Psalm 34:17-20 KJV
17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.
20 He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
Many times I feel abandoned and alone in this world. I have thoughts that no one truly will ever understand my heart,
As a minister, I pour my heart out trying to lead people to the Gospel.
Sadly so many people misunderstand the heart that I have. They see me as arrogant and self-righteous.
When I feel this way, I look to Psalm 34, which truly brings comfort to my heart. These verses remind me that although nobody may understand the struggle we as ministers go through, God hears and understands me deeply.
When I cry out in distress, the Lord hears me and delivers me from my troubles. This same God who helps me in times of need, is also your father.
Even when the world seems deaf to our cries, God is always listening.
Verse 18 tells us, "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."
When we are brokenhearted and contrite, God is especially close to us.
He understands the depths of our pain and sorrow.
While others might judge us or fail to comprehend what we are going through, God draws near with compassion and understanding.
My heart is so grateful for these verses.
God wants us to live for him and not for the respect, honor, love, or recognition from others. He truly loves us with all of his heart.
Verse 19 acknowledges the reality of our struggles, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous."
Having salvation and being a follower of God doesn’t exempt us from hardships.
In fact, we might face many more trials and afflictions compared to the average human.
But God doesn't end with that. He promises, "The Lord delivereth him out of them all."
God doesn’t abandon us in our suffering; He delivers us from every affliction in His perfect timing.
Not only that, verse 20 tells us that God protects us. Even in the midst of our most challenging trials, God guards and preserves us.
Why? Because he understands how much we actually suffer for the gospel. We are shunned, ridiculed, misunderstood, and judged simply because we speak the truth.
We tell people they are righteous forever, we show them their hearts and they blast us for it.
God knows every detail of our struggle and protects us with His loving care.
Yes the world judges us harshly, but God’s love is free from condemnation.
He sees beyond our failures and weaknesses. When we come to Him with a broken and contrite spirit, He welcomes us with open arms, not with judgment but with grace and mercy.
If you feel judged, lonely, misunderstood, or abandoned, please bring your brokenness to God. We don’t have to hide our pain or put on a facade.
God invites us to be real with Him, to cry out in our distress, and to find comfort in His presence.
God loves us unconditionally.
Today, I want you guys to take some time to pour out your heart to God. If you’re feeling misunderstood or judged by others, remember that God sees and understands you perfectly.
Let's rest in His non-judgmental, unconditional love and believe that he heals the broken heart.
The world may not love us, but God loves us forever. Amen! Selah!
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Johnny Chang
Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
There are times where we feel distant from God and our minds are clouded with doubt.
Hebrews 12:2 tells us to look to Jesus, who is not only the origin of our faith but also its perfecter.
This means that our faith is based solely off the word of Jesus and his grace.
Of course, we might feel weak, overwhelmed, or uncertain, but Jesus, who began a good work in us, is faithful to complete it.
This truth reminds us that our faith isn’t something we muster up on our own; it is a gift from Him. So many of us were taught incorrectly.
We think we must have the faith, but it's Jesus who provides that faith.
When you’re feeling distant from God, remember that Jesus is not only the author but also the finisher of your faith.
He is the one who sustains you, upholds you, and leads you forward. Your faith journey is not a solo trek; it is a walk with Jesus.
He is both the beginning and the end of your faith. When we accept this into our hearts, we can have true peace and rest.
I hope each and every one of us can believe that Jesus is the anchor of our faith.
I thank God that he allowed Jesus to be faithful. He is truly a God of mercy. Amen!
Ezekiel 36:26-27 (KJV)
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Many people say that they've experienced a change of heart but the bible tells us what truly is a renewed heart.
There is a true, profound transformation that only God can create inside of us. From the time we are born, we are exposed to the influence of individualism.
We are immediately taught to believe in ourselves and follow our hearts. We are even encouraged to cultivate the mindset of trusting in self.
When we are told we cannot do something or that we shouldn't trust ourselves, it's seen as negative. It pricks us to the core and hardens our hearts. We love being around people who "motivate" or "encourage" us to try harder and follow our hearts.
This is the work of the evil spirit. He planted those hardened hearts to follow and trust ourselves so that we can never turn to God.
This is the state of our natural, original heart. But God wants to remove this heart from us of trusting and believing in ourselves.
God does this by allowing us to follow my hearts temporarily so that we can arrive to the conclusion of distrusting ourselves. This then allows us to fully depend on God for everything.
The stony heart represents our stubbornness, pride, and sin. We stubbornly think we are "good" people, even when we fail. Satan gives us pride and exalts our hearts when we do a little "good" for people.
He even gives us a heart of false humility, thinking it's humble to say we are sinners when in fact it's disrespectful to Jesus.
The new heart that God is talking about is one of true humility. It's arriving at the thought that, "I cannot do it, I'm truly evil". This state of the heart is very precious. But sadly, many people do not have this heart.
We all think we can do well or at least do some good. Of course we can do good in our eyes. But in God's eyes and his standards, we can never match up to Jesus.
We must distrust our good in order to lean on our God. This is what God means when he says he will place a new heart in us. The heart to deny our "goodness" and lean on God's goodness.
God also promises, "And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." This is the ultimate transformation.
Not only does God give us a new heart to distrust ourselves completely, but He also places His Spirit within us.
The Holy Spirit empowers us to live according to God’s ways. It cannot sin and dwells within us, which means we cannot sin once we accept this.
It’s not about striving in our strength but about relying on the Spirit’s power from God. We are already Holy, keeping the commandments, and righteous saints/children of God. Amen?
We must believe this even when it doesn't make sense. This means we cannot even stumble because the Holy Spirit doesn't allow it.
Even when we feel like we do, God says we keep his statues. We should believe his word above our thoughts. God promised and delivered what he set out to do.
We truly are new creatures with new hearts of distrusting ourselves. We are made righteous and cannot sin because God placed the Holy Spirit inside of us.
We did not do anything, but God did everything. He wanted us to reach the point that we are nothing so that he could be our everything.
Hallelujah Amen!
John 8:36-37
36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.
So many people in this world are looking for freedom. They think making money, providing for their families, traveling, and doing things for the flesh is freedom.
The freedom that God talks about is different than the freedom that man talks about.
Jesus speaks profoundly about the nature of true freedom.
True freedom isn’t found in worldly possessions or temporary pleasures but in the transformative power of the gospel. He set us free from the bondage of sin, guilt, and shame.
Hallelujah! Verse 37 tells us "I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you."
Although these Jews claimed to be the decendants of Abraham, they rejected Jesus and the gospel in their hearts.
Similarly, many of us come from religious backgrounds. We even have the knowledge of God through our religious experience. But unless we truly embrace the gospel of righteousness in our hearts, we will miss out on the fullness of His freedom.
Jesus chose to make us free from all sin. He came 2000 years ago to die for us. Jesus did not fail but prevailed. Amen? He is the messiah that gave us eternal righteousness.
But in order to receive HIS righteousness, we must surrender OUR self-righteousness.
We must allow his word to take root deep in our hearts. This is what true freedom is according to scripture.
As we walk in the freedom of Christ, our lives become testimonies of His grace and glory.
Please remember that you guys are the righteous children of God. Not because you did well, are obedient, help others, or pray heavily.
You are righteous because Jesus freed you from the yoke and bondage of sin.
We are dirt and we cannot produce anything unless God provides his seed (word).
We no longer live for ourselves but for the One who loved us and gave Himself for us. Let our actions, words, and attitudes reflect His gospel.
I hope we can truly embrace this freedom and not add even 1% of our own efforts into it. Jesus alone receives the glory for paying the debt and freeing us. He was the only obedient and faithful servant.
Amen.
Luke 6:22 (KJV)
22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
These scriptures tell us that we are blessed when people hate us. It sounds strange doesn't it? How can you be blessed when you’re being hated or excluded?
We've all experienced rejection because of our faith, especially from family members. When we think of blessings, we think positive things according to our standards.
Being praised, loving each other, having wealth, and even material things.
But Jesus flips the script on what the world considers blessings. He says that when you face rejection because of Him, you are actually in a blessed position.
When people reject the gospel and hate you because you claim to be righteous, that is considered a blessing to God. How can this be? Facing harsh criticism or even being labeled as something you’re not is a curse, not a blessing. So what does this mean?
It's because when we are rejected, God is accepted. We cannot turn to God when we have others to depend on.
It's easier to depend on your spouse, colleagues, children, and other family members above God.
God allows this rejection so that we can only turn to him.
It's truly a blessing because God doesn't want to lose you. He wants us to rely and depend solely on him. God never wants us to go elsewhere for love, hope, and peace because he is the source of it.
Satan makes us question if this pain is even worth it. But remember, Jesus faced the ultimate rejection and understands exactly what you’re going through.
Jesus went through so much trial and tribulation to deliver this precious Gospel to us. How thankful it is to align ourselves with Jesus' own experiences. God is calling us worthy enough to walk the path that Jesus and the disciples did.
He's showing us that your worth isn’t defined by how others treat, accept, or praise you. It’s defined by how God sees you. He calls us blessed when rejected for Jesus' sake.
When you face rejection, you can lean on Jesus more. It's truly an honor to be on the side of Jesus. Those who are wicked claim to be sinners and under a false humility, they judge others.
God also blessed them through Jesus but they fail to realize it. It's truly sad to see so many people rejecting this gospel of salvation.
We are testifying the power of Jesus even when faced with rejection. Although you may not see it now, your faith becomes a powerful witness to others.
It is opening doors for others to see Jesus in you. In God's time, they will gravitate towards you because of the faith they see in you.
Always remember that your identity is in Him, not how others perceive you. AMEN!
Titus 3:5-6 (KJV)
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
We often feel moments of unworthiness and heaviness especially when it comes to salvation. Thankfully however, God’s love and salvation aren’t something we can earn.
It’s not about being good enough or doing enough. It’s all about His mercy.
We deserve judgement and hellfire but instead, we received God’s forgiveness through Jesus.
When we accepted Jesus and his eternal sacrifice, it renewed us completely.
This is the true definition of grace and mercy.
Verse 6 says this grace is shed on us “abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Not just a little bit, but abundantly.
God’s not stingy with His grace. He pours it out generously. When we feel unworthy, we need to remember that God’s grace is bigger than our feelings of unworthiness.
Satan tells everyone we must earn God's love and please him. These verses tell us we already have God's love and Jesus earned it for us!
It’s not about trying to be perfect; it’s about accepting that you are perfect.
When you mess up, don’t beat yourself up, just remember we are perfected through Jesus and the holy spirit.
We must remember that it’s not about your works but God’s mercy. Time to time we must reflect on the abundant grace of God that was given to us through Jesus. Amen!