Stepping Forward | Celina Tan

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

will light up your day this morning. The word okay that I'm gonna share

with all of you is actually taken from Isaiah for the tree was one to

twenty one. All right, so this morning, you know, is really

an honor being the Children Coordinator to be able to share around the world of

God on the first month of the year twenty twenty four to all of you.

All right. You know today is twenty first of January, and in

ten days time you're gonna say bye bye to January. Wow, very fast,

right, you know, where's the day gone? Where's the time gone?

You know, it's really flying here and there. So I do not

know how many of you have already written your New year resolution written on here.

Okay. I don't know how many of you have written. I've not

okay. I think some of you may have already working on it, okay,

because I've not written okay, definitely, I'm not working on it.

So for those of you who have already working on it, are already written,

good on you, congratulations, keep it up. Let's you know,

whatever things that you have put on paper or commited to God, let's work

towards it to see it come to fruition. Amen. All right. So

for me a lot of times, I've lived so long my life. Every

time when it comes to new year resolution, I will tell myself that.

Okay, in December, I will tell myself, Okay, Selena, you

need to sit down and write your new New Year resolution. But everybody knows

that December is the busiest man no time. Okay, when it comes the

first way of January. Okay, first of January, it's public holiday.

You should have time, right, cannot public holiday? It is time to

sleep, okay, sleep more important. I have a newer resolution, can

write tomorrow. Okay. So at the bling of an eye, like I

say, in time, more days, we're gonna say bye bye to January

already, all right. So a lot of time I may have the desire

to want thing to write new your resolution. I have the desire to work

on something. And most of the time I have the big picture in my

brain. Okay. But at the bling of an eye, treatments has passed,

I have not written a single word. Okay. After at the bling

of an I six months have passed. I have done nothing, Okay,

So for me personally, I have been living my life on a fast line,

okay, and I often caught myself, you know, not having sufficient

time to do a lot of things that I desire to do. You know,

I have dreams, I have desired I have plans, and everything is

just big picture okay. I know where I want to be, I know

what I want to do. I know okay, a lot of things I

know. But because I have been making myself, you know, living my

life in a fast pace right everything, you know, if everything has to

be done fast fast as okay, for those of you who really work with

me, right, you'll public hit me to the core because I cannot stand

people working very slow. And okay, I cannot stand people reply me slow.

I cannot stand people who don't honor that line. Yeah, you will

really hte me to the call. And that is me, Okay, that

is me. And because of that, I kind of like neglected a lot

of you know, the important parts of my life. And because of this,

this year, I told myself that, you know, hey, Selena,

stop living a life on the first Liane. Slow down. All my

closest friend has been telling me this, Selena, you need to slow down.

I'm like, okay, I end slowing down and I thought I'm slowing

down. But to them, it's like, no, not enough, Selena.

You need to rest. Selena, you need to have time for yourself.

You know, you need to really put a stop. You know,

people who who knows me know that even when I'm sick, I'll be a

wood one, you know, even when I always tell myself this that you

know, as not as I can walk, I can go to work,

and people around me, it's like, know, Selena, you are sick.

Your body is telling you you need to rest. Even God told me

so, you know, and for the past two years. And this is

the joke that I told told everyone. I say that, you know,

Selena need to learn to rest, and I thok o, God teach me

how to rest. After I said that word, kay, you're not I'm

gonna COVID, I gonna influenza. I can all sorts of things that have

to mix me quarantine at home and cannot do anything. Okay, even though

my COVID side effect it's not very bad, but I have to quantit it

at home right, So I cannot do anything right. I cannot go anywhere

right, so I have no choice but to rest. But believing me,

I never rest. I started cleaning house. Okay, all right, yeah,

So so that is something that I told myself this year. Hey Selena,

it's twenty twenty four. It's time to slow down, Okay, new

year, knew me, I hope. So, and I need to really

take time to reflect and time to put my big picture into details, all

right. And one of the things that I told myself this year is that,

you know, I cannot leave it to chances. I cannot leave it

to you know, kay, Sarah Sarah, whatever will be will be.

I cannot. Okay, I really need to focus and that is what I

needed to do. And the most important thing that I need to focus is

for ex umbu, right uh. And that is something that I told myself

that Hey Selena, You'll need to sit down and pray and seek God and

really work towards in growing this church plan that God has entrusted me to lead.

Okay. So that that is the introduction of what new resolution is like

to me. Okay, So, because you know, church plan, this

church is not something that I can just like, yeah, it's like going

to work right there, right, Just do do do do do and then

kay or the KPI check or the check check that yeah, be done.

It doesn't work that way for God's house, right, it doesn't work that

way, and we really need to seek God and pray and plan and ask

God that, you know, God, what do you really want for this

church? So what I did was I really sat down and I started asking

God, God, how has ex amboun been for twenty twenty three? So

when I look back at twenty twenty three, there is really what I wanted

to say is that, you know, there is nothing short of God's amazing

grace and blessing upon this church plan. You know, God has really done,

you know, a lot, a lot for this church plan. From

where I started taking over to lead this church plan to twenty twenty three,

there is a lot of transformation. There is a lot of changes happening in

this church plan. And I can really see that, you know, this

church slow, slowly growing and growing not just in numbers but the people growing

in their faith in their walk with God. All right, But having said

that, there is nothing short of challenges as well. All right? For

me personally as the church fren coordinator, I will always have the final information

of what's going on in everybody's life. Okay, So the homes leader may

only knows the home their homies, Okay, the dream team leaders may only

know their dream team team what's going on. But I will always have the

final, you know, report of what's going on in everybody's life. And

every time when I received a feedback from the homes leader or the dream team

leaders about one of you that, I was like, Oh God, why

this thing happened? Okay? And every time when I hear it, I

feel more burden and more burden and more burden on myself. And I started

outing myself, you know, every time when I hear a challenge, right,

when I hear testimony, yeah, Halleljah prays no, thank you Jesus

for taking care of the people. But every time I hear a challenge,

right, I was like, God, did I do something wrong that my

partners being punished? You know? And I did I not lead the people?

Well? You know, did ideas? Did I did? You know?

It's a lot of doubting myself. And there are a lot of times

I told God that, you know, God, I think you haven't picked

the wrong person. You know, I think you haven't picked the wrong person.

And look at I don't choose my coordinators like nothing. But why is

it that I got so much challenge that I have to overcome, that I

have to face? And sometimes I am so tempted to go to Pasa Kende

and passa Sandra and tell them that, you know, basta, I think

you choose the wrong person. Maybe you should choose Eddie to lead the church

instad or maybe John John Hey, the worship leader, to lead the church.

He said, you know they have they're so good, you know,

they are, you know, great people. They should be the one.

Why me, You know, I'm just a teacher, okay. I teach

young kids, so they don't ask me if okay. So it's a lot

of doubts that I questioned myself. But in the midst of me, you

know, sulking and talking to you know, telling God that you know you

have chosen the wrong person, I saw God's handholding every pieces together, you

know, I saw God's hand holding every pieces together. And I can tell

you, you know, in a natural what happened in twentieth century. We

saw people come, we saw people go, you know, we saw people

stepping up to serve, we saw people stepping down we saw people routing themselves

in church as we saw people up routing, you know. We saw people

wanting to be connected. We saw people that say, hey, don't talk

to me, I don't want to be connected. We saw different things.

Okay, in the midst of these challenges, God is there. God is

there. And you know, one of the things that it really warmed my

heart was there when there is some partners in the church that faces very difficult

challenges, I saw every one of you rose up and help that person,

you know, and that is something that tells me that, you know,

God, this is truly not by my own mind, it's not by my

own power. It is truly You. And this actually reminded me not to

do things on my own strength. This tells me that, you know,

Selena is not your experience, it's not your strength, it's not your understanding,

but it's Him. And this tells me that, you know, as

we step into twenty twenty four, this church, how we grow it,

it has to be from Him, for Him and all about him and who

is him? He is Jesus, you know. So our exu found leadership.

We are going for an overnight locked in no gadgets, so all of

us got to come together to pray, listen, and obey on how to

you know, on how to grow this plan. So do keep our leaders

in prayer? All right? Okay? So I'm preparing for these leaders overnighter,

for ex ambang as well as for today's message. I ask God,

okay again every time and I need to pressure. I'm like God, I

don't know what to say, you know, person on they tell me the

team is, you know, uh, Heaven rules towards the finishing line.

I say that, how much can I talk about towards the finishing line?

You know? How much can I pray about our means share about Heaven rules?

Say I don't God, You know, God, I don't know.

I really don't know what what what? And then the time is sticking that

I need to send them the message for the cane to read through. And

God just say that I want you to talk about stepping forward, all right,

stepping forward, And I'm like, okay, God, stepping forward,

stepping forward from what? From who? From where? And then again as

usual, every time I ask God questions. You know, it's just like

you're asking your lecturer, right lecture, can you give me the answer to

the questions that you gave me, God remained quiet. And the scripture that

God gave me was Isaiah for the Tree verse one to twenty one. Okay.

And when I read the time I've read the book of Isaiah, right,

my brain is like, God, I don't know what you're talking about.

You know, it's so difficult, the Book of Isaiah because it's all

about prophecy and prophecy and prophecy. Right. So I really dig out every

single books and dictionary that I can find, and I read through and I

understood this, and this is what I'm going to share to all of you

this morning. Okay. So I have put up the scripture okay, okay,

sorry, too small, Okay, never mind, okay, but I

will read to all of us. Okay. So Isaiah for the Tree was

one to twenty one. Okay, the word of the Lord say. But

now tas says the Lord who created you, Old Jacob, and he who

formed you, all Israel, fear not, for I have redeemed you.

I have caught you by your name. You are mine. When you pass

through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers they

shall not overflow you when you walk through the fire. You shall not be

burnt, nor shall the flames scotch you. For I am the Lord,

your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt

for your ransom, Etopia and saybah in your place. Since you were precious

in my sight. You have been honored, and I have loved you.

Therefore I will give men for you and people for your life. Fear not,

for I am with you. I will bring your descendants from the east

and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, give

them up, and to the south, do not keep them back. Bring

my sons from Afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.

Verse seven. Everyone who is called by my name, whom I have created

for my glory, I have formed him. Yes, I have made him.

Bring out the blind people who have eyes, and the death who have

ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be

assembled. Who among them can declare this and show us former things. Let

them bring out their witnesses that they may be justified. Or let them hear

and say it is truth. You are my witnesses, says the Lord and

my servant, whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me,

and understand that I am He. Before me, there was no God

formed, nor shall there be after me. I even I am the Lord,

And besides me there is no savior. I have declared and saved.

I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign God among you. Therefore you

are my witnesses, says the Lord, that I am God. In it

before the day was I am He. And there is no one who can

deliver out of my hand I work and who will reverse it, says the

Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. For your sake,

I will send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, the childrens

who rejoice in their ships. I am the Lord, your Holy One,

the creator of Israel, your King, says the Lord, who makes away

in the sea and a path through the mighty waters, who bring forth the

chariots and hosts, the army and the power. They shall lie down,

and they shall not rise. They are extinguished. They are quenched like a

wik Do not remember the former things, not consider the things of all.

Behold, I will do a new thing. No now it shall spring forth,

shall you not know it. I will even make a road in the

wilderness and rivers in the desert. The beasts of the field will honor me,

the chuckles and the ostriches, because I give waters in the wilderness and

the rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

These people have formed for myself. They shall declare my priest. May

God bless the reading of his words in men. All right, So we

all know that stepping forward is one of the hardest things to do when we

have gone through a very tyrant, tiring journey, okay, or when you

know that what's ahead of you is really an unknown zone. Okay. So

when I think about the words step forward, the first thing that comes to

my mind is when I am I was training myself to run. Okay.

I am not the kind of person who loves running, No, never,

I love to sit down and watch TV. Okay. So for me to

trade myself to run, it really takes a lot of discipline. Okay.

So the very first time I run, okay, it was only two hundred

meters and all the runners say, oh yes, two hundred meter Okay.

It was two hundred meters and I was there, okay. And the next

time I trained myself to go further. I have to think to myself.

When I run two hundred meters, I already paintink I met? Do I

want to take another step further? You know? And I would say that,

Nola, two hundred enough, readly two hundred enough. But my friend

who went and ran together with me, she told me this, Selena,

if you want to train yourself to run, you need to make yourself break

through the two hundred meter, And in order to do so, you need

to take the next step forward, Okay, to break through the two hundred

Okay. And that is what I did, okay, slowly by slowly,

from two hundred to two hundred and fifty to three hundred to three hundred and

fifty. And those of you who run well say that, hello, Selena,

this is too slow okay and low and behole. Eight years later,

I can run one kilometer without stopping. Okay. Eight years later, Okay,

still very slow progress, okay, because I only run once a week.

But now that I told myself that, hey, I broke through the

two hundred meter, to break through one kilometer, I think I can.

But me, being me, I will still tell myself, hello, it's

so hard like eight years later only hit the one kilometer map when I will

hit the two kilometer or the tree kilometer. That's why I never ran Manata,

because I gave myself too much rease. Right. But to step forward,

we cannot give ourselves reason not to do so we need to push ourself

to do so, right, Okay. So we know that it's difficult.

Stepping forward is difficult. Okay, But after reading from Isaiah for the Tree

was one to twenty one, there's a lot of things we can learn here

on how to encourage ourself and push ourself to move forward, to step forward.

All right, So a little bit background on Isaiah for the Tree.

Okay. So Isaiah for the Tree is dated from the time of Israelites exiled

in Babylon. Okay. And the Lord has a plan on Jerusalem's deliverance from

the captivity, and it was shown to profit Isaiah so that he may comfort

and encourage the people and to assure them that the better times ahead, that

God will be there for them. Right. So, now let's look at

how God's unfailing love and care demonstrated to the Israelites. Ok So we all

know that when you read in Isaiah forty two. You can see that the

Israelites never stop disobeying God. One, okay, ladies, so we God,

God forgive them, lady, so wait, okay. But yet God

still demonstrates his unfailing love and his care to his people. And it is

the same grace that we receive from God today, okay. And it's the

same unfailing love and care that was demonstrated to us. So if we look

at ourselves, it's the same thing. You know, we make a mistake,

we repent, we make the mistake again, we repent. And yet

God never say that, hello you, okay, I really forgive you.

For so many times a day I think I give up. Really, God

never say that. God's love is always unfailing, and God's grace is always

sufficient for us. And the same thing God shown it to the Israelites,

God shown it to us as well. So as we step into year twenty

twenty four, there are three points that I have crafted from this scripture Isaiah

forty three to help us to step forward victoriously. Number One, knowing,

okay, knowing who we belong to. It's very important to know who we

belong to. You may say that, yeah, I belong to my parents.

Yes, correct, we belong to our parents. We belong to you

know, Okay, this person, that person, But ultimately who do we

belong to? Okay? So as we enter into new year, we need

to know who is with us and who is for us, and who we

belong to. So in Isaiah for the Tree, verse one, the Lord

True Prophet Isaiah sure both Israel as well as us that we belong to him.

Amen. Okay, because we belong to him, we have nothing to

fear. Okay. We know that life will constantly trouw us into curveballs.

Life will constantly bring us into different kinds of challenges. You know, same

goes to me as well. I'm always constantly faced with a lot of challenges.

But because I know who I belong to, you know, I may

complain that God enough of challenges. I'm tired, but yet I will.

I know that I can still continue to push through because I know I belongs

to God and God is by my side right. So his word in Isaiah

for the three verse two to seven, he assures us that He is always

there by our side, holding us through, helping us and granting us the

strength. You know, sometimes when we go through changes. We can be

very tightened, okay, but God will give us the strength as we go

through the motion. You know, when you it's at the brink of giving

up. God will always send people to come, and you don't know where

these people came from. One that will suddenly share something to you and encourage

you to rise up, to encourage you to push through. Or maybe this

person will just say that, hey, it's okay, I will walk it

through with you. You may think that so good to have such a friend,

But where does this strength came from? Is given by God? Is

God that led the person that comes to you, you know. And at

the same time, as you continue to read the word of God, the

word of God will you know, feel you and it will give you the

strength to go through the challenges that you have. All right, So,

with God by your side, you don't need to be panicked. Whatever comes

away, you don't need to be panicked. You don't need to fear,

and you don't need to retreat. And that's why I'm still standing here today.

Even though I say that you know God, I think you choose a

wrong person. But I know I know who is by my side. I

know that when I feel who can turn things around. It is God.

So in Isaiah for the one worst that it says that you know, fear

not, for I am with you. Who is with you. God is

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

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

my righteous hand. You know, the word of the Lord didn't say,

you know, fear not for maybe I'm I will be with you. Be

not dismayed, for I am your God. I may strengthen you. Did

say he may. No, he says he will. He will means that

he will definitely give it to you. Because God promises are always yes and

amen. You know, as I look to right when I read the Book

of Joshua, chapter one, when Joshua take over the role of Moses,

you know, to lead the Israelites to cross the Jordan, to cross Jordan

into the Promised Land. Okay, it's a step forward that he has to

take, you know, by all means Joshua can say that. No,

God, I don't think I can. You know, you know, the

the role that I have to carry is so heavy. How am I going

to bring the people to step forward into the promised land. But what did

God told him, you know in Joshua chapter one was not you know,

the Lord commands him to be strong and courageous. It's the same thing to

all of us. If we want to step forward, we need to be

strong and courageous, all right, and assuring. And God assured Joshua that

not to fear or dismay. And God is with him wherever he goes.

So it's the same thing to us. The way forward to us may be

very difficult, all right, but God is with us. We just need

to be strong and we need to be courageous and God will be with us.

And if God is for us, who can be against us? Amen?

Right? So, while panting in the tree may not be favorable to

some of you, including myself, but we need to acknowledge that we are

we are the children of God and we belong to him. God is with

us. Having the knowledge that God's is on our side, it will give

us the confidence to face whatever challenges that will come our way. You know,

even as we step out from church today, when you look get a

challenge with you will still say that, oh God, this is too tough.

But you know, start your day with prayer and say that God,

no madter come my way, May you pave the way, help me to

go through when the issue that faced the rad see it's no way for them.

But what did God do? God made the way where there seems to

be no way. Right, So that is something that we have to remember.

Okay. We need to know who we belong to. We belongs to

God. Okay, the next thing, the next point remembering, Okay,

remember what remember what the Lord has done for us? Okay. In Isaiah

forty two, verse eighteen to twenty, it is when when the Lord was

saying that how the people's heart are so hardened, you know, and they

just turn themselves deaf and blind. Okay. This is not like the literal

blind or death. This is more of the spiritual death and blind. And

this creature says, here you death, and look you blind, that you

may see who is blind but my servant or death as my messenger whom I

send, who is blind as he who is profect and blind as a lord's

servant seeing many things, But you do not observe opening the ears, but

you does not hear. You know, there are times we will harden ourselves.

You know, we can come to church and hear all the messages.

Okay, we need hear, but we did not that persied in. That

makes us death. We may see all the miracles of God and yet forget,

and that makes us blind. You know, I'm not hitting on anyone,

because sometimes I caught myself doing that as well. I caught myself you

know why, you know, when when the challenges is so difficult outside,

why why because I was temporarily blind of what the Lord has done, you

know, for me, what the Lord has done for the church. So

the prophet Isaiah pointed out the people's rejection towards God. When we turn ourselves

blind and death towards the things of the Lord, we are indirectly rejecting God.

We do not want to come to this position. Okay. It's just

like the Israelite They may have seen, you know, when they were being

delivered out of egy, you know, all the things that the Lord has

done for them, you know, saving them, parting the rate, see,

providing food for them, the pillar of flyer fire, pillar of clouds

leading them the way, and all all these Americans, the Israelites see themselves,

and yet they forget right and they turn towards idle worship. So what

is our form of idle worship? When we reject God, we are turning

to our own experience, our own degree. Master's PhD returns to you know,

whatever thing's in our own way, that is our idea. Are we

going to say that, you know, my PhD is better than the Bible?

Are we going to say that my tenuous experience is better than the Bible.

I can tell you that I have twenty years of teaching children. I

can tell you that I can I know how to handle kids very well.

But I still turn to the Bible and sometimes God, this case is so

difficult, help me. I don't know how the handle is. I still

turn to God because we cannot always lean on our own strength. We cannot

always lean on our own understanding, because God's ways are always higher. So

this is what we have to learn from Isaiah for the Tree, verse eight

to thirteen. The words reminds us that the Lord in why his people,

the death and the blind and the nations to come and prove him to be

wrong and to prove that they are justified in their rejection of him. Means

the Lord is inviting all of us to prove to God that our PhD is

better, to prove to God that our experience is better than him. But

that is not the way the Lord wants his people and us to bring into

remembrance of the former things. The former things is not the challenges, but

all the things that the Lord has done for us. I'm pretty sure that

all of you the Lord has done something for you. I'm pretty sure all

of you in one way or another. You have a testimony. You may

not have a lot of testimony that some people, but you have a testimony.

All of us have a testimony. Do you remember what the Lord has

done for you? All right? And that is what we need to do.

We need to bring into remembrance of the miracles that the Lord has done,

the provision that he has given, the deliverance that he has delivered.

It's just that when his people are being delivered out of Egypt and venture the

wilderness, God wants them to remember that, you know, what are the

miracles that the Lord has done for them? So God's people had witnessed the

greatness of God. We have witnessed the greatness of God. Okay, if

only the Israeleite will remember the great things of God has done for them.

They will see each wonderful work of his as a witness to the truth that

He is the only God. So same thing for us. It is really

really important for us to recall and reflect on what the Lord has done in

our life, taking stocks of the blessing, recalling the miracles, the break

truth, the healings, the provision. I don't know what else the Lord

has done for you. Maybe you have been crying out for your family salvation

for the longest time, and finally your parents, your grandparents, has said

that yes, I want Jesus to be in my heart. Maybe you have

received a terrible health report and finally the Lord delivered you and give you the

healing. Remember that maybe you are you are suddenly you know, realize that

you are in debt and you telling yourself with my salary, I cannot pay

my debt, and the Lord provide for you and you just clear your deb

okay. So maybe these are just some of the possession miracle that the Lord

has given to you. But what other miracle you know the Lord has done

for you spiritually? Maybe you are spiritually dead inside, but the Lord has

revived you. The Lord has led you to a place where you receive the

Word or God and you revive yourself. Right. Maybe you are a very

shy person and you always say that, know God, I am so shy

or so introverted. How am I going to serve your house? But the

Lord deliver you and make you do the things that he has called you to

do. And when people look at you and say that, hey, you

don't even dare to talk to people, how is it that you're serving as

a host now? And all this glory belongs to God? Because God deliver

you. You know, God made away for you where there seems to be

no way. And these are the things we have to remember. And it

has to be only God that can do it. You know. It's just

like for me. I always tell you know, my leaders, I never

wanted to be a church frank coordinator. Neither do I want to stand here

at the pulpit sharing the word of God. You know, give me anything

that is behind the scenes, I will do it for you, no problem.

For sure, you will know that it will be done. But the

Lord has a different plan. And I told God that, you know,

God, how Lord to preach your word to your people? But the Lord

taught me. The Lord enabled me. It is not my own experience.

By own experience, I will not be able to you know, even stand

here and read the scripture, you know, but it is only God.

It is God that has enabled me and given me the way. And this

is something that I remember, how the Lord has trained me, you know,

how the Lord has healed me. When I taught that I will be

diagnosed with cancer, and I really told God that I know, God,

why I'm so young, you know, why do you have picked me to

you know, receive this kind of health report? You know, But God's

way is better than mine, you know, said for five six years I

was tormented that know God, that particular growth in my body will return to

cancer. But I can tell you that every time I pray. Every time

I go for my checkup, the doctor just said, sew, you're find

you and go home. I'm like, what, I pay so much?

You come and tell me that I'm fine? Can I go? But I

praise the Lord? You know, I praise the Lord. And that is

something that I remember. You know, when people share with me that,

you know, I think I'm so scared to see the doctor, I will

just tell them my testimony because it's my way of remembering what the Lord has

done. If you can do it for me yesterday, he can do it

for me now, and he can do it for me tomorrow. All right.

So when you feel that you have no more energy to step forward,

remember every single thing that the Lord has done for you. Okay. So

that is something that I need everyone to do. Okay, remember so that

you will not be straight away. You will not fall into the temptation of

going your own path. Neither will you fall into the temptation of rejecting God

and go towards either worshiping. Okay, but when you believe in God,

you will learn to surrender and you will learn to trust, and you will

learn to believe in Him. Amen everyone, Okay, so far Okay,

the last point okay, just not I said it. Remembering right, so

now you remember. Okay. You need to forget also because our processor here,

our heart is here, only have limited space. Okay, you need

to remember of God things, right. You need to forget forget what Okay,

so you know sometimes you'll forget the things where we put forget this,

forget that, okay, So it's not the count forget, but this is

forgetting the past. Okay, which is the sin, the shame, that

disappointment, the discouragement. Okay, I'm not sure how many of you remember

this song Will be Faithful by Hosenna Music. Okay, so the gen z

Era maybe have not heard this before, but anyone that is before the gen

z Era, you probably have heard it before. The song the which ghostlide

its forgetting what lies behind, setting our hearts on the price, always keeping

our eyes on our logyesus running the race to win all the way to the

end, laying down everything that I will say to hims and will be faithful

to a call for you are able to keepers from falling, for in your

promise, we will trust you be faithful to finish the world you beginus.

All Right, So this is one of my favorite songs and one of the

songs that I sang the most when I first accepted Christ. I asked the

Christ when I was fourteen, and this is the first song that I learned

how to sing. Okay, I learned how to sing because why after I

think the six months of accepting Christ, learning about the Bible, learning about

worship, leading, learning about back things, singing, learning about a lot

of kay things that you know serving God. My leaders say that Selena,

we don't have a worship leader, please go worship lead. I'm like what

I rely? Six month Christian? Okay, and I have to like scramble.

Everyone asked everyone, what is the worship leadinger? Okay? And this

is the first song I listened to because why this is the first cassette care

photos of you know what is said that I received as a gift from my

aunt after I accepted Christ. And I really really loved this song because why

it actually taught me to forget what lies behind okay. And what is the

thing that I need to forget is to lay down every scene that will seek

me Okay, that will hinder me from going forward with the Lord. You

know the whole word it says. And no set our hearts on the price,

always keeping our eyes on our Lord Jesus is to focus focus on who

focus on God. And we need to continue to run this race of faith

towards the finishing line. All right. So, just as it's written in

the lyrics Isaiah for the Tree, verse eighteen, it also reminded us to

forget about what happened, Okay, don't keep going over all history, Okay,

as Isaiah wrote prophectically to Israel, a nation that is in dire circumstances

of captivity and exile, God sought to readirectly focus towards the new work that

he would do. Right, So in Worse eighteen it says that you know,

do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of all.

Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth,

shall you not know it. I will even make a road in the wilderness

and rivers in the desert. So here is to tell us that, hey,

don't look at the past circumstances that we have, the discouragement that we

may have, Okay, the disappointment, the past failure, even the sin

that you may have committed. Sometimes you will say that, you know,

God, I'm such a sinner. I don't think you can use me.

God don't want you to dwell in the past. The Lord says that when

you repent, I have forgiven you move forward, step forward, Okay,

stop dwelling in the past. So the same principle applies to us as we

move forward. Okay, we need to forget all this, okay, and

move forward to the new thing that God has in store for us. And

we need to leave behind every single you know, negativity and remember what the

Lord can do for us. Okay. So when the Lord says that he

has forgiven you, leave that behind. Someone may have disappoint you. Leave

that behind. Someone may have discouraged you to leave that behind. You may

have failed in accomplishing a lot of things. Just like me, I feel

in accomplishing all my resolution. Live that aside. Leave that aside. Don't

always tell herself that, hai yah, I will never be able to accomplish

my resolution or not. You know, it's just like I always say that

Okay, I want to lose weight. Okay, after your end, it's

still the scale still telling me the same thing I give up. Okay,

God say leave that behind. Okay. So every single thing that will hinder

you from moving forward, leave that behind. Okay. God has already prepared

new thing for all of us as we step into twenty twenty four. Let's

expect the new thing from God that he has prepared for us. Okay.

So yeah, so God's what assured us just as sure it's people in Jeremiah

twenty nine, verse eleven to thirteen. Okay, this is a scripture that

a lot of us know, okay. It talks about He has a plan

for us, plan to take care of us, not abandon us, plan

to give us the future that we hope for. And when we call in

him, when we come and pray to him, he will listen, okay.

And when we go looking for him, we will find him. So

all we need to do is to be serious about finding God this year,

okay, and want him more than anything else. Okay. Include God in

every single step that you're going to take, Involve him in every decision that

you're going to make, and then you can be sure you will not be

disappointed with the outcome that He has set for you. So this year,

make it a point that Jesus is the center of your life, the center

of it all. You know, whatever plans that you may have, Jesus

has to be first. Whatever dream that you have, Jesus has to be

first. Whatever decision that you're going to make, Jesus have to be first.

Technically in everything in your life, Jesus have to be the first.

God has to be first, just like in Tank of Moments he told us

right, God first, no idle. Right. So this is something that

I teach the kids every day to recite the tank comments God first, no

idols, don't miss use God's name, and the rest follows. Okay,

So it's the same thing to us, God first, no idol. If

every time you want to fall back towards your own way, remember God first,

right, So remember the questions that I told you that I asked God

when God told me that, Hey, and all, God, you want

me to share about step stepping forward from what? From who? From where?

Right? And this is what I got after reading the whole scripture,

stepping forward from what. Let's step forward from our past herds, Let's step

forward from our past failure. Let's step forward from the sin that God has

forgiven. Let's step forward from disappointment. Let's step forward from discouragement. Don't

step foot, don't dwell in all these pasts. You know, all these

pasts will do you no good. Right, you need to step forward and

allow God to tell you, Hey, there is hope, that's future,

and then step forward from home. Right, where does all the discouragement come

from? Or where all the discippartment came from? People? We need to

step forward from people who are hindering us from moving forward. There will be

people will always tell you that, No, Lie, I don't think you

can do it. Like, no, Lie, you cannot this, you

cannot that. Or there may be people around you that may have been hurting

you, and you are so angry that you cannot move forward, and you

keep falling back and keep saying that ye a Minjo's Minjo Minjo, the one

who give me food, wear blues. Never tell me, yeah, I

move house, radios never tell me that, So it's a it's a foot.

Then say twenty four, I want to forgive her and move forward,

move forward, and then you just still come back. You're like, he's

still mean, Joe fall there were That's why I cannot remember resul. No,

no, don't do that. Okay, when we say step forward from

the people who will may hinder us, okay, I'm not saying let me

joys that just because I know she will not she will not chose you,

I mean, okay, okay, all right. It is to tell us

that people will always always hurt us, disappoint us, discourage us. We

need to say that, you know, Lord, help me to forgive and

help me to release the forgiveness. You know, you tell God that,

yeah, God, I forgive this person. Ready, that is what you

tell God. But have you really released the forgiveness? When you say that

you release the forgiveness. Are it's not that you go up to like for

me, I got to Minjo Min Joe, I forgive you, and then

she's like, what did I do? But when we talk about releasing forgiveness,

this is what I learned. Men, Joe, I'm sorry. If

I've done anything that have hurt you, and you move forward from that,

you release the forgiveness by you saying I am sorry. Because you say that,

yeah, me and Joy, I forgive you, you will still hold

the rude because why when you say that I forgive you, it's your pride

that you're taking care. But when you say that I am sorry, you

are saying that no, God is not my price, but it's all for

your glory. So yeah, move forward from your past, move forward from

the people who will be hindering you, and move forward from the position of

defeativeness. Okay, don't stop there and wellt in that place and in as

much as you do not have the strength to move forward, lean on to

God. Cling on to him when you are disappointed or discouraged. You find

it very hard to read the word of God or at least mina. I

find it very hard to read the Word of God. But I always tell

myself, even if I have to read one scripture, I have to every

time. I find it very diff got to read the word of God.

I thank God for my my my profession as a teacher. I need to

do a good time with my kids. I have to read Bible story to

them and that edifies myself. And I can tell you a lot of time,

God brings healing to me through the questions that the kids will ask me.

And these kids are only four or five and they will ask me questions,

is that you know, teacher, what does it mean by forgiveness?

Maybe I may be having anger towards someone that has offended me. But when

I answer that, I am telling myself that, you know, forgiveness is

me saying sorry for something that I did not do, because why, that

is what the Lord has taught me. So as we press on in our

journey of faith towards the ultimate goal, towards the finishing line, it is

crucial to remember, okay, we need to acknowledge, okay, who God

is. We really need to remember what He has done for us. And

we need to forget every single thing that will hinder us. All right,

So we should not confine ourselves to the assuming that God's deliverance is only limited

to what he has done before. No, the Lord can do a lot

of things, okay, So we need to trust in God and to know

that He is capable in delivering us in new ways, surpassing our expectations as

well as our imagination. Amen. All right, So as I close,

can I invite everyone to stand. I don't pray, so if today's message

spoke to you, I just want to encourage all of you to come into

a position of surrendering to God. You know, we are now on the

third week in January. We want to start the year right. We want

to start the year with God by our side. We want to start the

year not wanting to hold the grudges, to hold the sin and stop ourselves

from running the rays of faith. You know, as we surrender ourself to

God, the God that we serve will be able to allow us to solve

with the wings of eagle servement. We hope you've been blessed by this message.

For more information on our church, please visit as Church Org. We

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