The Real Safest place

 2026_03_14

Proverbs 18:10 (NKJV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower; The righteous run to it and are safe.

Psalm 46:1 (NKJV) God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.

Psalm 91:1-2 (NKJV) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Galatians 5:1 (NKJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

 

Last week, while sending my daughter to gymnastics class, a thought suddenly dawned on me: the safest place is actually if we have a set of rules to follow. Sometimes, it really is our safest place. Humans like to find themselves in a very safe place. Sometimes when we follow the crowd, we feel very safe. Or sometimes when we have a set of rules to follow and we follow them, we find security in that. Or sometimes when we conform to certain practices, certain traditions, we feel very safe—because it gives us a certain identity, or it feels like a security blanket.

There is something deeper we often overlook: humans are drawn to conformity, much like ships staying close together through a storm. Psychological research—most notably Solomon Asch's experiments in the 1950s—demonstrates this clearly. Participants, faced with an obvious correct answer, still chose the wrong one when the group around them did. Roughly three-quarters conformed at least once, not out of conviction, but to avoid isolation or disapproval. In cultures that value harmony, such as Japan, this tendency grows even stronger. So we follow crowds, rules, traditions—not always from desire, but because it offers protection, a quiet sense of safety in numbers.

This instinct shows up even in some organizations—where, out of a deep desire to belong, we sometimes adopt practices or traditions passed down from those before us, often without fully understanding why they began in the first place. This is normal because we may not have the first-hand experience to start off with. However, some of us may continue with these practices, but may not have experienced the pioneering drive that led to this tradition in the beginning.

And when someone newly joins the organization, there is a natural, almost instinctive pull—just to fit in, to do what everyone else is doing. It is the easiest way to become part of the group. The person will feel safe when they do that.

Sometimes these practices and traditions can become so familiar, so much a part of our daily life, that they start to feel like a second Bible to us. We may even begin to think they are the very heart of our faith—because the apparent action looks more real than what we read at times. And everyone around us seems to be practicing one way or another, in a very similar way. So it can somehow—sometimes without us even realising—become a form of religious practice.

Take, for example, how the Spirit once moved people—think of those early believers in Acts, filled and fired up, ready to leave everything behind for the Kingdom. That passion drove whole generations in many places: careers paused, lives reshaped, all because the Holy Spirit was alive in them.

But over time, in some organisations, the focus shifts. The Spirit isn't spoken of as much—not because anyone meant to push Him aside, but because habits settle in. People keep doing the same things—serving, gathering, giving—because it's what they've always done. Human nature loves routine. And it feels very safe doing it... to the extent that we may have accidentally forgotten about the Holy Spirit.

Yet without the constant going back to God to be refreshed in His presence, without that ongoing advocacy of the Holy Spirit in our lives, the drive becomes ours alone. We push on with effort, with good intentions—maybe even with loud enthusiasm—because leaders rally us, because we've learned to be "on fire" as part of the culture. But it can turn mechanical. The same zeal starts to feel forced, rigid. Burnout may creep in. And sometimes, when we reach out—sharing faith, inviting others—we do it more out of habit than heart. It may look good on the surface, however, it may not even be driven by the Spirit to start off with at this point.

So here's what strikes me: the actions themselves can look exactly the same as when the Spirit first started them. Back then, it was all from the fire of God. But however, it may look the same on the outside—yet underneath, the basis may have changed. What used to be His Spirit that moves us may have become our own push, our routine, our effort. The outward manifestation is the same, however the basis behind it may differ.

And honestly, nobody can really look inside and say for sure: "This is the Spirit," or "This isn't." Even I can't—I'm not in a place to judge. But there are signs. When it's just us pushing, people start burning out. They get tired, rigid, maybe even quiet about it—like the joy leaks out. But when it's the Spirit? There's always renewal—fresh wind, even in the same work. People stay soft, stay open. They rest, they laugh, they keep going without forcing it. That's how we know. Not by pointing fingers—just by watching what happens over time.

And honestly, nobody can really look inside another's heart and say for sure: "This is the Spirit," or "This isn't." Even I can't—I'm not the one to judge, neither am I worthy enough to do it. But here's what I want to share: sometimes, without us noticing, the Spirit isn't the driving force anymore. It's more the comfort of doing the same thing over and over—because we're creatures of habit, because it feels right. And to some extent, unbeknownst to us, we have accidentally slipped into something religious. Not because we're want to—just because the familiar took over.

And honestly, this isn't new—even in biblical times, it happened. The Pharisees started with good intentions. They wanted to follow God and to keep His Law perfectly. They studied it, lived it, taught it—because it gave them a real sense of safety, a security they tied closely to pleasing God. With all that knowledge, they felt protected, because they were apparently doing the right thing. But knowledge became their security blanket—more than understanding God's intention, more than really knowing Him. They held the words tight, but missed the essence behind them.

And when Jesus came, showing mercy to the adulteress, healing on the Sabbath, eating with tax collectors and sinners, touching the unclean—things that looked like breaking the rules upfront—the Pharisees saw a threat. To them, He ended up looking more like a heretic, someone who didn't respect the Law they cherished. From their safe place, His actions seemed to topple all the “safe practices” they had been holding to all those years.

Jesus said He did not come to destroy the Law or the Prophets; He came to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). On the surface, it feels like a contradiction—His actions appeared to set aside the very rules the Pharisees guarded so carefully. How could someone who seemed to disregard the Law so openly claim He was here to complete it? The tension was real for them. His ways shook the safe place they had built.

Jesus understood the heart of the Father perfectly. He knew how much the Father loves people—the adulteress, the sick, the outcasts, the sinners. He knew the Father wants them healed, restored, brought close again. So when Jesus showed mercy, healed on the Sabbath, ate with sinners, it wasn't breaking the Law. It was living the deepest reason the Law was given in the first place: to protect and draw people back to God's love and presence. The rules were never meant to keep people away from God! Jesus wasn't contradicting the Law; He was showing what it truly points to—the Father's heart for every person.

Paul later explained this. He said the law is good—holy and righteous and good (Romans 7:12)—but it served as our guardian until Christ came (Galatians 3:24). It kept us in place, showed us our need, and led us toward faith. The law was always pointing toward Him and to the heart of the Father.

And honestly, when I look at this, I see a parallel in us today. We—even I—may be guilty as the Pharisees sometimes, not because we want to be, but because it's so easy to fall back into that.

When we first received salvation, we experienced the joy and the freedom. We rested in His grace, in His love. But over time, we started to shift. Instead of staying focused on our salvation and relying on Him, we start leaning on our works, our routines, our good practices, because they may feel safer and easier, like a security blanket we can control.

This is not God's desire for us. He wants us to step out of this apparent safety net, this fake comfort zone, and take a bold step of faith into His true comfort—His embrace.

Romans 7:6 (NKJV) But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter.

2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV) who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

 

To share an image: a person standing on a high concrete platform, solid and far above the ground. That concrete is like the security we cling to—the traditions, the routines, the culture, anything religious that makes us feel safe. It's cold, hard. On the outside it looks secure, but in fact there's no railing, no fence—just one center pole holding it up. It's subject to a lot of elements: when the wind blows, the person may feel cold; when rain comes, there's no shelter. Yet sometimes he feels very secure in it—the floor seems hard, firm. He may even think as if this is the best he can get, as if there's no better place. But he hasn't known what real security feels like yet—that's just his version of safety at that point of time.

Then the person realized: this isn't where he should be. He came to understand he needed to jump out of this religious comfort and into the hands of God.

But there was a lot of reservation. And honestly, that's normal. Even I tend to have it. Thought like "What if He doesn't catch me? What if I land somewhere worse?" or simply we lack the faith. We tend to hesitate, because letting go means giving up on our existing comfort zone. But God isn't impatient. He's loving. He will still gently wait for us to leap into His embrace.

Finally, he took the step of faith—and stepped out of the concrete platform.

Instead of crashing to the ground, he fell right into the loving hands of the Father. Those hands caught him—not hard like the concrete, but soft, warm, cushioning. The embrace felt better than anything the platform could ever offer. It was comfortable, safe, and real—free from the wind, the rain, the cold that used to reach him up there. In that moment, he realized: the true safest place is in the arms of the Father.

So likewise, in relation to the image, sometimes—including me—we fall victim to religiosity too. We have the illusion that our current practices and traditions are the safest place to be, but we do not realize that in fact they are not. The true safest place is in the presence of God. Wanting to jump out of religious practice isn't as easy as we say. But God urges us gently—because He doesn't want us to suffer under religiosity or lose out on the freedom of our salvation.

Galatians 5:18 (NKJV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

And it's not about God pulling us out. He's already there, His hands waiting. All we need is to take the step of faith and step out. Yes, it's easy to talk about—but mentally, it's difficult. It's our choice. We need to make the conscious effort. But God didn't destine us to do it alone. He promised the Holy Spirit to empower us. So in partnership with Him, we surrender ourselves—let Him work in and through us. The question is: are we willing to let the Holy Spirit take control, or do we still want full control? Because only through His power can we find the supernatural strength to take this leap of faith He compels us toward. Let us embrace the power of the Holy Spirit in our life!

John 7:38-39 (NKJV) He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive...

 

 

John 14:16-17 (NKJV) And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

John 16:13 (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rebuidling the Structure

 

2026_03_09

I saw an image, a structure made of red bricks and black bricks. When we build the structure, although we want to use red bricks, sometimes we unknowingly use the black ones and keep building and building.

In this image, the red bricks represent all that God has furnished us with—His Word, our times of prayer, the giftings He has placed within us, and every grace He pours out as we walk with Him. But the black bricks stand for the impurities we pick up along the way: the subtle influences of this world, the pull of our sinful nature, the habits and thoughts that creep in unnoticed, and everything else that taints what was meant to be pure.

This is how I realize that God wants to periodically break us—so that He can rebuild us into cleaner, purer versions of Himself. When He chooses to break us, it is never because He is angry with us. Rather, it is because He loves us so deeply that He desires us to become a better version of ourselves each time—more conformed to His image.

Jeremiah 18:1-6 (NKJV) The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: “Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause you to hear My words.” Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!”

Despite how close we are with Him or how closely we are walking with Him, we cannot deny the influence of the world we receive from everywhere, exposure, all of it. These impurities may not by choice; we just accumulate them because of the influence around us. And subtly, without us knowing, we actually got influenced by it.

The purpose of this is not to say that it is okay to have impurities, nor are we saying that having them means we should hide ourselves or hide away in a cave. However, this is part and parcel of our life, whether we like it or not. As long as we are in this world, we will have all these impurities influencing us. For example, hurt even by our loved ones, hurt even through our quarrels, hurt through misunderstanding. It is normal—but we are not trying to say that it is okay. We are just assuring that it is normal. Ultimately, we surrender to Him and adopt the humility to allow Him to break us—rather than thinking it is a waste that we have built a structure so well, and why would He want to break it.

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

 

Psalm 51:17 (NKJV) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

Some people may say, "I want to hear the voice of God," "I want to walk closer with God," "I want to walk in the power and the authority of God." And God will speak. But sometimes He speaks about things that are very pleasant—maybe today He affirms you of who you are in your identity in Christ. But there are many times also where He will say things that will tug  your heart, probe you, make you uncomfortable—not because He is trying to offend you, but because He wants to correct you, and it is done out of love.

Sometimes, in our human nature, we may resist and say, “God, I have put in so much effort to build this structure; I am not prepared to break it down.” In the end, instead of allowing Him to break it, we tend to run away. God is a gentleman; He respects our decisions. However, the problem is that by doing so, we actually deprive ourselves of His rebuilding process. Yet the beauty of His love is this: He will keep waiting for us—patiently, quietly—until we are ready for Him to break and rebuild. Not because He takes any thrill in it, but because He loves us deeply.

Isaiah 30:18 (NKJV) Therefore the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV) Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.

Hosea 11:8-9 (NKJV) How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? ...My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.

One thing we need to understand is this: when He breaks us, it may look like a waste to us, but we cannot view it merely as upfront loss. Why? Because He is an economical God. He will not let any of our past experiences go to waste.

Let us return to the analogy and the image of the structure. When He has broken down this structure, He does not simply leave it in ruins and declare everything lost. When we are rebuilding, He reconsolidates all the red bricks and rebuilds them again—piece by piece, with love, constructing it once more with affection because He is our mighty Father. As He continues rebuilding, this time He ensures that the black bricks are thrown away. In this way, He does not allow the structure to go to waste; rather, He reuses the positive experiences we have had with Him—the lessons, the graces, the encounters—to form this new structure.

 

However, in our feeble minds, we sometimes think it is a waste because we see only the immediate loss. But no—we can be sure that God is far greater than us. His perspective is higher, and His ways are higher!

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV) “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”

Joel 2:25 (NKJV) "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you."

 

So from this, when we move beyond our human understanding—when we surrender totally, trust Him completely, and allow Him to break us—that is when He can truly do the work in us. When He does break us, and rebuild us, this is where we begin to see a new glory rise within us. We inherit a new structure, better than before.

Haggai 2:9 (NKJV) The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.

2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

 

In conclusion, let us continue to allow Him—the Author and Finisher of our faith—to work in us and trust Him beyond our human understanding. Let us allow Him to do His will in us, despite how painful or humbling it may be, because He has a greater plan for us: plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future. However, the only part of the equation that is missing is: ARE WE WILLING!

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Written by Justin Sng, with the help of Lau Guan Jim

 

Flavor-Soaked Potato- Be Thoroughly Soaked in His Presence

01/03/2026 

This morning I was talking to somebody and happened to talk about how I love to eat potato in steamboat. And when I eat potato in steamboat, I soak it in the steamboat for a long time so it inherits the taste of the soup that it is boiled in. And when that happens, the potato tastes of the soup it is soaked in!

That was when I suddenly realised this is also the same in our spiritual walk with God. Whenever we pray, praise, worship, or any acts that are associated with what we call ‘Time with God’, we enter His presence, and when we enter His presence, we are soaked in His presence. Over time, we inherit His presence, just like the potato tasting like the soup it was soaked in.

However, most of us tend to enter His presence in a sweeping manner and leave in a very swift manner because of our other seemingly important things in life, or just that we do it as a routine. However, this is not what God desires of us! He wants us to be thoroughly soaked in His presence so that we can be refreshed, restored, and empowered for the day. He does not want us to struggle. He does not want us to use our own feeble strength to walk the day without His help. He wants to partner with us, He wants to yoke with us. He wants to walk with us such that whenever we encounter potholes in our life, He subtly covers the potholes as we walk. He wants to walk with us such that whenever we face difficulties, the strength comes from Him to deal with it, wisdom comes from Him, so naturally that it is like our second nature.

However, this can only happen when we are thoroughly soaked in His presence.

We know that He promised He will never leave us nor forsake us. His presence is already with us the moment we acknowledged Christ’s redemptive work on the cross—our relationship with God is bridged. Our body is even mentioned as the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, does that mean because of that, we do not need to spend time with Him? And simply ignore His presence? Or is there something more to it? So, where is the missing part of this equation?

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” 1 Corinthians 6:19 (NKJV)

We must remember that we are restored to the relationship with Him—not that it is automatic having a relationship with Him. As such, if we do not spend time with Him, or rather be soaked in His presence, we may be saved, but not necessarily having the relationship with Him. And without any living relationship with Him, it is highly likely we still remain as before we were saved—nothing much has changed. You will see that we will have huge struggles with our old ways and our sins. And for that, we may get discouraged at times. We may get very disappointed with ourselves.

I am not trying to imply that after we have the presence of God or have the relationship with God, we will not fall into sin, but I am trying to say that now with the presence of God, our probability of falling into our old ways or falling into sin is greatly reduced.

And even if we did fall, because of the relationship with God, we understand His love and heartbeat for us—that when we fail, His grace increases all the more. And with the conviction and understanding, we will be more confident and more ready to repent and run back to Him to restore us once again. This is because we would have the first-hand understanding of His love!

“Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” Romans 5:20 (NKJV)

God desires our attention! I remembered a few weeks ago, I was quite preoccupied with matters of the world that I somehow ‘neglected’ Him. I heard what apparently was the voice of God telling me, “Won’t you just give me some attention? I just only need some of your attention.” Then I realised, this is exactly the heartbeat of our Father. He is not asking for much! He just wants us to be aware of Him. He is not the distant or angry God!

And here is the tricky part! When we have given Him the attention—I mean quality attention—it is as if we are connected to Him once again. And when the presence of God overwhelms us! It is not a chore or drag, it is joy in His presence. Or what Singaporeans call: Shiok! Trust me, that is when we want to linger in His presence! Because it is a joy being in His presence!

“You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”- Psalm 16:11 (NKJV)

 

This creates a self-catalyzing reaction: enjoying His presence, leading to remaining in His presence, leading to being soaked in His presence, continuing with enjoying His presence, remaining in His presence, and soaking in His presence… It is a natural upward spiral. We just need to be conscious to ride on to it.

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”- John 15:4-5 (NKJV)

 

It is actually true that there are cases whereby sometimes after entering and enjoying His presence, we stop going back to his presence. I called this like applying brake to the cycle. That is the reason why I actually mention that it is a conscious effort and that is probably the major part we need to be aware of to catch on to this equation. In fact, being human, we tend to be quite susceptible to applying brake. And when that happen, it is not a reason to condemn. But rather, it is more of being aware of it and be conscious to get back into this relationship building cycle.

And as we eventually get seasoned to spending more QUALITY time with Him, over time, like the potato being soaked in the essence of the soup. We will inherit His nature naturally- the fruit of the Spirit, His ability, His wisdom and all good things that is from Him!!!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” Galatians 5:22-23 (NKJV)