Welcome to
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church

Sunday, 10th November 2024

Ps Kathy Poon

Humans have souls and bodies. The moment we believe in Jesus, our spirits are saved. But the spiritual person is still like an embryo or a baby. It takes the feeding of God’s Word and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to grow and mature. Our family origin, our growth experience, and our cultural background all shape what happens to us, how we think about things, and how we feel about things, as well as how will we respond and how we take actions. Therefore, why do we often believe in the Lord but still have a lot of entanglements between the spirit and the soul in our lives?

What is the soul?

1. Willpower
2. Thoughts
3. Emotion

In the Book of Revelation, we are continually revealed to the seven churches: to the one who overcomes – God will give him to eat from the tree of life; he who overcomes – will not be hurt by the second death; the victor – God will give him authority over the nations; he who overcomes will not have his name blotted out of the book of life; etc. What does it mean? It means not “every” person in the church has a name in the book of life, but one who “overcomes”! The key to victory lies in winning two very important battlefields:

1. The Battlefield of Thoughts
2. The Battlefield of Emotions

Today we will first discuss the battlefield of thoughts, and next week we will talk about the battlefield of emotions. Philippians 4:8-9 says, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Why do many times our lives remain unchanged even after 10 or 20 years of believing in the Lord? One of the bad reasons is that we are often deceived by the lies of the enemy.

1. Meditate

2. Do

(I) Transformation of the Heart, True Repentance

It is not achieved through rituals, but through a transformation of the heart and true repentance. We should learn to go from “Self-Awareness” to “Spiritual Awareness”.

Self-Awareness is to ask:

• Which lies have I believed ?
• Where did I first learn the lie that created in my mind.
• Anyone I need to forgive?

Spiritual Awareness is to ask:

• I hand you the lie, Heavenly Father. What truth do you want to import in its place ?

(II) Submit to Truth, Reject the Lies

We must renounce the power of the lies and cancel all the effects in my life in Jesus name. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the scripture or verse to me and submit to it.

3. Experience God’s Presence

In God’s presence, we find courage and are unconditionally accepted. We will experience peace, fulfilling love, joy, and hope. Life becomes filled with purpose, self-control, and ultimately leads us into a place of abundance and freedom. There are many characters in the Bible who listened to God’s words, changed their minds and took action, and finally entered into the prosperity of God’s promises and presence.

Abraham obeyed God’s call and left his country, his people, and his father’s house to go to the place God showed him (Genesis 12:1-4). Because of his obedience, God made a covenant with him, making him the father of many nations and blessing his descendants. Moses was originally shepherding sheep in the wilderness. When God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, he was hesitant and unsure at first (Exodus Chapters 3-4). But in the end, he obeyed and relied on God’s power to complete his mission, leading the Israelites out of slavery and toward the Promised Land. Joshua, Moses’ successor, was called by God to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. When he obeyed God’s command, acted bravely and obeyed the law (Joshua 1:6-9), God gave him victory and allowed him to see God’s promises come true.

After Nehemiah heard the news that the walls of Jerusalem had collapsed, he prayed and listened to God’s instructions. Eventually he changed his mind and returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls (Nehemiah Chapters 1-2). Under his leadership, the city walls were rebuilt and the people returned to God’s law. At first Jonah refused God’s request for him to go to Nineveh to preach the message of repentance and chose to run away (Jonah Chapter 1). Later, after experiencing God’s discipline, he obeyed and delivered God’s message, causing the entire city of Nineveh to repent and receive God’s mercy and blessings.

Peter denied the Lord three times when Jesus was arrested, but after the resurrection, Jesus called Peter to feed His flock and gave him a new mission (John 21). Peter obeyed God and became one of the leaders of the early church, leading many people to Christ. Paul persecuted Christians at first, but after meeting the resurrected Jesus on the Damascus road, his life changed completely and he became an apostle to the Gentiles, preaching the gospel (Acts Chapter 9). His ministry brought great growth to the church and blessings from God.

Because these people listened to God, obeyed God, and acted, they entered into the promises and prosperity given by God. Each story demonstrates God’s faithfulness and grace, and God’s presence and blessing when a person repented and walked in His will.