Lately, there are more and more world, national and local issues that we pray about in our prayer meetings. It’s important to have unity when we pray together and so if there are any differences in opinion, please discuss these things with your prayer partners before corporate prayer time.

I do a lot of research during the week and ask the Holy Spirit to open my understanding so that I am able to pray with God’s Word and according to His will. There are times I’m uncertain and I just don’t know yet. Then I ask for God’s wisdom, and then wait and watch.

Sometimes I get visions during corporate prayers and last Monday when we were praying together after our Bible study discussion, I received this really great vision. Before our meeting, we were like Petri dishes that is covered with germs and bacteria. After our Bible study, we were cleaned up Petri dishes with little germs and bacteria on us. Holy Spirit shared that when we gather together in Jesus’ name to study, to pray, to serve and worship; that we automatically receive a good cleansing in ourselves so that we are blessed and healthier. If you feel sick and yucky inside, then please ask yourself if you have been too alone in your faith journey. If yes, then make every effort to get better and cleaner by participating in a regular weekly fellowship with other believers through Bible study, prayer and service. I’m currently doing a weekly Bible study, two separate weekly prayer groups, and attending church on Sundays. It’s basically getting myself cleaned up four times a week. It’s not a coincidence that I am this way. You need to make time to commit yourself to a disciplined plan for self-care and cleaning, but according to how the Bible teaches and not how the world teaches about self-care. Worldly self-care is not going to satisfy you nor make you clean and whole in the inside.

My Alex is back home from college for thanksgiving break and currently she is a junior. As I was reading my last update on Alex from December 2022, I am filled with joy and comfort. God is so good and faithful.

This week a friend mentioned about Benny Hinn in our conversation. If you are not familiar with Benny Hinn, he was known for preaching the prosperity gospel and hosting big, flashy miracle crusades in 1990s. I watched him on TBN Christian network in my college years and often wondered about his ministry. TBN founders and their guests were too flashy for me. But when I would close my eyes and just listen to their words, it would minister to me greatly. I just didn’t know what to think about him or TBN Christian network that was available in our area.

Here is a good summary recap by One for Israel ministry on biblical prophecy:

https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/is-biblical-prophecy-coming-true/

Our women’s prayer group meets on Wednesdays at our church’s cry room in the upper sanctuary. It’s timely for the Holy Spirit to give us this space to pray. I sure cry a lot when I intercede. Please read this message that I shared with my prayer group recently.

Hello friends. Please review these resources for your knowledge and education. Like many of you, I’ve been unaware about the backstory behind Hamas until recently. Pastor Gary did an excellent job on explaining the history behind Israel and Palestinian conflicts on this 46 minutes message.

https://cornerstonechapel.net/teaching/20231015/

(A ministry friend told me about his church during the pandemic lockdown and I’ve been using their teaching resources for my Bible studies ever since.)

It is very timely for the Holy Spirit to provide my church’s cry room for babies and their parents for our weekly prayer meetings this fall semester. Especially since I now see that the same spirit of antisemitism that was unleashed onto Hitler and the Nazis in WWII is the same demonic spirit upon the Hamas. This spirit is Satan himself who is orchestrating the elimination of all the Jews. It’s not a territorial issue but an elimination of Israel. I have much to cry and pray about.

A church friend shared this with me and I thought it was excellent with very good prayer guidance too. They also shared a good short video about the background of the situation in Israel and Hamas. Like most, I don’t know the backstory and it’s good to have some information. You’ll need to fact-check the information but from my experience using this church’s bible study learning center, their teachings are biblically sound and very thorough. I’ll share their church website so you can check out their resources yourself. Why is it important to be on God’s side about Israel? Because we belong to Him. Where He is, that’s where we want to be. This is the safest place in the earth for yourself and your family. I truly believe that with all of my heart and I hope you do as well. I also shared an older email message with my prayer group to remind them and myself why Israel matters so much. I just re-listen to all three messages. The links are shared below. Times are very urgent but also let’s remember that it’s a very, very, very short period compared to ETERNITY.

https://youtu.be/2f91r2Vy-h0?si=jG8UFMCm3shfxs-t

Thank you so much for your prayers! My brother-in-law and his family landed in Greece last night. They didn’t feel safe in Jerusalem anymore and decided to wait at the airport. There were thousands waiting in the airport and thank God that they got four seats, and their flight wasn’t canceled after many hours of waiting. 

My biggest concern in the wait was for my in-laws’ health because I saw that this crisis was having a great toll on their bodies. I wasn’t sure if they would be able to withstand the anxieties until Wednesday. God is merciful and heard our collective prayers.

One key thing that I witnessed when helping my in-laws’ crisis moment was that despite the many friends that my mother-in-law has, she wasn’t able to speak to any of them because she instinctively knew that they would only add to her anxieties. And she knew she would not be able to handle their anxieties upon her crisis. Therefore, she only talked to me. 

In my ministry work and in my own life the last 13 years, I’ve seen how much church friends and mentors that I’ve met in the church community have helped each other through great crisis and difficult trials. Do you have these kinds of faithful and mature friends? If not, I highly recommend that you start looking and cultivating these relationships before the storms come. No one knows when but storms come through to everyone on this earth. 

One more thing-because of my mom’s immaturity in her faith and little knowledge of the Bible, I do not consult with my mom with anything too important other than asking her for prayers. I also usually tell her the details of the battle after the crisis has passed. 

When you are going through fire and through high waters, it matters most who is praying for you and who is counseling you in the middle of the storm. Please make sure that these friends and mentors have demonstrated good faith, services and loyalty to the Lord. From my experience, the only way you know their spiritual fruit is by interacting and working with them for a long period of time when things are calm and boring. 

Like there are no perfect marriages, there also are no perfect churches. You simply plant yourself in a church that God leads you to, and then you give and serve in there. I think I visited 4-5 local churches before settling on my church. It wasn’t me but the Holy Spirit who confirmed to me that this church is where I belong. There were several times in past 13 years when I wanted to move and plant elsewhere but God didn’t grant me His approval and peace. Church-hopping should not be common for the followers of Jesus Christ. Please be mindful of that and pray earnestly and carefully before you leave a church. In my opinion, you need to wait on the Lord for confirmations which he provides through the Bible, and sometimes through external signs (although in my experiences, the external signs were mainly for actions that required my obedience for something that I highly didn’t want to do. 😂).

Thank you for your prayers yesterday for my family members! God has demonstrated that he heard our prayers. God bless you abundantly! 

Isaiah 43:2

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 burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2043&version=NKJV;VOICE