After much prayer…and waiting on the Lord for a ‘Spiritual Emphasis Week’ which had been long forthcoming. It was with great anticipation and expectation that we marked Dec. 13 – 15, 2013 on our calendars! It was a divine appointment with God, His Word, His Spirit…
Not until the last hour, when we received news that Pas. Guna Raman’s flight enroute Manila to Iloilo would be delayed 2 hours, owing to traffic congestion in the Greater Manila Area (which is another story in itself…sigh!). However, God always without FAIL work things together for GOOD! Owing to the yearly opening salvo ushering in the Dinagyang festival, a citywide major event was scheduled for that specific day, closing all major routes to Jaro..that is until 7:30 pm. Suffice to say, the hand of God was definitely upon this event, and upon our speaker, who was fidgeting all the way to Iloilo due to apparent lateness…only to find out, It was just the right time after all! Truly, Our God is Able!
Rev. Guna Raman of Agape Baptist Church Sinagpore
Pastor Pak Dong of LSBC Singapore jokingly referred to himself as the First International Speaker to set foot on E_tab, and ‘thankfully’ way, way, way before Pas. Guna Raman. We never understood why…until he stepped on the pulpit that late October evening…
And God spoke…
Every word, every nuance was God’s message to us through His servant. Pas. Guna Raman often interjected, he never knew about E_TAB Iloilo, until he received an invitation to be our speaker in his email many months back. Never knew anything about us, up until now. God does work in mysterious ways. How he would bring both our worlds together in a profound divine appointment, and speak FORTH…
Divine Excerpts
DAY 1 – Promise of the Second Wind
The Second Wind is the work of God’s Grace, IT IS GIVEN, NOT EARNED
The Second Wind centers your heart in GOD
God’s grace is neither DEPENDENT on God’s Moral STANDARDS nor PERFORMANCE
When GRACE comes DISGRACE goes
Stay FAITHFUL despite hitting the wall, but don’t let your FAITHFULNESS give you a sense of ENTITLEMENT
FAITHFULNESS may not equal FAITH in God…
DAY 2 – When you are caught in the storm (the difference between faith and amazement)
Some of the DIFFICULTIES in your life may not be because you made the wrong CHOICE or have been DISOBEDIENT to the CALL of God
God will take you where you haven’t CHOSEN to go in order to PRODUCE in you what you could not ACHIEVE on your own
Sometimes we NEED the storm in order to see His GLORY and GRACE
Sometimes GRACE may not appear like grace to us – That TROUBLE is God’s Grace
What we really need is the GRACE of REFINEMENT
For many of us we actually want our COMFORT more than our TANSFORMATION
We look more at the DETAILS of our storm, than we look at the DELIVERER of the storm
It is POSSIBLE to be a FOLLOWER of the Lord Jesus and have a HARD HEART…
DAY 3 – A strong and healthy relationship is not rooted in passion and desire, but in Worship
WORSHIP is first your IDENTITY before it is ever your ACTIVITY
The Bible uses the word ‘HEART’ to mean the causal CORE of your PERSONHOOD
Nothing can come out of your MOUTH, or out of your BEHAVIOR that wasn’t first in your HEART
A desire for even a GOOD thing becomes a BAD thing when that desire becomes a RULING thing…
Through the word Pas. Guna Raman would bring forth truths…that we most oftentimes overlook. The hidden treasures of God’s word was spoken, in a gentle, fatherly manner…overloaded with conviction minus judgmentalism,’ And as a father gently redirecting our hearts and thoughts through His grace and spirit, like little children that we were, we encouraged ourselves in HIM – surrendering all, laying down all idol thrones, consecrating ourselves once more – and just allowing Him to do His profound and lasting work within us.
