Rom 5:1-4 (MSG)
By entering thru faith into wat God has already done for us.....

my tots - it is thru faith that we obtain the promises of God, in God's time schedule/His view of eternity, it has already been done!

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 open spaces of God' grace and glory, standing TALL, shouting our praise.....

my tots - many times we limit ourselves, but just depending on our own strength, thats the independent-of-God side of the human spirit but the moment we enter HIS Grace, we can stand TALL, there is a divine confidence knowing that we put our best foot forward, and he empowers that foot to go the distance!

v3 - there's more to come(msg) = and not only that (nkjv)
my tots - God always has MORE! No eye has seen, no ear has heard the good that the Lord has prepared for those who wait on him, to hear his voice..

we continue to shout our praise EVEN when we're hemmed in with troubles, becoz we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue........

my tots - that's an act of faith, shouting praise even when u feel God is not moving, even when u cant feel a thing, or worse u feel worried, u feel the doubts, but its not abt the feelings, God is moving IN SPITE OF how we feel!

wat is passionate patience? - its waiting for God's timetable to happen, its waiting when u want to just run off and do it on yr own, its holding on and not giving up, its not getting anxious or getting the wrong attitude.

thats what Pst Tan was sharing during father's day msg, as children of God, we always want it NOW! instant prayer answers, but he says - in HIS TIME, and we want a trouble free life. but yet its thru troubles that passionate patience simmers and produces a broth of good character.. yuppy, thinking of onion soup!!!!! wahaha

vs 4 keeping us alert for whatever God does next!

revelation - its only when we build that passionate patience that we become aware of the timing of God in our lives!

patience and character keeps us alert! so we dont get sloppy
going thru the trial makes us tender and sensitive to the MOVING of God
so why do we pray, its so that we can be more aware of the timing of God, let your will be done here on earth as it is in heaven..

in alert expectancy, we never left feeling shortchanged! (msg) = now hope does not disappoint (nkjv)
my tots - the human tendency is to always think 'God why its not happening now???', 'God i want it NOW!' , 'God! why do it have to go thru this.. *whine whine*', 'God! why you never ans my prayer!', 'God, why u take so long...'
When we tap into the mind of God thru prayer, we start to flow in his timing and seasons n u start to have a KNOWING in yr spirit, in this season, where is God going n moving, in my life, in my cg, in my career, in the lives of ppl ard me..

when do we feel shortchanged? -when our expectations and the results we see are not congruent
how not to feel shortchanged? by seeking the mind of God in every bad circumstance, in every disappointment with ppl, in every discouragement

quite the contrary!we cant round up enough containers to hold everything that God generously pours into our lives thru the holy spirit! (msg) = the love of God is poured our in our hearts by the holy spirit who was given to us!

some bible examples of ppl who needed to develop passionate patience:
- Moses with 40yrs in the desert (nothing much except, sand, rocks, more sand, more rocks, mt of sand, mt of rock, not even a cactus, trust me i been to the desert in Israel)
- Joseph - 12years and the word of the Lord testing him, till he become Prime Minister of Egypt
- Jesus - waited 33yrs before the 1st water into wine incident happened
- David - was tending sheep (*baaaa..*baaa.. 1sheep, 2sheep, 3sheep...100th sheep.. zzzzzz) for a long time out in the mountains (in secusion) before God said u can RULE THE LAND!