MY FRIENDS IN GOLD COAST

I had the opportunity to spend Sunday afternoon at the Gold Coast, Australia. I went for a stroll along the beach. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. Many families were on the beach relaxing. I saw some people fishing and children playing on the sand. Some people were riding bicycles. It was refreshing for me to stroll along the beach and talking to God. Then, I caught up with Pastor Lance, Belle and friends at the Gold Coast. (See photos).


Impossible into Possible

As we journey through life, we may encounter impossible or difficult situations. How should we respond to impossible or difficult situations in life? God has been challenging me to respond in biblical ways.

• Allow God to give us right perspectives

Sometimes we focus so much on the problems that we lose our perspective. We need to compare our problems to the size of our God. Our God is bigger than the challenges we face in life. Who is bigger? The mountains that we face in life or the God who created the universe? I often need to remind myself that God is bigger than whatever I am facing in my life.

• Allow God to stretch our faith

God can be compared to a personal trainer who helps a person to build muscles at the gym. God desires to help us grow in our faith and our trust in His love, power and promises. I desire to experience more of God and His miracles in my life. God often brings challenges in my path so I can see His love and power working through me. I will grow in my faith as I see God's hands in and through my life.

• Allow God to turn impossible into possible

I love the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 4:1-7. The widow had a big debt she could not repay and the creditor want to take her two boys. She only had a little oil and no money to repay the debt. It was an impossible situation in the natural. Elisha, a prophet of God performed a miracle for the widow by asking her to gather empty oil jars and fill it with oil. God supernaturally provided a continuous flow of oil to fill up all the empty jars. The widow was able to sell the jars of oil to repay her debts and feed her family. The next time we face an impossible situation at home, workplace or ministry, allow God to turn impossible into possible. God is really good at doing things beyond our natural abilities. I am going to allow God to do many wonders in my life in 2010. I pray that you will see God do incredible things in your life too.

2 Kings 4:1-7 (New International Version)

The Widow's Oil

1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves." 2 Elisha replied to her, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" "Your servant has nothing there at all," she said, "except a little oil."
3 Elisha said, "Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side."5 She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6 When all the jars were full, she said to her son, "Bring me another one." But he replied, "There is not a jar left." Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left."