Dear Friend, Happy Friday! Today, I would like to share more as to how God worked over, through, and for our my family, after the broken relationship was restored. On last Christmas Eve, my niece shared her dream on her previous international church where she had internship for a couple of years. She recently left it, after she was disappointed with the leadership and their focus on becoming a mega church and a celebrity pastor. She got the confirmation from the Lord to leave and not to return. Yet she was debating as to whether it would be appropriate for her to share honestly with the ex-pastor what made her leave the church. Then, she had a dream, and she shared it over our lunch for interpretation. Amazingly, He used me to help her interpret it, and at the end of the day, she chose not to say anything to the ex-pastor. Since then, in addition to the dream, she asked about something and asked my thought, and she said, “Thank you. You’re like my every day teacher. I wouldn’t take it for granted that I have family to share things with and ask to pray for me.” With her words and attitude, I felt she was really transformed after the near death experience and the encounter-with-God moment in the hospital that I wrote a few week ago. She and I have 11 years of age difference only. When I was a university student, she was still in an elementary school. And I used to bring her to cinema to show her Disney show, and we used to go to theme park for kids. But, when she grew up, we were more like sisters or friends rather than aunty-niece relationship. Sometimes it’s good and fun, but I used to think she has no respect for me, and she is not teachable. But, I noticed that she really meant to ask my opinion, seeking help on her dream interpretation related to her ex-pastor, even after we met and talked about it on Christmas Eve. Not only that, but when we met on New Year Eve, she stopped during our conversation, to write down what I was sharing, in her phone, saying “Oh, I must write this down, not to forget.” She never did that before. I was marveled to see Him change her character. While I had a blessed time with her here on two Eves in a row at the end of last year, my sister and brother-in-law in California visited our oldest sister, my niece’s mother in South America for about a month. My sister in California had a difficult time with depression since she had a menopause in last summer and was infected with the coronavirus in the fall. She had no appetite and lost a lot of weight. In that difficult season, she became grateful to our oldest sister, as she took a time daily, to pray for her and to encourage her. And our oldest sister invited them to come over, as she wanted to cook for them. They had a great time together, and my older sister was grateful for the love of our oldest sister. In both sides of the world, we thanked God for His goodness. My brother-in-law used to say to my sister that our oldest sister’s love toward her younger sisters is genuine, though she used to have challenges in relationship with our mother and unforgiving heart toward her for some years in the past. My sister and I agreed with his observation. More so as she was helped and loved by the oldest sister, during the most difficult season in her life. When the Lord opened my heart toward my oldest sister as well as my niece, I thought that she would be in the middle of being transformed, as all of us are. Listening to Sister Margaret’s testimonies on her anger problem, legalism, disobedience to her husband and so on in the past, I thought my oldest sister would be as mature as Sister Margaret, if she were in her 90’s like her. As time goes by, she would be transformed like Sister Margaret. We all need time and our Father is patient. And I thought even if she turned out to be unchanged, I chose to be meek and silent, knowing He is my defender. I thought to myself that I would learn meekness like Moses: He didn’t defend himself against the accusation of his brother and sister, Aaron and Miriam. One day last year, my oldest sister texted me and said, “I regret that I treated mom badly for all those years.” I didn’t want to put a guilt trip on her at all, when she shared it with me. But I wanted to encourage her. So, I said to her, “No worries. You have eternity to make up for it. :)”. And she said, “Amen!” In fact, her attitude toward our mom was also changed like my niece’s, as if they got to realize how precious she is to us. Recently, she used to say often to mom via FaceTime, “Mom, thank you for giving birth to me. I love you so much!” And the story of His love and power didn’t end there. After my sister and brother-in-law came back to California on the first week of January, she shared the challenging life of the oldest sister as a missionary in one of the poorest countries in South America, and she felt supernatural health and joy in the oldest sister, despite the challenges. Then, she shared a marvelous testimony. When she was severely depressed last year, I knew it was not only a hormonal thing (i.e. natural), but spiritual. And I felt she needs deliverance. Yet, I didn’t say anything to her, but asked my monthly zoom meeting members including my pastor and his wife in Singapore, and two friends of mine in Singapore and Korea to pray for her, sharing it would be partially spiritual. Though I asked their prayers for her, I knew, in my heart, I often criticized her for her self-centeredness, including self-pity, rather than compassionate toward her. I was reminded of the late Pastor Neville Johnson’s story: Whenever he preached in church on Sundays, a man under demonic influence stood up and made a scene, criticizing him. Pastor Neville didn’t say anything until he knew he was filled with the Father’s love toward that man. Then, on one Sunday, the man stoop up again, criticizing him. This time Pastor Neville felt His love fill his heart. Only then did he say to the man (actually to the evil spirit in him), “Be quiet!” Amazingly, he couldn’t speak any word from that moment on, and he became mute for a month or so and was delivered. So, knowing my criticizing heart toward my sister, I chose not to say anything on her real issue to her, but to pray. One night I asked the Father to give me a compassionate heart toward her, and I prayed in tongue. Though I couldn’t understand what I was uttering in the Spirit, my eyes welled up with tears, and I felt it was what our Father would feel toward her. Then, another day, when I prayed in tongue for her, I heard Him say, “I will heal her.” I shared His words with her, when she was in Miami airport to transit to South America in last December. Then, on the first week of January, she and her husband came back to California. One day before their departure from South America, our oldest sister arranged a meeting with a Korean missionary pastor there. He has a gift in casting out demons. Our oldest sister also knew her depression was spiritual, and she needs to be delivered. But she didn’t say anything to her younger sister on her plan, not to scare her. Then, the pastor prayed, and my sister saw or heard a demon come out of her ear. (She didn’t want to recall that moment and describe it in details so that I didn’t ask her, neither.) Her husband seemed to be shocked to witness it. Though she was peaceful on that day, back at home, she heard the demon knock at her, and she rebuked it in Jesus’ name. And she felt something moving from her stomach to her chest, which is another demon (or demons) that should be cast out, too. The pastor has been praying for her on the phone almost daily since then, and we believe our Lord would set her free in His time. Listening to all this marvelous story of our Father, I repented. I repented of lack of my love toward my sisters. I tend to criticize them in my heart, not really knowing what they went through nor having a compassionate heart toward them. Yet our oldest sister has the love and compassion and was desperate for her younger sister’s deliverance. So, she prayed together with her younger sister for many days, no matter what time she asked help. And the power of the Holy Spirit fell on my sister and a demon was cast out. Indeed, the goodness of our God led me into repentance again. Since then, my heart was changed, and I thought I would intercede for them with His love. Writing this down, I was reminded of Pastor John Fenn’s teaching. He quoted Acts 1:8 and said Jesus’ commandment to His disciples was Jerusalem first and then, it extends from Jerusalem to Judea and then to Samaria and to the end of the earth: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” He went on to say His commandment is that we should look after our family first. I believe our Father wants me to forgive, reconcile and love my own family first, before I would start to do His will in extended areas. We can’t love others, while we don’t love our own family. Though I went through challenging years in my family relationship for the past few years, I’m so grateful to our Father. Indeed, when He restored our relationship, it is even better than before. I will share more stories at a later point in time, as to how He brought more blessings after our relationship was restored first. Have a bliss! Yunee A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34~35) Comments are closed.
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