Can God use a sponge?

A few months back, I was annoyed with myself for being so easily influenced, so I called myself a sponge. I then asked myself “Can God use a sponge?”
Upon looking back, I know the answer now.

Yes.
God CAN use a sponge.

God wants people who are open, teachable, and always ready to soak up His word. People who are flexible. God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isa 55:9). So, we need to remain ever ductile and malleable for His purpose. And we should always come before Him with an open heart; in obedience and in humility.

This is what I realised:

IF the sponge is constantly soaked up in the SAME pail of water and if that same sponge doesn’t go from pail to pail but obediently remains in God’s pail, he will be filled and God’s blessings can overflow to the people around.


May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope. Rom 15:13


In Psalms 23:5, the LORD your Shepherd said that He would fill your cup until it runs over. "Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over"


Be a sponge in God’s word.

Encourage me

As I was walking to work yesterday, I asked God to come in and encourage me and comfort me..
I always ask God to encourage me whenever I feel a little low in my walk, cos I know when He encourages, He always does it in a big way :p

Last night during prayer meeting, Sy Rogers came!
and he preached in the 2nd session of our prayer meeting! (None of us were aware that he was coming.. cos it was meant to be a prayer meeting for our shift to Expo.. )

So, he preached about 4 criteria to living life.

1st criteria: Be and stay flexible
Because God doesn't work in your way and probably not in your convenience too.. He does it in His way and in His time. So don't hold onto your ideas too rigidly.
The supple reed will bend & sway with the wind and not break, but
a rigid reed will be broken. So, stay flexible and don't climb out of His hands.

2nd criteria: Learn to rebound from your mistakes because you will make them
-Keep trying till you find the door that opens to success
-Failure is a necessary component in the curve of success
-God takes manure and turns it into fertilizers
-A little mistake can help us stay vigilant and save us from bigger ones
but
"You play on the edge of sin
It won't be long before you fall in"

3rd criteria: Have a sense of humour (as an attitude towards life)
Psalm 68
"Make lemonade with lemons"
God gives, God takes away but I trust God for light in my plight.

4th criteria: Ability to persevere to see the bigger picture
Sy Rogers struggled for a decade with his iniquities before God came in to deal with them. He then asked God, "why now? You let me struggle for a decade before You decide to come in and poke at my tender spots??! and why now?? When I am in public ministry..?" and then God said 3 things to him:
a) 10 years isn't cosmic in the light of eternity
b) Who said big issues had to be resolved immediately?
c) Only when you are mature enough can I cut open your heart and do something about it

Ecclesiastes 8:6
There is a time and purpose for every procedure even tho' for now, your misery weighs heavily.

A 5-year old may want to drive a car badly but does he know any better?

"Don't give up on My character in the midst of your afflictions."
Exodus 23:29
for God will complete the great work He's begun in you.

So, cross the finish line and hear Him say "Well done!"

--
I thank You God for the encouragement. You are ever so faithful.. Keep me close to You Lord I pray, in the loving name of Jesus.
Amen.

my role

God is so amazing.
In fact, I dunno how I should start.
Maybe I’ll just begin from where I last left off…

My role (in the Christmas drama).

Well, due to some changes, I’m no longer playing the main role. Concerned about me, sister Sandy and Pastor Eileen have been very supportive of me during this period.

So. Sister Sandy shared with me her testimonial as a late bloomer. She said that she’d always had a passion for acting, but because of her gifting in piano, she took up music instead of drama, in the Sch of Creative Arts. It was only a year later before she finally decided to pursue her dreams in acting. So, during her 2nd year, she switched from Music to Drama. Now, she continues to serve God in the music ministry as a keyboardist and at the same time, is fulfilling her dream in the drama ministry, getting involved in numerous church and community productions.

Pastor Eileen spoke to me too.

I’d left out a particular episode:
Before the decision to change the role, I was to have a final rehearsal with sister Sand’ and sister Jas’. And the night before the rehearsal, I sat by the pool and wrote to God. I thanked Him for the divine opportunity, for ‘rekindling’ my passion (or should I say reminded me of my dream I’d shelved for years). It was this time that I remembered how much I’ve always loved drama. I told Him I wanted to shine for Him.

So, back to pastor Eileen..
I then told pastor I would accept sister Sandy’s offer for a smaller role, and my decision to join the drama ministry. Like what sister Sandy said, acting is an art. And I too agree that acting is a craft that needs to be honed. So instead of sitting around and wait for another chance, I should use this time to work on my craft. I couldn’t deny what I told God. Even if I didn’t get the main role, I cannot pretend that I never had the talent to act anyway and chuck everything aside. If I had told Him I wanted to shine for Him, then all the more I should work on it. I need to show God I meant what I said and to use my talents for His glory.

And now, for the new story..
Less-than-one-week later, I got a call from my best friend.
Apparently she had bumped into Melody Chen who was urgently casting for a main role in her short film. So last night, I met up with Melody on the role.

I’m IN!!!

I will be playing Melody when she was in her 20s.

And know what’s the other amazing thing? The film depicts the stage in her life EXACTLY when I first knew her! Can you believe it?!

God never ceases to amaze..

“Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.” Psalm 119:116



Amen.

Eat this scroll

Last night, I thought to myself .. indeed it is very urgent that we be armed in the word and be strengthened in Christ. Because we meet new people everyday and anytime can be a good time to share our faith, to win the lost, to spread the gospel.

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. " (1 Pet 3:15)

and then God spoke to me in EZEKIEL 2, 3:

"EAT THE SCROLL"
Then he said to me, "Son of man, eat this scroll I am giving you and fill your stomach with it." So I ate it, and it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth. (Eze 3:3)

Indeed if we are to be strengthened, we need to be discipled in His word and meditate upon His precepts day and night.


-- In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God (John 1:1)

-- ...the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us...(John 1:14)


God, I love YOUR Word. Holy Spirit help me gain a greater understanding of the truth, and speak to me as You would, as You only can. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Heal our land

I have been praying for healing for our land, and God shed light upon this verse:

"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14

Everything for a purpose

Since we know that things happen for a purpose, we should look to recognise the reason for it, to learn and to grow rather than to see it merely as your destiny and be resigned to your fate. So therefore Seek God fervently and Inquire of Him everyday. Ask Him What is the ends to this?

I guess this could be the reason why God teaches us not to lean on our own understanding. (You know how sometimes we can get so discouraged and disappointed..?) Afterall, maybe our puny little brains (which we only use 10% of it) might just be a LITTLE INCAPABLE of understanding the INFINITE ways of God, you figure?

So, lean not on your own understanding. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Amen!

God encourages

God is merciful. Amen.

This began all the way back in September during Children's Day big day (Children's Day). Being performers especially, we are to carry forth the anointing. It is most important during this period that we consecrate ourselves, keeping ourselves pure for the Lord. With greater Visibility (being creative leaders and all), comes greater accountability and responsibility.

With every big day, all the more we need a breakthrough!
Standing on stage during rehearsals, I experienced spiritual attacks on my mind. Past bondage came back to taunt me, and I was haunted by mental images that sprung up in my mind ever so often. Everytime it came, I did the only thing I knew how- Pray.
Feeling disturbed, I prayed for deliverance at home. I asked for forgiveness and I prayed for comfort and encouragement, for I was feeling unworthy.

God, being a good and merciful God, showed up the very next day to encourage me!
Whilst doing my makeup, exited lil' Madeline bounced up to me to show me an sms that said,
"Lingual and Madeline, sister Sandy would like to hear you out for an audition for a part in the Xmas drama today."
As I saw that I leapt for joy!!!! In fact, I was shivering with excitement as I ate my food..!! Christmas drama audition? Christmas drama? The most important event of the year? Christmas? Me? Lingual? God? You could use me? You could? WOW!!! I felt deeply comforted by God and I couldn't stop thanking Him for the opportunity!!!

Part II
Continuing with my prayers every night, I got a call-back audition, and following the call-back audition, sister Sandy called me one night to say that they wanna use a guy for the role instead but the role of Mary was still open and asked me to go down to try for it the next day. Mary?! I couldn't believe it in my heart? In fact, I was questioning within myself if I was even suitable for it, since I figured I look slightly young to fit the role of a mother. But yes, that was my carnal mind thinking..
Beyond the role, I somehow knew there be a message behind it. "Let it be to me according to Your word" That night, I tried to look in my bible for the story of Mary, but somehow I missed Luke 1 & 2, so I went online to search instead, and here's what I found:

She was beloved of God. He saw in Mary a woman who was after his own heart.
Do you have that same longing; are you looking for his return? Does God find favor in you? Do you become one with him in sweet intimate fellowship? Just imagine the encounter Mary had with the angel ringing out his salutation of "Hail!" Mary must have been caught off guard with surprise - or was she? Certainly she was filled with a lot of mixed emotions, but could it be she was in communion with God in prayer at the entrance of the angel appearing in her room?

What has your response been to the Lord when he has found favor with you? When he has given you a higher calling? Did you follow through with the directions the Lord gave to you or plodded, questioned and mucked your way through? Dear sweet Mary's response of, "Behold the maid servant of the Lord! Let it be unto me according to your word" is so precious to me. Oh! Sisters, her response should rock the very foundation of our souls!

That was it! I too had found favor with God! And I want to have the same response! The same willing response. "Let it be to me, according to Your purpose. I want to walk in Your perfect will", I prayed..

On the day of the audition (whilst walking on the road), I asked God, "God, what is my role, what do You want me to be?" As it was drizzling, I walked under the trees hoping to be shielded from the rain, and I felt God pointing to me that I am to be a tree- To provide shelter to those who seek it, and to be fruitful.."

Part III:
You know how some people serve a purpose in your life? They come, they go. They teach you things, they leave a message behind. And that was what I felt the 'Mary' role was about. It came in to tell me something. To share with me the story of a young woman who was willing, faithful and full of faith. It was also here that the verse, "Nothing is impossible with God" took on a deeper meaning.

Part IV:
I didn't do too well for the audition tho', so as I was walking outta the audition, I kept thinking about how I could've improvised the scene differently. But knowing what's done cannot be undone, and that audition's over, I just consoled myself that everything happens for a reason. The lines rang in my head so much, I started singing it and made it into a song, which I call MY Consolation song:

Everything has its purpose
Everything has its way
And if you just walk in His will
Everything will be ok

Don't you worry about a thing
All you have to do is pray
Just think about His promises
Everything will be ok

Have faith Have faith
That's what the bible says
Have faith Have faith
He loves you all the same
Have faith Have faith
Just trust Him anyway
Have faith Have faith
Everything will be ok

Oh and finally...
"hi lingual good news ... we've decided tt you'll act as chloe for xmas. rehs start this sunday at 630pm at jw. see u there."
Yippeee Yippeee Yeahh Yeahh!! Praise God!!!
Excitement surrounds me again.. and I tremble with joy...

----
By the way, I do have a song to remember God's goodness to me, for His encouragment..
It's named, "My God, My Love & My Lord"

You believed in me
Encouraged me when I pray
You lift me up when skies are grey
I thank You Lord for Your grace
I thank You Lord for each day

I remember that day
You came to me and You said
You’re here with me everyday
Lord You soothe my heart and I can say
I love to be in your warm embrace

I need You God
I want You God
You’re my God, my Love and My Lord
You’re here to stay
You’re with me everyday
I thank You Lord for Your Grace

I love You more with each day~


Hallelujah! God is good!

Change to a bigger frying pan!

On Sunday, Pastor Carl-Gustaf preached on Faith: that will break your borders and give you beyond your wildest dreams (even if your wallet/ circumstances don't seem to allow it). Don't let your mind limit your dreams or thoughts on what you can do.

As the preaching ended, as we stood up to worship God, I was hit by a voice that started ringing in my head, "I want to goto Bible School, I want to goto Bible School, I want to go to Bible School!.." In fact, it was so loud, it was overwhelming, and tears welled up in my eyes. So fast, so sudden, I had to calm myself down and reply mentally, "yes yes.. I heard you..!" before the tears would stop.

I believe this is a dream from God. I dunno how this is going to be fulfilled but I will not inhibit the thought, the dream, of going to bible school next year. Because I am going and I am going and I am going. My faith is taking me there!

Every morning

Get up every morning and say by faith, "Oh, I love You, Father, with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind and all my strength! And I love my neighbor as myself today because that pleases You and I love You!"

"Sacrifice your time"

Last night during my quiet time prayer, I asked God what He would like me to sacrifice to Him.

I then heard Him in an instant, "Sacrifice your time."

>>Yes God, I will bear that in mind too..

I really pray that I will not merely listen to His word, but that I will learn to apply His principles into my life too:

James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

Unfulfilled vows

On Friday service, pastor Ulf talked about hindrances to reaching our destiny, and one of them was Unfulfilled Vows/ Promises to God.

Not wanting to live life with a broken promise to God, I asked Him, "God, is there anything that I've promised You and not yet fulfilled? I pray O'God that You will remind me, so I can keep to my word and mean what I say. I pray O'Lord that my ways may well-pleasing in Your sight."

A few days later, God answered me.

"Remember what you said to me as you were walking towards Club street that night? You said you wanted to be serious with me, and that you would show me that you were serious with me." : )

I write this down, cos I need to bear this in mind.

Heart of worship

I confessed before God that I have not been dilligent in my walk with Him.

In church last Sunday, while worshipping God, God gave me a vision. I saw a girl kneeling before God in her lamp-lit room. That girl was me. Then, that image started zooming out till I could see her thru the window and the entire apartment block soon came into full-view. But God wasn't just looking at her praying. He was looking right into her heart. There, I felt that God was teaching me how to pray. He said, "Quieten your soul." (Because I had told Him that I am usually very distracted and my mind is always wandering.)

Ever since that vision, I feel it's become easier to come before Him especially when I know He is watching and looking into my heart.

God is looking for true worshippers.

Now, whenever I feel distracted, I would just quieten my mind so that I can focus better, and I feel it is helping..

Mercy Forgiveness

One day, I decided to re-confess to God of my sins, for I was ashamed of myself. I confessed of my fallen nature and I sought His forgiveness once again. I was remorseful and I prayed for the Lord to speak to me as He only can, as He will, as He always has.

After prayers, I picked up my bible and God showed me the first verse which said, “I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace.” I got excited as that was my prayer to God! ..that I wanted to hear Him speak!

I then leaned my heart and listened all the more intently to what He had to say:

HE PROMISES TO READILY FORGIVE YOU

“For You Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” (Psalm 86:5)

The bible notes then wrote about the prodigal son: it said Jesus told this story to give us a picture of just how ready God is to forgive us. He’s like that dad standing on the porch, looking down the road for you-running toward you when He sees you coming. He doesn’t forgive you because He has to. He forgives you because, like that dad, He loves you and what He wants more than anything else is to have you home with Him.

Praise God.

I thank God for His grace. His mercy endures forever. Indeed.

I feel so relieved knowing I can be cleansed and forgiven in His righteousness. His grace is more than sufficient for me! Amen!

God's word gives strength

We are on a 3-day beverage-only fast. Yesterday on her way to our J7 rehearsal, June (our songleader) asked God for a message to give us, and during prayer, June reminded us that we are spirit beings and that we should not look at the surface. On the surface, circumstances may be as such, situations may be as such.. Our body may be weak on the outside, but we should always look on the inside. Because externally, we have a body, but internally it is the spirit that lives inside of us. So we should never look at things on the surface, but to look inwards to the spirit and walk in the supernatural. How apt.
She also reminded us that all things sown in faith into the kingdom of God is never in vain. The Lord sees and will reward us accordingly.
She is right. No matter what happens on the outside, I must understand that I am a spirit being merely living in my own body. I should not be letting my body control me, nor look at things in the natural. No matter how tired I may be, I should press in, press on, for all things sown in faith into the Kingdom of God will never be in vain :)

This morning, I read 1 Peter 4:

Therefore since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enouh time in the ast, doing what pagans chosse to do - living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray.

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength that God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus CHrist. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Moments before this, I was feeling slightly weak from the fasting. Then I received an email from a friend. Feeling encouraged by the message, "It's faith that moves the hand of God" and we could "pray our VICTORY in!!!", I thought I'd blog about last night. As I was copying and typing from the bible, I felt God's presence come upon me as strength seeped into my body.. I feel very much rejuvenated and refreshed now. I no longer feel physically weak, completely unlike this morning! Indeed, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me! God's word strength; gives life! I have victory in Christ Jesus. Amen and Hallelujah! :D

Not without sacrifices

During fellowship on Tuesday, whilst playing one of those sharing games, it was brought to my attention that I had come this far not without sacrifices, and that I am where I am through the choices I made. I found this puzzling yet amazing for this had come from someone I never had any close contact with. But he is right, there were sacrifices and choices.
I believe it could be God's way of telling me to keep on keeping on; to persevere.

Romans 6:
17 But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 19 I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness.
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

It also reminded me of a card I picked up:
"All humans on earth have the ability to choose what they want to become but unfortunately, many do not realise this. They allow events and circumstances to dictate and place them in their present status in life. Many have convictions on what is considered a good life yet they fail to Commit themselves to take appropriate actions. As a result, they are kept away from their desired goals.

You must take charge, control the condition of your mind-set and have the courage to step out of your comfort zone. Carry out your commitments consciously and consistently in order to bring them to the conclusions that you rightly desire and deserve."

At times, I feel tired, sometimes, I feel like giving up and slide back into the world. But God is reminding me, I have come thus far..

I guess in every race and every walk, encouragements can help motivate us along the way. Indeed, we have been set free, why should anyone want to slide back to the bondage of the flesh, having been set free. Why would I? That would be ridiculous wouldn't it?

I thank God for motivating me. Thank you Lord.

God never fails to speak to me

I truly am very grateful to God for never failing to speak to me no matter what circumstances it may be..

Situation #1:
I had not gone home one night. Hence, failed to do my quiet time. In addition to that, the next night, as I was feeling very tired, I almost wanted to forego my quiet time again. However, I did it anyways in the end. And as I was reading my daily devotional for the night that I had missed, God said..

"Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion..." Heb. 3:7-8

"(a) Warning against negligence Heb. 2:1-4

(b) Warning against sloth. (5:11-6:20) Sloth means laziness. You will find that the Bible warns more against laziness than drunkenness. When you become spiritually sluggish, you lose your ability to hear the voice of God so as to accurately discern spiritual matters.

If we keep rejecting the gentle prompting of the Lord to change, we can move into a place where there is no more room for repentance.
Let us walk in the fear of God, knowing that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."


As I read the above, I was both guilty and afraid, for indeed, God, was speaking to me about my problem. Then I proceeded to read the night's devotional and God said..

"Our inner soul yearns for communion with God. If that longing is not satisfied by communion with our heavenly Father, it will feast on any compelling counterfeit.

God is good. Jesus sympathizes with your many weaknesses and understands the pressures of life that you go through every single day. His throne is a throne of grace, not a throne of judgement."


He showed me that we can come to Him in all things, and I thank God for His grace. We should never forsake Him. He is faithful and His mercy endures forever.


Situation #2:
One of my friends' in dire financial straits so a group of us decided to fast for a breakthrough. Admittedly, I was feeling slightly lethargic. On the morning of my fasting, God encouraged me with Hebrews 10:24-25:
"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Indeed, we are a team and there should be greater unity in our spirit.
I thank God for His word, for out of His word flows rivers of living water. His word is treasure. His word brings life.

Pastor Eileen told us tonight, that in warfare (attack), everything has to be tripled; the soldiers, the ammunition..
I truly must be prepared. There is no time to lose and I must have greater urgency in my spirit. Holy Spirit, help me :)

Don't lose momentum

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Cor 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Gal 6:9

On the topic of sowing and reaping, Pastor Eileen says, that we are not to lose our momentum; we will receive our reward if we do not lose heart.
In line with what I’d prayed for a few weeks ago, I thought that I had been rather inconsistent in my spirituality, so I prayed that I’d be more steadfast in my spiritual walk with God, and surprisingly, a day later in a combined zone meeting in church, Pastor Derek prayed that all of us would be steadfast Christians. Strange cos "steadfast" isn’t an adjective my church typically use. But not so strange when you know that it is God who has heard your prayers : )

Peace

Last night at cell group, God said in my heart, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

And subsequently during overnight prayer meeting, Pastor Tan said, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will rule and reign in your heart. Do not worry”

This morning, the Daily Bread (July 9 2005) talked about being careful with our thoughts and not worry about life’s necessities. (Matthew 6:25-34)

Gee… God musta really heard the fear and anxiety in my heart.. and God I hear you too. Indeed I will learn to put my trust in You, and depend on You more. My faith is in You.

F.A.I.T.H: Forsaking All I Trust Him.

Ministry meeting

Ministry meeting last night was awesome, and Pastor Tan prayed for J7!
How it happened and what happened thrilled me greatly, and I’ve got several revelations.

1. Pastor asked J7 on stage to pray for us
2. He prayed that we would all treasure where we are, and what we have for the Lord
3. To use our talents for His glory
4. Not to be distracted by the things of the world
5. He prophesied that we will stay not only in Children Church but will also go out into the missionfields.

#1 The very act of going up on stage to be prayed upon meant something to me. We were VISIBLE. In a previous discipleship session with Pastor Eileen, she called us leaders, and mentioned that as leaders, as you go up, you become more visible, and you also have lesser options. As one become more visible, there is greater accountability and responsibilities.

#2 I thank God for where I am, I must say that my spiritual route has been amazing. Especially with J7 being my very first ministry, which is one of the most exciting place I can ever imagine myself to be; Being under Pastor Eileen’s discipleship; Sister Susan personally guiding me after my salvation; Everything so far has been such a blessing! I thank God for His grace and mercy.
*(For those who do not know about J7, it is like an equivalent of the Australian kid group Hi-5! Each member has had to go through 2 rigorous rounds of auditions and amongst many talented youths, specially handpicked by pastor and her team)

#4 It’s hard to make a stand, but God called us to be different and to be set apart for His glory. I must remember that.

#5 During church service last Sunday, we were shown a church video. In it, there were footages of our church members on mission trips. I dunno what happened to me then, but I was immensely touched, something in my heart said I must be there, and I will be there. I knew it was my spirit speaking so I immediately answered God and said, Yes Lord, I hear you. I will go where you want me to be. And I want to be on the missionfield. And Pastor Tan’s prophecy just confirmed what my spirit spoke to me in my heart.

I will always remember Pastor Eileen’s revelation in Acts 6: Seven Chosen To Serve “Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business”
She sent us (J7) this sms before,“We must watch our lives to ensure that we keep ourselves pure and spiritual. We need to set ourselves apart and sanctify ourselves.”

I must always remember to treasure where I am and what I have in the Lord. Thank you God for all Your blessings, and I pray that God You will help me keep my focus on You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

shackles of perversion

On Wed I prayed to God about shackles of perversion, He then spoke to me in my Daily Devotional the next morning (30 Jun) in Colossians 3

5Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Legalism

On Tuesday night, I prayed to God about legalism, and this is what He said to me in my Daily Devotional the next morning (29 Jun): Colossians 2:20-23
Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations-- "Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle," which all concern things which perish with the using--according to the commandments and doctrines of men? These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

I also realised the entire Colossians 2 was dedicated to the topic of Legalism, how timely can it be? : )

Phil 4:6-7

bible memory verse #2:
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7)

Amen.

Feeling secure

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not
parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek
its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil. (1 Cor 13:4,5)
A wise mom once said, "Take it as a compliment that other girls think
your guy is great, too." Be secure enough to acknowledge their good
taste. If your relationship is about love, then jealousy can't be part
of it. Paul spends this whole chapter defining love. He is clear to
point out that true love is not jealous. Somehow we've confused this
and begun to think that if you love someone, you're supposed to act
jealous and possessive. Love is about serving, selflessness and
caring. Arrogance and jealousy are for the insecure. Have faith in
Jesus. He will bring the perfect mate for you. Learning to love and
trust someone means that you don't have to worry about who he talks
to, or who he's in the same room with. If your guy isn't trustworthy,
then he's definitely not the one for you. Don't even start a romantic
relationship with him. Start making friendships instead of dating.
That way you can spend time with different people until you find one
who lines up with your beliefs and values, the one you can have fun
with, the one you love, the one you trust completely. The possibility
of boyfriends and girlfriends will come and go. Don't give in to the
"gotta have a date" mentality. Commit to having holy courtships and
let God bring the one He has chosen for you. When it's really about
love, jealousy will lose out and trust will win.

Inside my beloved bible, the above spoke to me : )

Prayers work

Prayers do work. God is faithful. Keep praying and meditate on His promises.

(17 june 2005)

He will not let you go. He loves you.

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Not by chance

This must be told since nothing happens by chance, but that said, it never failed to amaze me still.

On Sunday 19 June, the sermon at my best friend's church was on the perfect will of God. So along that line of thoughts, she was wondering if she should still be as adamant on switching her line of work, cos’ looking back, one can't help but acknowledge that she has been very blessed. All the chances and lessons she received seemed to prepare her for her current job. Though it's never been her dream to be doing what she's doing, let's just say she enjoys her work, and many would die to be in her position. So, she thought maybe this job was God's will, so she shouldn't change it, since it does appear that He's more than led her here..

On Tuesday morning, I was doing my daily bible-reading. That morning's reading was Eph 4.. As I flipped thru the pages, I stopped at Eph 2 to look at the footnotes beneath:

Promise: He Promises To Have A Plan For You.

For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10)

"Most days just seem to go by like every other day. Same old stuff. Same old everything. Blah blah blah. One day runs into another one. You close your eyes and wake up to do it all over again. Doesn't seem like much of a plan, does it?

Maybe not. But God has an exciting plan for your life - a plan that will give you purpose and fulfillment beyond your wildest dreams. Following God's plan takes what He's planned for you to do. You don't just accidentally fulfil what He's planned for you to do. You've got to seek God and ask Him to reveal His plan to you and to give you understanding about how you can fulfil it. Then, you've got to determine to make every day count for Him and for His plan.

Pay attention to every decision you face - even the ones that seem so insignificant. Take seriously every person you meet - even the ones you don't like. Embrace every situation you find yourself in - even the ones that seem to make no sense at all. They're shaping you, moulding you, preparing you for the next decision, the next person, the next situation.

Lose yourself in doing what God wants with every aspect of your life. Live your life in light of His plan!"

Upon reading the above, I immediately checked my Daily Devotional. Guess what? Sunday morning's bible-reading was EPHESIANS 2. I hadn't read the (above) footnotes earlier cos’ I'd used a different bible that day. But look, God speaks, and I always find it so amazing whenever Q&A situations like that happen. God can speak right to our hearts and answer our questions specifically. Just never stop asking, seeking, knocking. I love God. He is my Only God, my love, my Lord.

A healing miracle!

There is a miracle, so miraculous I didn’t know how to react to it, except to keep thanking Him.

After my prayer that night, I went back to bed to read my bible. My sister was sick and she was coughing the whole night. It was so bad that all the coughing made her start to wheeze, and the inhaler did nothing to help… Just hearing her cough made my heart ache cos I know how terrible she must be feeling since I am asthmatic myself. Halfway thru my bible-reading, I noticed her walk to the living room, so after I finished my quiet time, I went out to the living room to look for her. Mum had asked her to sit instead of lying down hoping it would help in her breathing. I sat down beside my sis, and assisted her with two puffs of the inhaler. After the medication, I asked her to close her eyes and think about God. I then laid hands on her and started praying. The whole time I was praying, I noticed that she had STOPPED coughing. There and then, I really didn’t know what to do, except to keep praying and keep thanking Him for healing. After a while I removed my hands, and asked her to lie down to sleep as I laid opposite her. Soon after, I heard her breathing normally as she fell asleep. In my heart, I was just so amazed, cos it was healing right before my very eyes! I so much wanted to jump up and kneel down to thank God but I didn’t wanna wake my sister up, so I just continued praying where I was. The first thing I did in the morning, was kneel before Him and thank Him. My sister went to the doctor subsequently and now her coughing’s completely stopped. Praise God!

Extraordinary, way beyond the ordinary, EXTRAORDINARY!

Daily encounter

We must have a daily encounter with God.

“Life sometimes get pretty routine and you find yourself feeling stale and soggy on the inside. You find that you can’t spruce up your own heart… He promises to ‘quiet you with His love’. There is nothing that adds zest to life more than the breath wind of the spirit of God blowing thru your heart. It does more for you on the inside than a squirt from the garden hose on a steamy afternoon. It brings you back to life. It gives you passion again. It refuels your energy. And it stokes the fire of God that is inside of you. He does it all without thunder and lightning. He does it with such tenderness – just by His love, which touches all your deepest places. Zeph 3:17 (..He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.) Never ever forget that you are the one who makes God sing and He is the one who ‘will quiet you with His love’.

I prayed to God to enrol me for bible school next year. As I prayed about it, I was touched by the presence of God. I told God I was hungry for greater understanding of His word and I have a deep desire to be discipled. Although I know there’ll be challenges but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Towards the end of my prayer, I opened my eyes and looked up into the sky. Staring at me was a face of a goblin formed by the clouds! I was so frightened that my heart started beating very quickly. Staring at the clouds, I kept proclaiming, “There is no fear in Jesus” And I kept repeating that till the facial features of the goblin started blurring to reveal just a plain cloud.

This taught me something. Wherever you are, whatever you do, especially in the face of fear, keep proclaiming Jesus! “Greater is the Spirit of God that is in me than any obstacle that stands before me.” (1 John 4:4) You have all authority! There is no fear in His perfect love. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” (1 John 4:18)

Thank you God, I am just so glad to experience You in my midst.

Indeed we all need a daily encounter with God.

1 John 4:7

Today, I make a decision to memorise 60 bible verses
Lemme start with my favourite verse...

bible memory verse #1:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
1 John 4:7 (NKJV)

Preaching challenge

What I also learnt from EMERGE:
The preaching challenge - "REVIVAL"

-by Crystal
#1 ONE-MAN REVIVAL
Be a revival carrier: Revival can happen thru ONE!
ONE Queen Esther!
ONE Moses!
ONE Nehemiah!
"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young.
Be an example to all believers in what you teach, in the way you live,
in your love, your faith, and your purity" (1 Timothy 4:12)

-by Wayne
#2 COMPASSION FOR THE LOST
Aaron, who ran to the altar, caught the fire and saved Israel.
He literally stood in the gap between the living and the dead.
Are we gonna stand in the gap?
Are we gonna leave and abandon our parents who are unsaved?
Are we gonna leave and abandon our brothers and sisters who are unsaved?
Are we gonna leave and abandon our friends who are unsaved?
Are we gonna leave and abandon our loved ones who are unsaved?

"I want to run to the altar
And catch the fire
To stand in the gap
Between the living and the dead
Give us a heart of compassion
For a world without vision
We will make a difference
Bringing hope to our land"


I never really understood revival till now.. Indeed, revival CAN happen thru ONE.
There must be a daily encounter with God. An encounter with the Holy Spirit will not quench your thirst, instead it will make you all the more thirsty for God, more hungry for God.

"Like lovers who never met, their hearts pounded."
Does your heart pulsate to the beat of God?

We are made to worship God.

I want to think of Him everyday, miss Him everyday, hunger and thirst for Him every moment, every minute, to love Him and seek Him in all things.

Spiritual hunger

Night service I @ Emerge conference:
I must admit I wasn't as fit as I was in the morning.. I hate it when tired-ness creeps in and I dozed off duing worship. Sheesh I felt so quilty. During the Word, pastor then spoke about spiritual hunger and elaborated on what it meant to lose the hunger and what happens.. (put almost in a rather biological/ medical way)

When you lose your hunger:

1. Weight declines: you lose glory, lose substance
2. Protein in your muscles break down: there is no more strength
3. Lose the desire/ ability to repoduce. You become Impotent. Unfruitful.
4. Temperature drops. You lose your senses
5. Immunity system breaks down. Can no longer say no to temptations
6. Lose your mind: Brain fails. You go towards carnal thinking
7. Heart failure: heart stops beating for God, cannot pulsate. No longer look Vertically up to Him, you stop loving Horizontally across; There is no more cross in your life.
8. Death: Spiritual death
9. Dehydration: no more water. (Jesus says Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." John 7:38)
10. Lose salt: No longer salt of the earth. (You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Matthew.5:13)
11. Fever, lose spiritual judgement, discernment. No tears when you come before God. You are hot for the wrong reason.
12. Kidney failure: Can't cleanse yourself from impurities. you lose the sanctification.

Perhaps I had lost it a little somehow, but today God reminded me of how I used to come before Him. With hyms of love & intimate fellowship.

I need to renew my love for Him. We need to encounter God DAILY..
Thank you Lord for never giving up on me and I know You will never leave me.

" Draw me, O' draw me away
Messiah today
To Your presence I stay
O' Jesus
Change me
Mould me
That I can be
Evermore true to thee "

Amen.

church

Church is not just church, if anyone will realise that.
It is beyond the singing of hyms, paying our tithes, fulfilling our weekly dues by attending service
It is a life.

I am at the right place

To start this, maybe I need to refer to a previous experience to explain this better. I thought Pst. Phil is such an annointed man. I was in such awe of him. Someone who looked so hip to be so annointed. Anyways, let's fast-forward this to last Sunday. I was in church when they showed us the trailer for the EMERGE (youth) conference. In it, one of the footages was that of Pst. Kong preachin'. Within that few seconds, I was suddenly overcome by a tremendous emotional charge. There was only one thing in my mind:
" I a m i n t h e r i g h t p l a c e . "
That day, I seriously believed that Pst. Kong is such an annointed man of God.

Yesterday was the first day of the EMERGE conference, and like the woman with the issue of blood who pressed in through the crowds believing that if she only touched the garment of Jesus, she will be healed. I thoroughly believed that the annointing of God would flow through to me, when Pastor called us down to be prayed for. Immediately after I came back to my seat, I was in great tears. Shortly before I recovered, Pastor said he wanted to pray for those in the media and the arts, including Mass Comm students. This time, Sun would lay hands on us. With some hesitation tho', I walked down again. As I was worshipping God, Sun walked towards me, I closed my eyes, and as she laid hands on me, my hands were shaking as I fell! (I used to wonder why people tremble when they fall..) Yesterday, I felt it. Pastor Kong and Sun are truly annointed. Indeed the Holy Spirit is right.
" I a m i n t h e r i g h t p l a c e . "

Pastor says, if the economy is flourishing, it doesn't mean that the individal will also flourish, but if the church is moving, its members will be led with the flow. Not just any flow, but with the strong current of God. Thank you God for placing me here. I am in the right place. Amen.

I love my friend

The Bible speaks of a friendship that knows no limits. "A friend loves at all times," said the wise man (Proverbs 17:17). And "there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother" (18:24). Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Jesus is both our Great Physician and our Friend, and He promised that He would never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). He calls us to stand with our friends and family in His name as their earthly journey nears its end. That's what a true friend would do. —David McCasland

A friend is he who always knows
When the cold wind of trouble blows,
Who comes in dark and stormy night
With friendship's glowing lamp alight. —Mason

A true friend stays true to the end.

From Our Daily Bread: June 5, 2005

... OK, yes Amen

God will never disappoint me

Ps 42:5,6 "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God."

1 Jhn 2:15,16 "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world."

Matt 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Yes, Lord.
Thank you for the peace in my heart. I love you Father. I will put my trust in You O' God, and look to You in all things. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

How to pray

"Five-Finger Prayer"

· When you fold your hands, the thumb is nearest you. So begin by praying for those closest to you—your loved ones (Philippians 1:3-5).

· The index finger is the pointer. Pray for those who teach—Bible teachers and preachers, and those who teach children (1 Thessalonians 5:25).

· The next finger is the tallest. It reminds you to pray for those in authority over you—national and local leaders, and your supervisor at work (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

· The fourth finger is usually the weakest. Pray for those who are in trouble or who are suffering (James 5:13-16).

· Then comes your little finger. It reminds you of your smallness in relation to God's greatness. Ask Him to supply your needs (Philippians 4:6,19).

James 5:13-18 (NIV)

The Prayer of Faith

¹³Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. ¹⁴Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. ¹⁶Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. *The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

¹⁷Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. ¹⁸Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

*The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)

transformation..

It's true, I haven't felt this way before.

I know I've been transformed. Not that I can see the transformation now. But inside me, I have this very strong feeling that confirms that the work of transformation.

Ps. Phil Pringle is an amazing man.. So annointed, so captivating. The week that just passed was life-changing. It's not something I can pin-point. I do not feel physically light, or happy, or emotionally touched.. I just feel like something's happened to my heart.. To put it in pastor's words, we are writing a new book, not a new chapter.

What did I learn last week?

- Destiny ; divine alignment
- To be loyal (to the church)
- Obedience & Reverence; fear of the Lord
- Respect authority: Obey the man God has appointed
- Tarry in His presence
- Be Faithful. whatever is not from faith is sin (rom 14:23)
- We Are Leaders (Accountable. Visible. Responsible.)
- Authority in Jesus; Do not doubt in your heart (mark 11:22-24)

I feel a renewal.. a transformation coming.. like the shedding of skin.. like strings cut loose..




Yesterday, someone sent me this email:

I want to stir up your mind to remind you that you have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. But it is up to you to guard what God has given you.

And now in this hour, faith and the anointing of the Spirit of God
are in our hearts. But it's up to us to guard those treasures!
Source: From a Pastor's Heart by Kenneth E. Hagin. Jr.

offering and worship

Hear this:

Worship is not worship when God is first.
Worship is worship when God is ONLY.

An offering is an offer, NOT an acceptance.
Give the Lord, your God, your BEST and Honor Him with your giving.

-----
You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve. Luke 4:8
You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind. Luke 10:27
-----

Rev. Dr Phil Pringle nite III

Last night is a definite documentation into my prayer journal. The power of God so strong; the man, Rev Dr Phil Pringle, so annointed; the presence of God flowed thru, even though I was at home watching it online, via my laptop, into the room and filled our hearts. My sis and me were deeply touched…

The messages struck the very minute I stepped into the room.
Pastor said

"Our destiny is in the people of the world, with whom we align ourselves with."

Shock! My destiny? With the people of the world? Well, after a while, it made sense.

"Therefore it is important who/ where/ what you align yourselves with."

Then pastor spoke about loyalty.

- The spirit of loyalty is constructive; spirit of disloyalty is destructive;

- Friendship is not higher than loyalty

- Loyalty is not loyalty till you’ve been challenged with disloyalty

Major lesson learnt. (take example from Absalom 2 Sam 13, 14)

Unresolved offences breeds disloyalty.
Unresolved offences occur when you were offended and you did not forgive. Nursing a grudge will disqualify your destiny. Hence, forgiving; forgiveness, is a daily affair.

The Lord’s prayer:

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen.

“Tonight, none of you will walk out without forgiving.”

There are a few types of people, some who are results-oriented; who will compromise in order to achieve their desired results.

Psalms 15: Keep commitments/ integrity even if it jeopardizes results.

Make decisions based on what God wants.

sometimes, People who demand the most, give the least.
sometimes, People who demand the least, give the most.

__________________________________________________________________

If our tents are to be enlarged, the stakes of loyalty need to be entrenched deeper so that winds of adversity do not blow it down.

__________________________________________________________________

Watch out! part III

I always ask God to reveal to me my calling..

On 2 May
During Children's Church revival fire conference, Bill Wilson (in the video) said the need is the calling.
Very often, we listen to God's voice and when God doesn't say anything, we don't do anything.
He gave us an example, when he went to Africa, where he saw a hut in a land where everybody had forsaken. There he saw skinny children that nobody remembered. Then he said, "at that point of time, do you still need to pray about it?!"

As I was singing,
"One with Jesus
One with my Lord"
I then wondered, how do I be one with Jesus? I prayed to God that I want to walk in His perfect will, that I will not stray from the left to the right, nor from the right to the left. That is how I can be "one with Him" :)


On 4 May
I read Romans 8

Life Through the Spirit

¹Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,^{[a] 2}because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. ³For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,^[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.^[c] And so he condemned sin in sinful man,^{[d] 4}in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

⁵Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶The mind of sinful man^[e] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; ⁷the sinful mind^[f] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. ⁸Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. ⁹You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. ¹⁰But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. ¹¹And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

¹²Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ¹³For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ¹⁴because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.^[g] And by him we cry, "Abba,^[h] Father." ¹⁶The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. ¹⁷Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

More Than Conquerors

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,^[j] who^[k] have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. ³⁰And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ³¹What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:
"For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."^{[l] 37}No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[m] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.


In conjunction with the above, the book that I read later in the afternoon, "Creative Ministry", says, "He has to be and become more and more an obedient man - that is, a man who allows himself to be guided by the voices he hears, He has to be obedient to the voices of nature, to the voices of people, and to the voice of God."
(this book is about creative evangelism, and this chapter "Celebration" speaks about the celebration of life in all its glory, joy, sorrow and misery. To be able to celebrate the present along with the past)
My revelation here is that we are no longer enslaved to sin, sin is no longer our master. We have a new covenant with the law, with the Spirit. I need not struggle with sin. All I need to do is to yield to the Spirit.


The same night, as I was walking home, I prayed to God to bless my life to bless the others, to use me to minister to my friends and to encourage those around me.
I happened to speak to N, who was feeling a little tired, finding it hard to pray recently. After sharing with her on my revelations, she got very excited and said that she couldn't wait to hang up the phone to do her quiet time immediately! I was glad and of course we ended our conversation there. I thank God that I can be used by Him to encourage my friend :D

To wrap this series, lemme end off with something light.
Before I blogged, I wrote a list of things God has blessed me with & my revelations:
1) His comforting words from the bible
2) Ps Derek prayed for me
3) I do not live for the approval of man
4) Not to be a lukewarm Christian
5) The need is my calling
6) Rom 1, 2, 3 on homosexuality
7) Romans 8, I am set free
- Creative Ministry on obedience
8) J's sis, A's trust
9) God used me to encourage N
10) Preserve my body
- Body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
11) J thinks I am a Godly person. All the more, I should live for His glory.

(However, I took out point (11) subsequently cos I thought it wasn't so much a revelation.)
Afterwhich I started to pray and give thanks to God.
As I was praying, I received a shock when I suddenly remembered what I prayed for a week ago, when I was feeling weary, I told God, "God I know that You will never let me go, and pastor says that if I take one step towards God, God will take 10 steps (or was it 100 steps?) towards us."
When I looked at my ten points, I was just shocked! It couldn't have been a coincidence! I know it is God telling me if I draw close to Him, He will draw close to me. (Don't let go of God and God won't let you go.)

"Lord You are always here with me
There is no changing God in thee
You are the same yesterday and today and forevermore
Here on Your promises I stand
You hold my future in Your hands
My solid rock
Almighty God I worship You"

Amen.

Rom 1, 2, 3

Romans 1
²⁵They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
²⁶Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. ²⁷In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Romans 2
²¹you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

Romans 3
²⁰Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Watch out! part II

There are so many revelations at different points of time and I just know that it is God's encouragement. One thing that has been speaking to me the whole time, God can use me. I can do mighty things for God. And everytime I am reminded of that, I have to remind myself I have to consecrate myself.
On 29 Apr:
Overnight prayer meeting Pastor prayed for the youths to preserve their body and I thought that spoke to me, for I should preserve and keep myself pure for God.

On 30 Apr:
Pastor Eileen asked Jervon how his trip was, then he said he learnt not to take things for granted. I know that God can speak to us in any moment, so I took that down. Not to take things for granted. That day, teacher Wendy wanted me to act for her in her bible object lesson. I was to play a little girl who prays to God. Simple scene actually. All I hadda say was,
" Dear God I am very sad because mommy and daddy are quarelling.
God, help me depend on you and trust you no matter what happens.
Thank you for giving me peace in my heart.
In Jesus' name I pray Amen."
Before the scene, I just kept praying to God that I will perform with God's annointing. I didn't want to take things for granted and although it was a simple scene, I prayed to God that I would be able to play the role with conviction, that the children would be able to relate to the message.

After the service, pastor came to me and said that the most touching moment that day was when little Lingual (my character) prayed to God.. She said children would be able to relate to that. Woah! Thank God! Indeed we must develop sensitivity to Him, He can speak to us any moment, and we must also give him the best because He deserves the BEST! Amen.

Watch out!

I'll be posting a series of revelations.. so here we go!
In chronological order:
By 22 Apr:
I was hit by a strong bout of doubts, I questioned about my existence and even began to think of God as narcissistic..
Immediately after, I felt guilty and sent an email of remorse to my friend. I then told myself, maybe I'll take it slow, maybe I'll just be a quiet Christian.. (watch out for what God says about this)
I prayed to God for forgiveness that night, and God was merciful. Instead of rebuking me, He encouraged me: "What counts is not wearing yourself out with good deeds but turning yourself toward Him and loving Him with your whole heart. Be careful not to take the friendship for granted. He isn't like your friends in school, just as imperfect as you are. He is God. While you are learning to love Him as your best friend, don't ever lose sight of how awesome He is and of all the incredible gifts He gives you. Start to think of yourself as a friend of Jesus"

I thank God for His comforting words.

On 24 Apr:
During Sunday service, the sermon that day was on setting my affections upon Him. Pastor Derek said Love is a decision. A commitment; even if it means inconveniencing myself. He gave the example of him playing with his son even when he is tired because he loves him. After the preaching, Pastor said he wanted to pray for those who were weary and feeling spiritually dry. I felt that God is encouraging me. I must not lose my calling! Bible study that day says: we are created to serve.
Whew!

On 29 Apr:
Before I headed to cell group, I was feeling frustrated that my best friend might not have trust in me. Then I started thinking about what other people thought of me, if I were a trustworthy person. It irked me a lot till I came to the revelation that I do not live for the approval of man, but God.
Cell group that night was amazing. I literally felt the presence on God come upon me. During worship, Rachel shared her vision, God is with us through our ups and downs. He will never forsake us. Whether we are depressed or when we are happy, He is with us. I was reminded of
-my 1st experience with God..
-The time He comforted me when I was depressed,
-the answers He gave me when I had questions,
-the joy I felt, the lightness of being, my happiness,
I remember that He is INDEED with me be it in my happy or sad moments. Then Rachel shared, God says why have you forsaken me? I broke down and I told God You are my greatest love. I yield to You and all that I am I submit to You. I commit myself to You.
Towards the end of the cell group, sister Agnes said that we are not to be lukewarm Christians for "Lukewarm Christians will be spit out from the kingdom of God." (see that?!)

... TO BE CONTINUED

sin of judging

Let him who is without sin cast the first stone

"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you." Luke 6:3-38

John 12:47-48 (New King James Version)

⁴⁷And if anyone hears My words and does not believe,^[a] I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. ⁴⁸He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

Luke 6:36

³⁶Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

I asked my pastor about my revelation..

I wrote my pastor an email, and here’re some of her answers to me:

(Words in italics are mine)

I CAN seek answers to EVERYTHING? Is this it?

Of cos you can but you may not have all the answers while you are on earth. Read Eccles 1: 16-18 even the wisest man of that time consider wisdom as grasping for the wind. Hence finding out and enquiring knowledge is not the answer to your life.

Many are called, and few are chosen. (what does this mean really?)

(In Matt 20:16 the complete sentence reads this way...so the last will be the first and the fast will be the last. For many are called but few chosen. Jesus shared this in the context of his second coming and He illustrated with the parable of the workers in the vineyard, he then talked about the greatness is serving. One way to understand a verse is to read the whole context. Over here, the context here gives us an urgency to live as a servant and one who is ever willing...cos Jesus will call everyone but not everyone will heed his voice, only those who heeds his voice is chosen).

I learnt this:
"Many Christians consider it their duty to deprecate logic and rational thinking, but do not realize that they are seeking to destroy our only hope of believing the gospel. John exalts rationality by beginning his gospel with the words that are traditionally translated as, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". The word translated Word is logos; it can mean word, sentence, doctrine, ratio, wisdom and other such similar terms. What is clear is that the term means something like "rational order", and this verse is enough to prove that rationality is not something to be despised by Christians."

The origin of the Word (Logos) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was with God in the beginning. Contrary to the teaching of most cults, Jesus was not the first Created Being. He was already present in the beginning. He has always existed. The word was Jesus!

The Word is the source of all life (Zoë, the life principle, not bios, mere biological life) and light (speaking of spiritual light as well as natural light). Without Jesus, we are dead and in darkness; interestingly, man has an inborne aversion (fear) to both death and darkness.

So did John exalts rationality? More so..he exalts God..cos the word was God and he wanted to relate with his times and be relevant to them..

But I do agree with you, as Christians we are not to throw away our rationality and common senses. God uses them all!

A common claim among Christians is that they do not want to analyse the scripture with a questioning mind because they want to 'live by faith'.

Define questioning? If you question cos you are doubtful, your approach and attitude is different from someone who wants to is a learner of the word. So it depends on your motives. We have to be careful cos the devil can darken our minds further if we are not walking in the light, if we allow doubts and confusions to crowd our thinking.

They make it sound like it is a biblical principle they are applying to their lives. The problem with this is that when they say that, what they really mean is that they want to 'live by BLIND faith'. I suspect that the real root of the problem is that they have unanswered questions which they feel, if brought to the surface will make a mockery of their faith. So in saying that they want to live my blind faith, they are actually sweeping the problem under the carpet, where like acid, it slowly erodes away their faith subconsciously. True Christian faith is not blind, but logical and based on truth – the word of God. John 8:32 - 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." We have to know the truth first before you can exercise reasoned faith. That is the key, reasoned faith – not blind faith.

The biblical kind of faith has an element of reason and risk too. For example when Peter walked on water, he has reasonable faith cos he knew that Jesus was there but he risked by stepping out of the boat to step out of the boat is beyond reason.

You have to know the truth before the truth can set you free.

When you know the truth, it means that you must have understanding in the word how things operate and work based on the word cos truth is God’s word, not based on our human analysis... Humanly you cannot understand why we can reap what we sow. The world teaches us with her understanding to store up wealth but God taught us otherwise. Is it blind faith to give and keep giving and be expecting a return? Humanly it seems illogical but is real faith! Real faith is the ability to understand His word and take his word as it is and that will set you FREE.

Real Faith is based on truth; on logic… not a blind faith based on ignorance. Blind faith in action is really just another word for 'presumption'.

Presumption is assuming that the thing that you do is initiated by God. Blind faith is when you're just blindly following something out of peer presure or other stuffs without convictions! Faith is conviction and so it is not blind. It is a knowing inside of you and inside your spirit, your soul, your mind...it has an evidence inside your spirit being...

The last I remembered, Matt 22:37 says - And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Has the bible been changed? Or was there a sign at the entrance of the church that says, "Leave your brains on this shelf".

God loves those who are hungry and He will give knowledge, wisdom and understanding to those who ask. Just like Daniel who was continually seeking the truth, a vision, a revelation, and he even fasted for 21 days from sweetmeat.. and God gave him an answer.

Daniel fasted cos he was consecrating Himself...and he received vision from the Lord and it's interpretation ( Daniel 10:4) His fasting was not because he wanted the truth and he was asking for the truth. Rather at that time, Daniel was a prophet to the people and the king and He was fasting to be set apart for His use.

I truly pray that God can bring me to the place of annointing and I also pray that the Holy Spirit will convict the hearts of those unsaved. Because, if I believe that God gives free will, then He won't force Himself upon those who do not yet know Him, hence I will have to pray for the Holy Spirit to convict the unsaved hearts to turn towards God.

Am I correct here, pastor?

Yap..first build your foundation in God first and great no. 1 commandment love Him with all your heart. You need to love him with all that is within you. Love can be rational but sometimes beyond your understanding. read Proverbs 3:5-6

My revelation is that, it is ok to keep seeking, to continually ask, to clear the doubts I have, to refute the challenges presented, because I want to love God with all of my mind, so that I do not live with doubts about God.

The story here is this:
I never thought I'd fall in love with intelligence till I met my lecturer. Anyways, he opened my world to fresh new perspectives, his world is beyond what I thought I knew.
From then on, knowledge became of prime importance to me.

I think that you can seek knowledge however read Eccles and you will find that much knowledge is also vanity upon vanity. Your professor may be highly intelligent in his intellect but he cannot heal his own sorrow and broken heart. If he is so wise upon himself, he can be so full of himself which is actually not good...I pity those who think that they know it all and are always self-sufficient and self- made. We are all CREATed beings, not the creator.. How can we know it all???? How can we know everything? A chair is never more superior than the one who made the chair. The chair 's job is to fulfil its purpose, ie to serve as many people as possible to sit on the chair..his portion is not to know how to make another chair..understand girl?

Enjoy! love, pastor