chriskan http://www.chriskan.org Most recent posts at chriskan posterous.com Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:19:00 -0700 I'm steppin' out! http://www.chriskan.org/126753224 http://www.chriskan.org/126753224

Stepping out into what God has promised is sometimes harder than the hype.  Seriously, a million "what if's" go through your mind.  

I was reminded yesterday about my own father.  I'm thankful to have a great relationship with my parents, especially my father.  To this day, he goes out of his way to make sure we are blessed, comfortable and provided for.  I know when my dad promises me something, he will deliver.  I don't sit there thinking "what if he forgets", or "what if he was just joking, or changes his mind".  I know he won't, so those thoughts don't even cross my mind!   Dad always comes through!

I realised my Father in heaven is even more so stubborn with his promises.  (Yes, I called God stubborn.. stubbornly in LOVE with ME!), and if He has promised me victory, healing, prosperity (the P word - get over it please), goodness, blessing, protection, then without any worry or anxiety on my part, I know He WILL bring it to pass.

I was reminded of Jabez.  This guy was named such because he brought great pain at birth to his mother.  Can you imagine being reminded of that all your life?! In the same way, people speak words of condemnation, discouragement, failure, curse, over us each day.  It's tough to shake off.  When bad news comes, we huddle up straight away and speak out the worst possible result of that news.  Then we pray and ask God to avert disaster.  So back to Jabez, he didn't live according to his name, or let that get him down.  There's hardly anything mentioned about him, but obviously the two verses that are mentioned about him in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10 are significant enough to be included in the Bible, that I believe we should take note:

9 There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez[d] because his birth had been so painful. 10 He was the one who prayed to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!” And God granted him his request.

Basically, he just straight out asked God.  "Bless me, be with me, protect me".  Wow.  I've heard it said many times "God helps those who helps themselves" - whilst it's not a scripture as many believe, I think it bears some truth, in that, we need to make the decision ourselves to trust God's word, and His promises, to see our lives blessed.  I heard it said recently that life is not about a faith/work/family/ministry balance.  It's about an integration of faith into our family/work/ministry.  There's a major difference - and outcome!  And with that in my spirit, I'm stepping out!

 

 

 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:01:16 -0700 God is the source of your increase http://www.chriskan.org/god-is-the-source-of-your-increase http://www.chriskan.org/god-is-the-source-of-your-increase

An awesome truth, from my morning devotional. May your day, week & year be filled with Gods favour!

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Sometimes, we think that the increase or success which we enjoy is the result of our own efforts or hard work. Now, I am not advocating laziness, but the truth is that God is the one behind our increase.

We see this truth when we read the story of Ruth, a young widow from Moab, who worked as a gleaner in a barley field from morning till evening. Now, we could attribute the entire ephah - a substantial 10-day supply - of barley she collected at the end of the day to her hard work. After all, she did work all day in the field.

But when we read about how Boaz, the owner of the field, had secretly told his reapers to ‚"let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean‚" (Ruth 2:16), we know that it was because of Boaz's intervention that Ruth ended up with so much.

I believe that Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, does the same thing for us today. He causes people to favor us and ‚"drop‚" blessings on us because He loves us. Then, He causes us to ‚"pick up‚" these blessings. Often, it happens so seemingly naturally we forget that it is the Lord who has blessed us with the increases.

A church member who runs a florist business shared that once, God caused someone who needed a lot of flowers to ‚"drop‚" a huge order with her. She also shared that she was hardly making any money even though she had been work- ing hard for many years. But when she became a Christian after coming to our church, she began to confess every day that God's favor was on her. Within a few weeks, that big order worth S$14,000 came in. Only God could have given her such a supernatural increase.

My friend, your hard work is not behind your increase. The Bible tells us that it is ‚"God who gives the increase‚". He is the one who is behind your increase and He delights in blessing you because He loves you!

Thought For The Day

God is the one behind your increase and He delights in blessing you because He loves you!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Sun, 01 Apr 2012 21:11:00 -0700 [CK BLOG] Growth requires change http://www.chriskan.org/ck-blog-growth-requires-change http://www.chriskan.org/ck-blog-growth-requires-change
Growth involves change, a shift from the old way of living, and being transformed to a new way - you can't expect to grow and hang onto the old way of doing things too, neither can you expect anyone else to make the decision to change for you.  There is only 1 person in the world that can make that decision - ME (YOU!)

Just my thoughts after reading Romans 12:1-2 - and hearing many people wanting to know "God's will" but yet clinging onto their own! 

Romans 12:1-2 (The Message):

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you."

It requires a deliberate decision by me to leave the old ways behind:

1 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT):

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things."

If I want God's perfect will (and his promises) in every area of my life, it requires a conscious decision to leave my "old ways" behind, for good.  It's not a case of putting it on the shelf, and come back to it when I feel like.  The children of Israel did this, and the moment they faced any hardship, they would run back to their comfort of the past, even though their past was a life of hard slavery in Egypt!  

We sometimes find it hard to let go of what we have become familiar with, to trust God that He is leading us to a new place of freedom by His grace.  And, in that freedom we find the fulfilment of His promises over our lives, which is a place of victory.

The last two weeks has been tough for us, with many battles, and it seems non-stop.  It's been hard to hold my head up and say "I'm trusting God to see me through this" - just being honest.  But there is a difference between being in a battle and being defeated.  A BIG difference.  We need to know, that we might be in a battle, but we have already won the war, through the work Christ did on the cross, so victory is ours already!

We change the way we think, act and talk, to change the way we live.  If we want to live God's way - the kind of life that Jesus said we will have in John 10:10 (MSG):

 
"A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of."

 

 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:02:05 -0700 The promise for 2012! http://www.chriskan.org/the-promise-for-2012 http://www.chriskan.org/the-promise-for-2012


Joel 2:25-32

The Message (MSG)

 25-27 "I'll make up for the years of the locust, 
   the great locust devastation—
Locusts savage, locusts deadly, 
   fierce locusts, locusts of doom,
That great locust invasion 
   I sent your way.
You'll eat your fill of good food. 
   You'll be full of praises to your God,
The God who has set you back on your heels in wonder. 
   Never again will my people be despised.
You'll know without question 
   that I'm in the thick of life with Israel,
That I'm your God, yes, your God, 
   the one and only real God.
Never again will my people be despised.


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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:37:00 -0800 [BLOG] God Revealed at Christmas http://www.chriskan.org/blog-god-revealed-at-christmas http://www.chriskan.org/blog-god-revealed-at-christmas From an email newsletter by Ken Legg (Set Free Ministries, AUS).  Hope it challenges & blesses you!

Every week, from pulpits across the world, images of God are being carved out in the minds of millions of people. Often those images are gross misrepresentations of what God is like. He is portrayed as legalistic, judgmental, vindictive, etc. People go home from meetings believing in a God who is a figment of someone else’s imagination. Just because they have heard an angry preacher they come to believe in an angry God. Naturally, they want to run and hide from this God.

There is a very important reason why God forbade His people from making images that were supposed to represent Him. It’s this - whatever image of God a person attempts to create they are going to get it so wrong! Man cannot draw from the polluted resources of his heart and the darkness of his mind and expect to come up with an accurate representation of God. But religious culture and church tradition have done exactly this and have played a major role in the distortion of the truth about God.

God is not known by human reason but by divine revelation. And that’s what happened at Christmas. God revealed Himself to mankind through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, who is the Eternal Word, is co-equal and co-eternal with the Father. He is fully God. But at that first Christmas the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father – full of grace and truth. John says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed Him” (John 1:18). Philip once said to Jesus, “You’ve been talking so much about the Father – show Him to us!” Jesus replied, “He that has seen me has seen the Father!”

Because of the incarnation we are no longer left wondering what God is like. Jesus is the brightness of His glory and the exact representation of His image! That’s why we need to read the gospels, because they unveil God to us through the beautiful life of Jesus. We need the epistles to understand the Christian life; but we need the gospels to understand God. Jesus sets our thinking straight about what God is really like. For example:

  • There are many things I don’t understand about sickness, but when I look at the healing ministry of Jesus I am clear about what God thinks of sickness!
  • I know God’s thoughts when I struggle with sin when I see the way Jesus spoke to the woman caught in adultery, and how sinners felt at ease in His presence. When a sick person goes to see a doctor he doesn’t shout at him and tell him off for being sick! He treats him and helps him to get well.
  • I only have to look at how Jesus cared about children to know God’s heart for these little ones
  • I know, by looking at the way Jesus exhorted and encouraged Thomas through his doubts, that God doesn’t condemn me when I wrestle with uncertainty
  • And how does the Father feel towards the backslider who is wallowing in mire in the far country? Read Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son. The father waiting and longing for his son to return, then running to meet him is their Father yearning after them. Remember, he had no words of reprimand and no probationary period for the returning son – only rings, robes and a fatted calf!
If you have formed an image of God that is not based upon Jesus it’s time to grind your graven images to dust. Then, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:43:00 -0700 [BLOG] When we... http://www.chriskan.org/blog-when-we http://www.chriskan.org/blog-when-we - Worry about our future
- Can't let go of the past
- Put our hope in man
- Try living to the expectations of others

We lose focus of the One, who created us with purpose, gifted us with talents & filled each day of our lives with beauty & joy. The "big picture" is painted one stroke at a time, but is already complete in the artists mind!

PSALM 139

God's Perfect Knowledge of Man
For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.

2 You know my sitting down and my rising up;

You understand my thought afar off.

3 You comprehend my path and my lying down,

And are acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word on my tongue,

But behold, O Lord, You know it altogether.

5 You have hedged me behind and before,

And laid Your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

It is high, I cannot attain it.

7 Where can I go from Your Spirit?

Or where can I flee from Your presence?

8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there;

If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

9 If I take the wings of the morning,

And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,

10 Even there Your hand shall lead me,

And Your right hand shall hold me.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,”

Even the night shall be light about me;

12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You,

But the night shines as the day;

The darkness and the light are both alike to You.

13 For You formed my inward parts;

You covered me in my mother's womb.

14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

Marvelous are Your works,

And that my soul knows very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You,

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.

And in Your book they all were written,

The days fashioned for me,

When as yet there were none of them.

17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!

How great is the sum of them!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:57:00 -0700 [BLOG] "Bicycles for the mind" - Steve Jobs 1955-2011 #RIP http://www.chriskan.org/blog-bicycles-for-the-mind-steve-jobs-1955-20 http://www.chriskan.org/blog-bicycles-for-the-mind-steve-jobs-1955-20

The news we received this morning was sudden, but inevitable. Even though Steve Jobs might have seemed immortal to many, he wasn't. But as I processed the news this morning, I began to realise just how much impact Steve Jobs has had in the world today, not only the greater world, but my immediate family itself.

Just 3 years ago my parents, in their 60's, would struggle to send an sms from their Nokia handsets. Today, my parents each carry an iPhone, they share an iPad and they rarely look at their windows laptop. Both pastors, the iPad has changed the way they see technology and it's use in their daily life.

I look at my kids, now 5, 6 & 8. I gifted my oldest son a mac mini when he was 5 years old. Other than some basic instruction, I set the parental controls up, and give him a canvas to do as he pleased with it. In the last year or so he has graduated to an iMac, and has taught his brothers the in's and out's of OSX, helps his grandparents with their iPad problems, and developed his creativity through tools like photo booth, iMovie etc. Over their school holidays, the three boys produced several videos, of them acting, short stories, just being kids, etc and emailed them to family, with such ease, you can't help but nod and think Apple got it right.

Being in the IT industry myself for the last 17 years, I realised that technology is not to add extra burden into our daily life, but to integrate, sometimes seamlessly, and enhance our lives for efficiency and productiveness, at all levels.

The "i" products have done just that, from world leaders, to housewives, the iPhone, iPad and mac have changed the way we use technology. Our kids will not know the world before an i(something), but given the world we live in, that's not always a bad thing. Kudos on a job well done, and life well lived Steve, you saw what can be, and against the odds and criticism, and many personal set backs, you pursued after it, and you have impacted many generations as a result!

 

Here's a collection of 60 Inspirational Steve Jobs' quotes:

 

http://www.macstories.net/roundups/inspirational-steve-jobs-quotes/

 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Sat, 07 May 2011 18:37:05 -0700 Blog post: Life through death http://www.chriskan.org/blog-post-life-through-death http://www.chriskan.org/blog-post-life-through-death This verse from John 12 has been in my thoughts since Wednesday this week, I dont know why!

John 12:24-26 24

"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. 25 In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal. 26" If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.

-----
But as I meditate on it, I'm starting to see the need for us to constantly lay down our lives (sacrifice our wills in favor of God's greater plan thru us) in order for true unconditional love to be expressed through our lives.

God has promised to grant us the desires of our heart, when we delight in Him! Nothing delights the Father more than to see His children being carriers of His love & presence on this Earth. Through that I believe we truly can bring the fruits of the Kingdom (righteousness, peace, everlasting joy) to those we minister too.

But it requires a death. There are many things vying for our time. I have learnt to evaluate against eternity. Our time on this earth is very limited. Regardless of our social standing, our physical appearance or our wealth, we can never get back even 1 second of a moment or opportunity missed to share Gods love.

Gods heart is for people. It's for this reason Jesus rose again, to free us from the bondage that was our carnal, fleshly self, and to set into motion the restoration of our sprit & soul with our Father. Giving us the gift of the Holy Spirit that we are charged with power (dunamis*) to see His kingdom & will established on earth as it is in heaven.

But we must die first before His glory can be revealed. It was the same with Moses, David, Joseph, Paul.. Jesus. Leaving my old, carnal, limited, short sighted thinking behind has opened my eyes & mind to the potential of a Kingdom life! This verse sums it best:

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 9
That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” 10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

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*Footnote:

Dunamis:

strength power, ability inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth power for performing miracles moral power and excellence of soul the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth power and resources arising from numbers power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:14:48 -0800 Priorities http://www.chriskan.org/priorities http://www.chriskan.org/priorities Today, 10th Feb, my wife & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We took our first "proper" holiday last weekend, to Dubai for 4 days. Our family all took turns watching the kids for us in SL, so we could really have a good rest and getaway. It was one of the first times I went without my laptop. I took my ipad, but I would've used it only once or twice during the entire trip! As a consultant, time is money for me.. and on reflection over the last 10 years, I've realised that I've spent most of my time earning money and all the meanwhile, my wife and kids have supported me - but I've hardly invested time in love, for them. God's grace has sustained us through all the seasons however, and through many challenges. But I still feel strongly today that priorities need to change. The choice is mine, based on how God leads me as the leader in my household. I was reading a card the kids had written for our anniversary, and realised how quickly they grow up, and each day they are influenced by their environment in how their think, their beliefs and value systems, and ultimately, their decisions in life. We cannot rely on anyone else to do this for our kids, or our marriages, but it's upto us as fathers, to take our God given responsibilities and invest the time, love & care required to make sure our children our prepared for life, God's way. That our marriages are protected, nurtured and built on a foundation of selfless love, just as God intended, and that ultimately, our homes be shining lights for God in our communities. I feel we have, too often, left all this up to our churches, pastors, schools, teachers and other people to do, when the responsibility is ultimately ours - as the authority and all we need has been given to us by God.

Today, I chose to change the priorities in my life, so that my home, my marriage, and my children are influenced to know, love & obey God, because of the investment of time, love, and leadership that I deposit in them, as led by God!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Mon, 31 Jan 2011 11:39:07 -0800 [Blog Post] The Vine & Branches http://www.chriskan.org/blog-post-the-vine-branches http://www.chriskan.org/blog-post-the-vine-branches

I was praying before I went to bed tonight, and also had a few questions I had in regard to my faith, and how it relates to my day to day life, and through my life, impacts those around me?  I was led to the scripture below from John 15.  It's one I've read many-a-time, but sometimes, when God directs to His word, He always has something transforming to teach you through something that you might think you're already familiar with!

There's a lot of focus on signs, wonders, miracles in the last days.  True, Jesus said "greater things shall you also do...", and I'm excited about seeing the power of God in action, in the lives of the hurting, needy, beaten, sick, and many others.  But it begins with me.  Actually, even before me, it begins with a Father, who, because of His furious love for me, chose me, and chased after me to capture my Heart with His beauty & grace, so that just as He loves me, I might love those who have not experienced His love as yet, and through that unconditional love, we may ask Him for what was promised, in Jesus name.  But it all flows out of intimacy & relationship with God, the pursuer of our hearts, first.  It takes a great trust in a relationship to know that even without continuous "signs", that our love is what binds us together, and because of that love, whatever good I have I will do for you purely because I love you, not because you beg me to.  

Could God love me that much?  He did, He does and He always will.  The greatest miracle, has & always will be a life transformed, stolen from the darkness, and catapulted into God's furious, unconditional love, from where we will fulfil every purpose & destiny He has created us for!

John 15

The Vine and the Branches
 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

   5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

   9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:38:00 -0800 Our steps are ordered by the Lord... http://www.chriskan.org/our-steps-are-ordered-by-the-lord http://www.chriskan.org/our-steps-are-ordered-by-the-lord

I have been very reflective the last few days, just been thinking about the people God has brought into my life over the years, and the ones who He has brought in which have impacted my destiny, and drawn me into His perfect will & plan for my life.  

About 14 years ago, I met a newly married couple at Church in Melbourne.  They had just moved (back) to Melbourne and were looking for a church to call home.  Something drew me to them and we became very close.  Little did I know at the time that our friendship would eventually lead to me meeting my wife, my life partner.  Coming upto 10 years of marriage, I guess that's why I've been thinking a lot about it...

Most times we will never know why we are compelled to reach out to someone, or where it would lead us.  I hear so many people searching for their Mr or Ms "right" all over the place.  But when we live a life led by the Holy Spirit, HE directs our every step and HE knows the true Mr or Ms "Right" for us!!
 Delight yourself also in the LORD,

         And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4

 

Also on my mind is friends God brings along us to support us along our journey.  I'm thankful for each one of them.  Tonight at G20 (life group) we had to spontaneously share a word of encouragement for someone in the room.  It was really great to hear those words spoken about each one.  We are so blessed to have the fellowship & love of another human life, made in the image of God, to bless, encourage and "do life with".  We miss the point by a mile or two sometimes, in searching for some religious ideal and finding people to "reach" when God has placed people right in front and around us, to love & care for. 

That's it for today.. just sharing what's on my heart the last few days.  I know it'll help someone :) 

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Thu, 30 Dec 2010 09:21:17 -0800 Children of the covenant http://www.chriskan.org/children-of-the-covenant http://www.chriskan.org/children-of-the-covenant Children of the covenant!

"6 In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” 7 The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. 8 What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” 9 So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith." - Galatians 3:6-9 [NLT]

Exactly 5 years and 3 months ago I was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. In that time we have been on a journey of faith in every area of our life, and seen God work miracles over time which has defied the theories & reports of man.

Along the way we have had many people, Christians as well, comment negatively about our faith walk, about the way God has taken use supernaturally in our health, family, work, finances. It's easy to become blinded by the patterns and measures of success in this world, and allow those thought processes to shape our thinking and our faith. But through every season God has taken use through we have learnt that we are not called to be of this world. Many take that as isolating themselves from the world physically.  But it really is a call to God's way of thinking, acting and believing!  

I go into 2011 healthier than ever. In 2005, the doctors declared a life expectancy of 5 years for me. It's a humbling moment for me as I am overwhelmed by Gods goodness and grace in my life that He has a purpose and destiny for me yet to complete and I am still here!  

I am very thankful to God for my best friend & destiny-partner, my wife Sharini, without whom I couldn't have gone through all the challenges we faced over the last few years.  Regardless of circumstance, she always had a beaming smile, and praise on her lips.  It was such an encouragement to me to see her shine through the darkest of times in our life.  In 2011, we celebrate 10 years of marriage!

My kids; I thank God that from such a young age they have seen God's power, and experienced His love & faithfulness.  They pray with such sincere and innocent hearts, and God honours their prayers.  It breaks my heart when I hear them pray for me - for God to heal daddy's eye or his blood and so on, but I realise that through all this, God always receives the glory when they see the miracle of healing, because of their faith.  

Right now where I stand in life, in the world's eyes, and sadly, in many Christian's eyes, we might not have "success" in their measure - but what we have right now is more precious than what any money will ever buy, and could ever buy.  Recently we had some good news that Sharini is pregnant with our 4th child.  I received an sms from someone asking if I planned to "rob a bank" - presumably to support the family.. God's promises over us will return more wealth than the best investment on this earth, and His protection for us is more secure than the hands of the best surgeon, or the largest army.  It is in His presence we live, walk and breathe daily.  

I guess it's hard for people to understand fully to what extent God provides for us.  But as we remain faithful and obedient to His call, we know without any shadow of doubt, no matter what anxiety & fear man around us has, that God will NEVER leave us nor forsake us:
1 Corinthians 2:9 (The Message)

 6-10We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it's not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text: 

   No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, 
   Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— 
   What God has arranged for those who love him.

But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.

2011: New Beginnings!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Mon, 20 Dec 2010 06:01:00 -0800 The Christmas Tree http://www.chriskan.org/the-christmas-tree http://www.chriskan.org/the-christmas-tree

Sharing an email I received this morning.  I think it brings some perspective back to a tradition that might cause us to become complacent to the real meaning of Christmas.  Regardless of whether or not the 25th of December was actually the day Christ was born becomes irrelevant, when we understand and accept the full meaning of WHY He was born in the first place, and the FREEDOM we have because of it!  It's definitely a cause for celebration!!

582797450960541

Hi Chris

The Christmas Tree

An Australian TV news report recently commented on a private school which had adopted a practice already common in the northern hemisphere - that of replacing the Christmas tree with the holiday tree (lest we offend!)

But it‚s not just unbelievers who have a problem with the Christmas tree. Some Christians feel that erecting a Christmas tree is the Christianization of a pagan practice, though there is a difference of opinion concerning which practice it is taken from. For example:

*Some say it originates from the pagan idea that the evergreen tree represents a celebration of the renewal of life.

*Others teach that it came from an incident concerning Dionysus, the mythic Greek god of wine and male fertility. When he returned triumphantly from India he carried a tapering coniferous tree and some, therefore, have linked the Christmas tree to this.

*Others, again, have traced its beginnings to the horrendous tradition of Yule among early Germanic tribes who sacrificed male animals and slaves, suspending them from branches of trees; in the same way that we hang presents on Christmas trees!

*Then there are those who have linked it with an obscure passage from the book of Jeremiah 10:2-4: „Do not learn the way of the Gentiles; do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven, for the Gentiles are dismayed at them. For the customs of the peoples are futile; for one cuts a tree from the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the ax. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with nails and hammers so that it will not topple.‰

Martin Luther

There is no proof that our custom of the Christmas tree descended from any of these pagan traditions. There is more evidence that the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas began with Martin Luther. One cold Christmas Eve, around the year 1500, Luther was walking through snow-covered woods and was captivated by the beauty of a group of small evergreens. As the moon shone down upon them, their branches, dusted with snow, glistened and gleamed. Luther hurried home and set up a little fir tree indoors and endeavored to re-create the scene with his children. He adorned it with candles which he lit in celebration of Christ‚s birth.

The Tree Of Life

The Bible mentions two trees in the Garden of Eden. The first was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from this tree. We might ask, „Why is the knowledge of good and evil a bad thing?‰ It‚s not that it‚s a bad thing, it‚s more a question of how do we define what is good and what is evil? Only God is good; therefore that which is consistent with His character and nature is good and that which is inconsistent with His character and nature is evil. Only God is qualified to determine what is good and evil. We were meant to learn what is good and what is evil from God.

When man ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil he saw himself as god, and began to relate everything to himself. He placed himself at the centre of the universe and has stayed there ever since. Man sees himself as able to decide what is right and what is wrong. Probably the best definition of sin is Œself.‚ „All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way‰ (Isa.53:6). That‚s sin.

There was another tree in the Garden called the tree of life. Why didn‚t Adam and Eve eat from this tree instead? Because they already had life. God put the tree of life in the Garden of Eden in anticipation of the salvation they would need when they sinned. The tree of life represents Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life.

God said that when man ate of the forbidden tree he would die. Sin demands the forfeiture of a life. The wages of sin is death. But God accepts a substitute, and Jesus laid down His life for us on a tree! When Peter was preaching to the Jews he said, „The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree‰ (Acts 5:30). Later, in his first epistle he taught the significance of that death. He said that He „∑ bore our sins in His own body on the tree‰ (1 Pet.2:21). As Adam and Eve died eating from a tree we live by eating from God‚s tree of life, Jesus.

When I erect a Christmas tree in my home, and hang gifts from it, it reminds me of the greatest gift of all that hung from a tree - the Son of God who died for you and me. The gospel puts God back in the centre ˆ that‚s life!


Or
 By Ken Legg http://www.small-groups-ministry.com/Ken-Legg.html

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:51:48 -0700 God rejoices over us! http://www.chriskan.org/god-rejoices-over-us http://www.chriskan.org/god-rejoices-over-us I woke up this morning with a sense of excitement & expectation! No matter how impossible or hopeless the situation looks, Gods promises always are yes & amen to those who believe.

The bible says the thief comes to rob, steal, kill & destroy. I realize that if he can rob the truth that is Gods word & promises from your life, he has robbed your future, he has placed limits on what can happen in your situation. NO MORE!

Casting off satan's lies is the beginning of your victory! Know that God rejoices over you. His love overlooks everything of the past to propel you to a greater destiny!

Zephaniah 3:17 (amp)
17 The Lord your God is in the midst of you, a Mighty One, a Savior[ Who saves]! He will rejoice over you with joy; He will rest[ in silent satisfaction] and in His love He will be silent and make no mention[ of past sins, or even recall them]; He will exult over you with singing.

I'm stepping into my victory today!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:52:17 -0700 What an awesome Father we have! http://www.chriskan.org/what-an-awesome-father-we-have http://www.chriskan.org/what-an-awesome-father-we-have

 14

 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; 
       I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; 
       I will be with him in trouble, 
       I will deliver him and honor him.

 16 With long life will I satisfy him 
       and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91:14-16

I was reminded of this scripture this morning as I got ready for work.  Yesterday, I received some great news from my oncologist that the government was allowing me to switch back to the original drug being used to treat the leukaemia as the new one had severe side effects.  When I initially asked the doctor to switch back, they said it was impossible and were instead trying to deal with the side effects.  But the side effects were really impacting on my life, stopping me from working, and affecting me more than the leukaemia ever did!

After much prayer, last Monday I asked the oncologist if he could please switch the medication back.  I had just missed a whole week of work, and it was really starting to impact on our life!  To my surprise, he agreed and but he could only recommend the switch. The final decision was upto a government panel which decided on the drug to be used, and also reviewed the funding (these drugs cost ~USD 3k/month).  We began praying and last night I received a phone call to say the committee have agreed to swap the drugs, which seems to be a rare decision, and it was decided very quickly!

As I shared this news with everyone, someone replied back in excitement that I'm becoming a big debtor to God.  True, but our relationship with God is not a normal relationship.  It's a Father-Son/Daughter relationship that transcends any earthly understanding - it is fuelled by God's unconditional & unmerited love, called GRACE!  When I read Psalm 91, I am assured that God ALWAYS has my best interest at the heart of any circumstance or problem I'm going through.  This assurance brings Hope, which strengthen's my Faith to trust in His love and it's a constant circle of faith <-> hope <-> love, but it all started & starts with LOVE!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Mon, 30 Aug 2010 04:53:00 -0700 Not just a rhyme.. http://www.chriskan.org/2010/08/not-just-rhyme.html http://www.chriskan.org/2010/08/not-just-rhyme.html Life today is so unfulfillin'
Why am I here I keep on hearin'
I wake up each, day, do what I don't like
Surely there must be so much more than strife.

Created for a purpose, created with a plan?
I hear these words, but my day is so bland.
What must I change, what must I do?
If someone can hear me, please give me a clue.

My failure to act right now would mean
A generation passes, sight unseen
Children of the light, raised to rule
But whats the point, if its all for me n you

I dont want to miss another wake up from above
Another GFC, STD's, ICE & shooting up
Will we be the ones to raise the standard for today?
To step and say there is a better way..

To rise above standards of the world
to bring forth the glory, of the Kingdom made of Gold
Living each day to love our King
To love His people, blindly trapped by sin

For this I know is the purpose of life
This is the solution, and end to all the strife
Let's build a foundation, one taht will stand
Build on love, that was God's eternal plan

So are you in with me, to begin a better day
Let's get down on our knees, it's time to pray
Pray for a world where God's light shines
through you and me together, this is truth,
Not just a rhyme.

cK - 30/08/10

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Thu, 31 Dec 2009 09:14:00 -0800 Welcoming a brand new year! http://www.chriskan.org/2009/12/welcoming-brand-new-year.html http://www.chriskan.org/2009/12/welcoming-brand-new-year.html

Even with all the celebration and hoopla surrounding Christmas and the welcoming of a new year, the majority of people enter a new year with much fear and trepidation, not knowing what it'll bring.

The last 3 years of my life have been extremely challenging, and anyone who is close to me will no doubt say that is an understatement. However, entering in 2010 I cannot help but sense a year which could bring us much joy. There are various posts on this blog that talk about my leukemia, then earlier this year the challenges I faced (and still facing) with my left eye. There were financial challenges, business challenges and marital and family issues to deal with. But I think a celebration is in order - because we made it!!

As I look back on the year, I see the favour of God shining through that ever before. His grace sustained us, and He gave us our hearts desires in the midst of the fire.

Yes, we did have many challenges & battles, but we also had the victory. I cannot help but quote Paul from Romans 5:1-5 (MSG) here:

"1-2 By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that's not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God's grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

3-5 There's more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we're hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we're never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can't round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!"

So, in hindsight, in spite of all the hardships, it has been a year which many people were touched, encouraged, delivered, ministered to, and healed through what God was doing in our lives - and for me, that is what success is measured in - making a difference in the life of someone else. If 2010 is going to be even better, BRING IT ON! God has only JUST begun!

I wish you and your loved ones all the very best for 2010 - a year in which I hope you will get to experience a God who loves you, sent his Son to die for you and is waiting to embrace & shower his awesome love into your life. IF you already know God, I pray you experience Him more and more each day in the coming year! Go on, He's just waiting to be invited!

God's best to you!
Chris, Sharini & the 3 boys.. :-)


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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Fri, 29 May 2009 05:47:00 -0700 The pain of obedience http://www.chriskan.org/2009/05/pain-of-obedience.html http://www.chriskan.org/2009/05/pain-of-obedience.html It's almost 2 years since I started treatment for many diseases that have wracked my body. It started with CML & type 2 Diabetes, which also resulted in the detachment of the retina in my right eye.

I began a journey of treatment in June 2007. Since then, I have had 5 bone marrow aspirations (I had 5 of the trafine biopsies. Of course numerous blood tests and other things.

Today I had the 3rd round of retinal laser therapy for my left eye. The first one went well, but the 2nd and the 3rd have become progressively more painful, with pain continuing for 7-10 days afterwards. I was told today I have 1 more treatment to go.

When all this first started, i really made me question my faith, my trust in God - but the outcome of that was a realisation & revelation that through every trial, God's glory is revealed in our lives. All He asks from us is trust, and obedience. And, what we receive in return is His love, that ultimately, through all the pain, changes us to be more like Christ, His grace, which sustains us ensuring we are never destroyed, His mercy, which draws us near to His throne, no matter how many times we fail with doubt and fear, and His compassion that forgives us when we walk away when "everything's going well".

So, today, I realised that I go through this not for my own gain, but that God's glory might be revealed through us, in accordance with His will. After all, the pain that Jesus suffered on the cross ultimately purchased the very salvation, and relationship that I now stand on for my own healing.

So, Father, through the pain, through the tears, through the valleys, I will continue to worship You because through it all, I will fulfill the destiny you have created me for, and there is NO ONE, or anything worth more than serving You!

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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Fri, 15 May 2009 08:27:00 -0700 I need a "Total Money Makeover" :-) http://www.chriskan.org/2009/05/i-need-money-makeover.html http://www.chriskan.org/2009/05/i-need-money-makeover.html

Gloom, doom, recession, downturns - it all seems bad in the news everyday.  Although, as Christians, we need to look beyond all this and ask God where we stand in the midst of the current economic times.  Psalm 112:6 states "Even in the midst of darkness, light dawns for the righteous" [pp].  So, we need not worry or fear, but I feel this is always a time to take stock, seek God and surrender every area of our life to Him to guide us through the "storm".

In early 2008 we decided to sell our family home, which at the time was worth over 750k AUD.  A lot of people thought we were mad.  Sure, we were living the dream, cars, big house, home theatre etc.  But, amidst all that, I almost lost everything when I was fighting leukemia.  We came to the sudden realisation that even though we had "success" by the worlds standards, we were miserable.  What was the end to all this?  The house would eventually be paid off and then what?  What difference had we made in this world?  How much time would we have spent with our kids at the end of it?  And, what legacy, and value system we were leaving for our kids for their own future, and the generations to come?

At that point we surrendered the whole burden to God, and He gave us the grace to go through it.  It was amazing, in hindsight, that without any regret, we gave up all the trappings, and felt such a freedom and enthusiasm for life that I cannot explain such peace in any words.  God had answered our prayers for a new start, a new foundation to build our family on, HIS WAY.

In January of this year we decided to move our family to Sri Lanka for a few years, mainly to be closer to my wife's family, but we also find that we get to spend quality time with the kids as well, and there is extra help with the housework etc.

From the time we made this decision, we began praying and asking God for guidance to establish our new lives in Sri lanka.  Especially, the financial foundations we lay.  Soon after this I came across people talking about a guy called Dave Ramsey on twitter, and his recent book, "The Total Money Makeover".  It was a real eye opener, and also exactly what God had been telling us.

What I love about Dave's book is that it's very do-able, it just takes discipline.  I'm only 32, and I would much rather establish this discipline into my family now, and hopefully the generations to come, rather than when it's too late!

I'm only upto chapter 4 in the book, but so far, it's really encouraged me to get started with LIFE, and excited about not getting into debt that binds us.  One of the scriptures in the book, which really sums up God's view on debt:

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. Prov. 22:7

We continue to see God's favour over and over again nowadays.  This week has seen God answer prayers for several areas we've been praying for. 

My health continues to be a concern, in particular my left eye.  I've been having some laser treatment to clean up some new blood vessel growth, which is bad, as they leak blood.  There were some complications this week after the laser, where there was some swelling on the retina.    Thank God it's reduced, and now I can focus again beyond about 6ft.  I've been at home all week, hoping to get back to work next week.


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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:02:00 -0700 The Word is our Weapon http://www.chriskan.org/2009/03/word-is-our-weapon.html http://www.chriskan.org/2009/03/word-is-our-weapon.html

Just listened to an awesome podcast by Phil Pringle of Christian City Church (C3). Of note was this quote towards the end:

"The trials you face are not designed to defeat you, they're designed to strengthen you and make you a success. There's not one trial that God will let you have in this life thats designed to put you under. It's designed to put you over, to discover what's on the inside of you."

I encourage you to visit the site via the link above and download this podcast!


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]]> http://posterous.com/images/profile/missing-user-75.png http://posterous.com/users/YS4i0n7cgQp Chris Kanagasabai chriskan Chris Kanagasabai