Rainbow of Promise

Welcoming 2012

2011-12-31T22:27:00.002+08:00

And so, it's one and a half hours away from the countdown to 2012. Yes, it's been a good 7 months that I have forsaken blogging, and now I'm back. :p At least for one last post for 2011...

To say that it has been a totally 100% perfect year, it hasn't. To say that it's been totally messy and all wrong would be inaccurate too. It's been ... unexpected, incomprehensible, outstanding, incredible, awesome, great, somewhat dreamlike yet very real, sometimes surreal yet very down to earth and up to heaven, somehow strange and inexplicable yet experiential...

Too many things have happened that has changed everything, so much so that it's quite impossible to be recounted in detail here. But let's make a quick recall so that I'll read this by 31 Dec 2012 and see how much we've progressed in the span of a year :)

Jan - Feb 2011 was the time when we kept emphasizing on the grace and love of God, and to be hungry for Him and His presence. It was a time to shema shema (listen intently) to the voice of God, to His word, His instructions, His directions; allow Him to lead us. Mar 2011, some went to Singapore for Randy Clark's conference and got lots of insight to the things that God wanted to do in 2011 and in this region. End Mar early Apr 2011, some went to Singapore again for Patricia King's Glory School and came back with fire and much zeal. And on April 7, glory came.

WHC will forever mark our calendars on April 7, the unforgettable date when we were given a glimpse of the glory of God, the fire of the Holy Spirit, third heaven visitations, and soaking has taken on a new meaning for all of us. April 7, 2011, was the night when I truly truly experienced and knew how much the Lord loves me, and it was the night that I knew beyond a doubt that my dad is happily dwelling in the presence of God in heaven for eternity. It was the night that changed my life forever, and our church, and each of our lives, and I believe, our community and metrons. It was the night that marked a new beginning, a higher stage for the Lord to work in our lives and our church and in our metrons. It was a glorious night.

And then April 8. There's just no way to describe the beautiful "mess" that the Holy Spirit wanted to do in our midst. There's just no way to fathom it all, only to say, "God, you're so awesome, we can only bow and worship your greatness!" Holy laughter, speaking in new tongues, drunk in the spirit, slain in the spirit, prophesying in tongues and interpretation of tongues, visiting third heaven and swimming in the river glory (literally); you name it! I have never experienced anything so thick before 7 & 8 April...

April, May and June were months of learning and relearning many things and just yielding to the Spirit, letting Him work in our lives, letting the Fire of the Holy Ghost burn everything and anything undesirable in our lives, allowing Him to speak to us personally, learning to operate with Him. Well, not that we've never learned all of these in the Discipleship Program (thanks Ps. David for the Discipleship Program, for writing down everything that you've learned and relearned, for allowing us to grow), but we've sort of entered into the practical part of it, so to speak. :)

And soaking, yes, soaking has taken on a new meaning and new level. God's just been so personal to each of us.

July was more outpouring, more downloads of revelations, more experiences with God. August was Asia Ablaze where we met with Dr. Newberry and Dr. Rodney Howard Browne, both very anointed and very humble servants of the Lord. We all received tonnes of fire from the Holy Spirit and experienced so much in the span of 3 days in the Bukit Jalil Stadium. It was unbelievable, just the thought of having so much of fire, and we just went all out to preach the gospel, seeing souls saved, seeing people walk out from the hospital completely healed, seeing broken lives changed... (and what I'm writing here is just the tip of the iceberg.)

September was WHC Wind and Fire Camp, and... shall I say more outpouring? :D We were all ambushed by the Holy Spirit: slain, holy laughter, members prophesying and blessing pastors and leaders, imparting to pastors and leaders, speaking words of wisdom and words of knowledge, third heaven visitations, glory encounters, shaking uncontrollably, open visions of heaven, seeing angels, new tongues and interpretations of tongues, etc etc. Fire of the Holy Ghost!!

October was more soaking and the Lord dealt with each of us so personally and so deeply that everyone knew and could understand that each was going through the same season corporately. As we allowed the Lord to burn away every impurity, weaknesses, sins, undesirables, bitterness, root problems in our lives and allow His wind to blow zoe life into us, I could feel Him empowering us again and again, lifting us up from dirt and filth and exposing us to His glorious light, so that we ourselves would also shine once again, just as He has purposed us to be. God was just going to deep into our hearts, being so personal to us, because He loves us so much!

In November, Oliver Tham, the organiser of Asia Ablaze came and preached a message of God's love and our identity as God-man / God-woman in Christ. This was a very powerful message that set us on to the path of being who we are meant to be -- men and women of God, joined together with God, a being so powerful that in the name of Jesus Christ every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, every demon be fearful, every darkness will dissolve, and everything would obey at the command in the name of Jesus. Again, the Lord was empowering us for greater heights.

As we stepped into December, it's as if we are already in 2012. Preparations of hearts, preparations for Christmas, but more like preparations for all of our prophecies to come to pass, for all of the revelations to become our personal experiences, for all of God's promises to come true. Even though there were many things that I hoped would happen in 2011 and it didn't, I believe nothing is wasted. Nothing is lost. Nothing is irredeemable. For the Lord, nothing is impossible.

Looking forward to a greater year ahead. There are things birthing forth in the spiritual realm and I can feel it. These are no eyes have seen, nor ears have heard, the things that the Lord has in stored for us and will work among us. We will reign together with Christ, govern and rule together as He gives us power and authority.

Thank you Lord, for your great love for us. I love you, Lord. <3

Hello, 2012! =)

Too Long

2011-04-14T23:39:00.000+08:00

Yes, I know I haven't blogged for a looooong time. Too many things happened at the same time. Too many GOOOD things, to be precise. I'm sorry I can't share it here because they are too precious to be squandered. Let's just say the Lord is ALWAYS GOOD and He is sovereign, ruling over every disaster, every calamity, every situation, even the smallest matters that bothers your heart. Just let Him do that work He wants in your life -- setting you free from the old, renewing your mind and heart to reflect the Father's, and empowered to do His will so that His kingdom will come on earth.

I certainly hope to share more, perhaps next time I won't be lost for words when I encounter His awesomeness. But then again, when will that ever happen? XD

Love You so much, Jesus! <3

Open Up Your Heart

2011-02-12T11:51:00.001+08:00

When I just accepted Christ, I always heard people saying the phrase 'open up your heart', or people telling me to 'open up your heart'. At first, I didn't really understand; I could understand that it means being open and receptive to what was being taught in church and what our spiritual leaders are preaching according to the word of God, but how do you 'open up your heart'? Exactly how? How are you able to make your heart open? How sure are you that your heart is open and receptive? And how much are you taking in and agreeing? How much can you agree and receive?

Then it came to a point that I was the one telling others to open up their hearts. And I realised that people can't open up their hearts unless they allow God to open up their hearts.

And how do you allow God? It's just by surrendering, every part of you, yielding to Him bit by bit and acknowledging that He is God.

Previously, I didn't understand why there is this phrase 'sweet surrendering'. How is surrendering sweet? How can denying yourself be something sweet and desirable when you know it is a sacrifice that you're making? How can it turn out to be beautiful? Well, now I do understand, that it's because of the beauty of the Lord and His grace that makes surrendering sweet and beautiful. It's because when you surrender to the Lord and start yielding to Him, that His delight and pleasure comes upon you, and you're instantly filled with assurance and joy.

Friends, no matter what you are facing or going through in life, know that when you open up your heart and allow God, His grace is able to save you. There are many decisions we can make with our lives, and in fact every single thing that you do and who you are today are the results of the very decisions you have made. But what are the choices that will make a difference and impact the lives of others positively? What are the choices that will yield an everlasting result? What are you pursuing that will last beyond our time on earth? What are you doing that will bring change the way God intended? -- these are the questions worth asking ourselves.

Psalm 139:23-24 ~ Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Bebek Experience

2011-02-08T00:33:00.002+08:00

Ubud Bali is famous for its culture, friendly local community, beautiful countryside views, and of course the local specialty that has grown to be world renowned -- Bebek Bengil. It literally means Dirty Duck Diner. No, it's not dirty at all. On the contrary, it's actually a very beautiful restaurant overlooking paddy fields, you get to sit under wooden and straw huts or long tables.

Whence come the name? Here's the story from the owners...

When we were building the restaurant, we thought long and hard about a name. Many good suggestions came from our friends, but none seemed just right. We knew we wanted a Balinese name that translated well into English. However, for a long time the metaphor eluded us.

One tropical monsoon morning, when the restaurant was very close to being finished (we had the concrete floor down, and the tables in), a flock of ducks from the rice field across the road (yes, there were rice fields all around us then) ran quacking and squawking into the restaurant and across the floor and tables. They left muddy webbed footprints all over the place. They were our first guests - those dirty ducks!

And so the name stuck. Bebek is duck in Bahasa Indonesia. Their signature dishes include Bebek Bengil (half a duck marinated in spices and deep-fried to crispy perfection) and Balinese Smoked Duck, which takes many hours to marinate and prepare so that you have to pre-book and pre-order this dish. According to our driver Nyoman (who happens to live nearby and knows the guy who handles the marinating spices for the restaurant), apart from the many spices used to marinate the duck, it's actually the special cooking technique that makes it so good. After marinating the duck, it is buried into a heap of rice husk, which will then be lighted. As rice husk does not catch on fire easy or can't be burnt easily, it ends up smoking instead, and the heat from the rice husk smokes the duck slowly, taking at least 4-5 hours to fully cook the duck.

The meat is so tender and juicy, with a slight tinge but not too strong of the taste duck meat. The herbs and spices are so well executed that it doesn't take away the original taste of duck meat, but complements it perfectly.

The set comes with rice,

Vegetables, which is long beans with beans sprout,

Balinese Sate, which is totally different from what we have in Malaysia and worth trying. The sauce is Mmm~Mmm Yummy!

Keropok

2 glasses of pure fruit punch

True satisfaction! Totally worth its price of IDR 185,000 / RM 67.50. The Smoked Duck set feeds three to the brim.

21 years of business, with branches in Jakarta and Hong Kong (I think). Here's the address:

Bebek Bengil (Dirty Duck Diner)

Hanoman Street,

Padang Tegal, Ubud,

80571 Bali, Indonesia

Telephone Number/Fax No : +(62-361) 975 489

Thank you Lord, for the delicious dinning time together. :)

Bali

2011-02-06T22:26:00.001+08:00

My family and I were in Bali for a week. Been to many places (will try to remember the names), saw many interesting sites, and tasted great many good food. Although the aftereffects of having too much spicy food for a week is what I'll have to bear with now.

Bali is beautiful. But one piece of advise: if you're like me and like culture and nature more than commercialism, clubbing and congestion, then you might want to stay in Ubud for 3-4 days and only 1-2 days at Kuta.

Here goes the pix...

Babi Guling -- famous and must have at Ubud.

Mum and I sitting under a bamboo bush.

The Ubud Pasar. Lots of arts, crafts and souvenirs.

Guitar Miniatures

Padi -- you'll see fields all over the countryside of Bali.

And even at where we stayed -- Nick's Pension. Ducks in the field going home after the evening feed.

Ever seen spiders like this before?

You ain't seen nothing yet. This one's bigger!

Sunset at Nick's Pension

Rice Terrace

Nyoman, our driver, talking with Mum

Kintamani Volcano

And Batur Lake beside the volcano.

Tampak Siring -- holy spring temple

Visitors and locals taking a dip in the temple's holy water.

Balinese worshiping in the temple.

More paddy fields. See this almost everywhere.

And they are mostly planted on terraces.

Goa Gajah. No elephants, though. This is an ancient temple.

The next day...

We went to the palace temple.

Then we went to Bedugul.

It was a rainy day, but it was still beautiful all the same.

Ulun Danu Temple -- Beratan Bedugul Lake

Beratan Lake

Gitgit Waterfalls

The water is ice cold.

Thank you Lord, for your wonderful creation. :)

More in the next posts...

Your Love Never Fails

2011-01-25T23:03:00.000+08:00

1 Corinthians 13:13 -- Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is LOVE.

Righteousness

2011-01-25T22:55:00.000+08:00

There's no better way to write this. Awesome post by Clarence Cheong http://bright-studio.blogspot.com/2011/01/misconception-101.html

Jealous

2011-01-24T23:35:00.001+08:00

Ever heard of the statement that God is a jealous God? What is He jealous for? He's God and He owns everything, so why is he still jealous?

The word 'jealous' rhymes with 'zealous'. Zeal is the highest form of passion and love, the extreme kind that would go any length for the object of love. And jealous, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is (1) intolerant of rivalry or unfaithfulness, or disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness, (2) hostile toward a rival or one believed to enjoy an advantage, and (3) vigilant in guarding a possession.

What is God intolerant about? Why is He hostile and wrathful? What is the possession that He is guarding?

God is jealous for you. He's not jealous of you; He's jealous FOR you. He is intolerant about your sin, hostile and wrathful towards Satan, and He is constantly in vigilance to guard you as His very own possession. This is the highest zeal. This is how much God loves you and me.

It's two sides of a coin: God loves you and He hates your sin. He doesn't hate you, but He hates sin and He loves you. Why does He hate sin? Because that's what will destroy you and He doesn't want that to happen; He is intolerant of Satan who snatches you away, hostile toward him who enjoys destroying your life, and vigilant in guarding you as His precious one -- all because of ... LOVE.

Our parents are quite capable of protecting us this way. They nag us, advise us, urge us, warn us, scold us, and (when we were young and naughty) cane us. They will do all they can and everything they know to protect us, yet sometimes they are over protective and we become even more rebellious. That's because they really love us, even though the way they express it may not be perfect and right sometimes.

But God's perfect love is not limited like how our parents are. While our parents are limited in their resources and solutions, God isn't limited. He is the solution to our unfaithfulness and rebellion. His solution to our sin is to give His only begotten Son to die for us on the cross. His love is fully manifested in this: that while we did not know Him, while we sinned against Him, while we rebelled against Him, while we were destroyed by our sin, He loved us even though we were unlovable. Romans 5:8 -- But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Zeal is passion, and passion means sacrifice. For what cause? That we will one day be united with Him again in heaven and in His presence be completely satisfied with the fullness of joy. Does this challenge your mind to ask why? (like, "Why do we need to enjoy His presence? Why heaven?") Because the alternative is a place of eternal destruction and suffering. Hell is what God is guarding you against, knowing that He created you, and you belong to Him. You are the object of His love, passion and zeal.

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God loves you.

Words to Remember:

1 John 4:9, 18-19 -- In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 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. We love Him because He first loved us.

There's No Gender in Heaven

2011-01-23T23:40:00.002+08:00

Did you know that there's no gender in heaven? Where in the Bible does it say so?

Well, actually, there's no verse in the Bible that say so. (Gotcha!) Then what is the basis of this statement?

When God created the heavens and the earth and all the living things in the world, he created man. In Genesis 1:27-28 it reads: So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." God created male and female and the purpose is for them to be fruitful and multiply, subdue the earth and have dominion over every living thing.

Notice, God created male and female, not only male or only female. He created Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Why? Because this is the purpose of gender: for reproduction and procreation, so that with the authority given humans, we rule over all other living things; we are the caretakers of the earth.

But when we go to heaven, there is no need for reproduction and procreation. The citizens of heaven are us, who have already passed through life on earth, passed through being caretakers of the earth. In heaven we will still reign and rule with God, but ruling over planets, over spiritual regions that we have no way to imagine right now due to our earthly limitations. And by the way, when we go to heaven, we leave our mortal bodies behind (unless you are raptured); when we die, our spirit goes to heaven and we finally are able to relate with God and all the heavenly beings with our spirit, free of the limitations of our body. (Terms and condition apply: You need to believe in Jesus for the passport to heaven.)

"You mean we won't have sex in heaven?" Yea, precisely. "But why? I thought sex is created by God and it's good!" Yes, sex is created by God and it is good. (Terms and condition apply: sex between a husband and a wife in a marriage relationship is good and intended by God.) And I'm sure all those out there who are married will agree with me to say that sex gives you the satisfaction and completeness in your relationship as husband and wife. Super highlight and underline many times the word 'satisfied'. That's because sex is the highest expression of intimacy between a husband and wife. But you know, in heaven, when you're in the immediate presence of God, you are completely and perfectly and wholly satisfied by Him, the Bridegroom.

Picture this: A woman who is in courtship with a man, has kept herself pure, reserving her body for the day when she's finally wedded with her husband. And likewise, her man has kept himself pure, to the point of denying his sexual drives and restraining himself, just to save his body for his beloved wife. And on the wedding night, when they finally unveil themselves to each other, aren't they completely satisfied? Yes, completely indeed. But when we are finally united with Christ forever, we are not just completely satisfied; we are perfectly and wholly satisfied, because He is perfect, flawless, and we too, are changed in His glory to be perfect.

People say sexuality is a choice. Some people choose to be in-betweens because they feel like they are trapped in the wrong body. But let me tell you, there are no in-betweens. God never created in-betweens. That's a deception and the biggest lie from the devil. And there are even more people who say, "Oh, but homosexuality is such a normal thing nowadays. Why should we give two hoots about it? There are places who make gay and lesbian marriage legal." But where does it say that what's normal is right? It's pretty normal to hear murder cases and crime every day, but does it make it right to kill and steal? It's pretty normal to know people exploit and manipulate others and make themselves superior over others, but does it make it right?

Beloved fellow creations of God, Philippians 3:20-21 says "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself." So if you think you're in the wrong body, this is the answer for you: There is no gender in heaven. In heaven you will not have this confusion and frustration. You will no longer be deceived. Our lowly bodies will be transformed and conformed to His glorious body.

But that's step 2. Step 1: you've got to believe in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.

If you're reading this and you feel offended, I will not apologise; but rather, let me tell you why you feel offended. It's because this is the truth. Why is the truth offensive? Because it challenges all that you think you know and all that you thought was right. It echoes the deepest cry of your heart for a solution, but that deepest part of you have been numbed and buried by mountains of lies and deception. You know what is deception? It's when you thought what you know was right, but actually it was wrong. And you know what true freedom is? It's when truth meets you and set your mind free from deception.

I'm not writing this to condemn anyone; rather, I'm giving you grace to meet with Jesus and be set free. Let His amazing love encounter you.

Words to Remember:

John 14:6 -- Jesus said to him, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

There's no cheese cake

2011-01-21T23:34:00.001+08:00

After all that's been said and done, it has to come down to this.
And you and I know it very well.
If it's going to be everything or nothing at all,
then the only choice I can make is nothing at all.
There's no cheese cake.
Because I'm not a piece of cake that you can eat.
If there's one thing that I can ask of you,
would you open your heart and open up my gift for you?
If you'd hear His voice speaking to you, don't harden your heart.
I hope you're reading this, because only you will understand.
Remember, I think the best of you.

The Journey of Faith (1)

2011-01-09T23:40:00.000+08:00

When it comes to this, I guess everyone knows that Abraham was considered a father of faith. He's always associated with his journey of faith, how he trusted God for the miracle son Isaac, and how by faith he was counted righteous.

Note: Abraham was accounted righteous not because he was perfect in following the instructions of the Lord. Nor was he flawless and without mistake in his journey of trusting God and figuring out the call of God in his life. Nor was it because of something that he did that he was accounted righteous. He was accounted righteous because he placed his faith on God.

Do you know why faith is a journey? Because a lot of times we don't see something coming to pass with our natural eyes and in our own understanding. A lot of things that God has spoken to us and promises that He has given seem unlikely to happen. Or because we try to help God to fulfil His promises. Or because we value the blessing that God has given previously more than believing in the Blesser who can bless us even greater. It's a journey of faith because it is learned over time, sometimes even painstakingly.

When the Lord first spoke to Abraham about his calling to become a father of nations, he did not have a child. The Lord told him to get out of his own country to a land that He will show him and He will make Abraham a great nation, blessing him to become a blessing to the earth. God actually wanted Abraham and his wife alone to fulfil this great promise, but Abraham brought a long his father and his nephew Lot.

Perhaps Abraham thought that his father was able to give him sound advices because of his age, and obviously Abraham respected his father and loved him. If put in today's context, we look up to our spiritual leaders, giving them the highest regard and respect because of their calling and the good advices they have given to us. We are affectionate with them because they have laid down their lives to love us and shepherd us as their flock. But many times, we take them as an easy way out to experience God, rather than experiencing God first hand.

I recognise that there is a stage in a Christian's walk of faith to rely on spiritual leaders to feed them with the Word and to teach them spiritual truths, and we continue to feed on the 'pasture' that our spiritual leaders feed us with, especially what our pastors preach on Sunday. However, it is our individual responsibility to see ourselves grow to a point that we know we cannot keep relying on them to feed us. Just like our mothers stop feeding us milk and move on to solid food, and then move on to having us find food for ourselves, spiritual leaders are there not to cradle us whole life, but to point us to Jesus. At some point of my journey of faith, I've come to realise that I can't be a baby relying on my spiritual leaders anymore. I can't treat them like a teddy bear to hug and hang on to when I'm going through a bad time. I can't treat them like a prayer vending machine. Because I've realised no matter how much I'd love to talk about my situation and try to get their analysis, advices and their sympathy, and finally a prayer, it's up to me to sort things out. It's up to me to make the right decisions and do the right things to resolve the situation. It's up to me to seek God for help, because ultimately He is the solution and the answer to all our challenges.

So I have made this decision: I will seek You, Lord. When I call, You will answer, because that is what Your word says. I will experience You first hand and not through a second revelation. There is a place for spiritual leaders to step in and to give us Godly advices, but if You mean me to become a spiritual leader myself one day, then I ought to grow up. I ought to give up looking to my spiritual leader for solutions and advices. If I really believe that God, You are my answer to every situation and the solution to every challenge, then why can't I believe that You will tell me what to do? I will look to You, the beginner and the finisher of my faith.

I'm not saying going to your spiritual leaders is wrong or bad; I'm just saying if the Lord meant us to grow and become disciples that will take nations, we've got to start feeding from the right source. If we truly believe that Jesus is the answer to the world, then we ought to experience Him first hand as the answer to our problems and challenges. If we truly believe all that we are singing about "everything I need is You", then we need to stop looking to human solutions and human wisdom, and start looking at Jesus and His heavenly wisdom. If we would ever receive a revelation, it has to come directly from Him.

Human methods and solutions will only meet earthly needs; spiritual needs requires spiritual solutions that is found only in the One who saves. Let's begin this journey of faith, of trusting our God is really, truly, undoubtedly, all we need.

Worship

2011-01-08T22:32:00.000+08:00

It's my first worship practice of the year. Coming together with the team is always awesome. More than the music, more than playing together, more than anything else it's about the heart of worship. Worship is not music, and good music doesn't translate into good worship. I'd like to say humbly that I'm still learning this, and the truths that I have learned to be reminded constantly.

There is so much to worship. The greatest worshipers are not the people who stand on stage every week leading the congregation into worship. It's not the most professional musicians, not the most anointed worship leader, not the best vocalist. The greatest worshipers are Christians whose hearts are after God. And everything else we do flows from this heart of worship, and it has to; it's a must, because if we don't do it out of our worship and love for God, it is just religion -- man's self effort to reach God.

A lot of times we give a lot of 'taglines' and try to encourage one another to be united in heart, to pray more, to be in right attitude, to do this, do that, etc etc, but change will only come for the individual who allows the love of God to saturate and fill him.

James 3:13-17 says that the wisdom that births forth from bitter envy and self-seeking ambitions is earthly, sensual and demonic; but wisdom that is from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. These verses have spoken to me many times and continues to speak more and more each time, deeper each time. When we have our own agendas, selfish ambitions and our focus and reasons of doing ministry is not about God and only God, we are using our own strength, wisdom and resources to do spiritual things. But you can only do spiritual things using spiritual wisdom -- which is from above. And notice the qualities of the wisdom from above? It's all qualities that comes from the heart. It doesn't say about qualities that develop from diligence or discipline or human efforts. They are the fruit from being connected with God and staying connected.

Otherwise, how are you going to be willing to yield all the time? Would you yield to someone who is hostile and want his way all the time? Will you be willing to humble yourself? How are you going to be impartial to everyone? Surely you like some people more than others. What does it mean to be pure and to keep ourselves pure? In this age of media, popular culture is the norm, but what is norm doesn't mean it's right. How do you keep yourself pure without being ignorant? And how are we ever without hypocrisy? How many times have we come to contradict ourselves and set double standards on others? How will we ever have this wisdom that is from above if it's not because God gave us the grace to receive them? Grace to the undeserved -- us.

Time is not our friend. I don't know about you, but I always feel that years come by and pass faster and faster every year, and every year we tell ourselves that we ought to do more of this and more of that, we should achieve this and that by when. Well, if you've talking about losing weight and setting a target to reach your desired weight by a certain time, you can make a goal like that. But many times, I realised that it's almost impossible to tell yourself that you'd like to reach a certain stage in your spiritual ministry. If you have reached there by setting a goal and worked towards it, I congratulate you. But as for me, I realised that it's not just a resolution, not just a commitment, not just a song that says "I surrender all to You", not something that you can 'work' towards; it's a covenant between God and you that says that "I know I can't do it Lord, and I really need You, let Your grace help me." It's a covenant that doesn't back out even when things don't seem to go the way we want. It's a covenant that doesn't need your qualification or ability, but one that is purely by His grace. It's a covenant that doesn't have place for a plan B, but of unrelenting faith and trust on the One who will fulfil His promise. (After all, it's His promise, so what are we worrying about?)

Lord, bring us back to the heart of worship where it's all about You, and none about us.

So Small

2011-01-02T23:23:00.000+08:00

Sometimes the mountain you've been climbing is just a grain of sand. In Your eyes, God, it really is. Everything we need is You, it's Your love, Your grace; You are the answer. Everything that we are going through is no biggie for You. And I thank You, that You are bigger and stronger.

2011

2011-01-01T23:42:00.000+08:00

And so, we ended 2010.

Last night / this morning's Thanksgiving and Rededication Service was totally awesome, praising God for all that He has given and done in our lives as individuals and as a church. Indeed, we've seen so much progress and so much fruit this year that can say we've stepped into the realm of multiplication. We've prayed and confessed and claimed growth and multiplication for many years, and here's the fruit we are experiencing and seeing -- and we rejoice to the MAX! Souls saved by more than double, lives rededicated to Christ, church finance increased and accruals almost disappeared! Hallelujah!

And the best part is the video (thanks to Bong Yang, Denion, Jetaime and others, really good job!) where the Great Commission and Great Commandment is made so clear -- win all, train all and send all; worship and ministry hand-in-hand. It was really awesome -- not on the quality of the video in terms of technical and editing skills, but the content and the depth of the understanding of what we practice as a church -- it was beyond words could describe. I looked at Ps. David, our beloved senior pastor, and I understood that this is his reward, this joy and sense of achievement that no amount of money can buy, no other earthly career or vocation can satisfy.

Let's do this again this year, and even more. Greater things are to come; it has become almost a tagline, but one that we all know will come to pass, and are putting all our hope on God. For we are not long here, our life is just a breath, so we better breathe it and know that we are made for love, to love, and to be loved.

Love never fails.

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T19:26:00.000+08:00

It's the last day of the year, 5 hours and counting and it will be over. I should have written this a few days, or even a few weeks ago, but well, at least I still have one last post for 2010.

I thought I would be celebrating the coming of 2011 with all joy and anticipation; part of me still wants to, but there has been a lot of happenings lately that made me want to hold on to 2010 even more. December always passes with doubled speed -- both in a good and bad way. And 2010, well, it's been a fast-slow year, if you know what I mean. I look back and I want to say I have no regrets. Or at least at this moment I'm not regretful of anything. Achievements, aplenty; setbacks, bound to be there; but what's more important and will always be is the promise that God is there through it all.

There are things that happened recently that I can't write it here, but suffice it to say that it totally challenged and revolutionised my perspective about many things. Okay, maybe I'm not at the point of being revolutionised yet, but challenged, definitely. How challenged? Well, when all that you know and all that you're passionate about and all that you believe in becomes irrelevant to the people around you and to the world. When it dawns upon you that what you've been doing and the cause you've been fighting for doesn't mean anything to the people that you're fighting for. When you begin to realise that you're a wretched self-righteous hypocrite who can't represent the Saviour you love. When you look at Jesus' life and you desperately ask Him, "Lord, how did you do it? How will I ever reach there?" When you looked at the people around you and you realised you're equally in need of the love of Jesus, but you're still snobbishly living in denial, thinking that you're 'holier than thou'. This is how I defined 'challenged'.

I guess when I wrote the post on Christianity is controversial, this is what I really mean. I guess it now gives me a new meaning, or more like, a new question, a new quest to overcome. Jesus said that we will do the things that He did, and greater things than these we will do. But Lord, may you give us the grace to do them, because we can't do it by ourselves, we are nothing.

I've never written a new year resolution or thought of it as early as this time. I have written it at the beginning of the month, and almost forgotten about it, but I know what I wanted to do at heart. I knew that greater things are going to come, but I need to be ready for them; my heart needs to be ready. Yet, at this point, being 'challenged', I have much to lay down, plentiful to crucify and emotions to reconcile. And I don't know how, only that Lord, I need You.

If I get to make a New Year's wish, or if there was ever such a thing, it would be to have Your assurance that You are with me, and You will guide me to do the right things, say the right words, make the right decisions. Would You show me more? I need desperately You, Jesus...

And Lord, 2011 is for You, Your glory, Your Honour, Your praise. I love You.

How He Loves Us

2010-11-30T00:05:00.000+08:00

God love you. Yes, you, reading this and listening to this song. He wants to encounter you. Just open up your heart and let Him saturate you with His love.

It is Good

2010-11-25T23:27:00.003+08:00

There was a king who had a loyal servant. This servant was an optimistic person and in all things, he always said, "It is good!", no matter what it was.

The king was one who loved hunting. One day, he and the servant went out hunting in the forest. They went deep into the wood searching for dear. The servant loaded a gun and handed it to the kind, but alas he loaded it wrong and when the kind fired it, his thumb was blown off.

"It is good!" exclaimed the servant.

The king was bleeding and furious. "How can you say this is good? This is obviously horrible!" he screamed at him. He was so furious that he put the servant into jail.

Some time later the king went hunting again, this time by himself. In his journey, he encountered cannibals who captured him and took him to their village. They bound him and was preparing him as their supper. But as they came near to set fire to the wood, they noticed that the king was missing a thumb. Being superstitious, they never ate anyone who was less than whole. So they untied the king and sent him on his way.

Full of remorse the king rushed to the prison to release his servant.

"You were right, it was good," said the king.

And the king told his servant how the missing thumb had saved his life and added, "I feel so sad that I locked you in jail. That was such a bad thing to do."

"No! It is good!" responded his servant.

"How could that be good? I did a terrible thing to you while I owe you my life."

"It is good," said his servant, "because if I wasn't in jail I would have been hunting with you, and the cannibals would have killed me instead."

Quarter of a Century

2010-11-17T23:42:00.001+08:00

Yes, I know I should have posted this about a week ago, but still, late is better than nothing.

I'm delighted with the all the well wishes and blessings given by my friends, the surprise celebration after cell group, the after-church supper, and the Friday night dinner. I'm thankful of my parents who brought me up and raised me to who I am today. I'm truly grateful of all the lovely people around me. But most of all, I'm thankful and grateful to God for life. Thank you.

Life is beautiful. I've lived a quarter of a century and am able to testify of it. Sure, there are ups and downs every moment and every phase of our lives, but still, life is truly beautiful when you're able to appreciate the beauty of the Lord who created you.

Any special thoughts for being 25? Well, only that I'm wishing to move on to the next phase of life. Of course, obviously, life is not just about getting to the next phase, but the growing itself, growing more and more mature, growing more and more in spiritual understanding. But I know God is interested in all aspects of my life. And this, I surrender to Him.

I realised that at different stages of our lives, we have different groups of people around us. And until a point, some people will be less in contact with you, and from there getting lesser and lesser. Maybe even some relationships that you need to give up and move on. There may not be any reasons to giving up some relationships, only that times and seasons have changed and both parties have taken different paths and made different choices in life.

There are some relationships that you'll always have around you. There are some relationships that you've got to let go because it will not bring any result. There are relationships that will grow and blossom. There are relationships that will fade away through time, and when you meet them again you're loss at words. But God is the only one that will remain the same forever.

Life is beautiful. I'll move on beautifully, like a butterfly and flutters gently from one flower to another. I'll mount up with wings like eagle and soar higher. I'll behold the rising and setting sun, and know that You have appointed times and seasons, numbered them, yes, but each for me to enjoy, together in Your glorious presence.

*

My company pays us for a present for our birthday, so I went hunting for a dress for Christmas during the weekend, with a certain budget. I went to a few places, but I didn't find what I wanted until I went further away. I drove there with in mind of getting the dress within 2-3 hours' time. I don't like shopping when I have something specific to hunt for without a specific knowing of where to get it; I don't enjoy hopping from shop to shop and looking through many colours and styles but not finding what I want. I have a very low stamina for shopping. (Not sure if that's something normal, me being a girl...)

So I prayed and told God, "please tell me where to get this dress. I don't even have any idea how it should look like, but I want to have a belt that goes with it." And I went hunting for the dress. I reached the mall at 5.45pm, and I walked for a long time without seeing anything that was close to the little idea I had in mind. I was getting very tired and discouraged when I went into this shop and saw the blue dress. It fitted nicely, and I chose a black belt to go with it. I calculated the price of both and it was exactly to my budget! Praise God! It was around 7.50pm when I paid of the dress and belt. Two full hours of shopping, and I got what I wanted. XD

*

Shall keep posting...

Crossroads

2010-11-04T00:04:00.001+08:00

If you always hear pastors / preachers telling you that Jesus has been tempted in every way possible as a human, yet without sin, and that he has been through all your suffering and pain in life and can identify with you, I would like to tell you that it's true. At any point of your life, whatever situation or circumstances you face, just think the ever famous abbreviation -- WWJD (What would Jesus do?) and put Him in your shoes. He wears all sizes. He's the only One whose size fits all. Or should I say, He fits into all sizes.

I've titled this post "Crossroads" because this is what we face most frequently. Decisions. Choice. What would you do? What should you do? Why? How will it turn out to be? Well, Jesus was at the greatest crossroads ever. I can't say if it's the greatest crossroads of human history, just trying to make it sound big, but I'm sure it was one of the toughest, if not THE toughest choice to make. It was at the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus waged an intense prayer warfare against spiritual darkness, against His flesh and Himself, and said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." Luke recorded in his gospel that "...being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

Jesus was at the crossroad of obeying the Father and giving up His life as a ransom for the whole mankind, or resisting this will and continue living His life. If He continued on, I'm sure beyond any doubt that He will preach to many more, heal many more, cast out more demons, perform more miracles, bring many more to salvation, etc. Yet, it was God's timing and purpose for Him to die so that even people beyond His time can believe and be saved. So, on one hand, Jesus would suffer excruciating pain and death, but He will save mankind. On the other, He would preserve His life so that He could continue to achieve greater success in ministry and impact the whole Israel, but He will not be remembered beyond His time; He will just be another prophet who has passed by in the Israelite's history.

Mankind at the expense of His own flesh and blood, or livelihood in the expense of short term achievement.

What is the "more right" thing to do when all the paths at the crossroads are right?

Many times in life, we face crossroads like this, where all the paths are right. There is no right or wrong to a decision, only whether it will lead you to greater, better results than the other.

We ask the Lord, "God, what is Your will for my life? Tell me, is it A, or B, or C?"

And He says, "Whichever way you take, I will bless you."

And many times when He says that, you know that you know, right deep down in your heart, what is your decision, and whether that decision is pleasing in God's eyes. "How do you know?" you might ask. My answer is... "You know that you know. Listen to that still small voice in your heart."

There are crossroads in life that involve the decision of the people around you. They may have made a choice to move on to a different path than yours, and you are somewhat affected by it. Never a day has passed that I did not think of the question, "What about me?" I'm not asking it in a self-centred way, but merely saying, what would my decision be? What would be the "more right" thing to do, for myself? I wouldn't say I can just suck it all up and pretend that other people won't cause me to falter, but I have learned that no matter what happens, I'll just have to stick to the promises of God.

Would I give up my life for many others to live, or save myself so that some others can live? I'll choose the former.

I'm not noble or able. I'm just saying, it would be the "more right" choice. And I will want to choose this.

How do I walk down the path I have chosen? By looking steadfastly and steadily at Jesus, who has paved the highway for me. Already I'm seeing new favour and blessings, even divine protection coming on me. Surely His grace is sufficient for me, just as His mercy is new every morning. Thank You, Lord. I will hold on to You. Because You never fail.

Your joy makes everything complete. I love You, Lord.

万事都互相效力 All Things Work Out for Good

2010-10-31T14:27:00.000+08:00

有时候很想对一些事情作出发表，可是想了想，还是沉默比较好。不是因为没有主见或是不敢做声，而是因为上帝自由安排。很多时候在我们生命里，或是身边的人身上发生了一些事情我们都无能为力，都是因为我们感到无助、无奈，所以很丧气，甚至连祷告都没有心机。就算我们身为上帝的儿女拥有祂赐的权柄和恩膏，如果我们无法掌控自己的情绪，把心静下来，我们就不能索取上帝的应许来应付生活上的挑战。

今天公司里发生了一些令大家都觉得人神共愤的事情。不会在这里详细的讲述，只是想提点自己，要仰望上帝。虽然事情不是发生在我身上，可是事情演变成今天的局势，我都只是在抱怨、猜测、感到恐惧、觉得无奈无助、想放弃、无法继续走下去前方的路。过后当心静下来时，才领悟到我是应该把神的爱散播给每个人的那位，我是祈祷大使，是众人的希望，是那位真正能照亮这世界的人，不是因为我有些什么能力，只是因为我是上帝的儿女，上帝差遣了我，把使命交给了我。

顿时感到自己很没用，因为反而是同僚们来安慰我，激励我。我只能跟自己说，下次做好一点；跟上帝说，我很需要袮；跟同事说，对不起，我没办法帮到你，可是我会为你祷告。

虽然环境没有改善，事情没有转机，祈求的事项还没有实现，可是我心里坚信一切掌控在上帝手中，祂会带来改变，塑造我们的环境和身边的人。罗马书8章25-28节也说到：但我们若盼望那所不见的，就必忍耐等候。况且我们的软弱有圣灵帮助，我们本不晓得当怎样祷告，只是圣灵亲自用说不出来的叹息替我们祷告。鉴察人心的，晓得圣灵的意思，因为圣灵照着神的旨意替圣徒祈求。我们晓得万事都互相效力，叫爱神的人得益处，就是按他旨意被召的人。

很多时候我们都不知道该怎么做，不知道面对这些问题该怎么回应。上帝，袮来教导我、指引我吧。告诉我下一步该怎么走。保护我，让我靠着袮的恩典活出这美丽人生，因为生命因爱而动听。

The Hope of All Hearts

2010-10-26T23:00:00.000+08:00

Lord, Indeed, You never fail. I'll hold on to You, wait on You, hope on You...

Passion

2010-10-24T23:10:00.000+08:00

Picture taken from gettyimages.com

We watched The Passion of the Christ in church twice this week. I've lost count of the number of times I've watched this movie, but I know that every time I watched it again, the Lord spoke something deeper into my spirit, awakening it, reminding me, enlightening me with new revelations, assuring me of His love and giving me a greater understanding of His sacrifice.

This is the first time that I didn't shed a single tear. I still felt the excruciating pain when they whipped Jesus and nailed Him on the cross, but I also received a revelation from there. It's not just about treasuring my salvation and the life that Jesus has bought back for me by His body and blood, but the crucifixion itself, and the process of it all, and all that the Roman soldiers and religious authority did to Him was prophesied hundreds of years before He was born... it's such a significant turning point for all mankind.

I understood grace even more now. Who am I that He, the King and Lord of all, would give His life for me, suffer and die for me, just so that I would be made whole and complete and well again, just so that I would be able to have an abundant life. Not because I deserve it, but because I am wretched and I need Him. Amazing grace. Amazing love.

Passion is sacrifice. It's not just a deep love for something, but an act upon your love, that you will not hold back anything just to get to it, just to achieve it. You will not think twice about laying down anything of your self in exchange to it. You will be willing to sacrifice for it.

If you have a passion for photography, you sacrifice your money and time to buy camera and learn to use it, you pour your whole heart to it, just to see the produce of your photography. If you have a passion for music, you invest in instruments, protectives, polish; you invest your time to brush up on skills; you buy albums and listen over and over again; you learn from others.

But Christ, His passion was us, His people, His creation, His children. He invested His whole life for us, He sacrificed Himself. We sometimes devalue the word 'sacrifice'; e.g. "I sacrificed my time and money and youth to learn dancing." or "I sacrificed some meals and gave my money for the church." Compare that with what Jesus did, it really puts things into perspective. Jesus gave His body and His blood as the ransom to buy us back from spiritual darkness. And He gave it willingly. He was betrayed, accused, trialed, spat at, mocked at, scourged, beaten up, bruised, crucified, pierced, rejected, abandoned ... but there was never a word of complaint. He bore it all willingly, because He loved us. Passion is sacrifice.

There is no greater sacrifice than that of Jesus Christ. The Lord showed me that really, actually, whatever things that we suffer here on earth, every heartache, every pain, every rejection, every hurt, every challenge that we face, everything that we think we are unable to overcome, every setback, every obstacle, every opposition... He has taken it all unto Himself, so that we will not need to sacrifice. I'm again reminded that every challenge I face is just a tiny dot compare to what I will be rewarded and enjoy in eternity. And everything I thought impossible is already possible, because the most unthinkable and impossible -- God dying for His creation -- was already done. No wonder Hebrew 12:2 says to keep looking unto Jesus, the Author and the Finisher of our faith. Look unto the cross, look unto His finished work, there lies the power that will defeat and crush satan under our feet!

Lord, as we lift You up in our daily lives, may You draw all men unto Yourself. Amen.

Strong Enough - Stacie Orrico

2010-10-19T21:25:00.001+08:00

Dream Come True

2010-10-18T22:24:00.000+08:00

I think my dream is coming true. Yes, I'm talking about the one I had about the team of scientists coming to do tests on how much a person can withstand physical and emotional pain. Maybe you're reading this title and you're thinking to yourself, "Wow, her dream comes true! How nice." Well, let me tell you that if you didn't have a nice dream and it turns out to be true, it's nothing nice at all.

I know that when I had that dream, it was something very assuring, because although it was excruciatingly painful, but I withstood the pain and suffering, knowing deep in my heart and mind that Jesus was with me. Looks like I really am taking over my colleague's job... at least somewhat. Lord, please help me to keep the faith that you have imparted. Pain will come, but fear, you disappear and become powerless at the presence of Jesus Christ!

Picture taken from gettyimages.com

Psalm 23 (Amplified Bible)

¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
    ²He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.^(A)
    ³He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.
    ⁴Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
    ⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with ^[a]oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.
    ⁶Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Highly Favoured by God

2010-10-16T23:49:00.002+08:00

It’s been another week. Time flies at the speed perhaps second to light, but I should commend on this week because it’s been a week of tremendous blessing, great burning of the Holy Spirit within me compelling me to go, it’s been a week filled with peace that surpasses all understanding.

Where should I start, but to start with praising the Lord?

He is awesome. His favour never fails. And His favour always comes as unmerited, undeserved grace. The Lord always backs us up with more than enough grace as we do His work – sowing seeds of love, planting a word of encouragement, urging fellow believers to become disciples, praying for changes to happen and materialise just as it is in the heavenly realm, calling down His hope and peace when there is despair… Lord, without You I am nothing.

Just the other day I was late for work. And I’m talking about really, really very late. I woke up in shock and disbelief that I was 5 minutes away from the clock in time. Well, what to do? Just take my time to get ready and drive to work with the peace of God in my heart and not fretting.

My colleagues will usually be reprimanded for clocking in late by 1 or 2 minutes. This is the first time I’m ever late for work, and it’s not a 1 or 2 minute lateness. It’s 1 hour and 25 minutes! Both my bosses just smiled at me as I entered the office and told them that it was because I had forgotten to set my alarm and I woke up at 8.10am.

Favour.

My teammates have long ago acknowledged that there is indeed favour upon me and my work. Of course, they didn’t exactly acknowledge God in the picture although I told them before that it was God’s favour on me. And yes, they do joke about it every day, but still, it doesn’t change this fact and truth that I am indeed a highly favoured one.

I am thankful, but my desire is to see all my teammates experience the same favour that I have. I want to see them being blessed in their work and receive recognition and praise for their work, because they work very hard. I want to see all the accusation and injustices that they suffer be nullified. And more than anything, I want to see them believe in Jesus.

Two days ago I had a dream about my work. (I seldom dream about work.) I dreamed that there were some people who came with weird instruments to do some research and test on me and my colleagues on our ability to withstand pain. But it's not just a test on physical pain; the instrument tested on emotional pain at the same time, where the more physical pain you experience, the more emotional pain would increase as well. A few of us were selected to go through this test, and the people assured us that it will not do us great harm. One of my teammates were selected, but I negotiated and told the scientists to let her go, that I would replace her. So they did.

They put a band around my left wrist and started on the weird instrument. I felt pain instantly, slowly at first, and growing more intense as they increased the "volume" on the machine. I could feel a piercing, searing pain in my heart, almost like the emotional pain inside was channelled to my brain cells and transmitted throughout my whole body so that I feel the physical pain. I didn't cry out even though I was already in great pain, yet all the while I felt as though my body was separated from my mind. Throughout the test, I was thinking about how Jesus had suffered the cross and that pain must have been greater than what I was going through. And so the test went on; the scientists kept increasing the "volume". It was getting excruciating now, but I still did not cry out; I still persevered.

Yesterday, I had another dream about my colleagues. It was an annual occasion of some sort for the company, but I don't know what it was. It was almost like a bonus giving day, except that it wasn't. My bosses had prepared gifts for each of us and we were to go to them one by one to receive the gifts. I got a beautifully decorated box. It's not a big box; only the size of my palm, not tall either. My teammates have opened their boxes and revealed accessories of all kinds. All of them only had one or two accessories. I opened mine and took out the accessories one by one, for there were many -- pearl chains, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, you name it. As I took them out one by one, my teammates were all amazed and envious of my gift.

Many things are happening at the moment, and mostly changes that are not good. But I believe the Lord is telling me that even though I will go through times when things are negative and look like they will become worse, He is sustaining me, He will see me through, He will come through for me. And in the midst of all, I will receive gifts and favour from Him. I will remain the highly favoured one. Praise the Lord, He is awesome.

Lord, I pray that at where you have placed me, it will be a position of influence, a position that will enable to share Your love and shine Your glory. Please let Your grace be upon me, so that I will have open doors to preach the gospel, so that in my work I will glorify You.

* picture from gettyimages.com

Christianity is Confrontational

2010-10-15T22:52:00.001+08:00

I have mentioned in my previous post that the gospel of Christ is never traditional, goes by human standards or public opinion. It's always confrontational, to the preacher, as well as to the hearer.

If you've never thought of preaching the gospel as a challenge or confrontational to what you know is yourself, I would like to sincerely congratulate you. But you can only be one of the two: (1) You've laid down so much for the Lord that you no longer see preaching Christ as a doing but a living; or (2) You've never preached the gospel to a single person, so there's nothing confrontational to yourself, because you've not stepped out. I'm congratulating you only if you're the first.

Why is preaching the gospel confrontation first to yourself? Because there are many barriers to break, but these are all in your mind. You can only step out in faith after you have confronted these questions in your mind and overcome them. Yes, you can tell yourself a gazillion times "I need to preach the gospel, I should preach the gospel, I need to tell about Jesus!", but not until you actually confronted the thoughts of "this person won't accept Christ" or "He's not open" or "She's of a different religion", you won't take the step of faith to even say the word 'God' in your conversation.

If you don't already know, I'm a Chinese Malaysia, which means my racial identity is Chinese. I get this question from non-Chinese friends sometimes: "Do you celebrate Chinese New Year or Christmas?" I will answer with a smile, "both." Somehow, many people think that because I am a Christian, I shouldn't be celebrating Chinese New Year, because they think the festive occasion has to do with religion.

There's a big difference between cultural traditions and religious practices. Sure there are many festive occasions that are related to one's religion, but there are also many other practices we do simply because we are of that particular race. My fellow Chinese Malaysia, do you know that Christians can and do practice the tea ceremony during weddings, besides having a Christian wedding ceremony in church? Now, is the tea ceremony religious practice or tradition? Do you know that Christians can and do go for Ching Bing to remember their ancestors? Only we don't pray to them or burn any paper money to the dead. Is Ching Bing a religious practice or a tradition and heritage?

Many people think that Ching Bing is a religious practice. Well, do a search about how Ching Bing came about and you will know that the value behind this practice is a heart of filial respect for our parents. And this value is a precious and beautiful heritage that we Chinese practice through centuries. It has been made religious, with people telling you that if you don't burn more paper money for the dead, you will not receive blessing. Or if you pray more to them, the dead will bless you. There is serious misconception that visiting the cemetery to respect the dead is religious.

Friends, it is a tradition, a Chinese culture and heritage that should be kept and practiced, because it is a good value passed down from centuries to teach us to be respectful and honour those who are elder than us, our ancestors, our parents. The only religious thing that you do is when you burn the 'offering' and 'pray' to the dead. Religion is man's self effort to reach God, but to no avail because God is absolutely holy and man is sinful.

And this is why the gospel is confrontational to the hearer. To most Chinese families, when the parents learned that their children have become Christians, their primary concern would be that the children will no longer pay respect to them when they pass away. Christianity confronts tradition. But in this case, tradition is confused and mixed with religion. Does it confront the tradition and value of being filial? Yes, and it confronts the value so that one not only pay respect to the dead, but to the living. That, is transformation. When you believe in Christ, He says in His word to honour your father and mother, that your days may be long. Does He say we should honour our parents when they are living or dead? Of course when they are well and living!

In Jesus' preaching, there were many instances that were confrontational to the people who were listening to Him. Jesus said to one who wanted to follow Him, "Let the dead bury their own dead" (Matthew 8:22); declared spiritual worship to a Samaritan woman (John 4:23-24); said to multitudes who followed him, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brother and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple." -- He confronted traditions and taboos of His days. Jesus said to the Pharisees, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?" (Luke 14:3); He said to the woman caught in adultery, "go and sin no more" when by the law of Moses she was supposed to be stoned -- He confronted religion and religious laws. It was transformation that He wanted to bring -- transforming mindsets and hearts, transforming dead works to become works of faith by grace.

When we yield ourselves to Jesus and let Him confront our old mindsets and old self, He transforms us into His likeness and glory. When we let Him transform us despite our backgrounds of traditions and culture, we will not be conformed to the values of this world. Even the good values of this world when transformed by the Lord, it becomes good and acceptable and perfect, will of God.

Don't be held back by your traditions or culture. Don't be held back because of religion, your futile self effort to reach God. Don't be held back because of you lack the courage and faith to confront the excuse to evangelise. God did not hold back His only begotten Son, the only Son that He love.

For God So Loved the World

2010-09-30T22:01:00.001+08:00

I read an article recently, it was about child abuse. I think I have never read anything that impacted me this much.

The article described a five-year-old girl who was abused to death by her own mother. She was so badly abused that she had internal and external bleeding at various places, all over her body. She was not born in a broken family -- she was the second child of the family; she had an older brother who was just 1 year older than her; her parents were married; her father had a stable job but away from home; they were not in poverty. Yet, she was a victim of cruel torture by her own mother.

What did the mother do? Constant beatings were not the only thing that this girl had to suffer; she was in constant hunger. She had never known what it means to have her stomach filled. Every evening during dinner time, her mother will be sitting at the table with her brother, and she had to come with her little bowl, begging her mother to give her some food. If her mother was angry with her, she would be scolded and chased away without any food.

When she was three, she was so hungry that she took some chicken feed to eat. The consequence? Her mother sewed her mouth! We're talking about her very own mother, who bore her for 9 months and gave birth to her!

Ten days before she died, her older brother coaxed her mother to buy some meat for him to eat because it had been a long time since he had the special dish. Her mother immediately got up and went to the market with him, came back and fried the meat. The little girl, taking the opportunity when her mother was in the bathroom, quickly took and ate some small bits of fat that was still hot. But her mother came, pulled her hair and pushed her against the wall. Knowing it would be worse if she were to cry out, the little girl could only suffer the beatings in silence. But the mother wasn't satisfied with just beating her; she dragged her near the pot of hot oil where she had just fried the meat, and poured the hot oil into her mouth!

The days following, the little girl hardly ate anything. On the ninth day, she had severe diarrhea, and was again beaten up because of that. Then on the tenth day at 1 a.m. midnight, while she was squatting over the toilet bowl trying to pee, she just collapsed. Her eyes were still wide opened, but unseeing; her mouth was opened and still bleeding profusely. Her mother tried to hide her death, by putting on new clothes on her dead body, clothes that the little girl had wanted very much to wear but was never given the chance. But when the coroner did an autopsy on her body, it was all uncovered -- all the beatings, all the cruelty... It wasn't just scars and wound that they uncovered; there were rotten wounds, her nails were black from blood clots, her chin and lips were torn apart, even her private parts were full of wounds. They even discovered a small corner in the closet where she was sleeping. Her tiny piece of mat was there and it was bloodstained.

Cut the story short, the wicked (is there a stronger word that I can use?) mother was arrested and charged at court. But the most shocking thing was, not only did she pleaded not guilty, instead she said, "This is my daughter, I have the right to do to her as I like, beat her up as much as I want to!"

Could there be something done that would have prevented her death? The neighbours, though out of sympathy would sometimes give her something to eat, were helpless about her predicament and did not do anything about it. The brother watched all the beatings and abuse, but did not do anything about it. The social workers who came periodically to visit the family were only advising the mother against the abuse; they did not do anything about it. She just silently suffered the endless tears and pain and hunger. And she died.

Talk about suffering...

When we had a paper cut or pricked our finger, or when we are accused or betrayed or back stabbed, or when we are experiencing low finance, or when we are having a bad week at work / school / college / university... Just think about this little girl who really suffered. She REALLY suffered!

When I read this, there were two questions that went through my mind. The first is: Where was God when she was suffering so much, when all she wanted was for her hunger to be filled? Was He not seeing nor hearing? Didn't He know she was in pain and crying out for help? Didn't He have all the solutions and answers? Didn't He have all the power that could have saved her? Didn't He say He created life with purpose and meaning? Was there ever the tiniest sign that there was meaning to her life? Did she exist for her family to torture her? Did she exist to suffer this way? Didn't He love her?

Well, it's easy to say that this little girl is in heaven right now and forever in His everlasting love, no more suffering and pain, no more cruelty, no more fear, no more hunger, forever satisfied in her spirit, soul and body. But is this the way God answers the question of suffering? Is this the way God answers us when WE are the ones suffering any kind of pain, whether physical or emotional, in our life?

The answer is no. He doesn't answer us the way we want our question to be answered. God is not apologetic about what happens in history, from the beginning of time until now. He doesn't need to apologise, because He is STILL the Sovereign God; He is STILL in control. Yes, you may say that the world is chaotic, so how can He be in control? Well, He's still in control because you're still living and breathing and you still have a mind that is able to reason out this question. Because the question of suffering is not just a general question we ask when face with issues like child abuse or famine or natural disasters that claimed thousands of lives and tore families apart. It is a personal question, a question that eventually you and I will ask, whether you are a believer or skeptic, whether you call yourselves agnostic or spiritual. It's the deepest cry of our heart, that "God, where are You?", of which the resounding second part of the question we dare not utter: "I need You, God..." We dare not, not because we are afraid, but because we didn't have enough faith.

The second question that went through my mind is this: For God so loved the world. This means, He loved this little girl, who suffered so much; but it hangs on the same truth that He also loved this wicked woman who murdered her own child. He LOVED her! Just think about the magnitude of this truth! It is totally unthinkable! How can anyone ever love this woman knowing that she is a merciless murderer? Even her husband and her son, how can they still love her, unless they are as cruel and cold-blooded like her? But GOD LOVED HER! He can't tolerate her sins, but He loved her and is compassionate toward her, just as much as He is to this little girl.

Sometimes, we (believers, I'm talking about us!) are like the Pharisees in the Bible. We look at people and judge whether they deserve God's love, God's salvation, God's pardon. If we don't do it outwardly, we try to excuse them in our minds, saying, "I think this person doesn't deserve to go to heaven because of the evil he's done, or because she's a prostitute, or because he's a murderer, or because she's wicked, or because he's sinful!" We even give excuses to the people we *think* we are reaching out to, saying "Well, he's a Buddhist, I don't think he is open to the gospel"; or "He's too busy to come to church / Christian events"; or "She's too worldly and her reasoning is weird". Now, isn't it clear that we really only *think* we are reaching out to them but we're actually not?

Come back to this mother, do you personally think that she deserves heaven? Well, if I were to be totally honest with myself, I would say no. A flat, no-option kind of NO. But who am I? Who are we to judge? God says she deserves, and she can be forgiven, no matter how big or small her sin is, how cruel or kindhearted, how wicked or tender she was to her child. God says SHE DESERVES! That is great love. And that is what a lot of people cannot accept. But this is THE TRUTH -- For God so loved the world! And this is the gospel of grace and everlasting love that we are to preach.

(By the way, if you're thinking, the gospel is never traditional or goes by human standards or popular opinion; it's always confrontational, to the preacher, as well as to the hearer.)

Back to question #1, where was God when the little girl needed Him? God was there. He was right there, not watching helplessly, silently, hands folded; but I believe He showed her that He also suffered and died a cruel death. Not only that; just as He resurrected and now lives forever, she too lives forever with Him, and forever without suffering and pain. Five years of torture, is but a tiny speck in the spans of eternity. And this is also the gospel of grace and everlasting love that we are to preach. Our present suffering will never be comparable to the ultimate, fullness of joy and glory we will receive in heaven.

I believe these two questions are genuine cries of our heart to understand the magnitude of God's amazing grace and love. They deserve an answer. And the answer... is none other than God.

John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall no perish but have everlasting life.

Rainbows in the Sky

2010-09-25T01:26:00.002+08:00

Rainbows in the sky to know God's promises are true...

I don't know when it was that I started to pursue after rainbows in the sky. Whenever it drizzles in the evening and there is still sunlight, I will be looking out for it on the eastern skylines. The sun would be on the west, shining through the raindrops and forming the rainbow on the east.

Coincidentally, the east symbolises where the presence of God is. The tabernacle was always at the east. The east is where the sun rises every morning, and every morning His mercies are new. Coincidence or creation?

Did you know? It's rare to see rainbows in the morning, because it seldom rains like that in the morning -- sun on the east and raining on the west sky. But I have seen this morning rainbow, and it was a huge complete arch, with its distinctive seven colours brightly shining against the grey sky.

And did you know? It wouldn't be possible to see rainbows in the evening unless you are right in the middle where the sun shines and it is raining at the same time. But I have seen it many times, and at times when I least expected it.

These are times when I needed an assurance from the Lord. And though these may be times when I least expected it, I am never surprised at the appearance of a rainbow, because I know they will come. Because I know God's love never fail. Because I know my Father wants to lavish His loving kindness and tender mercies on me all over again. Because He wants to restore me and heal me and comfort me.

And every time I see the rainbow, the Lord is speaking a different thing. Sometimes it is about His everlasting love; sometimes it is His assurance that He is with me; sometimes it is telling me not to give up, because this is what He wants me to walk in and stick on; sometimes it is all of the above. But all in all, His peace fills me and warms my heart... I am grateful for His love.

If

2010-09-12T21:58:00.000+08:00

If you are here. Of which I know you won't be. But I still like to ask.
If your questions need an answer. Of which I wish you do. I would like to try and answer them, even though I don't have all the answers, even though I may not be able to answer them to the way you want them to be answered.
If you would just open up your heart, you will surely experience Him. Of which I firmly believe without a doubt.
If you have time. I wish you'd be the one asking, inviting, meeting.
If you could see what I see, you're the answer to my prayers.
If you would read this. Of which I know you won't.
If you would know what goes on in my mind and heart. It's more than I can bear.
If you would hold out your heart to the One, you will find the Way, the Truth, and Life in its abundance.
If you are free, you know where to find me. But only if you're willing.
If your heart and mind are not worn out from the day. Of which I hope you're not. I will be able to show you, that you're showered by His grace and mercy.
Only if.
But if this is how it has to be, Lord, so be it.
If my heart has grown cold, if my heart has gone weary. Lord, reignite the fire. Let Your love take me deeper.

Arise!

2010-09-05T07:56:00.001+08:00

Early I will rise and praise You, Lord!

Let Your name be lifted high and Your praises be ever ringing.

Arise, all you children of the Almighty God!

Arise and praise Him and shout your praises,

For He is good and His mercy endures forever!

O Praise Him, all you that has breath!

O Praise Him, He is holy and exalted!

Jesus, King of Glory, come take Your place!

Jesus, we worship You.

It's 6.45am. I have barely slept for 5 hours. But my spirit has never felt so alert and strong and on fire. And I mean this literally. Because for me to get up at midnight to pray, it's not something I would do normally. What else would you do if you can't sleep and you kept thinking about salvation for the lost?

I knelt and prayed for an hour, prayed prayers that spoke eternal destinies into their spirit. I wouldn't say I travailed in the spirit, but it was definitely intercessory. I'm not writing all this to boast; on the contrary, to give glory to God, because I know this is not of myself. And I know whatever He has led me to pray has already started to happen in the spirit. Thank You, Lord.

Today is Sunday, and you and I know very well what that means. :) "Early I will rise and praise the Lord!" This phrase keeps coming into my mind. I guess my spirit just can't wait.

I will be in The Vine Sanctuary, Sunway, this morning, with Ps. Lois. It's going to be the first time I'm there on Sunday, and the first time I will be an interpreter for Ps. Lois. I think I haven't started to feel nervous yet; maybe I will when I reach there later. :) But I know, Lord, You will be with me, and it's Your Holy Spirit that will work through me.

*

There are many ways of preaching the gospel. Some people use tracts, some people use care, some people are just touched by the Holy Spirit. But no matter what kind of barrier you think you're facing with the people you're reaching out, LOVE is the answer. Some people carried their salvation and Christianity with pride, a very subtle sense of pride, that they don't realise it's the number one killer that prevents people from seeing Christ in us. Yes, we have confidence in the Lord, but what your spirit carries when you share Christ is what will determine the outcome of the sharing. LOVE is the answer.

We are not trying to convert people -- this is the Holy Spirit's job. Nor are we trying to persuade people -- Paul said his preaching was not with persuasive words of man, but by the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Nor are we trying to sell something. Nope. When we preach the gospel, we are bringing people to a point of CONVICTION, that they need God, and that they can enter in through the Way and the Truth (Jesus Christ), and that they can have Life. We are bringing them to the point that they can make the individual decision to believe in Jesus. We are urging people, not begging them. Jesus must be presented in a non-threatening, non-confrontational way, and Jesus must be seen in us.

We are the light to the world, the salt to the earth. We are the called and sent. Compel them to come in.

No Words to Describe

2010-08-31T22:51:00.000+08:00

Where do I start? Today is the day we've been anticipating for. It's A Day in the Secret Place - a day of soaking in the presence of God and praying for Malaysia, in conjunction with Malaysia's 53th Independence Day. I know we've always been doing this, utilising public holidays to set a day of prayer and worship, but today is just ... different. One of the reasons is because we have invited an Evangelist to share a message with us and impart God's grace for evangelism to us; another is because it's one of the few times our church is packed during A Day in the Secret Place. Packed until seats need to be added at the back! Woot!

Evangelist Philip Yeoh (or Brother Philip Yeoh, as he likes to be known) is 70 years old this year, but he looks like just in his 50s, full of the zeal and compassion for the lost, full of the anointing for God, full of the power of Holy Spirit. His hair looks as though it has just begun to grey, not turning white for a long time yet. And his voice... the hymns that he sang... now I know the power of hymns...

Brother Philip shared a lot of testimonies with us. He says, there are many people who waited until their last days before making the decision to go to heaven. There are people who believed but chose to go to heaven empty handed, without any rewards. There are even people who are OCBC (Orang Christian Bukan Christian). But we only have one life, and with this one life, we MUST be CIMB (Christian Ini Memang Bagus!) and serve God gao gao (to the max). If you think evangelism is difficult, let me tell you, it's not. If a 70-year-old uncle can be on fire for God still and been winning more than 1000 souls; if a bedridden aunty who has just received Christ tells her fellow bedridden patients that she's not afraid of death because she now has a passport to heaven; if a taxi driver tells his fellow taxi driver friends that he goes to visit his rich Father every Sunday; if a prisoner on his death roll takes the only 1 hour he has a day to share with his inmates and asked for more and more Bibles to be brought into the prison -- YOU can do it. WE can do it. I, Stacy Phang, commit to do it!

There are many ways to witness Christ. Sometimes you may meet this person whom you think it's pretty impossible to talk to him/her about Jesus, but God is the One who commissioned us, so He has all the answers. Ask Him for wisdom and understanding, and obey. Sometimes we have the fear of rejection in us and it inhibits us from sharing Christ, but think about this: what's the worst that can happen? If the person you're reaching out rejects what you say, or at worst, rejects you altogether, are you losing anything? Maybe the friendship, but in heaven, God has credited a reward to your account just based on your obedience of sharing the gospel and doing the Great Commission. We won't lose; in fact we gain, because we are already winners and victors when we believe in Jesus.

This is just the first part of today, which built up to the second part - the showing of Jaeson Ma's 1040 movie.

The 1040 movie is about nations in Asia that is situated in the 10-40 Altitude on the world map. These include China, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia. It's a testimonial movie that interviewed many pastors, church leaders, Christian celebrities, ministers of God from these nations and the move of God in Asia. When I watched that, I just thank God and treasured my heritage as an Asian, especially a Chinese Malaysian. I felt so much like crying as I watched the mighty move of God swept through these nations, but there was no tears; yet I know deep inside me my spirit was crying, crying out to God, crying out for Him to move in Malaysia, in our midst. The urgency...

After that, we went into another round of worship. If the first and second round was already awesome and more awesome, this last round just has no words to describe. I stood there at the 2nd keyboard and I just felt like I shouldn't be standing there; I shouldn't be playing at all, that it wasn't right for me to be worshiping with my instrument then. I wanted to kneel and prostate immediately and to just cry out to Him, but I stood on and played the keyboard. There's just no words to describe this accurate enough. I wanted to cry, but there was no tears. I didn't know what to do with my body; it felt so numb and blank and like there was nothing I could do to be able to express what my spirit was feeling. Finally, I just stopped playing and knelt down under the keyboard and put my head on the floor and just started crying out in my spirit (still no tears), crying out for Him to move in my life, crying out for Him to move in Malaysia, crying out for Him to save all my loved ones...

Now I truly know that I love Him more than anything, anyone. Because He first loved me.

Lord, whatever that You have started in me today, the fire, the sense of urgency, the responsibility, the stewardship You have entrusted to me, the people that You have placed in my life, the destiny You have written of my life - fulfil them, bring them to full completion. This, is the joy that You want us to have, the joy of being who we are meant to be. Your beloved.

The Smallest Rainbow

2010-08-17T23:59:00.000+08:00

To those of you who drive, have you ever thought of how you can give thanks when there is a terrible jam and you're rushing for work? Every minute that ticks pass is another moment closer to the threat of being late, so what runs through your mind may be worry and anxiety more than a thanksgiving heart that rises to God. Well, I had the opportunity this morning to give thanks to God, because I saw something in the sky that was beautiful beyond description.

Two cranes flew by, heading towards the zoo. One particularly flew quite near to the cars in front, because at the stretch I was stuck at was a raised highway. I watched them as they glided through the sky, thinking how nice it would be if they were to flew pass above my car... We inched towards the turning to go down the slope, and as I was turning, I saw it. The sky was now brightly lit, although the thick clouds were a unique combination of reddish orange and grey. And there, in between two clouds was one small ray of rainbow. But there was no mistaking it.

I think I was the only one who actually saw that. Or at least I'd like to think it that way. The rainbow lasted for only about five minutes, and it faded. But for the longest time I just stared at it, one eye looking out at traffic and another just trying to drink in all the beauty in it...

It was so small... Just so small... I tried to look if there were other parts of it coming out in sky, but the clouds were too thick, that was the only gap that allowed the colourful ray to shine through. I couldn't take a picture of it, but there's no regret; it's forever etched in my heart.

I said a prayer to my Father. I need You, Lord. I know every time You show me this Rainbow of Promise, You're just telling me and assuring me of Your great love. Teach me what to do. Show me how, Lord. I need You.

And I gave thanks for the jam.

Jesus, all the answers and solutions are found in You. Even when sometimes we think there are questions that we have never thought about, questions that are essentially doubts, Lord, even these You have the answers to them. Even when things don't turn out the way we want them to, You have the solutions for them. And all we need to do is just to rest in You, rest in the assurance of Your goodness and mercy.

Father, I thank You. And I love You.

一年了

2010-07-04T23:08:00.000+08:00

星期五晚上我已经回家了，虽然其实没有什么特别的事情做，但我就只是当着是和家人聚聚吧，看一看妈妈，陪一陪她。

星期六我们到旧街场去吃早餐，让我回味我们怡保的美食。一位同乡的朋友说的没错，怡保有两个值得骄傲的特征，就是美食和历史价值。第三的或许是岩石洞吧。你知道吗？大家都知道OldTown White Coffee 是来自怡保的特产，可是如果你有机会到那间旧街场的咖啡店品尝怡保的鱼旦粉+白咖啡，你就真的知道是和他们的连锁店有很大差别的。当然，现场准备的一定比大量生产的来得好百倍。我的词库很穷，没有办法形容得让你（读者）垂涎三尺，简单来讲就是非常好吃啦。

然后妈妈需要去办很多事情，购货、还钱等的。一路上我们都在说要买鲜花给爸爸和祖父母，但是都不知道要在那里买，因为我们已经不想去上次那件花店买了，觉得很贵，而且不美。想了很久，后来路过一间在街场的花店，觉得还蛮不错，就买了三束daisy+小紫花，一束才RM12呢。看着卖花的阿姨细心地把花包好，就觉得，其实做这门生意真的很不错嘛，除了好赚，看见花朵美丽心情也自然会美起来。靠自己的手艺生活，其实不是想象中的可悲嘛，只是或许在开始营业时会是登峰般的难吧…… 很佩服人家能够实现梦想，很想有一天我也能实现我的作家梦。

今天是爸爸的忌日，大清早就被妈妈叫醒，竟然是因为她身体不适，头晕导致想作呕，但是究竟发生什么事我还是搞不清楚。打电话叫表弟来载我们去看医生，医生说是鼻子敏感导致头晕，头晕导致作呕的征兆，然后还追问我是否也有鼻子敏感的问题，有没有皮肤敏感等的。咳，总之是因为妈妈需要治好她的鼻子敏感问题才会好。默默在为她祷告……

后来我和表弟送妈妈回家休息，然后到坟墓去。其实也不算什么祭拜爸爸，只是把鲜花摆在坟前。

看着爸爸的照片，每次都觉得这块石碑不是我爸，土里的骨灰也不是真正的他。肉体已经不再了，有时想起我真的很想知道他的灵究竟在哪里…… 闭上眼睛祷告，我对上帝说，“感激袮正在塑造我家人的生命，让他们每个人都将会体验袮的好，认知袮、相信袮。而我爸，袮在灵里保佑看守他吧。” 我从来都不知道到底能不能为过世的人祷告让他们能够进入袮的国度，但是我知道我一定要把握时间让现在尚在人间的亲人能够体验袮的爱。已经一年了，过去的悲伤我不要再牢记在心里。放开心怀，我已经让袮完全医好我每个伤痕。我要向前迈步，过得更好，活得更精彩，因为有袮的爱支撑着我，一切的悲伤恐惧都会消失。

上帝，我爱袮。爸，你永远都活着在我心里。

Abundant Life

2010-06-20T23:33:00.000+08:00

It's been a long while. A good few months. And so many things to pen down, yet so little time to do so.

Life... it's interesting how differently people can describe it. Some enjoy it immensely; every day is full with purpose and meaning. Some are lost and still searching without looking at the right places for answers, or just too stubborn to accept answers that do not fit their agenda. Some are literally the walking dead; they are alive in the flesh, but not necessary so in their soul and spirit. Or maybe they have just numbed all senses, because of various personal reasons... Anyhow, this piece is not for judging or condemning anyone. If you ever fit into any of the categories above, I pray that you will be the first. We are all meant to be of the first category, because Jesus has given us an Abundant Life.

However, if you are like me, who sometimes are in the first, but some other times think you are of the second or third categories -- let us all tap into the grace of God and look unto the cross again. When things come weighing down on us, when life is hard going and it seems like an uphill climb, when you hardly have any time to just be still and listen to the voice of God, when 'rest' seems to be an alien word -- it's during these times that we ought to do our best to enter the rest of God.

Sounds like we have to strive again? Well, in a way, yes. Because we are bombarded by so many things every day, how do we shut them out, keep our hearts pure and our focus on God if we don't do our best to make sure we enter the rest of God? We have so many activities and responsibilities daily; if we don't make an effort to reserve time and come before God in worship and prayer, how will we ever find the time? But the commandments of God are not burdensome. If you really love Him, you'll know what I mean. I'm not saying this merely because this is what His word says, rather because coming to Him is not something we could ever do, but it's because He has already done it for us that we are able to enter in. If people of other religion could be so devoted and fulfil their religious obligations every day without fail, yet worshiping something that cannot save them, how much more we Christians ought to gear ourselves up and enter into the love relationship with the One True God?

Be Strong and of Good Courage ... this is the title of today's sermon by Ps. Gloria. It's such a timely word for me. Every stage of life is a challenge. I've said before that life from 18 to 30 years old has the most changes and stages. We grow the most, we learn the most, we discover the most, and we become who we really are by the various choices and decisions that we make. Yet, there are times we really need the courage and strength to go on. Sometimes we are deep in a situation and there seems to be no way out but to go through it, but we are afraid and we 'beg' God to let us out the easy way. Knowing our loving Father, He will answer us when we call, but are you ready to hear His reply that doesn't seem to answer your question at all? I think He sometimes does that because He knows we already know the answer and solution to the challenge, but we don't want to face it; we want to escape, to find an easy way out. He says, just be strong and of good courage. I will give you My wisdom, for it is foolishness to people of the world, but you know very well that it is life and peace. Thank you, Jesus.

*

Further reminders from the Holy Spirit: Isaiah 43:18-19 ~ Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Only when you let go the old will you be able to enter the new. Only when the Israelites let go their Egyptian-slave mentality could they enter the Promise Land.

It's almost one year now. Fans of Michael Jackson will be mourning / celebrating about him again. Americans will celebrate their Independence Day according to traditions. Today is Father's Day. How are you, Dad? I've always wanted to believe that you're in a better place, but I will never know that for sure, and I guess it's no point still holding on and not moving forward. Regrets and memories will always be there. I will always wish I have more time spent with you, but I will always remember every moment we have shared. I will move on. God, thank You for taking me higher. Dad, I believe I will see you again.

*

Tomorrow is Monday again. Lord, I just want to embrace You and lean on You, because You will give me the strength and courage to fight on. The battle is Yours, but the victory is mine. Your love is the answer. Your wisdom is all I need. I shall not be wise in my own eyes, but Holy Spirit, come have Your way in me. It's You I live for every day. Because the Abundant Life comes from You.

Jadi SepertiMu

2010-06-13T14:36:00.001+08:00

Random Remark

2010-02-06T00:15:00.002+08:00

Dear Readers, just a random remark here, if you're reading my blog and wondered why I share some word and passages in the Bible and label the posts "Radical Worship". It's because I deem our journey with God as a worship.

Quoting Pastor Joseph Prince, the greatest call in our lives is to be a worshipper. Since the Lord has said that true worship is worshiping in spirit and in truth, and the truth is Jesus, and Jesus is The Word; hence, the little sharings that I offer here, I hope to offer it to His glory.

By the way, there's no way I can share a testimony or write all the "Radical Worship" posts without first experiencing what I wrote, but Praise God, His Holy Spirit reminds us of all the things that we have learned, not only that, He also adds to what we learn by giving us more revelation. These revelations often come as I am writing, that's why sometimes the posts seem to end hanging, because I actually meant to write about the verses that came after, but as I elaborated on the former verses, it becomes too long for me to drive home two points in one long post.

I hope to experience more of Him and share with you more of what He is speaking to me. Let us continue on in His word and be rooted in His love. Hope to encourage you as you read, and myself as I write for His glory.

God bless :)

I AM (Walking on Water, Part 2)

2010-02-05T23:44:00.005+08:00

Matt 14:22 After Jesus fed the five thousand (besides women and children), and there remained twelve baskets full of the fragments of the multiplied food, He immediately made the disciples to get into the boat to cross over to the other side of Lake Galilee.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus had to make the disciples go into the bed to go ahead of Him to the other side? The New Living Translation used a stronger word: He insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. Jesus did this because He knew what He was about to do later on.

v23 So He sent the multitudes away and He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. After ministering to the multitudes, He went back to the secret place of intimacy with God the Father. He withdrew Himself, as He did often, to spend time with the Father. The Bible said that Jesus did nothing of His own; everything that He did was done according to what God the Father had said. He was spending time with God so that He would hear from Him what to do next.

As He was praying alone, the disciples' boat was in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves. They were having tough time sailing through the sea. Mark 6:48 said, "Then He [Jesus] saw them straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. Now about the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by."

Jesus would have passed them by -- that means He was very much adept at walking on water, and He was able to walk fast even though there was a storm at sea. It also meant that He was the help coming to the disciples, but if they were focusing so much on the storm that they didn't see Him coming, He would have passed them by. He was the present help that they needed, but if they didn't recognise Him, the miracle would have just passed them by.

The disciples saw Jesus, but they almost let Him pass by because they didn't recognise He was Jesus. They were troubled, saying, "It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear. (v26) Instead of knowing that He is the Lord God, Tuhan (in Malay = God), they thought the other way round and called Him "Hantu" (in Malay = ghost).

To the disciples it was perhaps like this: "Man, we're in this boat-sinking roaring storm because Jesus 'forced' us to get into the boat. Now, if we didn't get into the boat to get to the other side, we probably don't need to go through this! Just how much worse can the situation be? (Suddenly sees Jesus walking on water) *gasp!* It's a GHOST!!"

Sometimes when we are facing difficult situations and circumstances in life, we can be so desperate for the Lord to show up, to the point that we don't recognise that the Lord has already shown up or that He is in control of the situation. Worse still, if we don't guard our hearts, we would be complaining and seeing all the negativity of the situation, i.e., seeing ghosts, seeing only ghost and not God.

Praise God that at this moment, Jesus showed grace to the disciples. v27 He said to them, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." The Amplified Bible translated it as "Take courage! I AM! Stop being afraid!" Jesus was showing Himself as The Great I AM.

Isn't this a great picture of who our God is? When The Lord revealed Himself as the I AM to Moses, He was saying, "I am He who was, and who is and who is to come. I am the one you've been searching for. I am the Everlasting God, I am the Almighty, I am all you need. I AM." There were times I find myself praying or worshiping and I would say "You are, You are, You are Lord, You are..." But many times our minds ask us, "He is what? What do you mean I AM?" I realised that if you ask it this way, you won't see Him, His being, because our mental understanding tells us that the sentence is incomplete, i.e. You are..... (what?) Yet, our hearts can understand and connect to God, that He truly is (the Lord).

So Jesus was saying to them, I am He! I am God, not ghost! I am all that you need, I am THE LORD.

If we, in any situation that we face, can readily recognise that God is in control of the situation, we will not turn our sight to look at all the negative things in the situation. We will instead set our eyes and hearts and our entire focus on God. When Jesus shows up, all the other things become dim as shadows in the light of His glory and grace.

The account of Jesus walking on water is to me like life's journey. The Lord sends us ahead of Him, before His second coming, but He never has us off His mind, and He is determined to show up in our every day situations. When He comes, He doesn't just want to pass us by and leave us still deep in the problem, but to help us recognise we don't need to struggle; we just need to acknowledge that HE IS. Many times, God tells me that I don't need to struggle, because struggle is a form of work -- you're doing it by your own strength, labouring in vain. But when we acknowledge that He is THE LORD, He gives us rest and peace of heart as He takes over and set things right. As Pastor Joseph Prince said, when we look to Him and see all that He is and has for us, He sees us in our faith, and that pleases Him.

Verse to Remember:
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths

He is the solution to every need, the answer to every question.

Reminders of Love

2010-02-04T21:43:00.000+08:00

The Word of God is beautiful, wonderful, powerful, prophetic, poetic, and every other good adjectives you can think of to describe it. It is life to our spirit and soul. It's the Love Letter from our dear Abba Father. Many times we believers, when we were newly born-again, we suddenly had a very strong desire to read the Bible, to study His word, even though many a times we may not understand it fully. And then, we get busy with various stuff in life, and sometimes you tell yourself that it's time to read the Word, but you're flesh is not willing to put down whatever that you're doing. And we grow cold, gradually, unconsciously succumbing to the devil's scheme to cause us to forget the Word. The very Word that has first saved us...

Jesus is THE WORD. And we are to declare Him, not just remember Him. Because you can remember something but never talk about it, and no one would know that you actually do remember it; it becomes a mere memory, sometimes even like a figment of your imagination -- you know it, yet you don't really know it.

In this post, I just want to list down some of the verses that has been speaking to me lately. If I were to share with you just what each and every verse meant to me, it would be a really, really long post. But I'll try wherever I can, yet the Word speaks for itself without the need of an interpreter, so read it as it is, and let it speak to your heart, just as it did to me.

I just flipped open my Bible and it landed on Zephaniah.

Zephaniah 3:17 -- The Lord your God in you midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.

Remember the song "Amazed"? He dances over us, rejoicing over us with singing. He quiets us with His love -- when you are embraced in His amazing love, you will just be in awe, without the need to say anything at all.

John 14:1, 27 -- Let not your hearts be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me... Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you, Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Phil 4:7 (Amplified) -- And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 23 (Amplified)

¹THE LORD is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.

²He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.

³He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.

⁴Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.

⁶Surely or only goodness, mercy, and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life, and through the length of my days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.

Psalm 84:11 -- For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.

Rom 5: 1-5 -- Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Be reminded of His great love. When we start to focus on His love, on the very Person of Jesus, when we behold His glory and grace, He sees us in faith. All the things that surround us are mere shadows in His lovely presence.

Compassion (Walking on Water, Part 1)

2010-01-31T22:54:00.001+08:00

I remember when I first heard of this message of the account of Jesus walking on water, it was a sermon that really spoke deeply to me. Subsequently, I found a book by John Ortberg with the title, "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat". It is a fun reading book with many spiritual principles to draw from. I will share this in another blog post.

Matthew 14:22 began with the word 'Immediately'. Something happened before Jesus made His disciples go into the boat and get before Him to the other side of the lake. Before the account of Jesus walking on water was the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. And before these two miracles happened, Jesus had a very distressing start of the day.

Matthew 14:13 -- Jesus heard that his cousin John the Baptist had been beheaded by Herod the tetrarch, and he was very sad. He departed from that place by boat to a deserted place by Himself. He wanted some quiet time with the Lord, He wanted to lift up His soul to God the Father. But alas, when the multitudes heard that He went to that directed, they followed Him on foot from the cities.

Just imagine, these people followed Him on foot! And it's not like they were all healthy and in comfort. Each of them were carrying their burdens, their sorrows, their sicknesses, their problems, and despite knowing that Jesus withdrew Himself from the crowds, they still followed Him. Why? Perhaps they wanted to console Jesus about John, but I think they secretly or subconsciously knew that Jesus would have compassion on them.

v14 -- When Jesus saw the great multitude, He was moved with compassion for them, and started healing their sick and preaching to them. And boy was the sermon long! Because He preached until evening, and His disciples came to Him to tell Him it's getting late, better send the people into the villages and let them buy themselves food. They were signally Jesus that they were hungry. (v15)

Instead, Jesus made a great miracle of multiplying five loaves and two fishes in the disciples' hands as they distributed it to the multitude. Notice the Lord did not break the loaves and fishes Himself, but instead gave it to the disciples and the food multiplied as they gave it to the people. He wanted them to know that He is in control, for them to see that as they put their trust and faith on Him, there will always be more than enough, because He is the one who supplies, He is Jehovah-Jireh!

Now, try to picture Jesus, who has just lost a close family member who is also supposed to be His forerunner. When a forerunner has died, that means He would be next to go soon. He was in grief, but He was still in control. I believe this is recorded because God wants us to know that He truly can understand our feelings. Jesus is setting the example to us that even though we may be going through challenging times, it doesn't mean that we then switch off our compassion.

I believe it is entirely normal and human when a person goes through grief that he needs time to regain focus and strength, to let the wounds heal. I'm not saying that when we go through rough times we just numb it and tough on the journey. God understands our feelings that we need to draw ourselves away from the crowd and just be in His presence, but He also wants us not to lose the compassion in our hearts. Because deep down inside, we will still have it and find it if we do not just focus on our distress. If we don't ignore the compassion in our hearts, the Lord can use us for miracles. However, if we choose to be drowned in sadness and never rise up, we choose to let God pass us by.

Believe me, I have been through times of great grief and I know what it means to lose someone dear. And during those times, I felt like I had all the right to be emotional about anything and everything and at everyone, even though deep down I knew that I shouldn't continue to be like that. I felt like just giving up everything that I know of the Lord, because for once, it actually seemed like the Lord has failed to show up for me, but then again I also know that it is not like that. I thank God that I never gave up going to church and worship Him, be in His presence. Though at that time I didn't understand many things, and I was desperately searching for answers, but looking back, I thank God that I did not give up the softness in my heart, the part of me that responds to God time and time again. I did not give up being compassionate.

Sometimes we lose someone and people tell us, "from here on, many will come to know Christ!" It's very hard to buy that when you're in that situation, because if many are going to believe in the Lord, why not the one who has passed away? Why some have to die while others get to live eternally? Where is the fairness to that? But friends, if a farmer were to sow seeds, will every seed become a tree? Or can he guarantee the exact number of fruits the tree would yield to every seed sown? Yet, does he say then that he will not go out to reap the harvest because it is too little?

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

Don't lose heart. Don't lose your compassion. You'll never know how miracles will come. Jesus is the supplier of miracles.

Help My Unbelief

2010-01-14T15:38:00.000+08:00

Got this revelation about the story of Jesus healing a boy with evil spirit.

In this account of his healing, Jesus had just came down from the mountain where He and His 3 beloved disciples, Peter, James and John, had spent the night. They had the privilege of witnessing Jesus' transfiguration, but commanded by Jesus not to tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man is risen from the dead -- because He knew He was about to go up to the cross, and that this vision would be an evidence or testimony the He is truly sent by the Father, and that He is the Son of God.

Now, as soon as they came down from the mountain and met with the other disciples, He saw a great multitude around them, and the scribes disputing with them. (Mark 9:14) A man came to Him, begging Him saying, "Lord have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him." (Matthew 17:15-16) Mark recorded it as "... So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it [the evil spirit] out, but they could not."

This father must have been very desperate for his son to be healed of the evil spirit. He knows very well that it was an evil spirit that caused his son to be epileptic, falling into fire and water, so he searched for the right solution -- the spiritual solution -- and he came to the right people. But to His disappointment, Jesus' disciples couldn't cast out the demon. Perhaps they have tried all night, using all kinds of ways, but they still couldn't help this boy.

And being desperate, as soon as the father saw Jesus arrive, he came to Him and related the night's incident to Him. Perhaps what he was saying was this, "Jesus, thank goodness You are here now. You see, my son is demon-possessed, and I guess only You alone can help me, because even Your disciples can't cast it out." And maybe he had this slight hint of complaining that His disciples were a useless bunch. But he couldn't offend the Lord, so he tried to relate what happened in an objective manner.

But Jesus answered him and said, "O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me."

Talk about WOW! Was Jesus talking about the father being faithless, or the disciples? Or both? Perhaps it was both. The father didn't have faith that the disciples could heal his boy, nor did the disciples had faith that the boy would be healed through them.

Then the father said, "But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." (Mark 9:22b) Did he know that Jesus can do EVERYTHING? Why then did he said ANYTHING? Obviously, he was desperately begging Jesus for help.

Jesus said to him, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24)

The father was so desperate for something to happen that his level of faith had begun to decrease, and there was a mixture of faith and unbelief in his heart.

Sometimes that can happen to us. We are so desperate for something to happen, for a change, for a prayer to be answered, for God to show up, that our faith dwindles and we don't know if there was any basis for our hope. We are so desperate for God to answer us that it seemed like God was late. And suddenly we become confused. Should I really do this? Is this the will of God for me? Am I praying correctly?

Friends, let me tell you that if you're not praying stuff against God's nature and against what the Bible says, there's no such thing as a 'wrong prayer'. The father of the boy could have asked, "is it God's will for my son to be heal?" The answer is "of course!" Is it God's will for you to see your family members saved, see you living in prosperity, good career development, living in overflowing blessing? OF COURSE!

How do you keep on believing when what you have asked for is not yet here? Keep looking at faith (Jesus), keep hearing Him saying to you "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes." He has already given us the remedy to help your unbelief.

Verse to Remember:
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Christ) -- Romans 10:17

Trip to Ipoh

2010-01-11T23:01:00.002+08:00

It's the 11th hour, and I'm sitting here writing this when I have other writing assignments to work on, feeling like I don't have enough time. I know it's been a while since I last updated a post, but here it is, I've got to start somewhere to get it going again...

I got myself a freelance writing job for a property magazine and I'm supposed to do write-ups for them, reviewing buildings, properties, projects and all kinds of stuff that you can categorise as property. It's not exactly like how I thought it would be -- it's pretty complicated... For starters, it doesn't pay well, or so many people think, which got me thinking too, and got me thinking, why didn't I think about this before? Bro says I'm just lacking of experience. I wish I knew how to handle this and not be ignorant about things, but well, experience is experience, and it needs you to go and get it... For once, I actually felt that writing wasn't my kind of thing anymore, that I don't think it's what I want to do or should do... I don't know...

To tell the story of the title, I have to thank 2 people: Cally and Chrysler. And thank God for friends. They drove me all the way back to Ipoh to interview a client and get information for my assignment (which is underpaid). Really really super thank them and thank God for such friends and bro & sis-in-Christ. It was a good trip, good weather, nice people that I met with and gave me scores of details about their development project.

It's called The Haven -- like how I named one of the family mansions in one of my stories (Catherine a.k.a. The Golden Locket). For the first time in my life as an Ipoh girl, I found out that there is such a beautiful place in my hometown, and it's only about 10 minutes' drive from my own house! Will upload a pix on the spot when I can...

Anyways, this old uncle who is the director of this developer company was really passionate about his work. He explained extensively about every detail of the project, from the tiles to the railings, to the trademarked swimming pool shaped like a seahorse, to the scenic pond, to the lush green all around and the natural habitat at that spot, to the eco-friendliness of the whole project, etc etc etc... I can almost see a spark in his eyes -- such was his passion. And thank God, he is slow in explaining, so I had ample time to scribble my notes.

I hope I got all I need to write this very long piece, which brings me back to the crux of the matter -- why am I doing this? Why the hassle at a dirt cheap rate? Am I like what they say, being exploited? I really don't know. What I do know is that I really give thanks that I'm still in one piece and I have not placed myself in a position to endanger myself. Because initially, the magazine people wanted me to go with their ex-colleague, who is a guy of dunno how old. Well, they didn't tell me I was to go with this guy (whom I have never met, a total stranger) when they first introduced this piece of assignment to me. They just asked me if I could go to Ipoh, and that someone would go with me, and that all the expenses will be borne by the publisher. And they also didn't tell me that for this project, I was to write like 25 - 30 pages. (All this at the dirt cheap rate? Go figure!) And they also didn't tell me I was to submit it in a week's time, on top of the given 3 assignments.

If experiences come this way, I give thanks, because now I really know that there are times that my judgements fail me and I could easily place myself in a disadvantageous position. If experiences have to come by this way... I have nothing to say, except that I have acted recklessly and foolishly. To say that desperation has pushed me this far, maybe. To say that I lack discretion or I am just ignorant, perhaps very much truthful. But what I am to do about this situation, I have yet to come to a conclusion.

But I shall have to move on. And to move on, I shall welcome a new day by closing this present one. Lord, Your goodness and mercies are new every morning.

Look at Me

2009-09-12T23:31:00.005+08:00

In one of my previous post, I have made this comment, that "There are times when you really doubted on the authenticity of what you've believed in, or how much your belief would matter now..." Blessed are you if you have never been through doubting God.

Sometimes we go through times of "valley of the shadow of death" or challenges that are so huge we think that there's no way out, or we are so short-sighted that we can't see beyond our situations. We keep feeling so trapped in our own minds, and that keeps translating into "there's no way out... there's no way out... there's no way out..." Suddenly, you doubted whether your belief would matter, because if it does, how come you're not believing in it? How come there's nothing coming to you or nothing within your spirit that causes you to rise up? How come there's no answers to your questionings?

I remember a sister-in-Christ shared her testimony to us and she ended it with these words: "Jesus said, 'Look at Me. I have all the answers and solutions to all the troubles in this world. Just look at Me, please.' " I only understood it recently.

Jesus does have all the answers in the world, He has all the solutions to every trouble, but why aren't we getting our answers? Why aren't we getting them now? I think one of the reasons is because we don't want to hear them. Although God has already answered us, we don't receive them because it didn't come the way we wanted it to come, the answer didn't satisfy our stubbornness to hold on to doubt.

Job is a very difficult book to read, because Job and his friends kept arguing for like 3/4 of the book and so by the time you reach the part where God answered him, you're like... hmmm.. whatever... There's been a lot of commentaries on the book and it's always noted that God came and answered Job not telling him that "oh My good man, it's because Satan said you will curse Me to My face if I let him make you suffer, but I know you won't, and I'm just letting all this happen so that Satan will know that you truly are a good man." God also didn't sympathize with Job and say, "oh Job, I'm so sorry that I let this happen. I know you are suffering, but it'll be over soon, don't worry. I will 'sayang' you back, double portion." God also didn't punish Satan in the end, which actually was the main cause of Job's suffering, and tell Job, "you see, this is your adversary, I'm punishing him to bring justice to you." Nope. None of the above. God just showed Job His glory and majesty, His creation, His beauty, His attributes, His works. God told Job, "Shut up and look to Me! I've got all the answers in the world, and here they are."

But was God's answer what Job wanted to hear? Did it answer the question about Job's suffering? No. But it did make Job shut up. And Job looked up to God to restore him in all that he has lost.

I was browsing at Canaanland Christian bookstore the other day and I chanced upon this book called "From Mourning to Morning". There was a chapter by Kenneth Copeland and he gave this definition on 'Rejoice'. It's actually 're-joy', to let joy restored to you, and to come to God and let Him 're-joy' you. As the author said, there's only a U difference in the words Mourning and Morning. YOU make the difference. YOU make that choice. YOU bring yourself before God and let Him 're-joy' you. YOU stop whining and look up at the Morning Star, aka Jesus.

God, help us not to be led by our emotions, but by your Holy Spirit, always looking and beholding Your beauty, so that we will receive Your beauty for ashes.

Verse to Remember:
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

You Are, You Are Lord

2009-08-26T09:30:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to put this up for a long time.

This is a song that is very hard to end. You'll understand what I mean if you sing it, because once you begin, it seems that you'll just want to sing more, singing on and on and on. (Plus because the song doesn't end on a perfect cadence.)

I like this video -- it has rainbow in it :)

Verse 1:
You are my light and salvation, whom shall I fear?
You are the strength of all my days, of whom shall I be afraid?
Though war may rise against me, of this will I be sure.

Chorus:
That I will bless the Lord forever, I'll bless Your holy Name
Yes I will bless the Lord forever, I'll bless Your holy Name

Verse 2:
Lord it is you I desire, it's You that I seek
To live with You in Your house forever, beholding Your beauty
And In the time of trouble, of this will I be sure

Bridge:
You ask me who do I, say that You are and I
Say that you are the Christ, Son of the living God

Soon

2009-07-20T11:54:00.002+08:00

Ponder over the song, you'll see a girl waiting and longing for her Prince to come so she can be with Him forever...

VERSE 1:
Soon and very soon My King is coming
Robed in righteousness and crowned with love
When I see Him I shall be made like Him
Soon and very soon

VERSE 2:
Soon and very soon I'll be going
To the place He has prepared for me
There my sin erased, my shame forgotten
Soon and very soon

CHORUS:
I will be with the One I love
With unveiled face I'll see Him
There my soul will be satisfied
Soon and very soon

VERSE 3:
Soon and very soon see the procession
The angels and the elders 'round the throne
At His feet I'll lay my crowns, my worship
Soon and very soon

BRIDGE:
Though I have not seen Him
My heart knows Him well
Jesus Christ the Lamb, The Lord of heaven

The Week-Long Gap

2009-07-19T22:45:00.003+08:00

It's been exactly a week since my last post, and before that was one full week away from KL. My first thought of coming back was: it all seems so foreign to me. Even my apartment, my room, my bed... Nothing has changed, but somehow nothing's the same anymore.

To those who have so vigorously supported me, cared and loved me during this challenging time in my life, just want to extend my deepest gratitude and thanks to you all. Sometimes I feel like it's pretty challenging for you people around me too, because I know you don't really know what to say or do to comfort me. But I really thank you for those of you who have come all the way to Ipoh to visit me and my family (Karen & Joanne), along with WHC's love gift for us, plus lots of regards sent by various people; those who have sat by my side, listening to me talking without looking at you; those who have heard me cry with silent streams or huge gush of tears; those who kept hugging me; those who kept asking if I'm ok... I truly appreciate all of these.

Above all, I really want to thank God.

There are times when we go through the valley of the shadow of death, and we turn left and right but there's only darkness surrounding. There are times when we're so laden with guilt, angry with ourselves, desperate but at the same time despair, and we've given up ourselves. There are times we just kept on asking questions that we know we would never find the answers or understand it even if we'd asked the same questions for the rest of our lives. There are times people can care so much but there's just no way they can truly fully understand us. There are times when you wish you could just pour out your heart and tell another human being what's going on inside your heart and mind; you open your mouth but no words come out, only never ceasing flow of tears. There are times when you feel so trapped and confused, everything around you seems surreal. There are times when it seems like you're having a very long nightmare and you wish at every passing second that you would just wake up from it and everything is ok, but at the same time you consciously or subconsciously know that this nightmare is in fact reality, it's happening and there's no turning back. There are times you wondered why some people died and become more popular than they were alive, while some people died and become a statistic that only a handful of others would remember. There are times you wondered whether things will ever be back to normal, or when will it be, or how long would it take... There are times you desperately want to come out of that emotional ditch, you appeared to be strong, you tried to drown yourself with work, you tried hard not to think, you occupied yourself with many other things, but it's in the silence of the night that thoughts come back and haunt you. And you're once again back in that emotional ditch of quicksand, hanging on dearly to a very thin branchstick, hoping against hope that it won't snap or you will go down. There are times when you really doubted on the authenticity of what you've believed in, or how much your belief would matter now...

At these times, Lord, it was You who have never left me. It was You would held me in Your arms, when I was helpless, when I couldn't respond, when perhaps I'm not even aware that You are holding me. It was You that I needed the most, that I couldn't live without. It was You, Jesus...

And though it's been two Sundays that I've been away, though the surroundings may seem so awkward, though I feel the loss, but I know that I'm certainly not lost. Everything that You have taught me and deposited in my life, it's right there in my heart and soul; I don't lack anything, because You have given me Your all. You said this day, "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." You showed me that You are my Prince, I can lean on You. And You painted the Rainbow again, to say that I am always Your covenanted child...

Jesus, I love You.

For My Father

2009-07-12T22:19:00.002+08:00

爸，我很想念你，很想有更多的时间陪着你，可是你已经走了。爸，我爱你，你永远都在我心里，永远都是我的英雄，永远都是最好的爸爸。

Ears (Part 2)

2009-06-21T17:19:00.007+08:00

I looked back at one of the blog post I have written a few weeks ago and I suddenly realised that I'd forgotten to include an important revelation, hence this is part 2. (This is why God tells us to write down all the words He has spoken to us. [Jeremiah 30:2] )

The Lord gave me a pair of ears during Church Camp and spoke to me about hearing and obeying Him. Sometimes we may think that obeying the Lord is something very hard to achieve, because although we are born-again and spirit-filled, we still have the old nature of sinning against God.

Did you know that when we become Christians, we belong to God? Okay, maybe you know this. But do you know this as a piece of information and knowledge, or do you really take it as your new identity in Christ? This is what makes the difference.

I realised that as I learned more and more about the grace of God, the more I could appreciate what the Lord has done to give me a new identity, a new life. This statement "I belong to God" gives an underlying meaning that He owns me. God owns every part of me -- spirit, soul and body. He owns everything I have -- relationships, career, finance, health, talents, spiritual giftings, etc. God owns my heart, my inward parts, the deepest and most profound part of me.

Now imagine this: The Master has just bought a slave who have been in the bondage of a cruel, heartless enemy for years. He bought the slave with His livelihood, not because He wants to impose control over the slave, but because He wants to free him. Now the slave has been set free from all the bondages of the enemy, he no longer needs to endure tortures and sufferings, and he can now serve the new Master. Yet, the Master knows that the servant would probably take some time to understand the new ways of obeying serving his new Master, and He is gracious to his servant. Would it be right if the servant abuses his Master's grace and betrays Him?

God says His grace is sufficient for us and His strength is made perfect in weaknesses. By grace, we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are now slaves of righteousness. Sin shall have no dominion over us, for we are not under law but under grace (Romans 6:14). Therefore, we are able to walk in the newness of life, for we know that our old nature was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin (Romans 6:6-7).

More than that, God calls us as His children. We are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters of God, and if sons and daughters, then heirs of God through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:26, 4:7). We truly, truly belong to God.

And if we belong to God, as children of God we love Him and obey His commandments. Not that we are able to by our own strength, but simply because He has given us the grace to hear and obey Him. 1 John 5:3 says: "For this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome."

King David understood that he belonged to God and ought to do His will in Psalm 40. Not only that, he knew that doing the Lord's will is a delight, and not a burden.

⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced ;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require. (NIV)
⁷ Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
⁸ I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.” (NKJV)

The New International Version has verse 6 translated as "my ears you have pierced" -- precisely what it means to be a slave to someone. The piercing of ears means you are marked as your Master's slave. King David understood that the Lord did not want them to come to Him with sacrifices and offering, but with a heart that knew Him to be a God of love.

Again, as what 1 John 5:3 had said, when we know that God is love, our ears have been pierced so that we can hear and obey Him. And because He first loved us, doing what He says will be a delight.

The Timing of God

2009-06-11T11:03:00.004+08:00

Did you know that God is always punctual and never late for anything? Even though we may sometimes think He is slow or even delays answering our prayers, He actually knows the perfect timing for everything. If He sees the end from the beginning and has time in His hands, He surely knows when is the right time for things.

I have been wanting to have a career switch for some months. I've thought long and hard about it, because I wasn't sure about where I wanted to go. When I finally took the step of faith to applied for another job, I had in mind that I was going to begin the new job in April, because I have planned for the Melbourne trip in March.

The interview went smooth, and I felt sure that it was going to be a good job, but they wanted me to begin in March. When I couldn't make it, eventually they turned me down. It was timing problem on both sides.

At that time, I felt very sad because I hadn't applied for any other jobs. It seemed like I had to delay leaving my company to an indefinite period of time. Nevertheless, I resolved in my heart that I would stay on and trust the Lord.

A month after the trip to Melbourne, the interviewer called me back and asked if I was still interested in the job. It was truly God's miracle open door for me! I went for an interview again and this time, it was the right timing for both sides. The boss even told me that a few months ago, the company was not doing so well, but is now picking up again.

So, I accepted the job offer and tendered my resignation letter. After checking on my annual leave, I could actually have one week off before the start of my new job. Wow, talk about the timing of God!

Truly, God knows the timing and seasons for our lives. He not only knows it, but takes care of us accordingly. So just be patient when God delays answering us. He has something better in mind. :)

Saying "I love You"

2009-06-10T18:06:00.006+08:00

I have this distinct memory of myself before I became a Christian, that I could hardly bring myself to say the word "love", or "I love you", or even "God". It felt pretty difficult, but I didn't understand why. I had this perception that "love is sacred" and "God is Holy"... and hence these words shouldn't be simply said. After all, you need to say "I love you" and really mean it.

I remember reading love stories and novels, thinking, what's love? What's love that it's so captivating, so alluring and passionate? Can we live without it? Why are some people willing to die for it? the so-called "in the name of love"...?

I could not understand it, but I knew I longed for it. I longed to be loved, to be held in the arms of the someone special, to be romanced. To me, love was the exclusive romantic feeling between man and woman, fairytale stories like Cinderella and Snow White... Gives you the dream-like, fantasy idea right?

When I was form 5, my friend invited me for an Easter Outreach at her church. After the night's performance, it was followed by the preaching.

The preacher talked about how Jesus suffered on Good Friday and was nailed on the cross, that because God so loved the world He gave Jesus to die so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Somehow, I sat there listening to him and I started crying. I didn't know why I was crying, but the tears just kept flowing. And when the preacher asked those who want to receive Jesus to raise their hands, I was among the few who did so. After that, my friend went with me to respond to a prayer. I was still crying and I didn't know what to do. The preacher asked if I could feel God loving me, but I said No. He asked me again if I could feel the people that God had placed around me are loving me, but I just fell silent and kept crying, because I didn't know how to answer him.

Finally, I didn't accept Christ that night. But from then on, I knew that Jesus died for me. I didn't understand why He did that, or why it was significant. I just knew that He had suffered death. Yet if you asked me whether God loves me, I would say no. This was because I had felt so much rejection from friends and family that I thought there was no way God would love me. I felt that I was too unworthy to be loved by God.

Fast forward to my first year in KL, I was again invited to church for Sunday Praise Celebration. I felt awkward singing songs with the words "love", "I love you, Lord", "God" and so on. It didn't feel right to me. But as I learned more about the gospel and how Jesus died and resurrected to give me new life, I began to see that God wanted to love me.

In another meeting at church, the Lord touched me again and I was once more down in tears. That night, a friend led me to pray the sinners' prayer and I received Jesus Christ into my life as my personal Saviour and Lord. I could truly feel God's love touching me deep in my heart, and I knew that it was love in its deepest and highest and greatest form.

Now, I have no problem saying the words "love" and "I love you", because I know that I have received love into my heart. I can even tell my family and friends that I love them. But above all, God, I love You.

Verse to Remember:

John 3:16 -- For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.

Ears

2009-06-09T21:23:00.004+08:00

World Harvest Church Camp day 2, night session with Ps. Dennis. I was with those few who didn't manage to join the whole 4 days 3 nights but still travelled all the way to Rawang every night for the night sessions.

We were late that day because of the rain and massive jam, so by the time we reached Rawang it was towards the end of the worship. Nevertheless, as we stepped into the hall, I could immediately feel the strong presence of God in the place. I quickly found a seat to settle down and opened my heart to draw in His beautiful presence.

At this point, Ps. Dennis had started to prophesy. He was speaking as he saw what was happening in the spiritual realm. He said that there were angels ascending and descending in that place. He spoke of turning points, that for many it was turning points for their lives. The Holy Spirit was filling each of us. He said that the Lord was there and He was giving to each of us gifts, all wrapped nicely in beautiful boxes.

Having my eyes closed, I was drinking from the Spirit, literally. I was gulping in fresh water from the Holy Spirit, allowing Him to fill me and refresh me, desiring Him more and more. And when Ps. Dennis said there were gifts for each of us, I just stretched my hands out in front of me as a sign of receiving from the Lord.

I saw a beautiful square box delivered into my hand. I looked into the box and saw a pair of ears. I received them, but I was thinking to myself, "Ears? Not eyes to see better, but ears? Lord, what is it that I need to be hearing?" It wasn't because I didn't welcome what the Lord had given me, but I was curious to know if I haven't been hearing the Lord.

The Lord reminded me of Romans 10:17 -- Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Pondering upon this, He also spoke to me another verse in Matthew 7: 24 - 27:

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine [Jesus], and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.

God was saying to me, "Hear and obey". It was an instruction for what I was going through currently, as well as something that He was building in me for the future. I needed to hear what God says and obey it, do it. I need to hear the right things, not gossips and destructive words. I needed to hear the word of faith, which is also the word of Christ. I needed to hear truth and follow it.

I believe the pair of ears were the spiritual empowering that God has given me, so that not only will I hear faith, but I would do accordingly.

Over the past 3 weeks or so, I have experienced this frequently. It felt like I had installed a large speaker over my spirit or heart; I felt myself being very sensitive in knowing what the Holy Spirit was saying. I'm still learning to hear more and do according to what He says. The Lord would impress upon my heart what advices to give, what to pray, what I should do or say, etc. This is especially true when I'm desperate and don't know what to do. It ALWAYS works.

Isn't this the coolest way to work with God? you hear from Him and just do accordingly? Ministry doesn't need to be difficult or need us to strive so hard to persuade people to believe in Jesus. People don't need persuasion; they need a demonstration of the power of God, and that's what preaching the gospel is all about. Hear and do. hear AND do.

From Fate to Destiny

2009-05-28T23:33:00.005+08:00

May is almost coming to and end and June beginning, marking the arrival of mid year. Time has never minded people's business, and would never heed a halt from anyone. It's beginning to be a famous saying that a week is a long time in politics; many things can happen, especially in the context of turning tables. I think it applies to ministry too.

It's been a good long two weeks, with many things happening at the same time -- both good and bad. Yet, we know that all things work out for good to those who love the Lord, and to those who are the called according to His purpose. Everything happens for a reason. For a GOOD reason.

I'm not a believer of fate. I am a believer of destiny. People say to me that it is the same, even dictionaries may say so, but it's not. Read the two words carefully and you will know that the former carries a negative connotation, with an implication of bad omens and unfortunate happenings. But the latter is a positive word -- a purpose, good plan, a destiny of greatness.

In the past two weeks, I've seen the mighty God turned a fate into a destiny. I've seen the Lord sealed up chapters of life in the past, and begin re-writing this person's life on a fresh new page, with a new brush and with new ink. Even though there were many times that evil tried to prevent that destiny by causing ill fates to befall upon the person, there is nothing that can separate man from the love of God. Even though the devil always wants to flip to the old pages to reveal the errors and ugliness, Jesus has signed and sealed them with His blood, stamped with a big 'FORGIVEN' across every page.

I realised that I began to understand grace in a deeper way. Grace has already been poured out to us. For by grace we have been saved through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Eph 2:8-9) Because of the grace of God, we are able to love and forgive, to hope and believe. Abiding in faith, hope and love, we know that LOVE is the greatest; love NEVER fails.

I'm speaking words of faith and hope into lives, but loving people would take more than just flattering lip service; it is an act that radiates the desire to bless from the deepest of heart. The love of God never fails or fades.

It is in love that we walk out our destinies, because God birthed our destinies in love. Therefore walk in love, as we walk with God.

Who am I?

2009-05-16T23:43:00.007+08:00

This is one of the excerpts found in the Church Camp booklet. It spoke deeply to my heart, so I just want to share it here with you...

1 Sam 3:1, 10, 11
1: The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.
10: The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
11: And the Lord said to Samuel: "See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle.

What do you want to do when you grow up? It's a question that is relevant, no matter what age, no matter how old you are. What are you going to do with the rest of your life? It's never too early, it's never too late to ask this question. God will use the young and the old, all He really needs is an open and willing heart.

God has a plan for our lives. He has a perfect strategy, all plotted out for us, it's just a matter of listening to His voice, being obedient to His promptings and boldly stepping out in all His ways. Astronaut, accountant, zoologist, doctor, lawyer, engineer... we could do anything we set my mind to with His help, but...

I don't think that's what the Lord truly intends, but instead of asking "What do you want to do", He's asking "who do you want to be". It's a question of CHARACTER and becoming the PERSON He intends us to be -- not the occupation.

There are many people who say "I believe God has spoken to me about a life partner, preaching, prophecy, dreams, visions, etc." So many things that God has whispered in our hearts about doing, and these are all great things. But beyond that, God wants us to become people of great worth in our hearts and minds, not just in our roles and job descriptions.

This is so true. God sees us as who we are as a person, not our occupation or job description. Of course, when it comes to functioning in the spirit as His servant, He does call us into positions as Apostles, Prophets, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers, but more than that, He wants us to live up to the CHARACTER of one.

It gives me great comfort that although I may not do well in my job, or at times when I fail miserably, God still looks at me with grace and mercy. He still looks at us with that sense of great worth that is written in our destiny.

And He continues to whisper to us, to speak to us, to tell us His plan and purpose of us. We need to be like Samuel, listening and responding correctly to God, so that His will can be carried out through our obedience. And through it all, we become who we are, by the grace of God.

God the Builder

2009-05-14T15:59:00.009+08:00

World Harvest Church Camp 2009 is here! HURRAY!!

Last night was our first session of preaching with Ps. Dennis Lee from River Glory Ministries, Singapore. I guess most if not all of us are so hungry and thirsty for the Word, that it was truly a refreshing and restrengthening time as we listened to His preaching.

It's awesome to have the opportunity to hear from this man of God again. Though I am unable to join the camp at MBS Recreation & Training Centre, Rawang, I know I treasure it even more because I can only attend the night sessions after work. Thanks Denion, for driving us to and fro every night. :)

Ps. Dennis started off the message for this camp as his usual self -- seriously humourous. Yet in his jokes there was deep, profound truth that you couldn't overlook.

It was a message that struck the exact chords and notes that Ps. Gloria had delivered last Sunday -- God builds. And Ps. Dennis, full of the Holy Spirit and completely speaking under His anointing, spoke exactly the same message -- God is a Builder and He builds us individually, that we will build up one another and to build His Church.

He began by saying that it is time we Christians recover our positions as salt and light to the world -- salt as an antiseptic and anti-decaying agent, and light as the source for direction to truth. And He said, "It's time to BUILD! to join ranks as the body of Christ and push back the darkness to advance and expand the Kingdom of God!"

The Lord spoke to me about Ps. Gloria's message where she preached 3 points: (1) God builds on revelations; (2) God builds on relationships; and (3) God builds through generations. And He impressed upon my heart the word 'BUILD'. I checked up the definition for this word and this is what it means:

1. to construct (esp. something complex) by assembling and joining parts or materials.
2. to establish, increase, or strengthen (e.g. to build up)
3. to mold, form, or create.
4. to base; found. E.g. a relationship is built on trust.
5. to form or construct a plan, system of thought, etc. (usually followed by 'on' or upon'). e.g. He built on the philosophies of the past.
6. to increase or develop toward a maximum, as of intensity, tempo, or magnitude; to heighten to a climax

Now, we often hear of the phrase 'Build up' in preachings, and we are always told that it means 'to edify'. But if you really break it up to details, it means precisely this way:

a. to develop or increase
b. to strengthen.
c. to prepare in stages.
d. to fill in with houses; develop into an urban area.
e. to praise or flatter.

I love the last definition -- aren't we suppose to build up with praise? Aren't we suppose to build up in our praises and worship to God, to exalt Him in shouts of praise and to just cry out to Him?

From all these definitions, we can clearly see that God has a construction plan -- a blueprint -- for our lives, and He builds according to it. Yet, He doesn't rush in to build us, but this building project of our lives is a process, step-by-step, increasing little by little, built upon what has already been founded and established previously, and will eventually heighten to fulfil the fullness of our destiny.

God builds on what we have already known and on our knowledge of who He is in our lives. If we believe that Jesus is our God, Healer, Provider, Saviour, Redeemer, Deliverer, Renewer, Restorer, Creator and Sustainer -- if we really, really believes that He is -- then the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against us (Matt 16:18), we will stand fast and not fall away.

In Matthew 7: 24 - 27 it says that if we establish ourselves on the Word of God, hearing and obeying Him, we are building our house (our lives) on the Rock -- on Jesus, the Beginner and the Finisher of our faith. This is what it says:

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine [Jesus], and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

Incidentally, these are also the closing words of Jesus' long Sermon on the Mount. Now, that means 'these sayings of Jesus' were all the principles He taught in that three-chapter long sermon. And Jesus described us as the salt and light to the world in the early part of the sermon. (Wow! Go figure!)

Perhaps we have always known Him as the Creator, or as the Master Painter of our future, or as the Potter who moulds us to become who we are, but He is no lesser the Builder of our lives. And He's still building us, shaping us, not giving up on us even though we may have given up hope on ourselves many times.

Do you know why He doesn't give up on us? I believe it's because He must have seen something in us that we can't see. He must have seen that no matter how misshapen we are because of our past failures and ugly sins, His blueprint of building us is never with flaws and mistakes. He knows what He's doing. And if we hear Him and let Him build us the way He wants to, then we will never be shaken, no hell is going to prevent us from living out His will for us, because we are founded on the Rock.

Prayer of response:
Lord, build me, the way that You want to build. I may not understand what You're doing, but Lord, have Your way in my life. I just want to surrender myself to Your love and let You build me til I'm complete and mature, lacking nothing in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. Your will be done in my life. Amen.

For we are not long here

2009-04-27T11:50:00.003+08:00

I always had the understanding that life in the 20s is the most exciting, most interesting, and inevitably packed with constant changes. We proceed from secondary to tertiary education, some leaving home for the first time to pursue university studies. We graduate from school and step into the working world. We transit from asking for pocket money from our parents to earning our own income and supporting ourselves financially. We grow from being accountable to our parents to being responsible for our own daily lives. Relationships blossom from just friends to more than friends, and to waking up beside your spouse, the love of your life. From being lovers to being parents. And in career-wise, from a junior executive to a senior manager.

Changes. I shan't repeat the famous sayings that have become somewhat a cliche.

Within a timespan of just a short 10 years, everything in our lives will change. And when we look back... it's with amazement that I would look at my life, how far I have gone beyond what I thought I would become. Or maybe I have never really thought about what I would become; inklings and notions are just forecasts of what may and may not be...

Having almost reached half-way of this span of 10 years, I wonder how the rest of my time would unravel. People talk about reaching their goals and dreams by the time when they are 30 years old: of earning millions, buying properties, married with children, love and life... the list can go on. They beam with excitement when they share their dreams and visions, certain that they will be attaining those goals within the designated timeframe.

The richest and wisest king who ever walked this earth, King Solomon, in all his splendour and glory urged, saying, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, 'I find no pleasure in them' " (Ecclesiates 12:1)

He said as well, "Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment. So then, banish anxiety from your heart and cast off the troubles of your body, for youth and vigor are meaningless." (Ecclesiates 11:9 - 10)

What is man apart from God? Desires come and go, and dreams will fade away, but what the Lord has designed for his creation will serve its purpose. We can pursue all we want, but would it matter? At the end of time, would it matter? Would wealth and fame and success matter? Yes, it would as long as you're on this earth. Yes, it would if it brings glory to God. I believe the Lord sees beyond our success; He sees deep down inside us, into our hearts.

I remember what Brooke Fraser sings in her C.S. Lewis Song: "For we, we are not long here. Our time is but a breath, so we better breathe it. And I, I was made to live, I was made to love, I was made to know You..."

This is the hope, that we are made to know Him who created us.

Melbourne Zoo

2009-04-09T11:18:00.060+08:00

Melbourne Zoo is only 4 km away from the central business district of Melbourne. That's the wonder of it. You're hopped on a tram towards the zoo, you passed the modern buildings and architecture in the city, passed Queen Victoria Market, and the next thing you know you're going on a track towards a lush tropical park.

With more than 320 species on view, Melbourne Zoo offers a window into the diversity of the world’s wildlife. There are designated time slots each day for visitors to meet the keepers at some of the animal areas. See them feed the animal and explain about conservation projects or interesting facts about the animal.

The zoo's botanic garden setting also provides a relaxing atmosphere with a variety of landscapes, from the Victorian-era formality of the main drive to the lush jungles of the African and Asian rainforest areas.

Have a walk down nature's lane, you'll find that God is such a creative God that He even created some animals that have no apparent reason to be there. And when we look at His beautiful creation and the variety of it, wow... you'll see Him at work; you'll be amazed!

The blue frog -- looks like the colour of china porcelain. Opps... privacy invasion. XD

Looks like this lizard's body is too fat for its small legs to carry it. It's lapping on the water with its blue tongue.

Meerkats! So cute when they stand up on their hindlegs.

This looks so much like a peacock.

Ostrich holding its head up high.

Zebras have shorter necks than horses. Did you spot the giraffe behind it?

Erm... sorry, don't know the name of this deer-like animal.

Giant Tortoise with its keeper. Yes, they are huge and look like rocks, but it's real. They can grow up to 150 kg. This one's still in its teen years.

Kangaroo feeding from the trough.

Don't look at me, I'm just lying here.

Emus are like ostrich, but they don't have wings.

Here's another kangaroo. They basically just sit around, that's because they are not in the wild.

Wombat! One of my favourite animals.

Giraffes

Otters sunning themselves by the waters.

Baby elephant

Pelican

Ducks have beautiful water-proof feathers

Mum shading the gorilla

Bamboo forest

She tamed the vicious croc!

Surprisingly, they actually have signboards in Bahasa for tropical animals.

Orang Utan arts & crafts

Mandrill is bored

Lemur

Let there be a white-furred monkey.

A peacock sneeking up to people in search for food. They aren't shy or scared at all.

Little Penguins. These are a different species from the Antartic ones.

Poor bear, he's got nothing to do all day except just lying around

Stacy, reporting from Melbourne Zoo, March 19, 2009

For Chiann

2009-03-29T15:12:00.006+08:00

My dear friend, Melbourne has claimed you citizen, but your veins flow the Malaysian blood, still firmly rooted in your Chinese origins.

Time has passed us by, how we have grown! How our paths have separated! How we have parted in our ways! Yet, our paths have crossed again, despite the many times they have went where destiny beckons.

I thank God for every time that we meet again, fellowshiping and praying together, watching the stars at night, counting the meteors, pillow talks... And I thank God for this friendship that flourishes despite the distance and difference of our destinies. Who can understand this mystery, but the Lord who brings all things good together for His glory?

Lord, I pray, please bless this life. Wherever You lead, may she be given wisdom and understanding of Your divine destiny for her. And wherever You lead us, let us meet again, not only in heaven forever, but here on this earth. May Your beauty and glory be upon her, that she would shine for You, the way You have destined for her to be. Crown her with righteousness and bless her with grace everlasting.

And as Your words says that You have thoughts of peace amd not evil for us, that You will bless us with a good future and hope, that as we seek you with all of our heart we will find You, Lord, let it be true for us both.

Chiann, I miss you... God loves you. ^_^

Melbourne!

2009-03-28T17:34:00.046+08:00

This is my first overseas trip, first time that I have flown 8 hours, and my first time in Melbourne, Australia. It has been an awesome time for my mum and I, getting around the beautiful city on our own and visiting the wonderful sights. There's not enough words to describe all the overwhelming expriences, so I shall let the pictures speak for themselves :)

Waiting to board the plane

Mum and I

We have arrived! It's almost 1 a.m. (Melbourne time)

On the free Tourist Shuttle taking pictures of buildings in the city.

Steel sculptures by the Yarra River bank

Melbourne city trams -- takes you everywhere you want to go, literally

The City Museum

The Parliament -- open to public when not in session

At the Melbourne 360-degree Observation Deck at Rialto.

Me posing with sculptures in front of the Rialto building. (The Great Reunion)

Sunset view of the Melbourne City from the Observation Deck

The Southern Star at Docklands / Newquay -- largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere

Beauty!

Queen Victoria Market, where everything's fresh, fruits and vegetables are in abundance

The Public Purse, by Simon Perry, in front of the GPO at Bourke Street

The GPO. Previously the General Post Office, it has been turned into a mall

Graffiti art in the city

Another sculpture art in the city. There's a lot of sculpture like this right in the heart of the city

The GPO at night

Flinder Street Station -- one of the train terminals

Wall of art made up of beautiful coloured mosaic

Cathedral. Melbourne city is a blend of gothic, heritage buildings and modern architecture.

At the Yarra River bank

By the way, this is where we stayed -- Miami Hotel Melbourne. Nice, clean and good service for a backpacker's hotel

Oh, we also went to the Melbourne Zoo, Melbourne Aquarium, The Great Ocean Road and Mount Dendenong, but there's just too many photos to upload them all. Hence, I shall end here and post some more interesting sites that we've visited in another blogpost. Hang on there...

Direction Found >>

2009-03-26T16:14:00.003+08:00

"Looking for Direction?" shouts the flyer for Graduates Seminar.

Personally, it was a night of liberty for me. I hope many of my friends and church members who attended the seminar had found direction in their life with regards to entering into the working world.

As for me, I believe I have found guidance from the Lord, even though I myself was one of the speaker for the night.

The night started with us picking up the food from food stalls, getting the hall ready, welcoming friends and church members, distributing the door gifts to them, enjoying the light refreshments, etc etc. I was feeling nervous about what I was going to share, as it has been quite some time since I have delivered a testimony. I had only started to prepare my script about two days prior to the event. Oops.

Ps. Monica shared about tips for interview, what's the right job, confidence in interview, etc. Her topic was actually a long, extensive sharing if it should be carried on without time constrain. However, she only managed to skim through the booklet on all the topics; yet it was good enough to let the audience read on their own so they get the full picture of it. Praise God, it was a good delivery.

Ps. Lois' sharing was enlightening. She shared about Peter and his fishermen partners at the shore and how Jesus called him to be a fisher of men, even though they were total failures just the night before, having caught nothing for the whole night. She shared that God is able to use us. Even if we have made mistakes before, but He is able to help you let go of the defeat and failure and to let us start afresh. I could relate it with myself, having made countless mistakes... It was really comforting knowing that the Lord could let me start afresh, if I would just put my trust in Him...

As for my part of the sharing, actually it's already in this blog, titled 'The Rainbow'. I spoke about how the Lord had blessed me in this job, about how He has seen me through many times that I had wanted to give up -- even right when I was sharing the testimony (though I didn't announce it to the audience, of course). I spoke about the Rainbow -- the one that the Lord has created for me to see so that I could set my eyes on Him.

I had wanted to leave so badly, but there were so many things that happened and caused my plans to be thwarted. For the first time I understood what it means to be hindered by the Spirit of the Lord, like how Paul was hindered from going to Macedonia initially. I experienced and knew the difference between a holy hindrance and a hindrance sent by Satan, a.k.a. a thorn in the flesh. I felt it in my spirit.

This very night that I shared my testimony again about God's Rainbow of Promise, it seemed that there was a clarity in my spirit against all the confusion that has been built up in me for the past few months. As I finished my sharing and sat down at the back, I felt an assurance deep down in me, and I know that I know that I know that Jesus was speaking to me. He wasn't just telling me that He loves me; He was saying that He is with me, right where I am, right where He will be bringing me.

There are times it seems that we have been running for a long time for a long distance and we suddenly feel so tired of everything in life. We look at others and we start to compare. We wonder how it would be for us if we were at where others are. We ponder about how it would be if we were at a different environment. But we don't really have the answers. I didn't have the answers, and I don't think I ever will, but I knew it deep down inside that it was never meant to be. I would rather be at a place where I know the Lord is with me than at where it seems good to human standards but it's not God's will for me.

Just want to encourage you, deep down inside you will find the answers, because God reveals them to you.

Verse to Remember:

"Then you will call upon me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…” -- Jeremiah 29:12-14

The Best is Yet to Come

2009-03-07T09:59:00.007+08:00

Keep Your Fork -- Author Unknown

There was a woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and was given 3 months to live. As she began getting her things 'in order', she called her pastor and asked for him to come to her house to discuss certain aspects of her final wishes. She told him which songs she wanted sung at the service, what scriptures she wanted read, and what dress she wanted to be buried in. She also requested to be buried with her favorite Bible in her left hand.

Everything was in order and as the pastor was preparing to leave, the woman suddenly remembered one final request that was very important to her. "Please Pastor, just one more thing," she said excitedly. "Sure, what is it?" came the pastor's reply. "This is very important to me," the woman continued ... "I want to be buried holding a fork in my right hand." The pastor gazed at the woman, at a loss for words.

"That surprises you, doesn't it?" the woman asked. The pastor replied "Well to be quite honest, I am puzzled by the request".

The woman explained. "You see, Pastor, in all my years of attending church socials and potluck dinners, I remember that when the dishes were being cleared after the main course, someone would inevitably lean over to me and say, 'Keep your fork' ... it was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something better was coming, like velvety chocolate cake or deep dish apple pie. Something wonderful to end the meal!"

The pastor listened intently and a smile came upon his face. The woman continued, "So, I just want people to see me there with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder ... 'What's with the fork?'... then I want you to tell them: "Keep your Fork ... the best is yet to come".

The pastor's eyes welled up with tears of joy as he hugged the woman good-bye. He knew that this would be one of the last times that he would see her before her death. But he also knew that the woman had a better grasp of Heaven than he did.

She knew and trusted that the best was yet to come. At the funeral, everyone who walked by the woman's casket saw her wearing a beautiful dress with her favorite Bible held in her left hand and a fork held in her right hand.

Over and over the pastor heard people ask the question, "Why is she holding a fork?" and his smile began to get larger and brighter each time.

During his message, the pastor told the people about the conversation that he had with the woman shortly before she died. He explained the fork and what it symbolized to her. The Pastor told everyone how he could not stop thinking about the fork and told them that they probably would not be able to stop thinking about it either.

He was right. So the next time you reach down for your fork, let it remind you ever so gently, that the best is yet to come.

Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you care. Remember to always be there for them, even when you need them more. For you never know when it may be their time to "Keep your fork."

Cherish the time you have, and the memories you share... being friends with someone is not an opportunity but a sweet responsibility.

Quote to remember:
Has this world been so kind to you that you should leave with regret? There are better things ahead than any we leave behind. -- C. S. Lewis

Jesus, I love You

2009-03-04T12:19:00.007+08:00

Last year, a brother in church composed this song he named "More than anything". It's a very simple song with simple lyrics and simple chords, composed in the simplicity of heart, I believe. Yet it's such an impactful song. It has touched my heart countless times when I sang it or played it. It's a song that sings that cry of my heart, that desire to love the Lord more, more than anything. It's a song that speaks of the crave for Jesus, that I really need Him.

I had this imagination (or impression) some time ago, where I was a young girl, and my Lover was the Lord Jesus. We were sitting together by the stream, our bare feet soaking in the cool water. He was holding me in His embrace, just loving me tenderly. We were silent all through, just watching the waves in the stream, enjoying the beautiful scenery, oblivious of time and space. My worries melted, my burdens lifted, and that joy as He kissed my forehead and smiled at me...

There are many times in life when we face challenges, difficulties, struggling through quicksands, having great waves coming; when we are distressed, upset, depressed, hurt, angry, disappointed -- it's times like this that we always tend to ask a lot of questions of why's. But it's also times like these that we really need to tell God, "Lord, I love You", to just worship Him and tell Him how much you really miss Him and want to be with Him.

Someone once said that there are some questions in life that no matter how many times you have asked it or much you try to find the answer, there just isn't an answer to it. So quit asking and give it a rest! The Lord doesn't owe us any explanation. He just wants us to trust Him that He will lead us through any situation, and through it all, to grow in faith and to be more like Him. He wants us to reflect His strength so that others would experience Him the Almighty.

There will be times when God doesn't answer us the way that we want to. He doesn't tells us the things we want to hear, but what He wants to tell. He doesn't answer us the way we want it to come, but the way He wants it to be answered. Many times, He won't tell us 'yes' or 'no'; He'll just be silent or say 'wait'. Many times we will need to be the ones making the final decision, especially if the decision will not cause us to love Him less, but to trust Him more.

Joyce Meyer said: we have no testimony without a test (Beauty for Ashes). I learned (am still learning) that God really does make things work out for good, even when we go through times that we don't fully understand what was happening. He makes things work out for good, because He wants to give us the opportunity for testimony -- to glorify Him.

Really, if our lives are made to glorify Him and to make manifest His glory, to witness of Him and preach His love and greatness, how will we do it if we don't have a personal experience of His glory? And how will we experience His glory if we refuse to let go of ourselves to let Him have His way in our lives? How will we experience Him if we keep asking 'why' and not rest in Him? How can we say that we love Him if we don't want to be intimate with Him in worship?

Tell Him that you love Him. Tell Him, singing, "Jesus, I love You, more than anything..." so that you can tell others that He loves them.

When Love Takes You In

2009-02-19T14:44:00.003+08:00

This is one song that makes me want to say:

Lord, take me in to Your love, to the place where I belong, where You are embracing me in Your arms and never let me go. Take me to the place where I belong, right there in Your arms, where every burden is lifted from me.

Love that line that sings, the loneliness ends and a new life begins...

I'm like that little girl in the song, running to the open arms of my Father...

Will You still love me?

2009-02-17T16:47:00.001+08:00

She sat on the floor in her darkened room, broken and grieved, feeble and unspeaking. She could hear voices in the living room, her family chatting and laughing together, joy in their hearts. She didn’t want to join them. She wanted to withdraw herself, to be alone. Yet at the same time, she also wanted to cease this feeling of loneliness inside her; she wanted people to be around her, to comfort her, to understand that she was in depression.

Depression was an old enemy, a fiend who would haunt her with negative thoughts, pulling her down… down… down… There was no reason or explanation to justify why it was here, dominating over her, or why there was so much unanswered questions in her mind. But she knew it well, this pain inside her. She has come to the point where she has no strength left to resist it, no will to fight against it.

Tears rolled down her cheek as she thought about her life – full of rejection, hurts, failure, emotional setbacks, unloved… Why do they keep coming back? Haven’t all these been taken away when she believed in Jesus? Haven’t it been put to a stop? Why doesn’t she have joy?

She cried silently. She didn’t want her family to hear her sobs. But she knew her tears will not soothe her heart or bring the peace that she longed for. She knew deep down that she couldn’t allow herself to be pulled any lower, but how to let out the pain inside of her?

She drew out the blade from the box of stationeries, and her heart sank ever so low as she stared at the sharp edges of the blade. Fear rushed over her. She knew that she had warned herself against it time and time again, and even now. But the pain in her heart was so compelling…

Don’t do it. She told herself mentally. Don’t do it, Clare. Just don’t do it. DON’T!

But she couldn’t. Her hands wouldn’t obey. She gripped the blade tightly in her left hand and placed it lightly on the smooth skin of her right inner forearm. She didn’t want to die; that was not the point. She knew this feeling, depression, and she just wanted to channel it out. If only she could hurt herself physically to siphon out the pain from inside… If only it would help...

Clare closed her eyes and she knew that God was watching her. Don’t do it, Clare… But the fiend that overpowered her: It’ll be quick. This is what you wanted. Satisfy me.

Her left palm was sweating, making her grip slippery. It'll be quick. You've done it before. Let it be quick. Quick!

She pressed the sharp edge of the blade into her skin, but she knew not to do it too deep. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to be in deep physical pain either. The blade drew a thin one-inched long cut across her pale skin. It wasn't deep; blood was barely visible.

And she pressed it down into her skin again a second time, a little stronger this time... Deeper! Quicker! The fiend was instructing her.

And a third time, faster stroke with more force. A deeper cut. The blood surfaced, but not much. Yet the pain was there. Deeper! Quicker! It demanded.

The fourth, she deliberately stabbed her skin and slashed the blade across it rapidly to give it a satisfying cut. Immediately, her inner forearm was crimson with blood, and the fiend in her savoured every moment of pain...

She broke down in tears again, holding her bleeding right forearm with her left hand, leaning on the edge of her bed. That emotional pain was still there, perhaps even more intense than before she had cut herself. Her heart was in excruciating pain.

She knew that there was only one way, but she has sealed it with the blade. She knew that only God could save and deliver her from this suffering, but she has rejected it, and she has no right to ask of it now. She knew that only God's love could heal her of this pain, but she was unworthy and an ugly sinner.

The moon cast a strip of silver light through the window onto the floor where she knelt. The night was cool and silent, broken only by her sobs. She gazed up to the starless black sky through the window. I have fallen short of Your glory...

She took a glance at her right arm, where the crimson stains were still glowing and in pain. Now I have done this... Lord, I have done this. I don't love myself anymore. Do You still love me? Will You still love me? Now, will You come and heal me? And would You hear my selfish desires? Do you hear me? Jesus... Jesus!

Clare did not know how long she was on the floor, crying and sobbing until she barely had strength left to climb into bed. She did not know how she fell asleep, but she woke up to a day that she didn't want to face for the first time.

"Clare, we'll be late for church!" her mum called outside her room.

"Ok. I'm up," she called back, remembering that it was Sunday, and there was no escape, no excuse to say that she won't turn up.

How on earth am I going to do this? Me? Going to church like this? She asked herself as she gently washed away the dried blood over her wound. The slashes on her arm singed as the cold water ran over it. She forced herself not to think.

She quickly got dressed and they got to church. As the praise celebration started with worship, she reminded herself mentally not to raise her hands too high, or people might see her scars. What if they do see it? What would they say? The fiend said, luring her to crave for attention. Clare tried hard to tug the thought away. Keep your hand low, Clare.

The worship ended and the pastor went up for the word as they settled comfortably on their chairs. Clare was thankful that she was sitting alone. She glanced at her right arm.

"Great grace of God," said the pastor. "is the title of today's message," he looked around the church hall. "Let's say together, 'grace'." The congregation echoed "Grace!"

She stared at the notes on her lap and the intense, excruciating pain struck her heart all over again.

"The Apostle Paul prayed for the church in Ephesus that 'Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God'," he preached.

"How will you be filled with the fullness of God? It's by comprehending and having understanding of Jesus' great love for you."

And tears started to well up in Clare's eyes. She bowed her head so that her hair covered her face. She suddenly realised that she did not understand the love of Christ for her.

"Thank God that He didn't say He loves you, because you are qualified, or you are worthy, or you are with high position in the society. He didn't say, 'Oh, you've won many souls, therefore I love you more.' Nor did He say, 'Oh, you are smarter, more beautiful or holier, therefore I love you more'.

"No! God loves you, even when you are yet a sinner, even when you think you are unworthy, even when you are imperfect. He. Just. Loves. You!" he emphasised.

At this point, she couldn't stop the rivers of tears that flowed. Oh, stop. Stop! She wailed silently to herself. It's not even half the sermon.

"And if you would understand the width and length and depth and height of the love of Jesus Christ, the Lord said you will be filled with the fullness of God -- that means, you will be empowered in your life. That means, you will experience the abundance of God in all sense, all areas of your life!

"The fullness of God is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. The fullness of God is great power and --"

But Clare didn't know what else did the pastor was preached, for she was already trembling uncontrollably from crying so hard and trying to keep back her sobs.

She was loved, now she knew, certain as the sun that rises in the east. She was not unloved. She was deeply loved, treasured more than precious jewels, valued above gold and silver. She was the apple of God's eye.

Clare, I will still love you. whispered the still, gentle, small voice in her. I still love you, like no one else, like no other on this earth. I love you.

And she knew that Jesus was hugging her, embracing her tightly, giving her the courage to stand up again, to fight the victorious battle against the fiend.

Lord, I need you. Clare said. Come, Lord Jesus.

Graduates Seminar

2009-02-07T14:32:00.006+08:00

I remember the time when I was going to graduate in about 3 months' time, I was pretty nervous and unsure of what I was going to do. Even though I knew by God's grace and help, I have obtained a good qualification that enables me to soar to great heights, I didn't know where I was heading to. The future felt pretty scary with a lot of uncertainties.

And it was at that time that I thought to myself, how nice it would be if we could have a Graduates Seminar at church. People will learn more about the working world, how is working life different from student life, the dos and don'ts for interview, how to choose the right job by the guidance of God, etc etc.

But most of all, it would guide people to know the love of Jesus Christ and how He loves to bless us in all areas of our lives, including in our working life.

Praise the Lord, by His grace and strength, I am organiser for the Graduates Seminar 2009!

Honestly, there's only one statement that could summarise my part in this event: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13)

My hopes and dreams: that people would receive useful tips and guidance on finding the right job; have a clear understanding about how the working world is; receive overflowing blessings from the Lord by trusting Him; experience financial liberty in times of economic crisis as we trust in Him.

Come join us!

Date: 11 March 2009 (Wednesday)

Time: 8 p.m.

Venue: World Harvest Church (Wangsa Maju, KL)

Admission is free, refreshment are served.

Remember to bring your friends :)

Don't worry!

2009-01-30T22:47:00.005+08:00

I went for an evangelistic concert by a Hong Kong pastor early this month. His name is Ps. Enoch Lam, and he is super hilarious, yet convincing in all his points. God bless him.

At one point of his preaching, he shared with us about his experience when he was having a trip in Canada. Being used to the very fast paced Hong Kong lifestyle, it was uncomfortable for him while he was in Canada.

He said, in Hong Kong everything is about speed. Putting it in the Malaysian scenario of a parent and child would probably sound like this: faster go and sleep; faster wake up; faster do your homework; faster come and have dinner; faster go and take bath... FASTER!!! And when you are at the traffic light junction, the moment it turns green the cars will start honking.

But in Canada everything is slow! And he emphasized it: slooooow... Why? He said it's because the people there have little to do and have no concern about anything. They have all the time in the world and could afford to go on a 4 hour drive just to see maples. That's like going to KL just to see the Twin Towers and come back to Ipoh. And the service at coffee shops are so slow that he said they would be bankrupted if it was in Hong Kong.

In another incident, he was going to catch a flight and was late to reach the airport. So he goes to check in at the counter and pesters the person to check him in quick. And he goes, "Faster please, my flight number is xxxxxx." points to his watch, "Faster please." But the officer said to him, "Don't worry!" (high pitched and in a rather sing-song way) points to the bunch of people standing behind the pastor, "they are all with the same flight number as you." It took him a long while to get checked in and go on board. He hurried to his seat and settled down quickly, but then the air stewardess announced, "Don't worry!" (also high pitched and in a rather sing-song way) "Delay!"

Revelation: sometimes we keep wishing things would go on a faster pace -- shorter queues, let it be quickly my turn to pay, drive faster and no traffic jam, faster finish my work so I can go home early... the list is never-ending. But the faster you wished it would go, the slower it would: long queues, hold ups at the cashier, traffic jams, last minute assignments, DELAY!

Nowadays we don't have the patience to wait for anything. Everything has to be fast, but that's how we end up choosing the lesser things. We can't wait, so we go for fast food, instant noodles, faster services are better, faster workers are more efficient; so we suffer from diseases related with bad eating habits, shorter tempers, shorter attention span, less effective workers -- we have no patience.

I'm at a period of time where I'm experiencing having to wait for almost everything, literally. Wait for the LRT, wait for the people to go in quickly so I can have a space to squeeze in, wait for the bus to come, wait for the newspaper to come, wait for parking, wait in the traffic jam, wait for my seat at the restaurant, wait for my turn to order food, wait for my food to come, wait in the queue to pay... And on the spiritual areas of my life: wait for God's promises to come to pass, wait for prophecies to be fulfilled, wait for the right person to come along, wait for God's guidance in career advancement... There's so much waiting involved that whenever this happens I keep thinking about this 'revelation' from Ps. Enoch, and I understood that God is training me.

He's saying, "Don't worry! (high pitched and in a rather sing-song way, I imagine) Just wait, it'll come", "Don't worry! DELAY!", "Don't worry! Just trust in Me." James 1:3-4 says "Knowing that the tesing of your faith produces patience, but let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking nothing."

And again, Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

Jesus said 'don't worry' three times in this part of the Sermon on the Mount. And just like the reason why He also always says to us "don't be afraid", "do not fear", we also need to add "don't worry" to the list of thou-shall-not's. Sometimes we don't know how not to worry when we have so many things at hand every day. In fact, we worry about almost everything, from real concerns to things that actually would never happen!

Jesus offers us the solution:
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let it be afraid."

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me."

God, I believe in You. Sometimes I really don't know what I should do or how my future will unfold, but I trust in You. I trust in Your Word. I'm holding on to You; I'm never letting go. Because You've not and will never let go of me.

神是爱

2009-01-09T11:33:00.006+08:00

（第一次写华语的部落，希望还可以吧。。）

看了一篇朋友写的部落，很有意思，很感动。其实不是不知道她所写到圣经里的精句，只是我从来没有联想到原来是可以酱的。。。。。。

约翰一书4 章16节说道： 神爱我们的心，我们也知道也信。神就是爱。住在爱里面的，就是住在神里面，神也住在他里面。

神就是爱。很简单的四个字，可是意义涵盖实在是太深、太美妙了，有时甚至是接受不了。怎么可能神那么大，那么圣洁，那么正义，但却也同时那么地爱我们这班渺小、恶行、不义的人们，赐给我们祂的一切，让我们得着永生？怎么可能让一位君王为了救赎百姓而受死？然而，祂就是如此地爱我们，神要住在我们里面。

哥林多前书 13章4 - 8节续说：爱是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。爱是不嫉妒。爱是不自夸。不张狂。不作害羞的事。不求自己的益处。不轻易发怒。不计算人的恶。不喜欢不义。只喜欢真理。凡事包容。凡事相信。凡事盼望。凡事忍耐。爱是永不止息。13节： 如今常存的有信，有望，有爱，这三样，其中最大的是爱。

如果说神是爱，那么把 “神”字代替“爱”就会变成：神是恒久忍耐，又有恩慈。神是不嫉妒。神是不自夸。（神）不张狂。（神）不作害羞的事。（神）不求自己的益处。（神）不轻易发怒。（神）不计算人的恶。（神）不喜欢不义。（神）只喜欢真理。（神）凡事包容。（神）凡事相信。（神）凡事盼望。（神）凡事忍耐。神是永不止息。13节：如今常存的有信，有望，有爱（神），这三样，其中最大的是神。

感谢主，当我们有缺陷的时候，神仍然是爱，不计算人的恶。祂虽然不喜欢不义，但祂还是包容我们、相信我们和盼望我们能返到祂的面前，能再次成为祂的喜悦。神是永不止息，祂不会缺乏权威和力量，祂不会失败。

神是爱。从一开始已经是爱你了。打从你我都还没出世时祂也已经爱你了。到天荒地老祂的爱也不会变质，不会熄灭。

朋友，如果你在看这一篇，不要犹豫，不要质疑祂的爱。约翰 3章16 节说： “神爱世人，甚至将祂的独生子，赐给他们，叫一切信祂的，不至灭亡，反得永生。” 约翰一书也说： “神差他独生子到世间来，使我们借着他得生，神爱我们的心，在此就显明了。”

让祂的爱充满你的心吧。邀请祂进入你的心吧。透过以下祷告你就可接受祂的爱了：

上帝啊，我需要袮。我承认我是一个罪人，我现在愿意打开心门接受耶稣，作我的救主和生命的主。感谢袮为我的罪受死，并从死里复活，赦免了我的罪。求袮引领我一生，掌管我的生命。奉主耶稣的名祷告，阿门。

耶稣爱你。

Blessed 2009

2009-01-01T12:56:00.002+08:00

It's been another year, a year of great and awesome blessings if you choose to look at the good things that had happened and give thanks to the Lord; but it was also a year of ups and downs, challenges and difficult times. Praise God, I'm still right here, at where I am, whole and well, more blessed than a lot of people in the world. Hallelujah!

Someone once said a statement that took me quite a while to fully understand and agree with it, but I finally did. It was about Fact and Truth. Both can be true, 100%, without bias, but it's what you choose to believe and put your faith on that really matters.

The FACT is, the economy is bad. Market is slow and dwindling downwards. Recession hits the shore and will be more evident than ever in less than 3 months' time. Job security wavers. Money shrinks and devalues. This will eventually lead to social instability.

But the TRUTH is, God's promises are real and will never be slow to materialise. He is the Provider and is unlimited. In Him there is no lack, no poverty. In Him there is security and peace. He is in control.

Hence, I will rejoice. Bless the Lord, O my soul, bless His holy name! Because of His faithfulness and loving kindness. Because He gives a promise and He remembers it. And simply because He is God.

It has been a year of learning, of struggling, of humbling, equipping, waiting... It has been a year full of transitions and of letting go to acquire the new. It has been a year that challenges for commitment and decisions made from the heart. I've not seen another rainbow, though for the past months I have been silently praying in my heart that God would show it again. When the going gets tough and I really just want to give it all up, doubt sets in and faith doesn't rise up, His grace is sufficient for me and His strength is made perfect in my weakness. His promise is the same, and I want to remember it, I want to know that it is a surety of His goodness, and I believe that He is the Beginner and Finisher of my faith. He has begun this good work in me, and He shall bring it to completion.

I'm moving into a new phase, a new stage of development. I can feel it in my spirit that I'm in for something great that the Lord would enable me to do it. But I've got to take the first step of forgetting the old to acquire the new. Isaiah 43:18 -19 says: "Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

And after putting away the old, this is what Apostle Paul urged us to do in Philippians 3:13-15 "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you."

Year 2009 shall be a year of action, not stagnation. It shall be a year of looking unto Jesus, who beckons us to step out of the boat into the storm to where He stands with open arms, ready to embrace us as we trust Him to walk on raging seas. It shall be a year of rejoicing in the Lord, praying unceasingly and giving thanks to Him with supplication. May His peace that surpasses all understanding guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, as we brace ourselves to face it all.

So come what may, I have Jesus!

Christmas!

2008-12-27T21:49:00.001+08:00

It's the season of giving, loving and caring! It's the season of bringing in those who do not know what Christmas is all about. If you fall into this category, this piece is for you.

But first, what Christmas is NOT about:

It's not about Santa Claus and reindeers or Christmas trees and socks over the fireplace or turkey dinner and ginger breadman or jingle bells and snowman, and the list goes on.

It's not about spending time with family, although it's a good time to do so because of the holidays.

It's not about going church to sing carols, if you don't know the meanings of the songs.

There's no magic about Christmas.

What then? Christmas is not about all these things that the media has been showing us? Yea, that's right. If the word itself says anything, Christmas is about Christ -- Jesus' birth to this earth and its significance.

Personally, I have never been fascinated much by the manner of Jesus' birth besides that the angel announced it to shepherd and they came to worship Him at the manger. But on what it really means to have Christ born for us, born to die -- I feel that has more stories to tell, more real stories and more essence than a fat old man name Santa.

It's the story of stories. It's a triumphant story: the bad guy supposedly won but it was the good guy ultimately. It's a story of ultimate sacrifice: an innocent Child born of a virgin with the purpose of dying for the world. It's a story of suspense: Jesus was crucified when He was at the height of His ministry and for a moment it seemed that all hope was lost -- but no, He came back to life. It's the story of grace: unworthy sinners given pardon and redemption with the coming of the Saviour of the world.

It's a story for you and me, a story that everyone is in, and everyone is the main character. It's a story of love: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. This was what He was born to do, that anyone who believes in Him will not be eternally separated from God, but that he will be living this life to the fullest, having an intimate relationship with God, and to be with Him forever in heaven.

And so, this was what our Christmas celebration is about. Praise God, though we have little time to prepare, it was great! We had our celebration at KL International Hotel this year. It all went well: Pre-event outside the hall, song presentations, Deborah and Bong Yang shared testimonies of their life, skit performance, sharing... We had a good time, although some parts were a bit messed up. We had a large crowd with different nationalities. Our friends were supportive and happy at the end. And a friend of mine said she is now certain of the love of Christ and wants to receive Him as Saviour. Hallelujah! Seeds are sown, weeds are thrown!

Right or Easy?

2008-12-06T11:55:00.003+08:00

Life. There's just so many definitions that you can give it, so many things to be compared to, so much that has been said to describe it, but I think there's none that truly fully covers it all.

I like the one that says it's choices that leads to various different consequences and outcomes that you won't know or see until you're there. From Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" to Tolkien's "And wither then? I cannot say" in Lord of the Rings... I like it not because it's an easily agreeable truth, but rather it is a truth that needs courage to understand and embrace. It's not a beautiful truth, but it's not a sad one either. It doesn't carry any amount of emotion unless you allow it to.

There's a quote by Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that always struck me as having deep meanings and it takes one to experience it to really understand. He said during the end-of-year banquet in the wake of Cedric Diggory's death, "Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

We don't often hear this. It's always been said, this is right, that is wrong; do what is right, refrain from the wrong. But there is the grey area -- there's the time when you will have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy. And wither then? What outcome would it bring? Bilbo said he couldn't say, neither can I, or would know, until the choice is made.

I think it happens most when we are faced with a challenge -- it's easy to just give up, to just run away and don't care, but we know deep down in our hearts that that would mean leaving our responsibilities, perhaps even to the extent of disobeying God. When we want so much to fight back because of mistreatment from others, when we really think it's disadvantageous to us and we ought to stand up and defend ourselves -- that's when God wants us to shut up (to put it very bluntly).

Is it easy to just shut up and say "I forgive"? We know the answer. Is it easy to spread gossips and hurl hurtful words to defend ourselves? We also know the answer. But it's a CHOICE. And I think the factor that lead us to decide what to choose, ultimately, is God's LOVE. Not because we love, but He first loved us.

It takes a lifetime to learn to make the right choices, until the right choices are also easy ones. It takes a lifetime to follow the Holy Spirit.

Reading & Writing

2008-11-24T23:51:00.002+08:00

I suddenly realised just how little I have blogged this month! Gosh, and it's already month end!

Oh yes, blame it on work...

Hope this will be a short one, because it's already very late as it is.

Well, despite the heavy workload I'm assigned this month and for the coming few months, I think it's a matter of need rather than of leisure that I went for some reading. Those who know me and know what I mean will understand this involves hours of slowing bankrupting a bookstore. Or maybe not. In any case, that's what I do when I'm feeling that I need to escape...

As a result, I actually finished another fantasy book in 3 sittings. That's quite fast considering the length and hours I took, although I remember I used to finish the book in a sitting of roughly 4 -5 hours. But yea, that's a bit crazy, I would admit.

I think anyone would agree that I've long past the age of reading children literature, especially fantasy genre, but I figured that I still do because I'm quite a slow learner. I only began to pick up English when I was 14, so I used up most of my teens to discover children's novels. Erm, still discovering... Of course, I have read some solid stuff like Agatha Christie, Christian books, etc, but I still find an attraction to children's fiction. It gives one room to imagine and be in the books, and it leaves me to wish that I could write as good.

Overtime, I learned not to overdo "being in the books". I know that's pretty serious for your mind to wander off like that. But I also always have that dream and ambition that I could write like the authors I love, only that the stories would bear the imprints of God -- and that's not easy. There's tonnes of books out there writing about absolute rubbish, but it's high time people should know what to chew and what to puke at.

So I shall consult the Holy Spirit and go to bed now. What a piece! :)

Parting to a New Beginning

2008-11-18T23:39:00.003+08:00

This one is for Pr. Kenneth & Pr. Sharon and their cute little daughter Sophia.

When I first got the news about their leave, I could tell that this was something different. I felt it in my heart, although the sadness and feelings of having to part was also present. Yet, there was an assurance that came along, a peace that says, "this is good".

In Ecclesiastes it says to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. Of course, it could be something easier said than to accept. It's quite easy for one to use it as an excuse, but to really say it with the conviction of the Holy Spirit and knowing so deeply in the heart that this is the truth that is set upon them -- there is no denying the purpose of God that comes directly from Him, and with it comes assurance and peace.

This is a difficult piece to write, because there's just so much thoughts to it, so much to convey yet with so little words to describe...

Roman 8:28 is always quoted as a favourite verse when we acknowledge the Lord's goodness though we may not fully understand His plans. But at this moment, I think I shall quote Isaiah 54:2-3 instead:

2 Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes.
3 For you shall expand to the right and to the left, And your descendants will inherit the nations, And make the desolate cities inhabited.

I believe God is really expanding us and speeding up the process of expansion so quickly that we've just got to avail ourselves for Him to fulfil His purpose. There's no delaying, no doubting, only total trust, total surrender.

It says, "do not spare". Do not spare what? Do not spare everything that you have. That includes yourself. Aren't we good at sparing ourselves from trouble or work? Oh, please spare me from the chores, I have exams coming. I'm a spare in the team; only if the guy injures I will play. Spare tyres are only used in emergencies. Spare parts only come in handy when the originals are spoiled. But NO! God says, DO NOT SPARE. That means, don't spare the ones that are the best, nor the ones that are not so good. Don't reserve anything.

Dear Pr. Kenneth & Pr. Sharon, this is my prayer for you:

Father God, they have not spared anything from You, because they know that You have not spared Your only begotten son for us. They have laid down, and they are ready to labour for Your Kingdom. So Lord I pray that every blessing and anointing and need that they have, it shall be poured out to them. Every journey that they walk, may they be upright in Your will and purpose, that Your glory will come as is promised.

Lord, we don't know and may not understand where You are leading us, even as a whole church, but God, we do know that we are not lost, but in Your divine purpose and destiny. Lord, I pray that as they will build Your church in Penang, let the souls pour in and the darkness be reduced to nothingness. God, You know the significance and every landmark of the state. We pray that Your sovereign hand will take charge and that it will turn this nation as You have willed.

God, as You have made us to be more than conquerors, please make Pr. Kenneth and Pr. Sharon victors to triumph over every challenge. Bless them Lord in all things. We are parting, but we know that in You we will always be united. This is not the end, but the beginning, for both World Harvest, and for this family. I pray that Your angels will be their guide and shield, take charge over them.

God, You are good. May all the goodness and greatness that You have intended for them and for us be so evident. We thank You for all that You've done and all that will come. In Jesus' mighty name, AMEN!

Bye, Pastors, but we shall surely meet again. I have never thought that great joy and sadness could be felt at the same time, but now I have experienced it and know that only God could place this unique emotion in me. I will always remember our first meeting and every word that you have imparted and spoken over my life.

You will always be in our hearts. Take care. We love you.

Apostolic Program Intake 11

2008-11-11T12:53:00.002+08:00

It's been almost 1.5 weeks since the Apostolic Program Intake 11 ended. Sitting here typing this, I actually don't know what to write, because it's just too huge and awesome to actually have any words that are fitting to describe the Lord's greatness...

Y08's AP is somewhat different from the previous 10 intakes; it just felt different. And though I believe everyone, both participants and church members, had experienced God and received many great things from Him, I felt that the manifestation of the presence of God was just different. It felt like 2 weeks was just too short for Him to have fully shown Himself to us, like there were so many things yet to be released, like there was something else that He wanted to do. I wished it could go on for another 2 weeks, or just go on and on and that none of us would have to worry about time, our career, ministry back in our nations, family, etc. Yet at the same time it felt that the parting with our beloved participants, now alumni and friends of MTI, was the beginning of something even greater ahead, and the 2 weeks of soaking together in the presence of God was just a glimpse of the great work of the Lord yet to come.

I was truly delighted to see many alumni coming this year and to hear them share how it has been for the past year. Some I barely remember, some I have anticipated their coming and so glad to see them arrive safely, but all in all it was a joyous time fellowshiping with all of the participants.

I realised that I have come to a level of commitment that I undertsood there were just so much that we could give. I realised that sometimes we can feel so tired in our bodies and even our soul, and we tell God, O Lord, I have given so much already... Whether it's in our service to Him, in giving to the Lord, in any sense, from the amount that we have given, we could actually give yet more to the Lord. There are still so much that we hold on to, and the Lord always wants us to give Him our all.

Yea, I know it sounds very unreasonable, like God is so unfair, why He always want to strip us and rid us of everything of our own, until we have nothing left. Well, seeing that He owns us and our lives, doesn't He also own everything of us? Then why does He still wants us to lay down our lives for Him? That's because He owns us, but He doesn't own our freewill. And He wants us to love Him with all of us, because that's how He loves us -- He gave us Himself, all of it.

I think this realisation and understanding came when I had to constantly told myself that it wasn't because of my talents or skills or anything of myself that I'm qualified to serve Him. It was purely because of His great grace. It was because of Him and for Him. I had to constantly pray that "God, when I'm playing the keyboards, let them not see me, but that they would see You and only You." This was because by His grace, the Holy Spirit had touched many people through the worship team.

There were times I remembered that my fingers were trembling as they moved across the keyboard. Those were the times when I felt that I didn't know where my fingers should go next; my mind was blank, but there was that faithful input of a tune from the Holy Spirit, and it was more than enough.

The one thing that I remembered most clearly was during the final day of the program on Friday oct 31. The participants all gathered together and a representative from each nation came forward to pray and bless Pr. David, Pr. Gloria and the whole team in their own national language. The presence of God was immediately so evidently strong as soon as we started to pray in the Spirit, and stronger still as each took the mic to pray in their national language. Of course, we understood very little of what they were all praying, but it was really awesome to hear people pray in Aramic, Tamil, African dialects, Filipino dialect, English and etc.

But it was when our fellow Malaysian participant started to pray that I had tears in my eyes and my heart so touched by the presence of God. When she started praying in Bahasa Malaysia, I could feel such a heat over my head, a heat that comes from above and only on my head and not my body. I knew immediately that was the kabod presence of God, though I have never experienced it this way before.

Seldom do we actually pray in BM because we are so used to conducting everything in English or Mandarin or a Chinese dialect. And I understood that whenever we sing or pray in BM, it brings us to a higher level of experiencing Him, especially in the area of praying for revival for our nation. I realised that when we lift up His name in BM, there's always an uncontested reverence, an unfathomable awesomeness in the air that meant that He is THE LORD of Malaysia and nothing would stand against it.

I believe He still has great things in stored for us, for our church, for this nation and the nations that had come by His call. And though this might be just the beginning of a huge outpouring, I think it's not a slow movement or a process that would take long to complete, but we all know in deep in our hearts that nothing will hinder it from being accomplished, for the Word of the Lord shall not return to Him void. Amen.

Long Absence, Great Outpouring

2008-10-24T11:53:00.003+08:00

Oh, my hands are itching to write!! But I don't have the luxury of time to do so at this moment, because the Lord is doing His great and mighty works now, as He always is.

The Apostolic Program Intake 11 is finally here! And it's already the 5th day, almost 1 week over. Pastors and ministers have come from all across the globe, I believe many have received great revelations, insights from the Word of God and blessings in abundance. It always amazes me when I think of how they, from different nations, different backgrounds, different cultures, having greater ministries and bigger churches would come to listen to our senior pastor Pr. David's preaching. Yet, this is the call of the Lord, and no one will evoke it. And as it is said in Isaiah 55:5, so it is the promise is materialised and brought forth to pass. I believe in years to come, it will continue to expand and bloom, greater move of the Holy Spirit like never before.

Serving during this period of 2 weeks is just awesome. There's no words accurate enough to describe that feeling, but I just feel it's so awesome, so humbled to be able to serve in His glorious presence, while I'm totally unworthy and incapable of anything without the Holy Spirit. God, I just want more of You, because all I need is found in you.

I do want to gather all the words and write something about the Apostolic Program, but I shall do this in November. This will be my last entry in October... Hopefully I will have a clear memory to write down everything I experience. I have taken 1 week off just to avail myself for His service. Not that I'm boasting of anything, but I really felt it so strongly and stronger each day, that there's nothing else that matters except to just be in His presence, to soak there in the Secret Place... (Oh God, please give me the word to write!)

Bye for now. See you guys in November. =) Stay blessed

Reaping What You Sow

2008-10-17T15:09:00.003+08:00

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.
But...
If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation
If you plant greed, you will reap loss
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt
So be careful of what you plant now,
it will determine what you will reap tomorrow.

Verse to Remember:

Matthew 7:12 "Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets."
Luke 6:13 "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise."
Proverbs 18:12 "Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honour is humility."

Remembering You

2008-10-04T14:25:00.009+08:00

Steven Curtis Chapman sang the theme song for Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. The song is titled 'Remembering You' -- Precisely to remember the goodness of the Lord.

It's easy to praise God when everything is well in life, to bless the Lord when we are happy; but we may not even remember the Lord when we go through difficulties and tough times in life, let alone giving Him praise and worship Him. Yes, it's pretty much a cliché to say this, but really, how many of us have truly made it a practice to rejoice always and give thanks to the Lord through circumstances? If we haven't, then all the more we should be reminding ourselves to remember the Lord, rejoice in Him, give thanks and praise Him.

Verse 1: "I found You in the most unlikely way But really it was You who found me And I found myself in the gifts that You gave You gave me so much and I I wish You could stay but I'll, I'll wait for the day..." Do you remember His grace for your life?

In the chorus it sings: "And I'll watch as the cold winter melts into spring, I'll be remembering You Oh, and I'll smell the flowers and hear the birds sing, I'll be remembering You." Have you seen God in the beauty of nature? Do you remember that it was Him who created all things before the dawn of time? Above all, He created you...

Verse 2: "From the first moment when I heard Your name Something in my heart came alive You showed me love and no words could explain A love with the power to Open the door To a world I was made for..." Our salvation is precious. It's that moment when you made the best decision from your heart to receive Jesus' love, and it's with this love that you enter the World -- not this world, but His Kingdom, where you are made for.

And in the bridge: "The dark night, the hard fight The long climb up the hill knowing the cost The brave death, the last breathe The silence whispering all hope was lost The thunder, the wonder A power that brings the dead back to life." This sings of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though it was thought that all hope was lost, yet by His resurrection, hope was restored.

Enjoy the song. Remember the Lord's goodness and rich blessings on our lives. Remember Him.

Narnia: The Silver Chair (1)

2008-10-03T10:42:00.006+08:00

I've just finished reading the 6th book, Narnia: The Silver Chair. Love it! There are many defining moments in the book -- the most of all the books, I feel. Right from the start, there is just the message of God's nature and Spirit there. I shall comment on all the defining moments separately. So here's one:

At the climax of the story, Eustace, Jill and Puddleglum rescue Prince Rilian from the Lady of the Green Kirtle's spells. But just as they planned to escape from the Underland, the Lady returns and tries to bewitch them all into forgetting who they are and where they are from. It was quite a long struggle, until Puddleglum stamps out the enchantress's magical fire with his bare feet and breaks her spell.

Then he said to the enraged enchantress:

"One word, Ma'am," he said, coming back from the fire; limping, because of the pain. "One word. All you've been saying is quite right, I shouldn't wonder. I'm a chap who always liked to know the worst and then put the best face I can on it. So I won't deny any of what you said. But there's one thing more to be said, even so. Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things - trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that's a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We're just babies making up a game, if you're right. But four babies playing a game can make a playworld which licks your real world hollow. That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia. So, thanking you kindly for our supper, if these two gentlemen and the young lady are ready, we're leaving your court at once and setting out in the dark to spend our lives looking for Overland. Not that our lives will be very long, I should think; but that's a small loss if the world's as dull a place as you say."

Satan does the same today in our lives. He lies that this world is no more than it is, that there isn't anything higher than this world, there isn't a spiritual world. He doesn't want people to believe in God, even better if you believe in false gods. He even deceives Christians so that we pursue things of this world and hold on to them so tightly that we forget about God.

But truly, Puddleglum has strike a point: if there isn't anything higher that we ought to pursue, if heaven is just a made-up idea, if there is no God -- then it's just a small loss that we pursue all these 'imaginations' with our lives, since this world is not going to become any better than it is now.

Someone once said that by probability, it is true that either heaven is real, or it isn't. The fact remains that we will only find out the answer when we die. If we believe that heaven is real, but it turns out that it isn't, then it would be but a small loss, because whether or not you have believed, the outcome is the same, no one goes to heaven.

However, if we don't believe heaven is real, but the final truth reveals that it is, then we would be the more foolish one because we have been pursuing what is unreal for a whole life, when we could have done otherwise. And the unbelief will watch in regret and despair as the believers enter heaven while they are left out.

This world will fail and it will not last. Verse to Remember:

Col 3:2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on
the earth.

The Rainbow

2008-10-02T00:29:00.004+08:00

This blog is named 'The Rainbow of Promise' for many reasons. This account of God's glorious presence and faithful promise is one of it.

I graduated and started working in June 2007 as a junior executive in a Public Relations agency. It's a tough job, very stressful and highly demanding for a fresh-grad like me. I'm still in this job as I'm writing this, not because of anything else but God's grace.

The first three months of the job was really challenging as I tried to adapt to the new phase of life. It was not encouraging when I saw some of my colleagues leaving for various reasons. One particular colleague who was close to me said that she was going to resign because she found the job unsuitable for her. I was very sad when I heard this, because she was like a partner in the job.

At that point, I too, began to ask myself whether this job was really suitable for me. I knew I had asked God to bless me with a good job and a good future, but was this really it? Is this where I really want to be? Is this the dream that I am pursuing? If not, what is my passion and how to I get there from where I am now? There were a lot of questions and uncertainty in me.

But it was at this time that the Lord have spoke this verse to me: Jeremiah 29:11–14a “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord…”

And He also said to me, “Stick onto Me, I will bless you.”

At first, I could not understand much of it. I have always known that the Lord is interested in my life and will bless me with a good future. And I was already sticking to the Lord – I was drawing myself close to him in prayer and worship. So I asked the Lord, “God, I will stick to You. My future is in Your hands. But Lord, will You please let me know if this is where You want me to be? And if Your answer is yes, will you please show me a sign? Could I please see a rainbow in the sky?”

It has always been in my understanding that rainbow symbolises God's promise. In the Bible, God showed Noah a rainbow after the 40 days and 40 nights of the great flood, as a sign of covenant between Himself and the earth that there will never be such a flood ever again. "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." (Gen 9:16)

However, rainbows are rarely seen on KL skies, being quite a polluted city. I knew that I have asked something that was definitely going to be God's miracle working.

A few days after this prayer, my colleague gave the resignation letter, and I felt very helpless and despair again. I broke down in tears, but it was in tears that I found assurance from the Lord again. The Lord impressed deeply upon my heart that if I would just stick onto Him, He will surely bless me. I purposed in my heart that day to choose the more difficult choice of staying on in the company, even though I would be the only junior left.

On that day, when I was on my way home after work, it was drizzling on my side of the city, but I saw that there was sunshine on the other side of the city. The Lord quickened my mind, and as I turned to look behind me, behold, there was the huge beautiful rainbow in the shape of an arch, clear and displaying its splendour against the grey sky! Silently, I thanked the Lord in my heart as I stared in awe (and in tears) of His wonderful creation.

Although from that point onwards I still faced a lot of challenges and difficult times at work, the Lord also added strength to endure and to embrace along with the promise of rainbow. I understood that He was training and equipping me for greater things to come.

Truly, the promises of God are faithful, He will never leave us nor forsake us, but He will surely bless us if we would just stick onto to Him. As I held on to God’s promises, things took a positive turn and became better. I experienced His joy and peace as He took over my concerns.

Lord, I will always remember this promise -- Your rainbow of promise.

Faithful in Sowing

2008-10-01T10:03:00.008+08:00

The LORD says, what you sow, you will reap. If you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly. But if you sow bountifully, you will also reap bountifully.

Worship is not complete without our giving of tithes and offering, because the Lord deserves the best of us, not just in our singing, but also in the things that mean the most to us.

Yes, money means the most to us, because we need money to survive in this world. But God says that He knows we need all these things, yet as we obeying Him in our giving, we will receive blessings.

I am not from a wealthy family background, but I have never lacked in finance or experienced any financial difficulties. Of course, it does not mean then that God did not bless me financially.

I've always settled in my heart that if there would come a time in my life that I needed a large sum of money, it will be provided for me. I also understood the blessings of God may not be come in monetary terms all the time – it could be in other areas of life. All in all, I was content.

I used to give in this manner: on Saturday night, I will set aside my tithes and offerings for the next day (Sunday), so that there will be something given every week, instead of just giving a sum of money at the beginning of the month and end up not giving later on. In my heart, I have always settled the amount that I want to give to God and had no problem preparing that amount for that week.

However, when I started to work, I also began to spend more. It felt more difficult to be giving tithes and offering on a weekly basis than it used to be. Towards the middle of the month, I would be asking myself where had my money gone. I was not tight on my budget, but I felt as though my money was shrinking in value.

Then, the Holy Spirit quickened my understanding that I needed a change in the way that I give. Instead of setting aside my tithes and offering on a weekly basis, I decided to do so right at the beginning of the month. This means that as soon as I withdraw money from the bank, I will set aside the total sum for tithes and offering. Only then from this sum of money, it will be segregated into weekly giving.

The Holy Spirit taught me to honour Him by putting what belongs to Him above all my spending. I also need not worry that I don't have enough to give by the end of the month.

Immediately on that month itself, I saw His hand blessing me financially. I no longer felt that I was tight in my budget. In fact, I saw myself having surplus at the end of the month. With faithful sowing, I reaped my harvest of financial blessing at the end of the year when I received my annual bonus. From there, I blessed the Lord with my annual thanksgiving offering, an amount that I never thought I could give.

Truly, when the Lord bless us, He bless us exceedingly abundantly above all that we could ask or think of. Therefore, by honouring Him in our giving, we shall have overflowing blessing.

Verse to Remember:
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 8 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is ale to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having sufficiency in all things, will have an abundance for every good work.

Grace for Studies

2008-09-30T15:44:00.003+08:00

This is an account of my studying years, times that hold a lot of bittersweet memories.

When I was in my secondary school years, I was in a very competitive environment. I was in one of the top classes in school and naturally, everyone was competing with one another. It was all about marks, all about academic, so much so that it didn't matter whether you really know what we were studying, as long as you do well during exams.

For me, I was considered average -- I was not outstanding among the top-scorers of my class, nor was I very active in curriculum activities. I could be labelled as 'insignificant'.

Those years, I was not very enthusiastic about studies. I found it a bore, a burden rather than an interest. But things took a turn when I started tertiary education in KL.

I accepted Christ when I had an encounter with God after a few weeks in KL. I was very touched by God’s love and in His presence, I received Jesus as my personal Saviour and Lord. At that point, what I understood was that the Lord loves me and is interested in my life, that He will bless me in all things.

However, I did not immediately connect this with receiving blessings for my studies, until I was approaching my first semester final exams.

It was a very stressful time because it was the first time I was sitting for a college exam. Yet, as I continued to study the final exams, I realised that God was with me in all the time, assuring me and giving me peace of heart. As I prayed to Him, He was constantly with me -- when I studied and memorised all the important facts, when I felt that I could not stuff my brain with more information, when I went into the examination hall, and even after the exams.

Initially, I thought I was just going to get an ordinary, average kind of results, but it turned out that I scored 4.0. I was so surprised and happy, and more than anything else, I was very thankful to God and I gave Him praise.

Since my first semester, I have scored many other 4.0s over the span of four years of studying in KL. Many of my friends thought that I was a very hardworking or smart person, but I knew that it was not by my own effort. It was all by God’s grace.

There were times when I was not able to finish studying, but it turned out that I could still do the paper and scored better grades than my friends who studied more than I did. I remembered those times when I cried out to God in desperate and earnest prayers, when I decided in my heart to rely on nothing else but Him alone. As I put my trust in Him, I sat through the exam with peace and joy.

John 15:5 says “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.” Truly, I couldn't have done it without His strength and help.

Footprints in the Sand

2008-09-18T19:31:00.005+08:00

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.

Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.

For each scene he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand: one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand.

He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it:

"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."

The LORD replied: "My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

Deut 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Healing Rain

2008-09-16T11:14:00.006+08:00

Michael W. Smith: Healing Rain

Healing Rain is coming down
It's coming nearer to this whole town
Rich and poor, weak and strong
It's bringing mercy, it won't be long

Healing Rain is coming down
It's coming closer to the lost and found
Tears of joy, tears of shame
Are washed forever in Jesus' name

Healing Rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing Rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Lift your heads, let us return
To the mercy seat where time began
And in your eyes I see the pain
Come soak these dry hearts with Healing Rain

Only You, the Son of Man
Could take a leper and let him stand
So lift your hands, they can be held
By Someone greater, the Great I AM

Healing Rain, it comes with fire
So let it fall and take us higher
Healing Rain, I'm not afraid
To be washed in Heaven's rain

Healing Rain is falling down
Healing Rain is falling down
I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid

More often than not, we associate healing with being healed from physical sickness or diseases. But I believe the Lord wants to give healing for more than our bodies. I believe He wants to heal our hearts -- hearts that are sick with disappointment, bitterness, brokenness, hatred...

This song is on inner healing, although it does talk about healing for the body. But if your heart is dry, or broken, or aching with such pain that no words could ever describe, ask the Lord for His Healing Rain to pour over you and soak you. Ask Him to lift you up again.

Verse to Remember:
Psalm 147:3 He (The LORD) heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

耶稣我赞美祢

2008-09-15T21:02:00.003+08:00

耶稣我赞美祢
祢拯救我脱离一切黑暗
我呼求祢的时候
祢使我心中力量再次强起来
耶稣，耶稣，耶稣，耶稣
狂风暴雨巨浪中
祢的恩典不离开
祢是我盼望，我唯一的最爱

Translations:

Jesus, I praise You. You've saved me from every darkness. When I call upon You, You strengthen me from within. Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! Even in roaring storms and raging seas, Your grace never leaves. You are my hope, my only true love.

The Samaritan woman at the well (4)

2008-09-14T21:13:00.001+08:00

John 4:27 Jesus' disciples came back and found Him talking with the Samaritan woman. They marvelled, but they did not say anything, even though their minds were bursting with questions for Jesus.

"Why's He talking with this woman?" "What does He want? What's He asking from this woman?" "What happened?" they thought within themselves.

Then, the woman left and went her way into the city and told the men about Jesus. (v28 & 29)

Meanwhile, the disciples who have 'tapau' back food for Jesus, asked their Master to eat. (v32 - 34) But He said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." Therefore the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."

Pause for a while and see this situation. The disciples and Jesus are in Samaria, a land were Jews were not welcomed. They went into the city to get some food for themselves and for Jesus, since Jesus wanted to sit and rest at the well. They have probably faced some difficulty in getting food. The Samaritans, seeing that they are Jews, may not have wanted to sell any food to them, or they may have cheated them and hiked the prices, etc.

So they come back with food that was so difficult to obtain, but Jesus said "I have food to eat of which you do not know." and "My food is to do the Father's will."

If I'm one of the disciples, I'd probably be thinking, "What's Jesus trying to do? We went to buy food for Him, so difficult, but He was here talking with this woman, dunno for what. And then we ask Him to eat, He says he's got food, and His food is to do the Father's will... What's all this? If he don't want us to buy food for Him, he should have told us. No need to lecture us this way..."

But Jesus continued to 'lecture' the disciples. "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." (v35 & 36)

I think Jesus wasn't disapproval of them going for lunch or packing food for Him. But He was showing them that urgency in the Kingdom of God was greater than filling up their hunger.

He was also saying that if we are to put our heart to declare His Kingdom and to do God's will, we need to be in focus -- in such focus that we do not let anything trouble our hearts.

v35 & 36 are always quoted to say that the end time is here and we've got to see that urgency and begin to go and fulfil the Great Commission. Yes, indeed the fields are white for harvest! But if we are tied down by the many things in this world and be occupied by them, we will never sense the urgency of doing His will, and hence, we will never obey what He commands us to do.

Verse to Remember:

Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

Found

2008-09-10T11:44:00.009+08:00

Hillsong Church: Mighty to Save ~ Dave George

Amazing love, now what else shall I need?
Your name brings life; it's more than the air I breathe.

My world was changed when Your love You gave for me.
My purpose found, and all that You want for me.

And I found myself in You, Lord.
And I found myself in You.

So take me to a place where I can see You face to face
And all I wanna do, all I wanna do is worship You.

Jeremiah 29:12 - 14a -- Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord...

Psalm 46:10 -- Be still, and know that I am God.

The Samaritan woman at the well (3)

2008-09-06T16:02:00.000+08:00

Jesus declared the beginning of spiritual worship not in the Temple but at the well; not in Jerusalem but in Samaria; not to a male religious leader, but to a rejected woman. Spiritual worship is for all people, in all places at all times.

After he spoke to the Samaritan woman about her sins, he didn't implied that she was disqualified to obtain the living water. On the contrary, he declared that this was the time that she would truly know (by experience) what it means to worship God.

John 4:23 - 24 [Jesus] "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Worship in spirit and in truth means to engage the hear and the mind, feelings and intellect; it involves the spirit and soul. God's presence is felt and His purpose understood.

This verse is popularly quoted when we talk about worship, but to really understand what worshiping in spirit and in truth means, it takes more than just knowing that we need to worship God in this manner. Spiritual worship is an expression of love from deepest part of us -- our spirit and soul.

This means that our sole reason to worship God is because we love Him. And if we love Him, we don't let anything hinder us from worshiping God, including the people around us, including formalities and the format of worship. We don't let the worship leader or musicians or vocalists to hinder what we express to God from our hearts. We don't let the style of music hinder us. We don't let the stiffness of our body to hinder us. We don't let fear of being ridiculed by people hinder us.

This means, if you feel like crying to God during worship, or you feel like kneeling down, grinning, waving your hands frantically, singing in tongues, dancing, etc. just express it out to God, because you are worshiping God.

There were times I just felt so strongly in my heart that I need to bow to Jesus. But it wasn't to kneel down. It was just to give Him a bow. Incidentally, I was standing right in the middle of our church hall...

So I bowed. But it didn't feel right. So I did it again. And again. Until I felt that it was more like a princess curtsying to her King. And that was exactly what I did: I curtsied to the King.

After that I was just so in awe of the presence of God, I felt like saluting Him. So I did. Several times.

And there was once I sang in the spirit for a long time in a tune and a tongue that I was unfamiliar with. I sounded like I was an African.

And there were many times I was worshiping on the keyboard, but it didn't matter what I was playing. My fingers were just connected with that music flowing in my heart. I didn't have to think; there was nothing to think about, nor did I want to think about anything, but there was just that music that keeps flowing, flowing, flowing... And I just close my eyes and let my fingers be carried away...

This is what it means when it says we ought to experience spiritual liberty in spiritual worship. The Samaritan woman experienced it -- she gained an understanding that the Man before her was indeed the Messiah. The liberty was that she no longer felt ashamed to be out in the open, fearing that people would talk behind her back. She went into the streets and told all the men in the city to come to Jesus.

Evangelism in its purest form is worship. She did evangelism the next moment, as soon as she had experienced spiritual liberty through worship -- encountering with the Lord.

The Samaritan woman at the well (2)

2008-09-06T14:44:00.000+08:00

Jesus said in John 4:14, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

John 4:15 -- The Samaritan woman said, "Sir, can I please have this water, so I won't thirst again and don't need to come here to draw water?" She's actually saying, "I want this water. I don't want to come here at noonday to draw water anymore. It's so hot at this time. I only come at this time because no one else will come at this time. It's the way I'm avoiding all the women in this city, because they are always gossiping about me..."

Gossiping about what? Precisely what Jesus said next in v17 & 18: "You have well said, 'I have no husband,' for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly." She was an adulteress.

I used to think, why did Jesus risked having this woman just walk away and become closed up from His preaching of salvation? I didn't understand why Jesus could have uttered such offensive words to this woman who was going to receive Him as the Messiah, to expose her of her sins and ugliness of her personal life. Of course, it was also amazing that even with such offensive words, Jesus still gained her trust and belief.

But did you know that of the Armour of God written in Eph 6:13 - 17, there was only one weapon mentioned and all other equipment were defensive. The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit. It is offensive. It cuts, but it cuts away everything that hinders the work of the Lord.

So this woman was practically saying, "I want the living water, because then my sins will not be exposed." But it was really the opposite. If she were to obtain the living water, she's got to have her sins cut off.

Hence, if we were to receive the Holy Spirit, to fill our lives with His living water that will empower us to be a fountain and let that water flow to others, we've got to let the Word of God cut off every sin and impurity in us that hinders the work of God.

When Jesus said that the water that we received from him will spring up into everlasting life, it means more than just having salvation and eternal life when we accept Him as our Saviour. It should also mean that we have become a channel for His living water to flow, we have become a channel for His Kingdom to make manifest on earth as it is in heaven. If we are to declare His Kingdom on earth, then we cannot be practicing things that will not inherit the Kingdom of God (Gal 5:19 - 21). But if we know the Word, if we know Jesus, we will bear the fruit of the Spirit.

Again, in John 6:35, Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

He was saying, "in Me, you will find wholesomeness for you life."

Let the blind man see

2008-09-02T15:11:00.007+08:00

One day, William was walking on the street and he saw a blind man trying to cross the road.

He went up to help the blind man.

"Mister, let me help you cross the road," William said to him, held his hand and led him across the road.

When they had reached the other side of the road, William still held on to the blind man's hand. And though his hand was still sweating from nervousness, he managed to said to the blind man, "Mister, God loves you. He wants to heal you. I am a Christian, can I please pray for you?"

The blind man let go of William's hand and said, "I am born blind."

"It doesn't matter, God can heal you and He wants to give this healing to you."

"I am not a Christian."

"God loves you the same and still wishes to heal you, " said William, determined.

But the blind man said again, "Thank you, but I am not a Christian. I am of another religion."

"Would you rather choose religion over healing of sight?" William asked as the blind man stretched out his walking stick and turned to leave.

He stopped for a while, perhaps reconsidering... but then, to the disappointment of William, the blind man shook his head slowly and walked away.

As William stood there and reflected on what had just happened, he wondered if he was too insensitive to have uttered the last statement.

But then, he thought, even Christians sometimes would choose religion over healing.

Have we attended church on Sunday because our leaders expect us to be there, or do we genuinely want to go to church?

Have we given offerings with the intention that people would know we have given a large amount?

Have our lives become so busy we tell ourselves that we don't have time for God, hence we only pray on Sunday at church?

Have we observed any ceremonies or practices without observing it to the Lord?

Let the blind man see.

Rain of Revival

2008-08-28T14:36:00.006+08:00

This blog is titled "Rainbow of Promise".

When I pictured it in my head before launching it out, I knew it is going to be a blog for the Lord, to publish His things, His word, His working in my life. So even though sometimes I really feel like saying something about the political directions and the many things that are happening in our nation at the moment, I told myself I wasn't going to write them here.

I wasn't going to comment about what the politicians say or anything like that; my journalistic self isn't up to par to write political analysis pieces.

If I were to put any entries on political issues, it was all going to be copy and paste. XD so it defeats the purpose.

But yes, this blog is to give all glory to God, because He deserves it.

And hence, yes, praise the Lord that His promises are true.

And yes, though it may seem like the uncertainties of the future of Malaysia has increased even more after the by-election 2 days ago, I believe that God has something unprecedented in stored for Malaysia.

Budget 2009 is tomorrow -- but I believe everything that will tabled will be in favour of everyone, regardless of racial differences.

Aug 31 this year marks Malaysia's independence for the 51st year -- I believe it also marks the number of years that God has blessed this land with peace and development. It will also be the mark of a turning point for Malaysia, a new dawn that will bring about good changes in this nation.

Sept 16 is Malaysia Day. It's also D-day that is marked on everyone's heart, though it may not have been marked down on your calendar. Everyone is watching. Different parties are scrutinizing on different things. The old and the young are looking towards the date with a sense of anticipation and expectation. And we Christians ought to be watching plus praying.

Many prophecies have been released by prophets around the world that there will be a widespread of revival in Malaysia the way that has never happened before, and it will be one of the greatest in the whole of South East Asia. It's a call to pray.

Many people, regardless or race, are voicing out their demand for a change, through many forms of communication, especially through votes. Perceptions have changed since 10 years ago, but it has been changing and changing all these 50 years -- to my gladness. I don't believe it's due to advances in technology and influences of the West. I believe it's due to changes in the spiritual realm, that forces of darkness have continuously and will perpetually be more and more weakened as the Lord Jesus' Second Coming draws nearer each day.

I smell the rain of revival. It's time to pray. Gear up!

Narnia: The Horse and His Boy

2008-08-25T15:25:00.010+08:00

I love reading. It's a leisure that gives me room to escape from the hectic and busyness of the day into a world that requires only imaginations.

Imagination is what The Chronicles of Narnia demands if you were to have a good reading time. That's not difficult, but it also requires your heart to be open, because this supposedly suited-for-children series is not what it seems. May a times it has touched my heart deeply.

The 3rd of the Chronicles, titled "The Horse and His Boy" is one of my favourite, besides the most well-known "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

There's this part in the story that I want to write down here. At this point of the story, the boy Shasta has been through a lot of adventures and long journey to get to Archenland. He finally managed to fulfil part of his mission of informing King Lune of Archenland of the incoming attack from Rabadash the Calormene. However, after meeting up with the king, Shasta becomes lost in a fog and separated from the King's procession. After continuing blindly for some way, he senses that he has been joined in the darkness by a mysterious presence. Though terrified by knowledge that a being that was walking beside him, he started to engage in conversation with it. Shasta confides what he sees as his many misfortunes in his life and this journey, including being chased by lions on two separate occasions, and concluding with "If nothing else, it was bad luck to meet so many lions." His companion then proclaims himself as the single lion that Shasta has encountered in his travels:

"I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the tombs. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at night, to receive you."

[Shasta] "Then it was you who wounded Aravis?"

"It was I."

"But what for?"

"Child," said the Voice, "I am telling you your story, not hers. I tell you no one any story but his own."

"Who are you?" asked Shasta.

"Myself," said the Voice, very deep and low so that the earth shook: and again, "Myself", loud and clear and gay, and then the third time, "Myself", whispered so softly you could hardly hear it, and yet it seemed to come from all around you as if the leaves rustled with it.

Shasta was no longer afraid that the Voice belonged to something that would eat him, not that it was the voice of a ghost. But a new and different sort of trembling came over him. Yet he felt glad too.

The mist was turning from black to grey and from grey to white. This must have begun to happen some time ago, but while he had been talking to the Thing he had not been noticing anything else. Now, the whiteness around him became a shining whiteness; his eyes began to blink. He knew the night was over at last. He could see the mane and ears and head of his horse quite easily now. A golden light fell on them from the left. He thought it was the sun.

He turned and saw, pacing beside him, taller than the horse, a Lion. The horse did not seem to be afraid of it or else could not see it. It was from the Lion that the light came. No one ever saw anything more terrible or beautiful.

But after one glance at the Lion's face he slipped out of the saddle and fell at his feet. He couldn't say anything but then he didn't want to say anything, and he knew he needn't say anything.

There's nothing and no words that are accurate enough to describe that feeling of being in awe when I read this chapter. I could almost identify with Shasta when he slipped off his horse and bowed down at Aslan. It's that deep feeling inside when you're in the presence of God, knowing that He holds you dearly to Himself, knowing that your life was and is in His sovereign hands, and so will your future be. It's that feeling of having your mind blanked out but your heart is doing all the thinking, thinking of His awesomeness and the beauty of His love...

The Samaritan woman at the well (1)

2008-08-23T13:04:00.003+08:00

John 4 -- Jesus wanted to go from Judea to Galilee, but He needed to pass through Samaria. (v4)

Samaria was a race that the Jews hated, because they see them as blood traitors, betraying their own race through cross-marriage with non-Jews. Hence, they always go around the skirts of Samaria without actually passing into Samaria. This is a longer journey, but they would rather do that to avoid these people.

But v4 says, Jesus needed to go through Samaria.

Many preachers always said that Jesus went through Samaria for a purpose, the purpose of meeting that woman at the well. I quite agree. Through that meeting, Jesus showed us many things...

He didn't just want to tell her that He was the Messiah and for her to believe in Him. He didn't just want to have a drink. He went there for a purpose that was more than that.

Meanwhile, Jesus' disciples must be really wondering why He wanted to pass through Samaria without going around it like everyone else does. It was noonday; they were tired and hungry, so they went to the city and buy food. (v8) But since they were Jews, wouldn't they face some difficulty from people who sell food to them? Imagine the disciples entering a restaurant and the waiters refused to serve them or was slow in their service... And when their food came, it was extremely bad taste, stale food... And when the bill came the price was hiked and they had to pay more than all the other Samaritans...

Coming back to where Jesus was, He was sitting by the well (v6). If He went there on purpose, perhaps He was waiting for the woman to come and draw water at noonday. So the woman came, and He asked for a drink(v7). She wondered why he asked a drink from her, seeing the racial difference, and that "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans" (v9). But then He started preaching to her about having living water (v10). In v14, it says, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst, But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."

Now, we know that John the Baptist baptised with water, and Jesus is the one who baptised with the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11). So then, Jesus was saying, if you would believe in me and receive the Holy Spirit (living water), you would become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life -- you will become a channel for the Holy Spirit's living water to flow, because you have received salvation and everlasting life, and this is for eternity.

Again, Bill Johnson says, Evangelism in its purest form is Worship. Therefore, Jesus was saying, if you would believe me and worship me, the Holy Spirit will fill your life with living water that will empower you to be a fountain and let that water flow to others, the spring of everlasting life.

Hence, if we really worship the Lord Jesus -- and I mean really really really worship Him -- it would compel and propel us to evangelise. This is what happened to the Samaritan woman.

Resurrected with Christ

2008-08-12T12:22:00.002+08:00

The Israelites in the Old Testament regarded names as an equation to the person’s character and personality. It carried significant influence to their lives. When I learned of this, I asked God, “Lord, what’s in my name?”

Stacy was my pen-name when I used to write stories, but when I accepted Christ I decided to take it as my Christian name too. I had no idea what it meant until I did a search and found out that Stacy means RESURRECTION. I was very happy and surprised when I knew this because I realised that God had given me this special name even before I was born-again.

Jesus was crucified on the cross, He bleed and died for us, and He was resurrected on the third day. Today, He is sitting on the highest position on God’s right hand side, and all of us who has believed in Him are on that same position with Him. But God spoke to me that I though was sitting together with Him in the heavenly places, my life was not resurrected.

Dying, Resurrected, and Living
I was on the bus on my way back to Ipoh when the Lord dropped His understanding to me from heaven. He said to me, “Stacy, your name means resurrection, live up to it! To be resurrected means you have to die first, overcome death and rise again to live a stronger and better life.”

Actually, we are all in the process of dying the moment we were born into this world. If we’re not growing, or if we are stuck in stagnancy, we are living a dead life. If we’re not doing the good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to do, we’re doing dead works.

Dying is not without the price of pain. When Jesus died for us, He not only suffered pain, but also rejection, betrayal, shame, mockery, and loneliness. However, Phil 2:8 says "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." Because Jesus was obedient and humble to the point of death, God raised Him to the highest position in Heaven.

The Lord spoke to me that I needed to die to my old-self. I need to die to all my past hurts, pains, disappointments, fleshly desires, sins, weaknesses, and especially pride -- everything that had hindered my growth in Christ. The thing is, even though we don’t like all our weaknesses and the bad things in our past, we can still hold on to them and be unwilling to surrender ourselves to God. There are also things in our lives that are so dear to us that we don't want to surrender to God, but these are the very things that will hinder the work of the Holy Spirit in and through our lives. It was definitely painful, but I have to submit to God all those dead areas of my life so that He can do a resurrection in them.

Then God said, “Stacy, be resurrected!” Just like Jesus had called Lazarus out of the cave when He resurrected him, God was calling me out of the cave of death. I have to leave behind all the old and walk into the new with Christ, into the new life that Jesus has given me when I accepted Him as my Lord.

In the Bible God said that He’s a Living God. Praise the Lord He’s not a dead piece of idol, Amen, because if He is we’ll remain dead. God is a God of resurrection. He resurrects our lives so that we are able to walk alive in His spirit. Romans 8:5–6 says, “those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” I have to resurrect not my worldly mindset, but my spirit, so that I will live in the will of God, and His life and peace may fall upon me.

I’m determined to walk more and more in His Spirit. I commit myself to resurrect all the dead areas of my life, so that God may do a change in them. It may be very difficult at times, but the breakthroughs will come if we press on. Therefore, let us be mindful of what we want to resurrect in our lives – whether our old-nature, or our renewed life, a life that we live by faith through Christ.