Communication Skill in God

I struggle with my communication skill in my whole life, especially in spoken communication. I often have self-doubt about the way I am communicating: Should I be more open or reserve? Should I talk more? Should I be silent instead? Should I express things in a better way? Was my body-language/expression/motivation correct? How was my emotion? Should I have longer small talk? Additionally, I often lost words/blank out in the middle of sentences. I often face difficulty in learning new languages and in formal speaking (even in my mother language). When I was little, I did suffer from selective-mutism (which at that time was seen as part of personality). This somehow affect my spoken communication ability, especially when I am tired. But of course, I also know there are many people have more difficulty than me, e.g. communication difficulties that comes with autism.

Communication is defined as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals. Communication (to others and God) is a vital part of our live. It do have a big impact. For example, in leadership, communication is very important in expressing goal / vision / motivation / believe / faith / encouragement / point-of-view, public speaking, understanding, conflict management [1], project management, organization, team building, training, and discipleship.

There are times in life that communication is so tough and might lead to argument, disagreement, chaos, and confusion. However, there are also times that communication is so easy even without many words, heart to heart, and with one vision/thought. 

In a relationship to one another and God, a smooth communication is closely related to the ability to love (1 Cor 13:4-8). Communication is smoother when people learned to forgive and accept forgiveness. Also if they learned for being humble, listening, and investing time.

I believe that God can interfere with our communication. He can speak to people heart that make people understand others and also understand Him. He can make people heart/spirit/thought become one. Moreover, He can help us in learning new languages. There are several occasions written in the bible on how God interfere with the communication between people, e.g.

The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” - Gen 11:6-7.

(20) And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. (64) Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. - Luke 1:20,64

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. - Acts 2:4-6

for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say - Luke 12:12

Even tough now you might feel not confidence about your communication ability, trust God that He can work in your communication with others and with God.

Love God with All Your Strength

Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - Deut 6:5

The video from the BibleProject [1] explains clearly the word 'strength (me'od)' in that bible verse. This bible verse said that we should love God with all our "muchness", meaning with every possibility, opportunity, capacity, ability, and moment in us.

[1] https://youtu.be/9aaVy1AmFX4

Love (1 Cor 13:4-8)

 

Approaching God: Holy & Love

After giving the ten commandments, God invited the people to approach Him. However, most of the people stayed at a distance.

When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was. (Exodus 20:18-21)

There are several untrustworthy opinions that I heard relating to approaching God:

1. 'We can never ask to meet face to face to God because that will makes us die.' This way of thinking often makes people never try to get closer to God.
2. 'Because Jesus made a way for us to approach God, regardless if we are sinning, we can still be close to God.' Most of the people that believe this, do not see holiness important and lose the fear of God in their life.

God is both holy (1 Peter 1:16) and love (1 John 4:8). The art of approaching God consists of both respecting His holiness and believing in His love. God loves us so much that He wants to have a close relationship with us, but it never means that He tolerates His holiness.

Of course, there are many other aspects relating to approaching God: trust, faith, hungry & thirsty, waiting for Him, seeking Him, humble, be a living sacrifice, etc. I wish that we can grow closer and closer to God because be with Him is the best place that we can be. 

Worshiping by Anointing Jesus

The act of worshiping by anointing Jesus appears in every gospel in the bible. The stories come with some differences in details, which make the discussion if it is the same occasion or some separate occasions.

	Matthew  26:6-13 Mark 14:3-9	Luke 7:36-50	John 12:1-8
Where?	Bethany, home of Simon the Leper	Pharisee’s house	Bethany
By whom?	a woman	a sinful woman	Mary
How?	using very expensive perfume, pure nard	wet with tears, wiped with hair, kissed, and poured perfume.	using a pint (0.5 l) of pure nard, poured on feet, and wiped with her hair.
On what?	head	feet	feet
Criticized by	disciples	The Pharisee: Simon	disciples

If these are separate occasions, I am impressed by the number of intimate worship acts that take place in public. If this is just a one time action, I am impressed by how deeply this act touched people, that every storyteller remembered different details.

Isn't that an intimate worship to God so beautiful? It brings to a place very near to God, where everything feels so different. Additionally, it changes and touches hearts.

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere

- Psalm 84:10a (NIV) -

Broken Heart: Give it to God. Do Not Give Up.

There were times in my life that something hurt/hit me deeply, up to the level that I feel my heart is broken. It was often mixed with the struggle of forgiving someone. Having a broken heart can paralyze someone.

When that time happened, the best solution is (according to my current knowledge): give your broken heart to God. At those moments, maybe a batch of broken heart pieces is the only thing that you can give to Him. He is the one that can change/renew/heal your heart. Give it to God.

Know the LORD

No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest," declares the LORD (Jeremiah 31:34)

Try to imagine the person that understands or knows you the most. Is that the one that holds all of your personal data? Is that the one that follows all of your works or accomplishments? Is that the one that always protects you? Or is that the person that shares all of your feeling and desire?

So, how well you understand God? How well do you feel what He feel? How well do you desire what He desires? I believe only God can make our heart to understand Him.

Freedom in the Spirit

Through several sources, last week the Bible verse in 2 Cor 3:17 got my attention.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

I tried to meditate on how it can be possible. I imagined that it works like a chemical that unclogs a drain. In our heart, there might be things that block the work of God in our life, such as sin, hurt, bitterness, negative-emotion, disappointment, confusion, etc. Maybe it is even something that we are not aware of or not understand. With immersing our self in the Holy Spirit, it gives the freedom to the Holy Spirit to flow. Of course I am not sure if that is how it really works. However, try to immerse in Holy Spirit grows our trust and love in Him.

Enthusiasm vs Love

In evangelism, enthusiasm can be just as keen as love, but it turns the gospel into business. Business methods see people as an opportunity for profit or for success. In the Christian world, we see people as an opportunity for love. So, go and love others, that is evangelism. (Reinhard Bonnke)

Source: https://youtu.be/K1ver7DuMZs?list=PLgCrghD07ZRm3qnE0YVvCwxa2zV7xVYJ_

Christmas: Room for Jesus

In the end of this year I am struggling in finding apartment in Germany that is suitable with my budget. It has been for several months and that is now still a struggle for me. Sometimes it make me feel rejected, in a pressure and weak. 

In a Christmas celebration, God remind me about the story of the birth of Jesus. Where Maria and Joseph are struggling in finding a room for giving birth to their first baby. God is somehow say to my heart, "You know how it feel, right?". Then God tell me that even now it is often difficult to find a place in a man heart (mine and yours), even though He will do so many good things in our heart. 

I began to remember in opening every section of my life to Him. Let Him become the Ruler of my heart. Have you received Jesus in your heart? Let Jesus born in your life. He loves you and want to do so many great things in your life.

Father's Love

These days while waiting my connecting tram, often I see a little girl that goes happily to school. The first few days I see her together with her father. She seem very proud and very happy having her Father beside her. There is another day that I see the girl running to get in the tram alone (with a very happy face). Another day I see the girl waiting for the tram and the Father wait across the street. While waiting, often they look to each other. Both are very happy and proud. From their faces I know that they love each other. The girl is very proud having a Father teaching her to use the public transportation. The Father is also very proud with the girl achievement.

And that moment suddenly God speak in my heart “As your Father, I will never ever leave you, will always love you, and will proudly teaching you. I am your Father.” These words really touch me.

The next day, I got a little problem. The problem is not very big, however it trigger the feeling of loneliness and feebleness. That was indeed a very difficult time. However, I am glad that God already remind me about His love, so I can get through this feeling-problem relatively fast.

Give it to God

In this week God teach me to give several things to Him one by one (my hope for something, my wish for something, and also my burden of something). On the day that God ask me to give something that I put my energy and my thought on for years (since I believe that was God’s purpose), God remind me to the story of Abraham offering Isaac (Gen 22) and also some stories about making an altar. Isaac was someone that Abraham put his heart on for years. Isaac was also the means for Abraham in fulfilling God’s purpose (Gen 12:2, Gen 17:1-8). In addition, Abraham loves Isaac very much. By remembering these stories and the trust on God’s voice in my heart, I gave what God ask for (without even asking why). Suddenly I feel that my burden was lessened and I am able longing for God more. Today I still work on what I believe is God’s purpose. But, I realize that the reason of God helping me to be able to offer is to make me able to focus, longing, and love Him more. By having more of Him in my life, I also will have more energy to work on what I believe is God’s purpose.

Problem Acquiescence

Acquiesce = accept something without protest

 “Acquiesce” is a word that I recently learned. I learned this vocabulary at the time when I have struggled with a problem for quite a long time. I was just at the time when I began to think that I will never go out from my problem. However, through Joel Osteen book (entitled “Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential), I was reminded that I need to stand firm. The book says, “When you have done everything you know how to do, just keep on standing firm (Ephesians 6:13)”. Reading these words reminds me on God’s love and God’s promises which make me stronger in the attempt of standing firm. I would like to thanks God for be with me and solving my problems.

Trust and Love God

The LORD preserves all who love Him. (NKJV Ps 145:20) There is no reason why we should not love our LORD with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind. .

Good Morning, God Loves You

Morning doesn't mean getting up and working again, it rather mean GOD loves you so much to let you live and see another day.

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These words are simple, but they are hard to remember when we are facing burdens and works. So, try to remember that GOD loves you.

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