When I started my business, I viewed paying bribes as unavoidable to gain favour and secure projects. I failed to pray for righteousness because I was always asking God to provide me with abundant business. I prayed for what I want, trusting God to hear and answer my prayers. I did not know God’s way as in Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understandings.” I needed more business and I did it my way.
The amount I paid out was escalating, so much so my accountant was getting worried about how to account for it in the balance sheets. Like in drama movies, I had to carry cash to meet the person involved either in a restaurant or sometimes along the highway toll – I paid no thought to the risk of being robbed or killed. This went on for years until the day the Lord gave me a wake-up call.
Before I came to FGT Sri Damansara three years ago, I had worshipped at another church in Kepong. One day, an evangelist pastor from Uganda came to speak on healing and deliverance. Many went out for altar call. My family went out, too. The Pastor came to me and without my voicing my needs, he whispered, “You must pray unceasingly and God’s way is always higher than your ways.” He prayed for righteousness in my business. This verse is in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
I was slain by the power of the Holy Spirit without the Pastor touching me and from then on I always prayed for righteousness. I stopped giving bribes.
Our God is a miracle-working God and nothing is impossible with Him. Within three years, I saw engineers and managers either leave their companies or migrate overseas. All praise to our Almighty Jesus Christ for the power to remove corruption.
The test to pursue righteousness was not over. Last year my company was called for a revamp project in a manufacturing plant in the northern region. The plant manager insisted on meeting up with me as the project could be huge; I knew then what he wanted. After our conversation, I started praying. I asked God for a solution and I kept praying for a way out. I couldn’t see how I could please the plant manager.
The next day we met at his office. While he was going through a list on his computer, I saw a familiar name. I found out the person was his big boss. I told the plant manager that during my early days of servicing their old plant, his big boss was just an engineer whom I knew very well. After hearing what I said, the plant manager abruptly told me he had a long list to review. Our scheduled lunch appointment was also cancelled.
God works in ways where there seems to be no way. On my way out, the plant’s big boss called because his manager had told him about me. The wonderful part came: the big boss would arrange another meeting with all his managers. He wanted me to be present to advise his managers what they required and not what they dictated.
Psalm 105:4 says, “Look to the Lord and his strength, seek his face always.”God is testing my faith and moulding me to be righteous day by day. God wants to see me blameless on the day I meet him. How wonderful and marvellous is our God, and when He provides, His ways are perfect and His ways we cannot comprehend.
Edwin Leong
FGT Sri Damansara
28th March 2016