. I remember one speaker she gave an

illustration by he put a long role. It's a super long world, right,

and life on earth is just a part of it, right, And

the rest of it is in heaven. Right. And so that's how short

our life actually is on earth. In fact, you and I will agree

that life really is short. I think in COVID time we see that many

actually would have passed on right, and life really really is short. So

I remember that our time is not here, you know, we our home

is in heaven. Amen. And that's why it's important that when you know

the time is shot, right, you need to focus on what is important,

most important in fact, actually say, and what is right? Okay,

because you never know when we'll be taken back home to the Lord.

So that's why we need to make sure our focus is right for the year.

Amen. So let me give a simple example of how we learn to

focus. You know, I read, actually I watched a video of how

you know horses right. You know, horses have a maze vision, horses

horser Okay, horse have. They have amazing night vision. Okay, they

can see in the dark okay. But what's even more amazing, white horse

has almost three hundred and sixty degree vision okay almost they sign says about two

hundred and fifty okay. The only part they cannot see it is behind them,

literally behind their head. Okay. They have almost three hundred and sixty

degrees of vision okay. And their eyes are also very very sharp okay.

And the reason why they have such big vision, a big range of vision

is because their eyes is on the side. Okay. For us, our

eyes is in front right, so you can't really see what's at the side

of you unless you actually turn your eyeball or turn your head right. But

for a horse, the eyes are the side right. So when a master

takes a horse on a on a horse race on a on a race horse

horse racing right, usually the stadiums are filled with people, right, and

the horse will get anxious and get scared right because their eyes are actually looking

at the audience the people, not not focus. Their eyes is at a

side right. Uh. And so what what the master or what the rider

would do is they would put something on the eyes called a blinder okay,

either a blinder or another word for it is blinkers. Okay, blinkers.

They actually put blinkers on there on the horse, right, and the purpose

of it is actually to limit their vision, is to block out the vision

of the crowd around them and focus just in front of them towards the finishing

line. So even masters who ride horses actually understand this theory that the horse

needs to be focused on finishing the race, because if the horse is looking

at people who are cheering up and now and and you know, and there's

so many people, they will get scared and they may not even run,

you know. So even the horse needs to go to that training. What

more, you and I we need to learn how to focus our eyes on

the finishing line, on what's important, which is to finish the race.

Amen. And so uh again after that, discover something more interesting. So

this horse right, when they're on the race, in the middle of the

race, sometimes as the horses overtake each other, uh, they can't see

what's at the side, they may bum in into another horse. So it

becomes very dangerous. Uh. So this this uh, this master or this

rider actually cut a slip at the back of the block of the blinker.

Okay, the blinkers are that right, They'll cut a sleep at the back,

okay, just a small sleep, just enough for the horse to see

what's behind it, behind him, behind him or her okay uh. And

the theory behind that is that so that the horse, when he sees that

there's another horse overtaking him, if either motivate him to go faster or he

will make sure that the horse doesn't bum into another horse. And so when

I saw that this explanation, right, I actually thought of and away how

it applies to us. Notice that I just went to celebration for twenty twenty

three. With us, why do we do that? Is to celebrate,

is to celebrate and remember, right And likewise, for a horse who has

his blinkers on, only focus on the front, and he has a small

slip the back, just enough to see the back. Likewise, for us,

here's a reminder as we enter twenty twenty four, our focus should always

be on the front right to finishing the race, but we have just enough

vision to see what has passed in the years that have passed. Listen to

this. The only time you ever need to look back is to remember what

God has done for you in the years to pass, years that have passed,

to look at what travelers you went to, you know, all the

pain that you went to that has passed. Right, The only time we

ever need to look back is when we remember what God has done for us

and maybe even to learn from our past mistakes. That's pretty much it.

And that's why the horse has so much vision in front, but just a

little bit, just a small slip, enough to see what's behind him.

And I thought that was really really powerful as the moment the Lord dropped the

revelation in me that for us in life, we should be like that,

you know, focusing on what's a hit to finish the race, and we

only look back when we need to remember what God has done for us and

to celebrate him, because if we forget, then we may go to the

same challenge and fail. But if you remember what God has done for us,

you can say, God, you've been through immediate in this before.

You're my provider, you're my refuge, you're my safety. You can do

it again. Amen and uh, and may your faith be encouraged. Amen.

So this year, even as we enter twenty twenty four, remember focus

forward and look forward towards I hit Philippians, chapter three, verse twelve.

If you have a bibrse, it can turn with me. Philippians, chapter

three, verse twelve to fourteen. So this is Paul, Okay, Paul

saying talking about how he presses on towards the goal. He said, not

that I have already attained or am already perfected. But I press on that

I may lay hold of death for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me.

Whether I do not count myself to have apprehended, but one thing I

do. Forgetting those things which are behind, reaching forward to those things which

I hate, I press toward the goal for the price of the outward call

of God in Christ Jesus. Amen. So even Paul encourages us that we

should forget the things that has passed, and reaching forward towards the things that

I hate. We want to press on towards the goal. There is a

head of us. Amen. And so I pray that you and I will

will do that this year, even as we enter into into this in this

new year. Okay and okay? So what else? How else can we

focus on the Lord this year? Which another way is to seek him?

Amen? To seek Him. And of course many of us will be familiar

with this cripture whereby we talk about sick first, sigy first, the King

of Heaven and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Right, there's one reminder for us, even as we enter the new

year. I pray that you and I will continue to seek the wisdom and

guidance of the Lord. Even as we enter this year, I want to

employ us to be careful with decisions that are not men to be. If

you're familiar with the story of Uh Abraham, if you're family with the story

of Abraham, God had promised Abraham that you will have an offspring, Okay,

you will have an offspring to Sarah. Okay. The time was called

Sarah s A I A I Okay. But you know, I think in

Abraham's mind maybe it was there was a delay, and so Abraham in a

way try to help God. Right. So if you know the story,

Sarah gave servant to Abraham and they conceived from the severn okay of Sarah's servant,

and you will know that the story didn't end to well on that side,

okay, because it was not meant to be and God said, I

promise you this, I will give it to you from your offspring, from

from Sarah, your wife. Okay. And so so we we call these

the decisions in life okay, whereby it was not meant to be. And

if you know the history of way today, you can see there's so much

trouble that happened our way. Okay. So I want to I want to.

I want to just remind us and to caution us to be careful.

Your is more decisions this year. Okay. If you didn't understand why,

I just said, maybe it comes to me later. But each more decisions

basically represent decisions that are wrong, that were not men to be right.

And so we need to be very way careful that friends. God is very

merciful and even though we can make many wrong decisions in life, God was

still give us second chance, which case still come back to him as long

as we we pen we turn away from our old ways and go back to

him. God is faithful and just and he will still give us a way

out and rescue us. Amen. That is to God to reserve, and

that has got to be worship. But you and I have a responsibility and

equal responsibility to make decisions that are wise and in accordance to God's will.

So how do we do that simply by paying and seeking his face? So

recently, towards the end of last year, the last three weeks of last

year, somehow me and my wife Bama across this uh you know property.

We were actually looking to maybe buy a property for ourselves, right, and

we we were we were staying in in in in bands and in the condo

that we were staying. Right, we later on found that there was an

auction of a unit in our same condominium itself, and he was going at

a very good price, and so we wanted to go for it. So

of course before we go for such a big decision, we seek the lot.

Uh. And the timeline was very short, okay. It was only

four days away to the auction, which when when we found out about it,

okay, uh, so it was really really challenging. The time was

tight, but we went a lot in prayer. We fasted and prayed for

three days because that's that's all the time we had. The auction was gonna

start already, just all the time we had. Uh. And I keep

you not right. The union number we were supposed to buy in this auction

was number thirty three. The floor for number the three. So as we

were paying, you know, we were asking a lot to give us a

sign and confirmation. And I think that's at one point in time we were

in the car together, uh, we after after a meal or fetching up

from work or something like that. And as we looked around, because my

wife is very inclined to numbers, right, uh, and so the Lord

speak to her, speaks to her in numbers. And so as we looked

around, right, different cars around us all had number thirty three, right

the three three three. Look another car a thre three, Look at another

car four for three three, look at the number upstairs in the full number

almost everything and three three, you know, and we're like, man,

this is like it's scary, you know. And when when the Lord speak

speaks to you like that. Uh. So of course to us we felt

we we had a piece and a confirmation to go for it. Uh.

And so you went for the auction. Right. It was a very scary

experience. We had to study a lot in three days. But long story

shot, we did. We didn't win the bid, okay, because we

had a price we set, but we went for the auction. Of course,

someone else beat higher than us, and we decided to drop it because

it's not it's not what we wanted. Okay. But you may ask me

a how come you had confirmation but you didn't win the You didn't get to

buy the house. Uh? And I want to understand this principle as we

seek the lot right, remember to always seek the giver and not the gift.

I said this last week, right, seek the giver and not the

gift. You see when when for me, when I prayed about it,

right, I had confirmation to go for the auction, But it does not

doesn't mean that it was meant to be mine, right, because it was

my prayer was clear, should I join this auction or not? Okay?

In your case, it can be any other thing. Should I go for

this job or not? Or should I go for this decision or not?

Right? And so for me it was clear that we should have because the

law was with us. He gave us signs. We went for it.

And even though we made it very clear, right, even though we didn't,

even if we didn't get it right, we are perfectly okay with it,

right because we're not after just that house per se after God right,

and it could be a journey. The lot is bringing you to right and

it was meant for you the lawd would have opened the door for you right.

And so there was a journey that we went that we went to right

right at the end of last year. It was really quite a challenging journey

even as we seek the Lord, and I really believe, even as we

are closed to the lot, Lord and speak to us daily. Okay,

Actually I have more points, but I'm out of time. I want to

share you a story of this year itself. It's fresh. He's a testimony

of how I managed to my wife and I managed to renew our ord text

in time. Okay, So to give you a bagund of the story.

When we bought the car one year ago, the registration of the car is

under a company a dealer, right, So when you buy the car from

a dealer JPJ. For those of you who don't know what JPJ is,

it's our Road Transportation Department of the Country Malaysia JPJ. Okay, So JBJ

is supposed to register your car, right and they're supposed to convert the so

called license or the registration from a company a dealer to an individual which is

you, I mean whoever we find a car right, which is me?

Right? But they fail to do that. Okay. And in West Malaysia,

if you have a registration under a company, your car's rod text is

double the price. Okay, double the price, so long stay shot this

year as the road text is being expired. It's going to be expired soon.

We had to renew our road text and we didn't want to pay double

on our text, right, so I had to go through the process of

converting my registration or the car from a company to a personal personal registration.

Okay. And if you are familiar with Malaysia's car department, in order for

you to change things in a registration for a car, you need to go

to post pack Com. Okay. If you don't know about these things,

you eventually know about it because most of you are already kept for students and

you already start driving cars soon. Okay. Whenever you transfer name or change

things in your car registration, you need to go to pusta com inspection right

and most of us will get a ranner to do it. Quite not.

You pay a runner Runner WI accept everything for you. It's done. Just

pay the money to do. Okay, but at this point in time,

you know, I felt like doing it for myself, right, so I

wanted to experience it. I was very urgent. So long story short,

I went. I went to do the inspection. The inspection is called B

five, and after that I went to JPG to do the conversion of this

title, this registration for my car. And then this officer says, you

cannot do it because the inspection was the wrong inspection. Okay, you need

to do this so and so other inspection. Okay, it's called B two.

Okay. That day was already the second of January. Okay. My

road text expires on fourth of January, two days away. Okay. By

the way, it was so last minute because and of last year was Christmas.

I wasn't away, and and then it was closed, you know,

it was it was New Year's holidays. So somehow the inspection got delayed a

lot. Okay. And if you go schedule appointment post pack COM's very hard

to get an appointment, okay, because it's packed. Right, So long

story shot, we were there. I was there at JPJ and he said,

long inspection, you need to go back to foot pack com and get

a new inspection. By the way, to get a new inspection, you

need to wait a few days, okay. Not easy to get inspection okay,

and we really needed it. So at the moment, I'm just really

praying God give me a miracle. I need to see a miracle. So,

long story short, I came out from the JPJ co boost com.

You can't get them, it's impossible. Drop them a message on the website.

Contact me immediately. I need I have this thing I've made. I

lost a whole complaint because initially poosback come to me can but now it cannot.

So it's two different departments. Uh you know. So finally I had

to get two officers to speak. Okay, after I launched the whole spot

wet on the pootsack com two hours later, to my surprise, to my

surprise, poos Pam caught me. Right, that's very rare. So Postbam

caught me. Bunch manager in which I did my my inspection, caught me

and he knew my my situation. He told me that I have a very

strange situation that may need very attentive help. Okay. Uh, So long

story short, I connected him, this officer with the JPJ officer, and

they spoke to make sure they tell the post officer which is the exact inspection

that I need. Because if you go to the postback Com there are more

than seventy inspections. We're trying to do a lot of a lot. Okay.

So finally this this a post officer told me, okay, I know

what I know what you need today. Please come back to the to the

center that I told him, But I don't have an appointment. I need

to wait another two or three days to get appointment. Can I come today?

And he said, can just come today? So so you said just

come today, right? So I said, okay, but I don't have

appointment. What do I do? He said, just come When you reach

the Football Com Center, you call me. Okay. So there was a

ready afternoon about three pm, three four pm. I need to get this

postback Com celevision today. I need it today, okay. So then I

would drive to the the center, not knowing what's gonna happen. Yet I

drive to the center. I reached the center. I call him, sir,

I already reached the center. What now? Then he said, okay,

line line up in the queue. The cue is quite long, but

it was shorter than the one I went before. Okay, but it's still

long and a wait for half an hour. So I queue up. Okay,

and after I told him okay, but after I queue, when I

go in, what do I do? I don't have appointment, he said,

now mine, you que first. When you go in, you call

me again. Put on the phone. Half an hour later, I drive

in. I call him, I'm really eating what now? He said,

okay, good, inside, right, go to the counter. Just tell

them this quote. It's called B to individual. Okay. It's a particular

code for the particular inspection, and they will know what to do. I'm

like, huh, he said, don't we just tell them? I will,

I will inform them. So I'm like, okay, okay, okay,

very good. So I just drive in, walks into the counter,

and I just say the exact words that he told me B to individual and

the counter said, oh, okay, okay, oh you know you know

that I'm coming se yah ya, yeah, my boss do They told me,

oh, okay, okay. So that was my first veh girl at

the moment, right, I managed to get in an inspection immediately with this

officer bunch officer got me in and and and done the inspection. So fast

forward especially it's done finish. Right as I was leaving the center, right,

I checked the report and guess what, the report had an error.

I'm like, oh man, sorry to go inside the center, see see

the see the fundest officer again and ask him. I got error? What

to do? So you tell me go up and see the boss. So

this time I went upstairs, and this time I met the brandish manager that

called me, the brandish manager that called me so so earlier, also speaking

here on the phone. Now you got to meet him face to face.

Okay. So he's a he's a very tallment very professionally a dressed because I

think he's the boss or the or the manager. And he looked at my

problem and say it, okay, you got a problem. Even though I

eventually all the step the inspection report is still wrong. Okay, long story

shot. Because he needs to overwrite a system. He needs to overwrite some

setting in his system. Okay, because I have a very specious situation whereby

you can't register an individual name as a company. It makes no sense.

He's like saying apple, it's orange. You know what I mean? Right

in the system. It makes no sense, it doesn't exist. Right.

So this officer tells me, you have a very special situation. I need

to overwrite the system. So he brings me to his room, and in

his room I have a conversation with him. He started start che thing you

know about. He told me whereby you know, when I saw your situation.

When every pot came to him, he knew that he cannot go to

a third party to talk to me. He immediately pick up his phone and

he called me that really, he said, because you have a very special

situation. Even if I tell the customer service to talk to you, they

don't know what to say, right. And the funny thing is that he

told me that tomorrow I wouldn't be here. If you came tomorrow, you

would have missed me and your problem would have not been resolved. So when

I look back in hindsight, right, every step of the way, the

law was actually preparing a miracle for me. So this man in front of

me override the system. He tell me go back downstairs and he'd be done.

And I went and I did so, and finally it was done.

Phrase the Lord, right, But I would let you know, right at

that moment, I really really felt like like Abraham and the Bible, Abraham,

okay, whereby when Abraham was in his father's house in Haran, the

Lord asked him leave your house right, go to a land I'm about to

show you, right, and the Lord will only take you one step at

the time. Just one step at the time, you know, right,

That's what Abraham encountered, right, a lot, lot. Let let him

leave your house one step to another. The Lord let him where he was

supposed to go. And right at the moment, I really felt like Abraham,

you know Whereby when I when I was driving to the center, this

brandish manager told me just go first, which say you call me? We

said, I call him, okay, line up, put on the phone,

and when you come in, call me and call him again. Do

this. Put on the phone, call him again, do this. Put

on the phone. Uh, you know. And and that's so all I

want to say, is this sensitive to the Lord. He can speak to

you anytime, anywhere, in any situation that you're going to Amen, the

Lord can speak to you. So at that moment, when I was asking

a lord, Lord, why why did I have to go to so much

trouble and pain early in a year. And I kid you not. At

the prayer Velly on the first of January, at the prayer ally in in

DBCC, I was there and actually I had a pain in my in my

in my foot. Okay. I was wearing a new shoe and somehow the

shoe was very tight on one side. It was very painful, super painful.

I couldn't bury it right, and I was saying, Lord, I'm

here in your presence, there's power of your name. I bind this pain

in Jesus shall be gone, right. But in the moment it didn't go

immediately, and I felt a nudging in my spirit right that says to me,

this pain will only be here for a little while. You will be

able to bear it, but it won't kill you. And so when I

was there at Park Center, I remember this. You know that even though

I was going to this little pain in the start of the year, it

is betterable. The law will be with us. It will not kill you.

But here's where I want to get it. You see, whenever you

go to little little struggles of pains like this, I reminded right that pain

reminds us that we actually need God we actually need God because without this little

pain in our lives, right, we were actually gone on our own because

we don't if we don't really need him, right, we will always come

to the Lot the most when we actually are in need. So at the

moment I remember, a pain reminds me that I actually need God and I

can't do this on my own. So I hope you are encouraged by just

that simple story and the testimony. Of course, now everything's done, and

I really thank God, like every step of the way. He was there

with me, gave us a miracle and a testimony right at the start of

the year. A man praise the Lot. So I'm going to close with

this last final point, and it's very very short, which is to surrender

all, surrender everything unto the Lord. Friends, as you know, David,

and the Bible says, I, I'd rather be in the hand of

God. I'd rather be in the mercies of God and being the mercies of

men. I pray you and I here we were surrender control to the Lord

and rely on him, and I like, I like what Ben mentioned this.

Now we know about sacrificing. Isaac's actually is in my notes here.

You know, Abraham sacrifice Isaac, which represents surrender because in it to Abraham

right, Isaac was given by God to him. God gave Isaac to Abraham

and hands. When God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham is essentially saying,

God, this is yours, and if you ask for it, I'll

do it anyway. You know, and of course, if you know the

story, Isaac was safe. The Lord stopped Abraham and gave a ram in

the state as a replacement for Isaac. And so I prayed that even as

we enter the new year, many of us will make new goals for the

year, new goals, new plans. I want to do these, I

want to do that big things right. But there's one important stype you and

I must never forget. Fans season on this. Survender each and every of

your plan before the Lord. Survender everything before the Lord, because everything that

we have actually comes from him. Our breath, our time, our finances,

our talent, our very life itself coming from the Lord. So we

ought to give it back to him and surrender it all to him. Amen.

James, Chapter four, verse seventy eight. And I'll close with this,

James set the four VERD seven says, therefore, submit to God.

We seize the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God

and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you see us,

and purify your hearts. You double minded? So you and I today

I employ us draw near to God and he will drawn near to you.

We are to cleanse our hands and pureify our hearts. So this one prayer

you can pray. You know, I think the Sammy says, you know,

search my heart, O Lord, and see if there's any anxiety in

me. An I fear in me. That's one prayer you can pray.

Even as we enter the new year. So I want to encourage us to

surrender everything into the Lord. I'm going to close with this last and final

scripture Isaiah chapter forty one, Verse ten. He says, fear not,

for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I'm your God.

I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold

you with my righteous right hand. Amen. So I encourage us all with

this scripture. Do not fear. You know the challenges of life will always

get tougher and bigger as the years go by. Remember I told you for

a greater miracle or a greater break should happen, you have to go to

a bigger a greater shoggle f us right, but don't be afraid because God

is with you. Be strong and very courageous. Just as Josha was about

to walk into the pumis Land and to lead his people into the pummis Land,

the Lord reminded him three times, I believe be strong and very courageous.

Amen. Church, We hope you've been blessed by this message. For

more information on our church, please visit act church do org. We are

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be a good week, a hit for you. God bless