Let's Pursue The Greater Blessing In Life!

We worry about the wrong things in Life don't we? =)

We tend to worry about the clothes we wear, the hairstyle we have, the money we earn, the things we need to buy, the career we must take etc etc...

Please don't get me wrong, these are things we need to think about cos they are legitimate things we Singaporeans discussed about almost everyday.

But the Bible teaches us something more profound. The Bible considers all these things that we tend to pursue "The lesser Blessings" and shows us the "Greater Blessings" in life.

In Matthew 6:33, the Bible says "But seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

When the Lord Jesus says this, He was referring to the fact that we worry about the clothes we wear and the food we eat which are of course important but not cosidered as the most important things to pursue in life.

Rather, the Lord wants us to focus on the greater blessings which is to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and ALL THESE OTHER THINGS will be added/Given on top of these to us.

As we seek the to do God's will in our lives, the Lord will certainly add the rest of the things that we desire to our lives.

So let's not worry about the things that are of lesser importance but know that as we look to God and walk with Him, He will bless us not just with peace and joy but also all these other things that comes with it.

Our Lord is Good and will supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus!

Phil Pringle - The Lord Shall supply All Your Needs According To His Riches And Glory In Christ Jesus

Why On Earth Do We Have To Pray?

Have you ever asked yourself why do we need to pray? Is it a must? Will something bad happen to us if we don't pray?

Prayer is not made so that God will know what we need and give it to us because the bible says in Matthew 6:8 "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him".

The Lord also will not plan for bad things to happen when we don't pray because He is a good God.

1) Prayer was made so that we can develop our dependence on the Lord and grow in our faith in Him.
Prayer expresses our trust in Him as the Almighty God and increases our trust in Him when we see the result of answered prayers.

2) Prayer also helps us develop our relationship with God. Through times of speaking to God and seeking His will through prayer, it cultivates a lifestyle of communication with God. Prayer brings us deeper in fellowship with the Lord and God delights in that.

3) Prayer is also made so that we can be a part of God's people praying for the advancement of God's Kingdom values in this world. When we pray, we align ourselves with God's plan in bringing His light and salvation to this world where darkness and deception exists due to the absence of the light and truth of God.

So Prayer isn't really about trying to appease a God that may become angry anytime if we don't please Him, turning the Lord into something like a volcano waiting to erupt, so we better keep Him happy.

Rather, Prayer is all about drawing near and working with a loving Father who love to have us around Him and who love to speak with us everyday and to shower us with His love, guidance, blessings and protection for our lives.

So let us draw near to him in Prayer today, delighting in this wonderful priviledge of being an audience of the Creator of the Universe today.

God Bless!

The Lord Loves Your Work

The Lord delights when we work, espescially when we give it our best shot and best attitude.

I was working late today trying to finish up a work that was given to me by my other boss. It requires a lot of detailed attention and time to analyse and get the information ready, nevertheless, i decided to give it my best shot, producing more information than required.

After finishing it, i felt a sense of happiness and fulfilment. I sat back on my chair and pray to the Lord. At once, i felt His love and pleasure on me. He impressed upon my heart that He was pleased in my work and was also happy that I gave my 120% to it.

My Friends, as you go about doing your daily chore, whether is it work or studies, do know that the Lord takes delight in you doing what you are being tasked to do and He certainly takes pleasure when You and I give our 120 percent to it.

God Bless!!

Discipleship

How Do We Obtain Victory?

2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him."

Say for example, I would like to own a pair of white Nike Running Shoes, how do I go about doing it?

Well, I call it the 6 steps to own a pair of White Nike Running Shoes, we will :
1) Head down to a Nike Shop
2) Look for a Running Shoe
3) Make Sure its white in color
4) Check out the price
5) Pay for it
6) Bring it home

Easy isnt it? But provided the price is right, the shoe size is available, you brought money along, you cannot bring the shoes home.

Well, in most leadership conferences and self-help book, they too offer steps to obtain victory in life, to obtain finanacial freedom, to be the top performer etc. And more often than not, they are good practical steps in obtaining victory and success.

These are good. But let's say if someone you know comes along, carrying a pair of Nike running shoes, white in color, exactly the size you need and having already paid for it, he/she give it to you. All you got to do is to just take it home.

My friends, it is the same as with the Lord. The bible says that the Lord gives us victory. He GIVES, meaning to say that HE has already got the right size, the right color and paid for it and He gives it to us. All we got to do is to just bring it home.

So let us not fret and worry about finding the right ways and methods to obtain victory. We do get frustrated and somewhat discouraged when we fail to see ourselves improve.

But when we turn to God and seeks His face, the bible says "ALL these things that you need in your life will be added onto you" Matthew 6:33. It does not just say provided but added onto what you already have received, it becomes Your thirty-fold, sixty-fold, hundred-fold.

So beloved, seek God and rest in His promises for you and I. Praise the Lord!

Is This The Truth Or A Lie?

There was a Man who graduated the last few in his cohort in the military school. He is a small-sized short man. In your opinion, how far can such a person go in his career? An Officer Major at the most?

How about this other man who once was forced out of the military because he could very well faced court martial if he stays on. This man went on to worked and failed at being a businessman and his wages as an employee in a company could not feed his entire family. Do you see any chance of letting someone like that be a leader in any organisation?

What about this Young Preacher, who started his career as a pastor and preached a 10 min sermon to the elders and leaders of his church. The comments he received from his seniors were meant to help him find a place for effective ministry. They put across very nicely that he was definitely not made to preach as a career.

These 3 men did not have what it takes in their life, whether in terms of height, built, status as in the first man, luck, favor and character as in the case of the second man and eloquence, quality of presentation and skills to teach as in the case of the third.

Is it true that they could not amount to anything great in their lives because of all these truths and facts about them.

Because of their limitations, is it not difficult for any logical, reasonable person to conclude that it is best for them to retire contented with being who they are with what they have?

Is this the truth? Or a Lie?

The first man became the greatest emperor of all time, conqueriing almost all of Europe and the known world at that time. Having 70 million people under his rule. He was hailed as the most well-known man today in the history of Europe behind Jesus Christ. A military genius and a very infamous person on the face of the earth. His name : Napolean Buonaparte.

The second became one of Americas's youngest president and a great leader of all time. A great General and a champion strategist, Ulysses S.Grant led the Unionist to victory over the Conferderates.

The third man went on to become one of the greatest evangelist of our time, preaching to millions of people and seeing God touching the lives of countless individuals all over the world. He was also advisor to a few of the American Presidents in his course of duty.
This man , Billy Graham, is the man that people know to be the man that God used as his appointed evangelist to the nations.

My friends, the lie is that they will not amount to anything, the truth is that they did.

Jeremiah 29:11
"I know that plans i have for you says the Lord, plans to prospoer you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future."

The Lord loves all of us and sees as as somebody when the people around us sees us a nobody. Dont believe what others say about you or what you think about yourself as a nobody.

Let's set our eyes on the Lord and believe, that we are meant in God's will to succeed and to be a person of great influence and use for God's Kingdom.

Praise the Lord!

Count Your Blessings!

Today, I decided to start my day by counting my blessings. I began to realised that I actually had so much more than I thought I have.

I thank God for my family who have been with me since day 1 till now.

Thank God for blessing me with a good and beautiful girlfriend, through whom I see life in a whole different way. Whom I practiced to love, to understand, to be truly wise.

I thank the Lord for blessing me with good friends whom I have, friends I can share and laugh with.

The Lord also bless me with a good job, close to my home, good colleagues. I never have to worry about anything.

And how can I forget my grandma who loves me in the way she knows how, and my domestic helper who is obedient and selfless.

My day has only begun when I feel really rich on the inside... Like I have lived like a millionaire.

Romans 8:32 "He who did not spare His own son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also along with him, graciously give us all things? "

My Friends, God is good to us. Let us also be kind to others and spread forth this joy and grace to the people around us.

God's grace and peace be with you all!

Team - Learn to Complement One Another

I found that when working in a Team, more often than not, people do have to learn to work with each other, whose working style and behaviours may be different.

If we approach an objective without understanding this fundamental principle that different people will have different working styles and leadership, we may end up having conflicts and problems with our relationships.

Working as a team does not just mean each person does his own job and the team will unite and look good. Of course that is important and the most primary thing to do, but what is most important is that we don't just do what we need to do but we also learn to complement one another by being the strength in each other's weakness and encourage one another as a process. Pointing fingers when things go wrong is definitely the worst thign to do in any case.

Let me give us an example to illustrate this principle.

Say for example, you are leading a group at Sunday School and you are the Teacher of the group. Your Programme IC goes to the front of the crowd and speaks to them regarding some activities coming up 2 weeks from now.

Seeing that he/she does not have the ability to "Ra Ra" the crowd, you know that the crowd is getting bored and not paying attention.

Situation : Your Programme IC is not very familiar with working with your crowd's age group and does not know how to communicate effectively. He/she has something to say but does not know how to brings it across effectively.

What do you do?
1) Allow things to go on as per normal or 2) Politely come and grab the crowd's attention, helping your team member to speak more effectively to them

In doing this, you complement one another. 1st in you helping your teamate to deliver his/her message more effectively by being that "RaRa" player and 2nd by allowing the crowd to see that you both are in it together.

Rather than sitting at the side and allowing your teammate to carry on in an ineffective way, you read the situation and comes in to work things out.

By complementing each other, a strong team will be forged. You look good when you all look good together.

What Do You Need God To Do Today?

Psalm 46:1
"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."

The Bible says that The Lord is our refuge, strength and our ever-present help in times of need. When we need a solution, provision, comfort, miracle now... the Lord is here and He is willing to help us.

My friends, somehow we find it easy to believe that the Lord is able to help us let go of the past and bless us in the future. But we often find it hard to believe that the Lord is able to give us a miracle right now whereever we are, at this very moment of our lives.

In the story of Lazarus in John 11, the bible says that Lazarus has been buried in the tomb for 4 days. His body has started to decomposed.

When the Lord Jesus arrived at the scene, Martha told the Lord, "Lord, if you would have been here earlier, Lazarus wouldn't have died."

The Lord told Martha,"Your brother will rise again."

Not understanding what the Lord meant, Martha goes on to say, "Yes, I believe that Lazarus rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus replied,"I am the Ressurection and the Life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies, the whoever lives and believes in me will never die. do you believe this?"

You see, Martha believed that the Lord can do a miracle in the past and also in the future, but not now because the situation is hopeless. The situation cannot be reversed, it is game over!

But the Lord has other plans. He is more than ABLE to perform a miracle right this very moment, He is the Resurrection and The Life to all who believe in Him. Nothing is impossible for God and for us who believe.

The Lord said in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" and Lazarus came forth. "Take off his grave clothes and let him go."

My friends, you are the beloved of God. Today whatever mountain you face in your life, whatever storms there is, look to the Lord and say "Lord, You can remove this mountain, calm this storm in my life now. Thank you Lord!"

The Lord is able and willing, He is our ever-present help in times of need! Believe in Him Now!

When The Enemy Comes Like A Flood..... What Do We do?

What would you do when the enemy throws a torrent of negative thoughts at you? And you dont feel like praying cos you are tired? And you dont feel like reading the bible cos you are having a hard time slowing down your pace to let any word sink in?

What would you do?

My friends, there are times when the enemy of our faith does that. He has a scheduled routine planned out to take us down. Whenever he wants us to stop growing,he discourages with with negative thoughts, frustration . Because he knows that if he can influence out mind, he can deceives us from walking in God's will.

And instead of believing that we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus, we feel far from God, feeling lousy, like a failure.

Don't you feel like that sometimes?

Well.. there is good news, whenever you feel like that, like in every war, we need to find an Ally. We need a friend, a brother or a sister to help us, pray with us, talk to us, listen to us and encourage us. We need to look for the fellow soldiers of God for reinforcement.

The bible says in Galatians 6:2
"Carry each other's burdens , and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ."

We need a Barnarbas in our life who would believe in us and lifts us up when we feel down. To encourage us with God's word that we are still the victorious son/daughter of the Living God.

In turn we too should also look out for our fellow brothers and sisters and be an encouragement to them.

Galatians 6:10
"Therefore if we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, espescially to those who beling to the family of believers."

Like this, we will build a strong family of allies, formidable and undefeatable against the attacks of the enemy.

Don't worry Be Happy!

Matthew 6:34

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

My Friends, have you ever feel like you have spent alot of time and energy thinking about the concerns of tommorrow and you feel physically and mentally tired at the end of the day?

You may be worrying about your project deadlines, your exams, your finances,career etc etc... and you find that it is not only weighing you down but also zapping your energy away. You feel tired, stressed out and impatient. Sometimes even feeling lousy about yourself.

Dear Friends, the bible says that the Lord does not want us to do that, in fact so serious is the Lord Jesus that He told us not to worry at all.

And the reason why the Lord says that is because He promises that He will grant you and I sufficient grace everyday. It is like we don't have to prepare for it, as we enter our day, enter our situation, the grace of the Lord will also be there if we walk in faith. He already knows what will happen tomorrow and has already in mind the grace we need to go through it.

Now this does not mean we don't have to plan and prepare for the future, but to commit it to the Lord and don't worry. And the more you entrust to the Lord, the more you can live happily and in freedom. The more you will experience God's blessings in your life.

So let's cast away our fears and worries that bog us down and look to the Lord in faith. He is our provider and our Heavenly Father who loves to give us good things to enjoy in life.

EndLess Love - Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey

Reflections on the Year of Sabbath

Reflecting on what it is to have a Year of Sabbath, I guess rest comes about differently at each point in time.

If I can imagine myself to be like a boat that sails on the sea, across the oceans, through beautiful scenaries that touches my heart and fearful storms that grips me.

One must be taken where the wind of life blows, directed by the power of the waves and current, the boat tries to sail on the path chartered for it.

But many a times, one might wonder if the path driven by the wind of life's experiences really is bringing me nearer to the place I was meant to go.

Or should one constantly fight and tussle, then again who can see but only a short distance away, adjusting and adapting to the direction set by nature's element.

For the Great Ocean do hold a place of opportunities and adventures, where dreams and aspirations meet for a young man like me.

Sailing a boat allows one to be constantly reminded of who really is navigating the boat. That answer no one can ever be 100 percent sure, but trusting that the Great Navigator is able to steer this boat to the place He has in mind, prepared and chartered for it.

One however has to be prepared for a complete change in course and direction even if it seems questionable to others. I believe that as long as I see the North Star shining for me in the night sky, i will be safe on course.

Lord, that I may live my life happy in you always. I guess that is what rest is all about for me at this point in time.

I pondered on the Lord's amazing qualities when I was reading the book by Saint Augustine - The Confessions of Saint Augustine.

How one must entrust his life solely to the Great Navigator... the Captain of the boat and the Creator of the Seas.

"Never changing, yet all-changing. Never new , Never old. Still gathering, Yet lack nothing.Never lost, never in need, yet rejoicing in gains. You receive over and above so that you may owe, and who has anything that is not yours? You pay detbs, oweing nothing; remit debts, losing nothing." - The Confessions of Saint Augustine

Christ is the Solution to All your Worries And Problems

Have you ever felt burdened by the things in your life?

Well... it could be things like you fail your exam, you assignment you do not know where to start, you lost your hand phone etc...

Or you banged someone's bumper and are worried how to settle it..

Well... you are not alone, I too have my fair share of worries and problems and sometimes they seemed to all agree at a time and come knocking at my door together.

Recently I went through this and was also not feeling very well physically. So going through it makes me feel somwhat defeated.

And one thing that problems have is that it weighs you down. It is like the current that pulls you down as you swim... worry can eat away your energy and joy very quickly.

But the Lord showed me something... he showed me that Christ is the solution to all these worries and problems. Christ existed and therefore every answers and solutions to life exists. John 1:3 says that "All things were made through Him and without Him was not anything made that was made."

There is nothing too hard for the Lord... when you fear, trust in Him. He is good even when you fail... or miss out, God is still good towards you.

So Friends, don't worry anymore... Trust in God because He is forever good towards you!

Amen!

History Maker - Derilious

Bray Sibley - Pure Heart

Benny Hinn - Sermon on Prayer

James 2: 1- 13 - Favouritism Hurts, Love Truimphs!

Part 1 verse 1- 4

"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favouritism.2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man,'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? "

James here is speaking to the believers of our Lord Jesus Christ, that favouritism is not the right attitude believers should display towards others.

Since God Himself does not show favouritism, we ought to also show the same consistencies and love to all people of status, class and positions.

Part 2 verse 5- 7

"5 Listen my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who loved him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?"

James asked this 4 questions with affirmative answers. He explained the importance of not exploiting the poor and judge them unfairly. He said that the Lord uses the poor in the eyes of the world for the furtherance of His Kingdom.

Part 3 verse 8- 13
"8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, 'Love your neighbour as yourself', you are doing right. 9 But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For He who said, 'Do not commit adultery,' also said, 'Do not murder.' If you do not commit adultery but no commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. 12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgement without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy truimphs over judgement! "

There are some of us who would trivalise the fact that being prejudice is a small thing and would not be considered as breaking the law like those who committed murder or adultery.

But the bible tells us that this is no small matter as the person who commits murder or adultery is equally guilty as the one who breaks just one point of the law. That one small sin can also send us to the pit of hell unless we are saved in Christ.

The way to please God is to live a life of constant check as though one is going to be judged by the Law. Because sin brings bondage but obedience brings about freedom.The law od God is not meant to constraint us, but it serves as a means to free us from the deception and the consequences of sin.

God will not show mercy on a person who has not been merciful. And just as love truimphed over prejudice, God's mercy truimph over judgement!

Important Note :
I have chosen based on my study from 'The Bible Knowledge Commentary' by John F.Walvoord and Roy B.Zack and selectively re-typed some of the more important parts, together with some of my own additional explanation to make this study simpler to digest and understand. My re-phrasing does not show a different meaning to what was originally written.

Between Bosses and Leaders - Harry Gordon Selfridge

Harry Gordon Selfridge
American-born retail magnate, who founded the British department store Selfridges.

"The Boss drives people; the Leader coaches them.
The Boss depends on authority; the Leader on goodwill.
The Boss says "I"; the Leader says "We".
The Boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the Leader fixes the breakdown.
The Boss knows how it is done; the Leader shows how.
The Boss says "Go!"; the Leader says "Let's go!"

Run to God Anyway!!

I used to have this thinking in my head, that when I constantly want to pursue God's and gain insight and knowledge, to have God's word as a source of comfort and strength, the Devil will accuse me and say, "U-jin, come-on! Don't pursue God's word so that you can tell others what you have learnt. Don't be such a show-off!"

Sometimes when I heard that, I am not sure if it is the devil's voice as it sounds the same as my own convictions.

I began to doubt my intentions, to question myself why am I reading God's word so much? Why Am I buying sermon cds to listen and whats the purpose of me filling myself with knowledge of the word of God?

I struggled with this accusation for some time and at times, deliberately slowed down in my pursuit for God's word. It has been my interest over the many years to read more about God's word either through books, sermons, internet, commentaries etc, so I get discouraged when I buy into this accusation thinking that I should check myself before going ahead.

But the Holy Spirit spoke to me recently and freed me of this accusation when I realised that no matter what your intentions in pursing the word of God might be, the word of God has the power to change you and I.

It is better to run to God with your problems than to run away from God with it. God's word can change you, challenge your thinking, transform your heart, heal your soul.

The bible says in John 1:14 "The Word (Logos) became flesh and made His dwelling among us." God's word tells us about who Jesus is, and transforms us so that we can be like Him.

There are thinkers who studied to word of God with the intention of refuting it, proving it wrong, to destroy the work of God in the church. People like Lee Strobel who wrote "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith" started on the wrong footnote, and ending up totally saved!

CS Lewis who was once an aethiest and started out to study God's word to prove that God does not exist, became a staunch Christian writing many christian classics like "The Chronicles of Narnia", "Mere Christianity" etc.

Beloved, today don't let the devil accuse you anymore... Pursue God through His word and let it change you, challenge you and strengthen you. It has the power of God to change our lives!!

As you read more of God's word daily, the Lord will constantly remind you to obey His word, the Lord is patient and understands our weakness. Let's run to Him today!

Praise the Lord!

Woman Caught Up In Adultery - Preaching - Reinhard Bonnke

Part1






Part 2



Part3

The Blood of Jesus Christ - Preaching - Reinhard Bonnke

Part 1




Part2

When My Love For Life is Running Dry........

"And when my love for life is running dry,You come and pour yourself on me." - "If" By Bread

The Holy Spirit Is God Himself.

He is the third Person of the Trinity, The Father, The Son , The Holy Spirit.

He Is a Person! He has feelings and a will.

He Loves us and is Mighty!

He Is the Creator of Heavens And Earth He was there before the beginning of the world!
Genesis 1:2"The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the SPIRIT Of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

He is here with us forever!!
John 14:16-17 "And I will ask the father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you forever - 17the Spirit Of Truth."

He Is a Good God and He Speaks to us.

Let us FellowShip With Him today and invite Him into every area of our life today!!

We love you and Welcome You Into Every Area Of Our Life Holy Spirit!!

Collin Raye - Love, Me

Weekly updates... Friday Night was kind of Boring...

Praise the Lord...I had a beautiful week at work this week and it was a joy having fun as well as friends.

I had a wonderful training the last 3 days and although I had to go to work early, I was happy =) Had lots of fun with my trainers from the US .. simply love it!!

My work week ended well on Friday and I was able to apply 2 simple truths from the bible "Serve One Another" and "Speak to each other using gracious words".

Praise The Lord!

But Friday Night was kind of lonely... Maybe i was tired,kind of having a heavy head but I felt very bored staying at home. The TV programme is boring.. my grandma is sleeping,my Mum is always working, Dad is overseas, friends are busy with their arrangements, girlfriend is also busy, felt a little sad in a way. Worst thing is that I can't sleep.. Phoo!

Young man like me should have some life on a Friday Night. Should Have gone Out for a good dinner with a friend...Haha yea!! Boy ... can't imagine when i grow old. Anyway.. kind of battery very low so stayed at home to catch some sleep which didnt happen.

Sometimes... I wonder when life is like that... and God is also silent... What is He thinking about? =) I know I know... He thinks about me, about you etc etc... but I really want to know in that moment... What is God really thinking about?

I mean I am here in my house and God is here also... and He is just around and must be thinking of something right? He might be saying something, praying about something, looking at something... thinking about something and if I could somehow be able to share his thoughts.. wow!! Don't mind being at home alone!!



Good news is I got a visitor from Malaysia , Edmund!! My good friend is in town today =) haha... He had a meeting in JB and he called me up today, he came into SG and we are meeting tommorrow. Can't wait to see him.. He always brings joy to me.. love to catch up with this good friend of mine.

Then I would be attending my colleague's wedding in the night. Feeling very bad and paiseh that I had to be late.. had no choice but to be...anyways...

Okays... Time to Sleep... My Prayer before I sleep is this " Dear Lord... may You make my life everyday... a life of answered prayer."

Amen!

A Life Of Answered Prayer

Lord Make My Life EveryDay An Answered Prayer...

That Everytime I think of It, It will Almost Seem Unfair...

For A Man Like Me Can Have So Many Answered Prayer...

If Life Should End Tommorrow...I will leave a Millionaire...

Cos In My Heart I Will Take With Me ........A Life Of Answered Prayer

Holy Spirit- You Are Welcome In This Place

Holy Spirit You Are Welcome In This Place.....

Omnipotent Father Of Mercy And Grace

You Are Welcome In This Place.....

In Your Presence, There is Healing Divine, No Other Power Can Heal But Yours

The Joy Of the Holy Spirit... what an abundant fulfillment of the human's soul

Be Our Joy and Guide... Be Our Comforter and Friend... Be Our Shelter and Strength..

I Am So Glad To Be Your Friend O Holy Spirit...Since The Day You Came Into My Room..

What A Joy It has been To Have Known You In This Place..

Holy Spirit ...You Are Most Welcome In This Place

I Love You Holy Spirit!

I had a very good time with the Holy Spirit this evening. It happened not as planned but I was drawn towards Him as I was sitting here 2 hours ago after dinner.

I was in front of my comp when I felt a prompting in my heart and at the same time saw a vision of myself walking and praying downstairs of my house. The Holy Spirit was telling me that He wants to spent time with me.

So I left my seat and went out to be with God.

As I was walking, My mind and thoughts started to be drawn towards Him almost effortlessly like a metal to a magnet. I started to pray but was soon lost just thinking about the Holy Spirit.

He reminded me about a book I read some 8 years ago, it is called "Good Morning Holy Spirit" by Pastor Benny Hinn.
He led me to recall that in this book, Pastor Benny Hinn says that although many Christians spend time reading God's word, singing songs to God but very few spend time communing with the Holy Sprirt. He lives inside of us, but very seldom do we direct our attention to Him.

As this was going through my mind, i started to be quiet before God and could sense His gentle and tangible presence welling up inside of me. It is like Iron Man in the movie where He got this shiny battery in his heart.

The Lord continued to remind of how in my life, He guided me like a parent to a child, He sheltered me from the storm, He gave me victories and even through the tough times, He is like the strong tower that never shakes. Throughout my life, He is always good towards me and was never negative towards me. The song "Wind Beneath My Wings" started to play inside of me.

"Did you Ever know that you're my Hero?
You're everything I wish I could be
I could fly higher than an eagle
Cos You are the Wind Beneath My wings"

At this point, I was very humbled and touched by this truth that was being revealed to me. All the time, I sense the Holy Spirit's presence in my heart growing stronger and stronger.

He continues to assure me of His promises and grace in the past and it still stands today. He gave me the faith to believe and see myself in a whole new way.

It was a very good time/encounter with the Lord. I hope and pray that tommorrow, it will be continue on.

Praise the Lord! And May You Commune and draw nearer to God the Holy Spirit. He loves you and yearns to have you sit under His the Shelter of His Wings. What a priveledge to be able to dwell in the secret place of God.

What We Often Forget...

It dawned upon me like a light bulb turned on inside me that all of us have very short-term memory.

At least for most of us city-dwellers, we hurry from one activity to another, from one meeting to another, from people to people that we usually forget the good things (usually the small ones) that people has done for us.

I suspect also, having observing people of my generation and kids nowadays that we are not very well-taught in knowing how to recipocrate in the things we say and do when others help us or is kind towards us. We do not know really what to say or do.

We often say "Thank You" and often mean it at that point in time... then as the days goes by... we forget. Or We say thank you and that's all. We are forever saying thank you period.

This oftens happen to me and also from me to others... how often we forget the people who has prayed for us and helped us and also how often they forget the extra mile we took to help them.

I have seen in the past few weeks squabbles and unfriendliness when things at present do not turn out well and we focus on what is in front of us and fight for our rights ,forgetting the good friendship that has been formed in the past.

We all fall into the same category often when things get rough and we love to win, hate to be wrong, when we do not think hard enough to understand, when we based on our own experiences that shape our perspectives and we use our well justified intentions to push the "Blame" on each other, what they have and have not done.

Both sides can be guilty of doing this if we do not sit down and recollect for a moment , weighing whether is relationship more important than our agenda.

People who do not practice this often creates reationships that are superficial and shallow.

And we shouldn't be surprised if I say that we also often forget about God and His Goodness too.

Now... what can we do to help ourselves about it?

1) I realised that the most effective way is to write things down. Not just who has done good to us but also the feelings we have as a result of receiving that good gesture from others. Feelings are what will cause us to remember when we sincerely received the good things others has prepared and given to us.

2) Often Give Thanks To God and also remember the person who has been a blessing to us by being a blessing in return

We are imperfect but let's not forget... to be gracious and kind to each other and live happy ad peaceful lives.

Where Did I Put My Stuff? It Was Suppose to be There And It Disappeared

Have you ever felt like that before? Like you thought you left something on your table or on your shelf or in your pants and the next thing you knew when you find it , it just disappeared!!

So how do you feel about it? Lost? Irritated? Panicky? Sad? Thinking Hard?

Well.. this week I misplaced a set of my own drawers keys from the office this week.
So... being a cool person =) , I wasn't panicking... I was thinking to myself,"I think I left it at home somewhere on my table top or near my bed. I will go home and find it and bring it back to the office tommorrow. Nothing to sweat about =) "

But when I reached home, I found out that it ain't where it was suppose to be... So I thought to myself,"Well... maybe my mum / maid took it by mistake."

To my surprise, they didnt and I went back to work the next day without my drawer keys again.. "Where can it be?", I thought to myself. "Could I have dropped it when I got off the taxi the other night? Dont't think so."

Okay now what? No key means no pen...no calculator.... no place to lock my things.. etc etc..

So I decide I shall get any bunch of spare keys and try unlocking my drawer , maybe it will work , you know by some coincidence!

So I borrowed a bunch of drawer keys from my colleague and hope that it could turn on some magic for me.

It didnt... oh well... there must be something I can do without calling up the maintenance department.. Kind of embarassing having to relate my story to him...

Guess what? When I stepped home that day, I went into my room and the first thing I saw was my Drawer keys lying there under a book.

Ha!! Why didnt I see that earlier?

Well... Now all is well... Life is back to normal... and the Maintenance Guy can have a more meaningful job to do.

I learnt something from this interesting episode ... I learnt how to be patient and think... committing it to the Lord.. somehow in the most common place, I will find the answer. Why didn't I see it earlier Lord?

Praise God!

License To Break Free!

Have you heard of the story of the centipede and the frog?

It goes like this....
"
One day, Mr Centipede wants to cross over to the other side of the lake. So he went to Froggy and asked if Froggy would be kind enough to let him ride on his back while Froggy swims over to the other side.

Now Froggy was a little suspicious and said ,'Wait a minute... How do I know if you wont bite me on my head and kill me?'

To which Mr Centipede said ,'Oh .. of course I won't. If I do that in the middle of the lake,and you drown, I will go down with you cos I can't swim!! I dont want to drown!'

Froggy thought for a moment and said ,'Oh ok... I will help you this once.'

And Mr centipede climbed onto Froggy's back and they both went into the waters to reach the other side.

Halfway through, Mr Centipede bit Froggy on the back of his head and they both went "Ahhhhh!!!" down together and drown at the bottom of the lake. Quite a sad case cos Mr Centipede couldn't resist the urge to Bite.
"

The moral of the story as we are told is this: a centipede being a centipede cannot resists what its natural instinct tells it to do. Likewise for a man and a woman, there are things that is inborn and cannot be changed at all.'

Think about it for a moment... Have someone told you this recently? That you have something and there's no point changing it cos it is inborn? And you know that it serves to 'cripple' you in doing what is right and living a life with full freedom.

Or you have that something in your life, whether is it a bad habit, a physical defect, a generational addiction like gambling , smoking etc. that is passed down from your elders that you are told you cannot get rid of?

Well.. the truth is .. it is not meant to stay with you once you have Jesus in your life.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

What the voices are saying is to you is "That's the way it is to be.. cannot change.."
But what God is saying to you is "It is meant to be changed My Child! Believe in Me, I will change it"

God says to you and I, that we are born again which means in the past, we follow whatever we are born with , with the set of attitudes and conditions we have in our lives, but now, when we are given a new life in Jesus, we no longer are subjected to the curses and ways of the world that we live in, but are free to claim the healing, the restoration, the power to live the kind of life that is victorious!!

Thing is Do we believe in that kind of Power for such a kind of living?

You and I are not meant to be like Mr Centipede who cannot break off from his instinct to because he cannot help it and ended up drowning, but we are now given a new life where we can say 'no' to the things that are not beneficial and live a life of great freedom!!

We now have a Spiritual Father in heaven who is God whom we are given the rights to be his sons and daugthers to inherit what He has in Him and that is REAL Life with Power!!

Man in the Flesh gives birth to sin and bondage but God give births to new abundant Living!

So let's claim God's healing and His power to break the bad habits in our lives that harms us and choose to believe that we can live a life of constant VICTORY!!

Start Believing today!!

Walking with Attitude - Never Say Die!!

I had a very wonderful weekend at the YouthNet 288 retreat. Made some new friends and caught up with many old ones as well.

The Lord has bless me with a very refreshing trip and a truly enjoyable one ....serving God and learning from God.

We had an award presentation in my group with some of us winning the "Yoda" award, the "Happy Man" award, and the "Brightest Star" Award !!

As I interacted together with my group mates, "Iron Sharpened Iron", I could sense the passion of seeking the Lord in my fellow group members and also through their sharing know the hunger and faith in drawing nearer to God. This inspired me to develop a closer relationship in the Lord and to be someone who takes on God's word seriously.

Prayers Answered

1) I went to this retreat seeking for a direction in my life in the area of my work. The Lord spoke to me through a fellow brother who prayed for me during the first session. The Lord affirmed His will for me as he described with accuracy the situation I was in and also assured me of His mighty hand My question was settled since then.

2) The Lord also showed me with certainty one area of blessings and moulding he would like to do in my life and was a confirmation to the prayer I said earlier this year. He confirmed it in the things I did during this retreat and also spoken to me directly and through His word teaching me deeper truths and applications in life.

Lesson Learnt

On the second night, we took the passover meal, the way the Messainic Jews does and after that meal, we did a "Cross-over" over a platform in the swimming pool onto the other side. This Cross-over signifies the leaving of Eygpt, (the worldly pursuits of life) and into God's promises and new life.

As I was preparing my heart to do the crossing, I told the Lord in faith that I would pursue a life of higher calling, walking in His ways and delighting in His word. To have a made up mind once again to pursue His ways and things that delights His heart.

I was unsure if I could manage it but sense faith rising up from within me as I prayed. As I crossed over to the other side, I knew that I was walking over to a new way of life, brighter and more blessed than ever before. It was something that was answered as I walked on.

Application

Well.. there are still struggles and problems to face after this retreat when I go back, but there in my heart lies a deeper anchor that says... Don't give up... Carry on walking in victory... Just don't give up...

Brothers and Sisters... it is true for everyone of us. The victory is already won for us on the cross and is for us as long as we dont give up walking and drawing nearer to God. We may stumble and fall at times,but don't give up, just stand right up and walk again. Have a Never-Say-Die Attitude!!

James 1:3-4 " For you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finished its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything."

ThanksGiving

Thank God for the lessons in life that only seeks to challenge our faith in Him and to know that this faith in Him is not meant to be shaken.

Praise the Lord!!

Wednesday 14th May

Today, I woke up feeling very tired and having a headache. Had many late nights so i guess it accumulates to this tiredness. I hope to actually sleep less though, 6 hours is enough if I can, but given the work load and stuffs, I seem to need more time adjusting.

Hope to have more energy to work, serve, minister, and study. Time is precious....and rest too... but I would like to have the energy to work fast and hard and then the time to rest and play. And not when it is time to work... some days feeln tired, time to rest.... cant sleep or mind still thinking of things.

Had an MC today, rested at home since it was raining very heavily... kind of bored..

I love exploring new ideas and new things but also learnt how to go to the Lord and enjoy Him.

Thats what I did yesterday night... put aside all the voices and noises of the day and went with no agenda to the Lord.... I felt like that moment was spent in eternal heaven.

I received a deeper insight as I was meditating on James chapter 1 that one must not be too engrossed in the worries and concerns of one's heart but actively go to the Lord, presenting it to the Lord through prayers. The Lord can move the mountains and provide the solution to any problems. He alone gives the ability and open the doors to blessings and rest.

I am practicing that now... asking God of anything, if a solution is needed, ask God for one, if a mountain needs to be moved, ask God to move it, if you need provisions, ask God to provide... cos i realised that God being God loves to give out of His glorious riches. Philippians 4:19.

If you need prayers, drop a comment here and I will pray for you.

In The Garden

"He Speaks And The Sound Of His Voice
Is So Sweet That The Birds Hush Their Singing."
- C.Austin Miles

John Ballie - On Prayers

Almighty God, in this quiet hour I seek communion with thee.
From the fret and fever's of the day's business, from the world's discordant noises, from the praise and blame of men, from the confused thoughts and vain imaginations of my own heart, I would now turn aside and seek the quietness of thy presence.
All day long have I toiled and striven; but now in the stillness of heart and the clear light of thine eternity, I would ponder the pattern my life is weaving.

20 Things That God Likes About Me

We sometimes think that God is always mad at us and always asking us why didnt we do better? We feel that we try to win His love for us.

Well.... I agree that we are not perfect people but hey... God really Loves us the way we are now. The Bible says that His love for us is unconditional.

We may still be learning how to be a better person... but the Lord knows it all and still loves us anyway.

So i decided to write down a few things that the Lord like so that I wont focus on the DOING all the time but instead enjoy His love and pleasure on me everyday!

Here Goes.......The Lord Likes:

1) The way I talk
2) The way I look
3) The way I smile/laugh =)
4) The questions I asked
5) The way I sing
6) The way I pray
7) The way I answer phone calls
8) UPS cos He placed me there
9) The way I sleep
10) The sometimes grouchy me
11) The Happy Me!
12) The dreams I have
13) Me although there are things I am not good at
14)The fact that I love reading about Him
15) cartoons cos I love them
16) Soccer cos I love playing it
17) Music cos He made me with ears to listen and enjoy them
18) The Banner that I once made for you
19) Everything about me although some actions He may not agree/like but He loves me cos He created me and knows every detail of my life from day 1 to forever and still loves me...
20) So many things else in the world but still He chose to Like Me!!!

I love God because He first Loves me!

A Chapel Of Our Heart - Brother Lawrence

It is not always needful to be in church to be with God.

We make a chapel of our heart, to which we can from time to time withdraw to have gentle, humble, loving communion with Him.

Everyone is able to have these familiar conversations with God. Some more, some less - He knows our capabilities. Let Us make a start.

Perhaps He only waits for us to make one whole-hearted resolve. Courage! We have but a short time to live.

12 Things I Am Thankful for

I have learnt that if you want to be happy in life, you got to learn to be contented with what you have now. Although it doesnt mean that we should not pursue higher goals in life... but we should also not forget to enjoy the things we have now that prepares us for the future.

In order to be contented, one has to learn to give thanks daily. To be thankful for the things we have, the people we have, the job we have, the health we have, the friends we have etc etc..

As a Christian, i thank the Lord for blessing me. Not a perfect person... but still very blessed!

I want to thank the Lord for a couple of things:

1) My Parents who love me the way they know how and is so sacrificial for me
2) My Girl Friend who is a gift from God.
3) My friends whom the Lord bless me with and one whom the Lord has bless me very much in during this time
4) My Job through which i learnt a lot
5) My church that the Lord placed me in that plays a big role to who I am today
6) My Nanny who took great care of me when I was young
7) My grandma who took care of me from Secondary to JC
8) My JC English teacher who believed in me.
9) My Australian pastor who saw the potential in me and constantly spoke it into me
10) My house... a place of rest and shelter
11) My Creative sound system that accompanied me through the quiet nights
12) My Bed!!! I sleep, read, eat, dream, work and pray on it

Woa!!!! I am feeling happy already!

My Day Today!

Today I had a good but tiring day. Slept late last night as i had finished a conference call at around 930pm, then had a chat with my good friend.

Woke up early today to reach work before 730am. Was feeling sleepy all day, after work, went for G12 group which i enjoyed very much.

I learnt something today..... something which i believed in all the while. I believed that if we asked ourselves this question "What would you really like to do if you have nothing to worry about? "

Now i am not referring to something that is unrealistic, but practically, if you can do something to change/add on your way of life now.... what would you do?

You know more and more I am asking myself am I having a lid over my head that contains who I really am and meant to be? Maybe the lid is slowly opening up for me.... maybe I am beginning to see it.

I enjoy freedom and like it that way. The kind of freedom within proper boudaries... I enjoy good relationships.... I enjoy fun trips... challenging and engaging situations, do new things.... =)

I find relationships more important than measuring results. I agree with proper measurements to achieve objectives.... but sometimes our relationships are just reduced to what you are worth... and the level of communication reduced to what should and should not be done....

It Is Not How Hard You Fight But How Much You Believe

In the story of David And Goliath, David a shepherd boy facing off with a man-mountain, Goliath. David has in his hand a sling and a stone while Goliath arms himself with a shield and a sword.

To the spectator that looks at this two contenders standing face to face with each other in a show-down where one will live while the other dies, it is not hard to believe that this is a one-sided fight. There is no hope for this young boy against this strong and mighty giant of a man, Goliath who has the skills and experience to fight. If they are to place their bet, very likely they will put them all on Goliath.

But as the fight starts, David swung a stone at Goliath, and the mighty force of the Lord who was with David caused that one strike to defeat this giant enemy. The power and the accuracy behind the stone was the Lord's arm. He is the one in battle while David was just an instrument He had used to fulfill his purpose and plan and yes God can used even a shepherd boy.

As I was watching the movie "One Night With the King today", I learnt from a statement made by the character Esther, that the best thing about the fight between David and Goliath was this..."It is not how hard David fought, but how much He believed God". While the rest of the Israelites feared the enemy, David looked at him and believed that the Lord will slay the enemy and provide victory for him and for the nation of Israel.

Beloved, whether we are facing obstacles or things in our lives that causes us to worry and fear.... Maybe it is the insurmountable tasks you are responsible of doing in the office, maybe it is people around you that puts you down, maybe it is the relationship that you are praying to be made whole, or your child who has gone astray.... or the sickness that remains in you... whatever it is... this day, let's choose to look to God who will deliver us... Look to the one who will help us overcome and gives us victory in love. he has promised that when we pray to Him, He will answer us.

John 11:40"
Jesus said to her, "Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

Let's put our trust in the Lord today and see His glory in our lives.

God Bless!

He Offered His Love and His Life

If you are a King... mighty and powerful... having the authority to command all the forces in the world to do as you say....having the influence and the wisdom to answer all of life's questions... what would you offer to this world that we are living in today?

If you are someone who has the power to create and call things into existence those that are not.... and has the power to destroy all things you find displeasing in your sight.... what would you do to this world that we are living in today?

This world of joy, pain, peace, strife, laughter, tears, wealth, poverty, different religious and world views, different practices and beliefs... is the real world we live in.

What will you if you are an omnipotent individual choose to offer?

Well... let me share with you what the Lord Jesus Christ chose to offer..

The Lord Jesus Christ, the creator of heaven and earth, having considered all these chose to offer His love and His life to a world that is seeking these within themselves.

When you are feeling down and alone, look to the Lord and find His presence with you.

When you have lost someone, look to the Lord and find His comfort.

When you are sick and needs healing, look to the Lord who is your healer and restorer.

When you need love, look to the Lord who can supply all the love that you need and ever will need.

Now you may ask,"" U-jin, it is so easy for you to say this.. what about those dying, those in poverty, those abandoned?"

My friend, when you and I are being touched by God's love, we shall go forth in kind and in deeds to these people.

The Lord meant for you and I to go forth and bring His healing to the nations. Give your money, time and expertise to help wipe our sysmatic poverty today with God's love.

To the world that is lost .... The Lord offered his life. "I am the Ressurection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me will live" John 11:25

To the world that needs shelter and protection, the Lord offers his love. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only beloved son, that whosever believes in in will not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16

He offered His love and His Life to this world that we live in.

God Bless!

What Should I Do when I Go through Pain

The first thing that comes to a person's mind when he/she lives through pain is that nobody understands. Like it or not, that is one thing we all struggle to come to terms with.

A man/woman is not meant to live alone, much less go through pain alone.

Emotional Pain tends to isolate a person and saps his/her strength away. It is tough living through such a season in life and therefore every bit of comfort will sooth the painful soul is much sought after whether through healthy activites of harmful ones. The choice can be made correctly when you have a friend standing with you.

I believe the first thing a person should do is to come into a community of friends during this season of pain. I have seen some of my close friends who cannot find a group that is mature enough to understand and give help.... but don't give up... keeping searching and praying because this is very important to have a friend/ a group to support you. And dont blame the person who is helping you.... he or she is trying their best in the way they know how.

Learn to communicate your struggles and let the other party know how to best help you. That creates an environment of openess and trusts. Through open communications, both party can help each other learn and grow.

The second thing is to let out your emotional pain through activities or sports. it is very important when dealing with pain to not keep it inside your heart for too long. There must be a correct way to let it out so that it does not accumulate to unhealthy levels.

The third thing is also to let your mind relax. Through constant sharing with a friend or mentor who understands, the words, comfort and encouragement you hear from such a person can help you shape the way you think. It is not easy to walk alone and every needs a friend to listen.

The last thing is to allow healing to take place in your heart. Love must flow into your heart for that healing to take place. That area of brokeness must be mended by love and the feeling of being valued and prized can bring about that healing and restoration, without which a person cannot be fully healed.

And as a Christian, I know that prayer and worhsip to the Lord Jesus brings freedom and rest to one's mind and soul. God's super- abounding grace brings forth such peace and strength that one can feel recharged and hopeful in life's situation. God's love can provide that anchor and assurance that with Him by your side every second of the day... the rest of your questions and doubts are answered!!

God Bless!

How do I walk through Pain with Someone

Have you been through life see a friend feeling pain for a considerable amount of time?

Pain causes a person to see things in a whole new way. It can remove pride, gives you strength and helps you move closer to God. Growing in wisdom and inner strength through its experience.

Pain may also have negative effects.... It may create more negative thoughts, develop a low level of self-esteem, develop a sense of isolation, makes a person more moody and easily irritated.

And the positive and negative effects of pain can both take place at the same time in a person's life.

"Nobody understands!" Thats what he/she will say... True isnt it? Nobody really understands unless they go through it before or if they choose to walk alongside with you to listen and to contemplate, putting themselves in your shoes rather than from their own perspective.

It involves time and also trust both in the person who is going through it and also for the person who is walking alongside you. It involves looking beyond the person with the pain, and see the transformed life that this pain, if properly dealt with , can do in his/her life.

Words of correction should be given in a creative way. More than 70 percent of people I know are not receptive to such direct and harsh words when they are in the center of such a struggle because the opposite side does not fully consider and understand things surrounding such a behaviour or situation. Things like family culture, their background, work pressures , the pain that coexists with these.

I have learnt recently that before i give advise to anyone, I need to consider the things that are happening to him/her. Her family situation, her background, her level of understanding, the pressures he/she faces and the best approach to communicate.

It is always easier to put your experience and knowledge and apply it to a given scenario, but it takes prayer and contemplation to know what to say and how to say it. Thats why King Soloman asked the Lord for an understanding heart, that He can rule his Kingdom with justice and stability.

An understanding heart puts one into the persons shoes, as if living his/her life... and then see through thoese eyes into the world and situation he/she is describing.

Then advice and instructions with love can come through better and more effective. Winning the person over rather than challenge I believe should be the approach in this season of pain.

Comfort and advice in the same way the Lord offer that to you.

I also believe that pain is good but dont expect a person to always take it well when he/she is going through it. King David said in the psalms that he wrote, that even though he was a Brute Beast, the Lord holds his hand.

The Lord loves us even when we go through pain. He doesnt rejects us or blames us when we struggle and become rebellious. To Him, it is better to have you by His side with your struggles then to not have you at all.

He offers strength and comfort in hope that one day You and I will rise up and be strong!! You will see the light in the midst of your pain one day... our tears will be turned into Joy!

The Hero lives inside of You

I want You to Know that no matter how tough life is....The Hero Lives inside of you...


Please view video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWlS8Oerx8o&feature=related

Artist: Mariah Carey lyrics

There's a hero If you look inside your heart You don't have to be afraid Of what you are There's an answer If you reach into your soul And the sorrow that you know Will melt away

And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you

It's a long road When you face the world alone No one reaches out a hand For you to hold You can find love If you search within yourself And the emptiness you felt Will disappear

And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you

Lord knows Dreams are hard to follow But don't let anyone Tear them away Hold on There will be tomorrow In time You'll find the way

And then a hero comes along With the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside And you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone Look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth That a hero lies in you

GKidz and Family Dinner

Today I had a great time with my kids. I conducted a structural experience with them to teach them the importance of listening to God's voice for guidance in our life daily.

The verse was taken from John 10:1-6 where Jesus says that the good shepherd enters the sheep pen by the main gate. The sheep hears His voice and follow Him. They will not follow a stranger's voice because he may be a thief or a robber.

I taught the kids that they need to stick to good company and not mix around with the wrong ones. Also the importance of listening to God through the word, prayer, worship. So i had this structural experience where I pair them up, blind-folded one of them and had the other one bring him to out of the room to the toilet. Along the way this kid is to listen very carefully to the voice of the other kid leading him until he is brought safely to the destination.

I debriefed with them after all of them gone through it and found that they love it!! They learnt the lesson very well and they were so excited!!

I was very pleased with them and God's grace in teaching them this.

Praise the Lord!!


************Mood Change************


Earlier, one older kid actually threw a piece of butter on one of my kid's head. When I knew about this, I was like "What!! Where is the kid that did that? Show me!!". When i went over, a piece of 2cm by 3cm pience of butter was on one of my kid's head. I was somewhat surprised that such a thing could happen when there are other leaders around.

I was totally furious!! I controlled myself so as not to unleash a series of tidal wave harshly at that kid. I will save the details of my confrontation and the subsequent debrief with both groups.

I thank God i have a beautiful girlfriend who can guide me with her experience. Need that my dear.

***********************Mood Change**********************

I had a wonderful dinner with my family today. We went to Joo Chiat and ate at this chinese restaurant. Food was great! Paid only $50 for just 3 of us. But the wait was long... waited 1 hour for the food to arrive, so hungry I ate 2 bowls of rice.

It has been a long time since we had such quality time together. Anywhere in the world I go... family is still the ones I feel close to and I know they wull accept me for who i am.

Thank you Lord for my family!! I am proud of them and i love them deeply!

Are You Fighting the Right Battle?

I was watching this movie called "Dooms Day" just the other day. It is a story about a city in England who was sealed up and isolated and the people there left to die when an uncurable and deadly plaque broke out.

30 years later, a team of soldiers were sent back into the city to search for a cure because apparently there were some survivors who did not die from the plaque.

Inside that deathly place, there was a war going on between 2 parties. When i saw the fighting scenes and the anger they had against one another, the Lord spoke to me there in the cinema of the verse in Ephesians "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

I was reminded at how sometimes we have conversations in the office, at home, at school where a war of words take place. Each party cut the other down with words as their swords and most of the time casualties results in both side and the relationship sours after that.

My friend, the bible says that our battle is not against our friends, colleagues, families,service providers. Rather, the bible teaches us that we are to love our neigbour and treat them like how we would like them to treat us. To speak to them in Kind words even when at times they are sarcastic, or stress up.

The bible exhorts us to be a good testimony in Phillipians 1:27 "Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ."

When we feel angry because of the embarassment that results from the other party's actions or words, let us endure and not to respond with the wrong attitude. Let us not treat them like our enemies because they are the ones our Lord Jesus died for as well.

Dear Lord, help us this day to love as you love and to give as your gave. Give us inner strength when we are the victim of verbal abuse, let us be cool-headed as your word says in 2 Timothy 2:24 "A servant of the Lord must not quarrel; instead , he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." and let us respond with the attitude that will bring glory to your name.

In Jesus Name we pray, Amen!

Saturday 26 April 2008

Today , i went to Tekka Mall to pay up for my membership with SHRI. Not sure if i heard the instruction wrongly from the lady when i called them up, I stopped at Farrer Park Station instead of Little India and had to walk almost 10 mins under the afternoon sun.

After paying up, i took a walk around Little India. One thing I like about that place is that it does not look like Singapore. It is like a little town on its own, living in its own time and era. And one thing I really like about our Indian friends is that they really dont mind the sun like us Singaporeans do, we avoid it. They are walking freely and cheerfully under it from point A to B, doesnt seem to mind the heat at all. I joined them as well, not stopping for a minute to take cover but appreciating its warmth and touch from millions of miles above.

After walking for 2 hours, I took a bus home.

I decided that from now on, I will try to make most parts of my Saturday a day of rest. To cease working and to worship God. To observe a time of thanksgiving and contemplation on the greatness of God. To allow my body to rest, I will read, sing, sleep, worship, take a slow walk... no work for one day or at least for most parts of it as far unless something urgent crops up.

The bible says in Exodus 31: 17 "... for six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day, he abstained from work and rested." See here that the Lord chose to, even though He doesnt have to, He chose to stop all work and rest.

So there is something to be learnt here and only through practice and fully immerse can one appreciate the beautiful of that rest.

Let's enjoy the rest that God has given and set the example for us. What a mighty God He is and what wisdom will unfold as we follow His ways and patterns.

Why Not The Best? - Jimmy Carter (Ex-American President)

Excerpts from the book "Ordering Your Private World" - Gordon Macdonald

For many years Admiral Hyman Rickover was the head of the United States Nuclear Navy. His admirers and his critics held strongly opposing views about the stern and demanding admiral. For many years every officer aboard a nuclear submarine was personally interviewed and approved by Rickover. Those who went through those interviews usually came our shaking in fear, anger, or total intimidation.

Among them was ex-President Jimmy Carter, who years ago, applied for service under Rickover. This was his account of a Rickover interview:

I applied for the nuclear submarine program, and Admiral Rickover was interviewing me for the job. It was the first time I met Admiral Rickover, and we sat in a large room by ourselves for more than two hours, and he let me choose any subjects I wished to discuss. Very carefully, I chose those about which i knew most at the time - current evemts, seamanship, music, literature, naval tatics, electronics, gunnery - and he began to ask me a series of questions of increasing difficulty. In each instance, he soon proved that I knew relatively little about the subject I had chosen.

He always looked right into my eyes, and he never smiled. I was saturated with cold sweat.

Finally, he asked a question and I thought I could redeem myself. He said,"How did you stand in your class at the Naval Academy?" Since i have completed my sophomore year at Georgia Tech before entering Annapolis as a plebe, I had done very well, and I swelled my chest with pride and answered,"Sir, I stood fifty-ninth in a class of 820!" I sat back to wait for the congratulations - which never came. Instead, the question,"Did you do your best?" I started to say,"Yes Sir," but I remembered who this was and recalled several of the many times at the Academy when I could have learned more about our allies, our enemies, weapons,strategy, and so forth. I was just human. I finally gulped and said,"No, Sir, I didnt't always do my best."

He looked at me for a long time, and then turned his chair around to end the interview. He asked one final question, which i have never been able to forget - or to answer. He said,"Why not?" I sat there for a while, shaken, and then slowly left the room.

That encounter became the thought-starter for Carter's book Why Not The Best?

Dont stay on the ground. Get Up!

Frenchman MIcheal Poist-Prayers for Life.

"I am ashamed of being seen by you, for you love me and i forgot you.
I forgot you because i was only thinking of myself.
One can't think of several persons at once and one must choose and I chose.
I dare not make any more promises and i can only stand bowed before you Lord."

Lord :
"Come on my son,look up. Isn't it not mainly your vanity that is wounded.
If you loved me, you will grieve but you will trust.Do you think there is a limit to God's love?
Do you think or a moment I have stopped loving you?
But you still rely on yourself son, you must rely on me. Ask my Pardon and get up quickly.
You see, its not falling that is the worst, but staying on the ground."

Happiest Person in FCBC

Mr Andy Goh is voted the happiest person in Singapore. =) Good for Him... and i am proud that Singapore has such a meaningful contest.

Well if i were to vote the Happiest Man in FCBC, it has got to be Reverand Yong Tai Tong!! He is a happy man , always having the widest smile ever... I believe many of us will agree with me on this...

He is also a man of God!!! So my vote to Reverand Yong!! Any seconder? =)

His Handsome photo can be found in our FCBC website :

http://www.fcbc.org.sg/g12network/yongtaitong.asp

The FEAR of the Lord :- Learning in Progress...

Today in church... we learnt about the fear of the Lord.

I find this a topic that many of us, with me to begin with, have very little practice in. To begin with... what does it really mean to Fear the Lord? Is it just to obey him? People can obey out of duty... out of the fear of consequences? Is that considered reverent fear?

I decided to revisit this again so I pull the book that i ready last year "The Fear of the Lord" By John Bevere to read again.

Stay Tuned!!! Learning in Progress...... Please ask me if i have been dilligently reading it if you see me ok? Thanks --> theonenewman.

Saty

The title of this post is given by my mum when i asked her "Mummy... what shall i name the post today?", "She said Saty... haha.. not sure why... thought i heard Satay!"

This morning i went downstairs for breakfast. Went to this very nicely renovated coffeeshop down at my block to eat and read. I love that coffeeshop.. nice chairs very modern, had Lotee(Hokkien word for bread), 2 eggs and Milo.

As i leaned back on the chair, i took out a book ,"Ordering my Private World" by Gordon Macdonald, to read and sipped on my Milo at the same time... Phewww!! That's the way life should be man!

Shauna said that to her Milo is the best drink in the world... Well... i agree to that for a breakfast meal. Hee =)!

By the way , Shauna finds that coffeeshop kind of noisy... which i also agree... but not if you go there in the morning and sit outside where the pavement is.. Or at night at 8pm. I think i am beginning to like it there.. a good place to read and Kiao Kar(Hokkien word for putting your leg on the seat) Haha ! =)

Sat there for 2 hours plus. Decided to walk and pray for God to speak to me further.... Then i saw Seargant Dollah from my favourite sitcom "Police and Thief". They were just round the corner shooting a malay drama. That Funny man actually looked smaller in real life.

Then i went biking... went to East Coast.. read my book there... prayed.. after 3 hours... came back home. The weather was hot at 1pm. My muscles were kind of tired when i reached the beach. so i found a shady spot to read and meditate. Wanted to dive into the sea... but didnt want to spend too much time drying myself in the sun afterwards.

At 4pm, i went to work... finished some of it and was glad i went... gave me a peace of mind now. Went off at 7pm.

What a day! Love to be relaxed ater a week's of work and stress! Find that life can be quite rushed since i started work. Time flies very fast... if i dont find time to enjoy it.... i probably missed out a lot in life. =)

An 8 Year Old Preacher in Indonesia

Do you have a dream ?

If you have a dream... what would you dream of doing or becoming?

I have been letting my imaginations run a little bit these days.... nothing serious, just following my heart.

I am now thinking of becoming a pilot. =) Flying around in the sky... in charge of a big plane with many people on board.

Yesterday i thought of being a social entrepreneur... using my skills to help elminate sysmetic poverty.

Last week, i thought of becoming someone up in tne Corporate ladder, leading a big group of successful individuals in a team.

I used to want to be a preacher... cos i love to preach. Haha... wishful thinking...

I wanted very much to go overseas to do my MBA full-time...

I wanted to be on a scholarship so i dont have to spend too much.

I want to be a father.. a father who protects and leads.

I want to be a man that God can use mightily... if He doesnt mind me being bad at times... and gives me the grace to be good....

I want to be free... let nothing hold me back anymore...don't like to be under some rigid rules that clip your wings, under circumstances that forces me to hold back from being who i want to be....

I want to be rich =), healthy, strong, happy, generous...

I loved to travel the world with my future wife =)

Singapore is boring..... Work is sometimes meaningless... like chasing after the wind =) but we need to work...

I want to be free to love and to be loved... to give and to receive... to be free to express myself, to have the opportunity to do something different every 2 years.

Is there a career like that? =) Is there a place where i can be like that =)

Free but not lawless.. Free and strong.. =)

Department's Dinner

Today i had a very enjoyable dinner. It was our department's dinner and we ate at "No Sign Board" at East Coast. I always love the East Coast Park and eating there was a real treat for me. The nice sea breeze, relaxing atmosphere, good food... simply great!

We had a good time ot getting to know one another more, laughed and ate together. Thought next time we should have a BBQ or something to better minger around.

Love that place, we chose to sit inside the restaurant as we thought it might rained. Well.. it didn't and its ok.... we still had our fun.

I was sitting in the middle of 2 mums. =) Heard them share about their kids, the toys to play, things to buy.... haha... Drank 1.5 glass of beer. Should try the white wine instead.

Realised also that I am not that young anymore. Used to be the youngest, now a little older than some of my colleagues =)

Well.. no photos taken.. maybe next time =)

My Saturday

Today i went biking for 2.5 hours. Had fun cycling since i started it again last Saturday.

Went to Plaza Singapura and got 2 books from TIMES Bookshop. 1) Who moved my Cheese? and 2) Our Iceberg Is Melting

I was actually suppose to meet a friend whom i havent contacted for a while and while waiting began to searchfor a present for a colleague mine but ended buying these 2 books.

Later on, i met my good friend Steve. We were actually intending to watch "The Bucket List", but it was full. so we ended up buying 2 tickets for the "Vantage Point".

In My Opinion, please dont watch it. I didnt enjoy it at all. They keep repeating the scenes to retell the story of different people from their point of views... actually got the entire cinema of people bored.

=) And this is the 2nd time i can remember actually watching a movie that turned me off. The other one is "The 40 year old virgin", which was actually gross!

So yea... save your money, you can choose to skip "Vantage Point" ! =)

Friday Night's UNI Friends Gathering

I had a wonderful Friday night with my UNI Friends that i made while studying in Melbourne.

We went to Glutton's Bay and eat so much we cant walk. We talked for a total of 4 hours from 7-11pm before making our way home! So much to catch up since the last time we met was more than 1 year ago. Most are still in the IT line , doing well... and we talked and laughed about the times we had together in Melbourne. On how we always eat at Crown's casino because their fish and chips is so dead cheap, how we went to Brisbane Gold Coast together and slept outside the airport because we didnt know that the domestic Brisbane's airport was closed. =)

Ah... got so much to say.....

So far ..I am the only one attached in my group... Thank God i have found my DARLING. =) Met her when i came back to Singapore and attended the G12 conference.
I pray that all of them will find a partner soon.

Glad to be back =)

The Man In The Arena

It is not the critic who counts,
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled,
or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena;
whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood;
who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again;
who knows the great enthusiasms,
the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy course;
who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly;
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls
who know neither victory or defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

The Boxer - Paul Simon

In the clearing stands a boxer

And a fighter is his trade

And he carries the reminders

Of every glove that laid him down

and cut him till he cried out

in his anger and his shame

"I am leaving, I am leaving"

But the fighter still remains.

( (C) 1968 by Paul Simon)

Satisfying Saturday

Today I finally decided to use the bicycle that is parked in my living for the past 8 months. Finally, today is the first time my bike gets to meet the road for real.

I spent 2 hours biking today.... travelling from home to east coast hawker center... then all the way down to Macdonald's and then back again to the hawker. Then went home. Phew! It was terrific.... havent been exercising for a long time now and it just feels so good!

Spent less than 1 hour konking off on my bed.

When i woke up, i decided to plug into my Creative 5.1 sound system.

I have been trying to plug my IRiver(MP3) into this creative sound system but haven't been successful for the past few times. However today, after praying to God, it worked! I spent the entire afternoon listening to my favourite songs.. Bryan Adams, Jay Chou..., Micheal Buble, Bon Jovi... Praise the Lord!

Going for Dinner together with my family. Havent always had the chance to eat with my parents.... so happy to be able to do it today. We ate Claypot rice at Geylang, then drove to Geylang Serai to buy fruits.

What a beautiful day!

Thursday and My Reflection on Success

Today was yet another fast paced but fulfilling day. I went to work early today for a US conference call, then took a cab to another location to conduct training. It all went on very well and smooth, Praise the Lord. I did not manage to do the work that i planned to do today as i was caught up with other things, so have to make up for it during the weekend. Intended to take the 730pm bus home but somehow i missed it. So i caught the 815pm bus home instead. Had my favourite minced pork with potatoes, soup and rice for dinner.

Then konked off on my bed. Woke up 10mins later when my Dad said "Wah Singapore experienced Hail today. " I woke up saying to my Dad "yea... experienced it when i was in Secondary School, this is not the first time".

Reflections on Success

The Lord gives success... Success comes from the Lord Almighty... it doesnt matter if you are not good at speaking , a strong leader, someone who is popular... but as you look to God... God will give you success.

Just look at Abraham... He was practically a nobody.... fearful of man.... but the Lord made him very wealthy and powerful that Leaders of the land made peace treaty with him saying.... "We seen how the Lord was with you... now let's be nice to each other okay?".

Look at Joseph..... sold as a slave... no good education..... no strong backing from friends or family.... not really the smartest person around... but when the Lord was with him, he practically prospered whereever he went. And eventually was made the 2nd in Command in the most powerful country of his time.

Benny Hinn was a stutterer, now a healing evangelist mightily used by God..... Joyce Meyer was a woman with very low self-esteem and bullied by man, now has over 2 billion viewers on her TV show... Robb Thompson was from a mental asylum ... now a leading pastor speaking to diplomats and senators in America and a very well travelled speaker... Ravi Zacharias wanted to end his life.... now a very famous and reputable international Apologist, Billy Graham.... a man whom others said that preaching is not the career he should take is now the man that God has used to bring millions to Himself.... and the list goes on.... and on...

What about you? What about me? Are we going to believe God? Or are we going to believe in ourselves?

It's not about our qualifications or our abilities.... But God and God alone who can raise a man and bring down another.

Glory to God!

Tuesday

Today has been a great day! Had quite a few laughs at work today with my colleagues. Praise the Lord! I came home at 7pm today, had dinner , read the bible and then konk off in bed. Was up just 30 mins ago to type in my blog. Well.... my dad normally brings this laptop with him wherever he goes... so i can only use it when he is back... normally after 9pm.

Well... i have completed the book of Genesis and Exodus since i started 1.5 weeks ago. Today, i have read 4 chapters of the book of Leviticus and i am amazed that i actually read it with great curiousity. I realized the kind of "inconvenience", the kind of "somberness", the "detailedness" in the way an offering has to be made to the Lord under the Mosiac law.
I cant imagine myself putting my hand on a young bull or a goat or a lamb and kill it. Then skin it, remove the internal organs, drain the blood and then having the priest Bai Sui Sui(Hokkien word for laying it out nicely) on the altar and then burn it. It will take a while for me and i try not to vomit at the stench and brutality of it. Maybe a butcher can do it but not me.

But interestingly, as i see how the Lord gave the details, i saw how the Lord must have thought about it thoroughly when he gave details on how different category of people in the Jewish community are to bring their offerings. The poorer ones can bring just doves or flour... the richer ones young bulls.... As a person who works among HR Professionals.... this kind of thought process is really for the good for the people. As a man... i would probably spend a considerable amount of time thinking about the different scenarios so as to have a fair and possible way to cater to everybody.

So in this participation of offering to the Lord, the Lord provided a temporal way of cleansing sins and fellowship with His people as a means of worship and fear of the Lord. To approach God, a sinful man must not take it lightly.

Please read my thoughts on this in "We are the Righteousness of God in Christ Jesus" on the link "What we can learn from a Christian's Perspective"

I pray that we will not take the Lord's presence and fellowship lightly. It takes the death of the Son of God to purchase this legal right for us. It is a priviledge that we must not forget.

God Bless.

My Monday

Today has been a good day. Well i had a good weekend to begin with... so today i was looking forward to accomplished the things i planned to do at work. But as time passes by, i am being caught up with a lot of things that needs to be resolved or that needs my attention. To manage this, i put away those unimportant tasks till tomorrow... and hence the lists of unattended tasks has been growing and growing. Was on a conference call today, spent 1 hour trying to help and convince the other party what needs to be done is important and was trying to help them meet my deadline. Tough... but ok... pray that they can achieve it in time.

I told my colleagues about this blog that i have created.... told them once its more beautifully done up... i will open it up to them. Haha My VP heard about my sharing about my blog and he was quite amused.

I heard a very good sermon about tithing.... reminds me of the faithfullness and the grace of God when you give him your first 10 percent.... the rest of the 90 percent is being blessed! Well.... at least for God being our Senior Partner, He only asked for 10%... so we have got nothing to complain.

Please read my "What we can learn from a Christian Point of View"... i pasted some very good articles there for reading and also my own devotional thoughts....

God Bless!

Santification Week Ended Beautifully

Last Night was the final night of the Santification week we had since Friday. It was a very intensive 3 nights for me soaking in the presence of God. Our Senior Pastor, Apostle Lawrence Khong, mininstered a a man humbled and broken, the very heart of a man seeking God's presence. The Lord touched me every night when i was there..... Had experienced the love of God, the touch of the Mighty Creator.

I felt that God has done a deep work in the life of Pastor Khong and also in the Church. I am so glad that Pastor Khong is being used mightily by God in the "Love Singapore" movement as i also sense the mandate from heaven bestowed upon him.

I was also very blessed by Dr Maurice Sklar who ministered beautifully by his skillfull playing of the violin. The music was so soothing and the focus is solely on God and not just the man himself.

Praise God for a fruitful santification week!