SCRIPTURE:
"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked. A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." "O unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." (Mark 9:16-19, NIV)

Observations:
I asked myself what the response to Jesus' question?
1. Teacher, I brought you my son who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech.
2. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid.
3. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.

Observations:
I asked myself what was Jesus' response to the man's complaint?
1. O unbelieving generation
2. How long shall I stay with you?
3. How long shall I put up with you?
4. Bring the boy to me.

Interpretation:
I asked myself the significance of Jesus' remarks?
Jesus was addressing their lack of faith especially the 9 disciples who were there and were asked to heal the boy. Jesus was in effect saying that if you believed then you could have healed the boy but because of your lack of belief the boy has not been healed. Jesus is also saying how long must I be with you for your faith to grow and how long shall I put up with you if it is not growing. But, Jesus does not stop there. Instead, He still provides the solution asking the man to bring the boy to him.

Implications:
I saw important implications for my own life. In my own life, I have seen Jesus be with me and put up with me in so many areas. Yet, I have failed because I was doing things in my own strength instead of depending on the One who came to give me faith and exercise my faith. For me not to fail in my Christian living, I need to put my complete faith in Jesus Christ alone and not on my own abilities. That is the way of Salvation for my own soul and the way of abundant living. It starts with exercising my faith in Jesus Christ and believing that He will do all He says He will do.

HOW GOSPEL GIVES ME TESTIMONY REGARDING F.A.I.T.H:
When I have been weak of unbelief instead of shoving me to the side, Jesus reminds me that there is nothing I can do in my own ability. I am reminded the more I try, the more I fail because it is not done in the power of the Spirit. Jesus wants me to exercise my faith in Him and Him alone so I do not fail and give into the lust of the flesh. He wants me to rest in Him and the faith that comes through Him. When I have rationalized things, I have failed because Satan is good at making our rationalizations come of as truth because he is the father of lies. He comes as if light is being shown on our actions but it is full of darkness. I have experienced that time after time. But, I also came to realize I don't have to be in bondage to the lies of Satan anymore. When Christ saved me, He resurrected me in Him. It is all done through faith by His grace and not anything I could have done. To know that I can rest in His power to guide me step by step and not be bound by the law but by His love gives me the freedom I need to move ahead. It is this freedom that delivers because it is freedom based on faith in Christ alone the hope of glory. You can have that too.

I ask you now dear friend, what store do you buy your faith in life?
Dear friend, there are many stores in this world that will try to sell you faith in this and faith in that but all the persuasion of selling is all to dismay if it does not involve the FAITH that comes from above. The faith that comes from above cannot be bought no matter what we do. And for that faith there is only One source and it is IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST. The source is Heaven's store and the faith that is given is given as a free gift to you. The bill has already been paid for you to receive that faith. It was done by Jesus Christ who made sure the transaction happened, not at a register, but at the cross of Calvary. The payment was not monetary but with the precious cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. He paid the ransom at Golgotha when He came to earth to redeem humanity. It is His blood that cleanses us of all our sin when we turn to Him. We can turn to Him because He gives us faith to turn to Him. I did not come to Jesus on my own but because Jesus instilled in me faith to believe in Him. Jesus wants you to believe in Him too. He wants that because of His love for us which translates into giving us abundant life and living. This faith is not anything we can earn by anything we can do. If that were the case, Heaven's store would be meaningless. But what makes the transaction Jesus made so special is that when He died, He took upon Himself the sin of the world and on the 3rd day came back to life to save. When He died, He showered upon us His grace so it is by His grace through faith that we can be saved and live a victorious life. This also means we are not accepted by God because we think we are living a righteous life or strive to live a righteous life. On the contrary, no one is good, not one, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are accepted by God because of everything that has been already accomplished by Christ. He has poured out His Holy Spirit to be our Counselor and Comforter to lead us into all truth. This is the truth of Salvation too. When people see you and me, if they are not seeing the faith of Christ exhibited in us then we are still living by the flesh and our lives would be miserable and wretched. But thanks be to God that we can find our hope in Christ alone and He will give us faith and help us grow in our faith.

So friend, no matter what you have done or where you have been, you can be forgiven in the Lord Jesus Christ for what He has already done for you paying the ransom to redeem you from the enemy. You can rest in Him bringing all your sin before Him for He alone can forgive you and make you right in the sight of God. Now when God looks at you, He looks at the righteousness of Christ covering over you and not anything you did or did not do. It is by grace through faith that you will be saved so you can find your freedom in Christ and Him alone. Praise the Lord!

It is Jesus that saved my mommy when she was a Hindu worshipping idols and it is Jesus that saved our entire family and gave me the mission to do student ministry with the resources He provides for me. It is Jesus that helps me live for Him.

I can be confident that I am not saved by the works I do, by the law I observe, but through Christ alone. This is freedom knowing when I come to Jesus by faith, He accepts me as I am just as I am and frees me from all my bondage to sin and death. And when I do mess up, He still puts up with me and He is with me showing me the right path to go. He will do that for you too friend.

Friend, Jesus loves you so much that He wants you to find the faith that can change and transform your life. It is faith built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and Him alone. This faith in Christ is exercised when you spend time with Jesus in prayer and through His Word. When you are tempted, remember that God wants to do something great in your life and Satan is using that temptation to give in as an obstacle. With your faith girded in Christ as you wear the Armor of God, you can withstand the attacks of the devil. I know I need the Armor of God daily because otherwise I give in so easily to the flesh.

You and I cannot live a victorious life without spending time with Jesus in His Word and prayer. This has to be supplemented by a community of believers who will build your faith up. What the 9 disciples lacked that day was no community of believers but doubters who kept arguing. Jesus came to give faith to you and me. I am so excited to have found faith in Christ to know that even when I sin because have gone my own way, His grace brings me back to Him. It is all His GRACE that  justifies us to be right with God through faith and it is all His GRACE that sanctifies us. He is the One that began the good work in us and will not stop so even when you feel down and doubt, remember God is not done with you.

There is no other Name in Heaven whereby we must be saved except the Name of Jesus. So, if you do not know Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior, please come to Jesus to be transformed. He waits for you. Jesus transformed my mommy's life, my daddy's life (who is with Jesus now) my brother's lives, and my life making us His very own when we were born into a Hindu background that practiced idol worship. We knew we cannot be saved or have abundant living no other way but in the Name of Jesus.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through me!" (John 14:6)

May you find your faith in Jesus alone through His Word and prayer for He waits to give it to you as you spend time with Him for true faith is in His home (Heaven) that He offers by His grace.

"For Answer's In The Heaven! (F.A.I.T.H)/"What store do you buy your faith in life?"

Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching me about faith. Thank you for dying for my sin and coming back to life to save me. Help me to exercise the faith you have given me as a free gift by studying Your Word, meditating on it daily, and talking to you from your Word. Let prayer influence me so much that my faith will grow because of the work you are doing in my life. Thanks for saving me by Your grace and it is not anything I have done or not done. That is a freeing concept Oh Lord. I don't have to do indulgences or get brownie points to be right with you. You accept me as I am and am covered by Your precious cleansing blood for eternity. You paid the price that I could not pay. Now Oh Lord help me to live out my faith which is your faith given to me exercising it daily. Help me to always rest in you Jesus. Thank you so much Jesus. Thank you for hearing and answering. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen!

Lord Jesus, You are my all in all. You are my Prince of Peace, Rock, Savior, and Friend. You are my Holy Father guiding me through to live a life of righteousness, holy righteousness. Oh God, I need you more than ever. I need to feel your hands around me holding me tight. I need your love to surround me so that you can glow in my life. Help me please Jesus. I desire in your presence. Thank you for guiding me to live a life of righteousness. Oh God you love me more than ever. You hear my voice when I cry out to you. When I seek your face, you fill me up. You are my all in all. Thank you Jesus so much for your help no matter what I face, your grace is available and you take my case. Thank you for hearing us and answering us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! AMEN! (Most of the prayer is from a vineyard song called “All in All”)

You don't have to be locked away anymore for Christ is here to free you and give you peace to LIVE out your actions.

How do you look at GODISNOWHERE?

One of my pastors, Pastor Hugo SHARED this example one Sunday at the RESURRECTION DAY SERVICE in the combined worship service of Pittsburgh Chinese Church-Oakland & Oakland International Fellowship:

If you look at it as GOD IS NO WHERE, you will still be lost in your sin and be in bondage locked away in your sins and problems finding no peace.

But  as my pastor spoke to the congregation and spoke to me, I am here to tell you that GOD IS NOW HERE.

Yes, friend God is aLIVE and wants to bring a transformation in your life through the GRACE of our Lord Jesus Christ for He paid the penalty on the cross to rescue you and me and came back to life to save us and LIVE with us.

Yes, friend that is exciting to know that we can experience HIS SAVING GRACE & LIVING GRACE.

When we mess up, we can go to Jesus with our shortcomings and He will forgive us and RESTORE us to Him and we will find peace in Him.

^"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23, NIV)

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:7-9, NIV)

Friend, we need Jesus because we have been separated from God due to our sin. Because of our sin, Jesus had to pay the price to become our bridge so we can reach God now not of our own good works but because of the finished work of Christ, the Lord on the cross.

"For it is by GRACE you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV)

Come to Jesus as you are and pray this prayer to accept Jesus as your Lord and Personal Savior. He will transform your life around! Praise the Lord! You don't have to have all the answers! You can come as you are!

If you want to be a soldier in the Lord's army, you can become it right now. Now is the time of Salvation! You do not have to wait but can pray this prayer and give your life to Christ to serve Him daily! There is no draft but coming to Christ is voluntary. He loves you so much and wants you to come to Him! He will take care of you, guiding you and leading you!

PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, I love you. Thank you for loving me so much and thank you for choosing the cross to die for me. You became the Son of Man and lived here on earth. Then you humbled yourself and became obedient to death-even death on the cross. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sin. You died on the cross so that I can be covered in your blood and cleansed by your blood as I acknowledge that I need you and cannot enter Heaven without you being my pathway. So, Jesus I confess all my sins to you and all the ways I have tried to get into Heaven when you already provided the means and the Way. Thank you for all that you have done for me. "The cross is the place, a wonderful place where accused and condemned find mercy and grace. Thank you Jesus, it is at the cross where the wrongs we have done and the wrongs done to us were nailed at the cross. Thank you Jesus, at the cross you died for our sins and at the cross you gave your life for us." I thank you for that and thank you for coming back to life to save us. Thank you Jesus for being there for me! Thank you for loving me. I love you Jesus! Please take me as I am and make my life into something that you will be proud of. I surrender my life to you and need your help to live for you. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me and I can never repay you. I want to live for you and need your help. Help me Jesus please. I thank you Jesus for saving me! Thank you for hearing my prayer and answering me. Whatever your will give me the willingness and strength to bear it. Thank you Jesus! I acknowledge you as my Lord and Personal Savior! In Your Name I Pray precious Jesus! Amen!