Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 1 Jan 2008

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 1 Jan 2008

Opportunities! This brand new year is going to be another year filled with opportunities. If we look back at years passed, I wonder how many of us said, I wish I could have done this, I with I could have started my own company, I wish I didn’t do this. Well, today’s word of encouragement is this; don’t let opportunities slip through your hands. Whether these opportunities may be big, small, a waste of our time in our eyes—remove all prejudgments, and instead listen and obey God. Even the smallest opportunities are worth treasuring, Why? Because God is above all and can use even the smallest opportunities to humble the greatest. Singapore is a great example of this. A small tiny nation that lacks natural resources, and in fact lacks many things. But if we are listening and obeying God we can see, know, and hear God’s purpose for this small nation and how it is going to be used to impact the world. ARE WE LISTENING AND OBEYING GOD? One of the most powerful and strategic purposes God uses are people. He strategically aligns people with others for a reason; however, we sometimes over look people because of their flaws, their imperfections, and the fact that they are not in our circle. You see, if we are listening and obeying God we wouldn’t entertain any of these thoughts. Albert Einstein was told as a kid that he would not amount to anything, practically saying that he was useless, a waste of a life. Imagine all the prejudgments people put on all of us. God does things, God can use anyone, and God can do anything. In our small little brains we sometimes try to play God. Today, let us instead listen and obey God. May 2008 be filled with opportunities for you, to make an impact in another persons life, to do things that you are passionate about doing for God’s kingdom, and to spur each other on in this race called life. Opportunities…what are you going to do? 1 Samuel 16:7 “But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." © Jan 2008 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 31 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 31 Dec 2007

Philippians 1:6b He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. I believe that this verse is timely for some of us. For some of us we truly want to forget 2007 and all that happened. I hope that we would be encouraged by God today because His promise for us all is this, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” As 2008 nears by the seconds, it is evident that we need this timely reminder because we have allowed life, trials, storms and drought to cloud our purpose and reason for living. Trials and storms are but part of life. Name me one person who does not go through trials? Lets stay the course, lets focus our eyes on God, and remember that He has begun a good work in all of us and He will carry it out into completion until Jesus returns. I hope that today’s word of encouragement will give us strength for the upcoming year. Let us remember that we must be rooted in the Word so that we are hearing God clearly through every step of life. As we read the Word of God daily even through the storms, trials, and rough roads, we will hear God directing us every step of the way. To all I wish you a blessed 2008! May you find strength, courage, and perseverance to run the race and to never give up! © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 30 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 30 Dec 2007

Psalm 125:1-2 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. Today’s word of encouragement is a prayer for 2008. As we look back at 2007 and all that we have accomplished: the good, the bad, the highs and the lows, we pray with this reminder from Psalms 125:1-2. Those who TRUST in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which CANNOT BE SHAKEN but endures forever. Is your trust in the Lord like Mount Zion? Is your trust in God sturdy that it cannot be easily shaken? Up in the mountains the air is thin, the storms are great, but no matter what the mountain doesn’t shake or move. We have got to have faith, trust, and love for God just like Mount Zion. Finally, let us remember that the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. God is with us and he will never leave us. Put all your trust today in Jesus and may 2008 bring you excitement to live fully for God no matter the circumstance. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 29 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 29 Dec 2007

Jeremiah 1:7-8: But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. God can use anyone He wants to be used for His kingdom. Sometimes when we look at people we prejudge them, in fact in our own minds we already have an opinion about that person. Today’s word of encouragement is to minimize any prejudgment on people. Whether it is a close friend or even someone you meet for the first time, we have to remove our selfish thoughts. Most often people who make jokes are seen as childish, people who are too serious are seen as being intense or the type of clothes a person wears means that this person is trying to attract attention. Who has given us the right to judge people? God sees the hearts of people, He knows what is inside us, and He is willing to use anyone with a true and pure heart. We can’t fake Christianity. You either Love God or you Don’t, it is simple as that. Don’t let people and their opinions stop you from being who you are meant to be. We have been designed by God; we have been molded by OUR POTTER. People and their opinions have not designed us. Today, let us stick to the word of God, His promises, and remove from our ears any false prejudgments on our lives that DO NOT DEFINE US. Let us remember this verse: Jeremiah 1:7-8 “Do not say, I am only a child, you must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them…” © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 28 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 28 Dec 2007

Today’s word of encouragement is a follow-up on yesterday’s word about what we do in secret God will reward us. In Esther 2:21, we find Mordecai sitting at the King’s gate and he over hears two men conspiring to assassinate the King. He informs Queen Esther, and because of Mordecai, King Xerxes lived. It is not until Esther 6:2 when King Xerxes finds out that it was Mordecai that saved his life. In fact King Xerxes most likely would have not known what Mordecai had done, because it just so happened that King Xerxes couldn’t sleep one night and was reading the book of the chronicles of his reign (Esther 6:1). And it is through the records where he stumbles on the record that it was Mordecai who exposed the two men who were trying to kill him. You see, many of us, would expect to be rewarded greatly for doing such a heroic act. Many of us would expect fame and honor. Furthermore, if we did not receive any reward, most of us would probably complain, whine, and demand something. I hope that we all can learn something from Mordecai. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have saved someone’s life and not even be thanked for it? It must have been so hard for Mordecai. Yet, Mordecai throughout the book of Esther reveals that he was a righteous man who loved God tremendously. His love for God was so real, that fame and fortune was not important. His love for God was so real that he wouldn’t bow to Haman (King Xerxes number two man) or bow to anyone but God. I picture Mordecai the day when King Xerxes honors him in Esther 6:10-11, he probably thanked God for that honor rather than show people, “look at me, see I’m such a great person”. To have kept silent, to have stayed faithful, to not waver based on circumstances, Mordecai is a life example to all of us. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 27 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 27 Dec 2007

Matthew 6:6 Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. In the context of Matthew 6 this verse above refers to prayer. However, today’s word of encouragement is not about prayer, but this: what we do in secret, God rewards us. It is a fact that God does not like hearts that are boastful and proud. Psalm 12:3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips and every boastful tongue. James 4:16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. He sees what is true inside us. In fact I would be bold enough to say that we don’t even have to prove to others, or defend our case to show people that we aren’t boastful. God sees and knows what is inside us. People may think otherwise, but again are we moved by man or by God? Today, don’t give up doing what you are doing in secret that only God knows and is well pleased. It could be your prayers, it could be your tithes and financial blessings to bless others, it could even be your faithfulness to work tirelessly for a grouchy, rude, and mean boss, and yet you do not complain to others about that person. But in everything that we do, don’t boast about it. At times we may feel like, “God, have you forgotten about what I’ve done?” At other times, we my have faced frustrating situations and instead of keeping things to ourselves, we boast about it to others, proving how great or tough our lives are. Today let us boast in only one thing!! In God! Psalm 44:8 In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 26 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 26 Dec 2007

Nehemiah 9: 26 "But they were disobedient and rebelled against you; they put your law behind their backs. They killed your prophets, who had admonished them in order to turn them back to you; they committed awful blasphemies. 27 So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. 28 "BUT AS SOON AS THEY WERE AT REST, THEY AGAIN DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN YOUR SIGHT. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time. Today’s word is this: Do we take God for granted? Many of us in our own ways are rebellious to God. We know that He does not like what we are doing, and yet we still do it. In many ways we have turned our backs on God, and yet when we need Him we call on Him. Verse 27 is vital in our daily life, especially with our relationship with God. Why? Because it says, “So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you…and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. Verse 27 is so important because, God allows oppression in our lives to “wake us up!” to send us signals that He isn’t happy. When we realize this, then we cry out to God to show us compassion, and to rescue us. But the moment God shows us compassion what do we do? Verse 28 "BUT AS SOON AS THEY WERE AT REST, THEY AGAIN DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN YOUR SIGHT. God stays constant, His love for us never changes, and He will keep showing us compassion as Nehemiah 9 clearly shows us all, but when are we going to draw the line, stop what God doesn’t like us doing, and really not take God for granted. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 25 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 25 Dec 2007

Firstly, Merry Christmas to you. Today, a day which we all remember Christ birth. I wish we could take the time to stop, honor our Lord Jesus Christ, give thanks to Him, and praise His name. Today’s word of encouragement is taken from Ezra 5:9-12, being a servant of the God of heaven and earth. 9 We questioned the elders and asked them, "Who authorized you to rebuild this temple and restore this structure?" 10 We also asked them their names, so that we could write down the names of their leaders for your information. 11 This is the answer they gave us: "We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, one that a great king of Israel built and finished. 12 But because our fathers angered the God of heaven, he handed them over to Nebuchadnezzar the Chaldean, king of Babylon, who destroyed this temple and deported the people to Babylon. The reason why Ezra 5:9-12 is so meaningful to me is because sometimes I feel like people around me, the world around me are looking at me and questioning my actions. Today’s word of encouragement is a clear reminder that the world may question us, even the people dearest to us will question us and have their personal opinion. We must show respect to people especially to those that we love most, but ultimately who are we servants to? Let today’s word of encouragement be a reminder a mark that we are servants of God not man! Listening and obeying God is more important that what any man can say. © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 24 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 24 Dec 2007

Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. As we head into the holiday season, remembering the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is the most important thing to remember during Christmas. Not to take that away today, but today’s word of encouragement is something that has been burning on my heart for some time now. Honor your father and mother. We all show our love and express our love in different ways. Some of us are good with words, some of us are good with showing affection, others are great at giving gifts, or serving others, and others are good with spending quality time (the five love languages). But today’s word of encouragement is more than the 5 love languages. It is honor! Honor means: Respect, paying tribute too, but to me it means more than expressing love. Seeking forgiveness, blessing, and submitting to our parents’ authority. Today, I honor my parent’s, and hope others reading this daily word of encouragement would take the step of faith to honor, to seek forgiveness, pour blessings upon your parents, and submit to their authority. We may be older now, lead our own lives, have our own families now, and we may even have our own children, but the very fact that we submit and honor our parents, is a living example to our own children and how we would want them to treat us. Papa and Mom, I love you with all my heart. I’m sorry for my attitude, I’m sorry for not giving you my best time; I seek your forgiveness today. I bless you both today with my prayers, prayers which money cannot even buy, gold and silver cannot even measure, prayers which our Lord Jesus Christ promises you both. And today I make this commitment to submit to your authority. I am proud to be called your son. I am humbled by your love. You both are defined by God! Loved by God! Nothing can tear my love for you both because Christ has first shown what love is. To all parents may restoration take place in your home! It is never too late to apologize, to rebuild, to reunite, and restore. Make this Christmas holiday a memorable one! © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 23 Dec 2007

Word of Encouragement for Every New Day ~ 23 Dec 2007

Ezra 4:4 Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building. 5 They hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia. The devil works in such powerful ways, subtle ways, and hidden ways. We must be in tune with God, if not we are headed down a path that will lead to emptiness. I love Ezra 4:4, because it depicts exactly what our enemy is like. He sets out to discourage us. The blessings, the promises God has for us—be aware that the devil is going to be there to discourage us. The devil wants us to be afraid. Of what? It’s funny actually because we are afraid of the small things when we should be afraid of God. Imagine, in Ezra 4:5 while the people were prepared to rebuild and fulfill God’s promises, the devil hired counselors to work against them and frustrate their plans during the ENTIRE reign of Cyrus King of Persia down to the reign of Darius King of Persia. God wrote the Bible for us to warn us of the devils tactics. Today, are we aware of how the devil attacks us? Today are we aware of how God is helping us? © Dec 2007 Shaun Lee