Our Bible Study Group

Winning The Invisible War Part II

2008-07-22T11:05:00.004+08:00

I know this is late. But hey, better late than never, eh?

This is a period of turmoil. The magma is brewing before the volcano erupts. The safety valve is dysfuntional, and the pressure is building up in the sealed pot. The matter is about to implode anytime, and when it will blow is up to anyone's guess. Only God knows the time, and the Time is nigh.

Winning the invisible war. M'sia is going through a period of spiritual warfare. How well we fight the war depend on how prepared we are. Are we loosening up? Are we compromising the truth for convenience? Our arrows to our bows are still abundant, our voices not hoarse from battlecries, much energy is still left in us, therefore, not until we are deprived of whatever resources we have, we shall not yield to the enemy. This is the begining of a new era. Let us take what is rightfully ours.

The series of Winning The Invisible War is not a peroration, it is an analytical view of massive flooding of our nation, the course of a revival. Like a magician, a sheet in placed over his forearm. When he pulls it away, a pigeon appears on his wrist. This is a transitional period, His hand is upon us.

Once again, this point is stressed: we do not choose to engage in a war. But in this turbulent period, war is already at hand. It's not a choice we undertake, it's an obligation we must not forsake for the furtherance of development, be it personal or at a national level. We may choose not to fight, but the barrage of offenses will not cease until we are whipped to our knees, begging for mercy, which will not be shown by the devil. The evil one feeds on our weaknesses, our falls. The weaker we are, the more triumphant it is.

The devil intends to destroy us via 3 networks: the world, the flesh, the devil itself.

Our world seems more corrupted that it is righteous. Each man is living for himself. Everything from the media, our speech, our actions, our thoughts, the business world, the business of politics, everything is being defiled. All works are tainted by misdemeanours. No one's right, and there isn't much we can do, except to minimise the damage. We put up a resistance against the evil one. We win battles, we lose some; the war is not won until the second coming of our Lord Saviour. The devil does not have a weak eye. It spots our weaknesses, and it only attacks our weak points. To fully and effectively repel its advances, we need to put on the full gamut of the holy armour. It's given freely to all, the choice to don this armour lays on our free will.

We are all God's children. Put the theories that say otherwise aside. Science must not contradict the Word, but merely a study to explain His creations. As demons are stationed in various arenas to tempt us, to influence us, to dictate us, so is the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit upon us wherever, whenever we are. We receive inputs from both sides, but our outputs come from ourselves. There may be times, however, we shut of input from one side. This happens when we're compromising the truth for convenience. Yes, the assumption that the input from the Righteous One is blocked is made here.

Worldy systems are made to demote God. The way of the world promotes self gratification and feeds the flesh. Our worldly lifestyle, philosophy, thinking and mindset is bent to fit our means. Are we so flexible, that our moral values can be so flawed. Where is our foundation? Where is our backbone? Where are our principles? Are we so spineless that we lean against any structure that provides temporary stability. Are we compromising the truth to our convenience? (Read 1 John 5:19 and John 13: 22)

In Ps Timothy's sermon, when we yield to the ways of this world, we start:

to be squeezed into its mold of thinking and philosophy. The world sells you the idea of a lifestyle it wants you to have.
to question God's word, His purpose and plan.
to gain approval from our peers, thus conforming to a certain lifestyle.
to treat Christianity as a religion i.e. Sunday (or Saturday) church attendance and tithes become a routine. We stop living the way of Christ.
set His agendas aside.

It's a dangerous territory we're venturing in. It's uncharted, unmapped. Let us give thanks for the presence of the Holy Spirit, that we are always guided.

The next network: flesh. Read Galatians 5: 17.

Our Creator knows our carnal desires. He knows our tendency to sin. We harbour an evil capacity to sin against Him. It is not easy to reject our flesh.

He knows, so He provides a solution to every problem. He knows we need Him, so He is always there. He gives us peace against our inclination to sin. By giving in to our flesh, we begin to:

live independently from God
live for pleasure
choose with clear self agenda
sin and rebel against God

To receive Christ is not to stop sinning. We are imperfect beings. By submitting ourselves to Christ, we are putting our trust in Him to shape us, to allow Him to work in our lives, and in return, we subject ourselves to His works by repenting. To live for Christ is to gain the enmity of the world, the flesh, the devil. We do not have to be a pastor to be an ascetic. He calls for us to redeem the world, so we have to be placed in various work envinronments to spread His word.

Lastly, the devil as our oppressor. It delights at our falls. It clasps its deformed, malicious hands in glee when we commit mistakes. The devil works out schemes and plans to invade our spiritual life. Like an incoming wave, it splashes on us. Unlike a wave, it does not recede. It is like a creeper, once grounded, it sets it roots deeper into our spirituality. It gets harder to uproot the evil entities, the more we allow it to grow.

The levels of satanic invasion are these: spiritual negligence, willfull disobedience and lifestyle of rebellious actions.

Spiritual negligence starts with a mild attack e.g. mild bitterness, mild negative thoughts, mild indulgence. Little by little, it accentuates. Mild becomes occasional. The grip on reality slackens, and we begin to compromise the truth to satisfy our temptations. Once in a while, we convince ourselves it is alright to sin because we falsely remind ourselves we are still in control. The rot to decadence, thus begins. You feel the tustle, but with time, God's Holy Word is dismissed. Carelessness and compromise sinks in, like an anchor setting the vessel stationary.
Thence, willful disobedience becomes second life. There's no more clamouring between the good and bad. At this time, the evil one is gaining ground. We close our ears to the Holy Spirit. Now, the devil is on the passenger seat, navigating us. Frequent indulgence sets in. We begin to disobey without any sign of repentance. We start to resist God and His voice. We allow Satan a foothold to work in our lives. We are confused with right and wrong.
Outright indulgence commences. It's no longer a sin to lie, no longer a sin to live a life of corruption, no longer a sin to curse, no longer a sin to covet. Our rebellion (words, thoughts) is brought to the open. Satan has succesfully penetrated our defences, and its flag planted to signify its triumph. With this victory, Satan builds a new barrier, one that resists the Word of God. At this stage, we are conquered by the evil one, acting as a demonic stronghold. We give heed to demonic voices. We become evil people.

The question is this. Have you given ground to the enemy lately. Are you allowing it more space to work? Are you resisting the devil. Look at your life. What are your weak points. Is the devil winning the spiritual warfare. You can't win this war alone. As we speak, our Creator, the Forgiveness of Sins, is knocking at the door. He does not barge His way in. His knocks are soft, and His ways loving and brisk. Welcome Him into your life, and He will breathe new life in you. He will renew you. He will uproot the devil, and in replacement, plant the Holy Spirit in you. Let His face shine on you, let His hand move yours, let His love cleanse your sins. Read Deuteronomy 10: 12-13).

He does not ask much. He only wants to see your life lived according to His Word. This is a corrupted world we are living in. We can't live it with our own efforts.

The final words are these: if we're not doing the will of God, we might be, we may already be, doing the will of the devil. (2 Timothy 2: 26, 1 John 3: 8)

Winning The Invisible War Part I

2008-07-11T12:16:00.010+08:00

References from this entry are from Ephesians 6: 10-20, NIV Life Application Study Bible and Ps Timothy's sermon. As a reminder, the notes I upload here are subject to my interpretation. If any questions should arise, please feel free to leave a comment. I missed this sermon by Ps Timothy, so this entry is made possible by Edwina's notes. Thanks Ed!

The first part encompasses the structure of methods that the enemy engages to overcome us, the second part deals with the networks that work under Satan's flagship. I hope the reading of this entry is as serious as the constant tapping my fingers are on the keyboard, as vigorous as how my mind is working, and as convicted as how the Holy Spirit is stirring my heart. Any light-mindedness, I urge to be extinguished for a while, lest the Word of God is looked upon with contempt. Spiritual warfare is real, and it's taking place every minute of the day. Let's start taking notice of its significance.

As a martial artist is taught of delivering deadly blows, evasive defence movements, increased efficacy of kicking styles, so is the demon schooled in elaborate methods to deceive and entrap us. Yes, it is not up to us to look for the devil; a hungry, blood-thirsty predator does not wait for its prey, rather it stalks its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. It knows our shames, our guilt, and intends to use them to its advantage. When the moment is right, it switches mode from being an observer to being an invader of our life, because we have unconsciously allowed it to. Our shambles, when not submitted to The Forgiver of Sins, are exploited by the evil one. That is where, instead of battling against the evil one, we find ourselves already enslaved by it.

The devil masters in 5 techniques of trap setting. Let's run this down point by point.

1. Devour. This is perhaps the main objective of the evil one. It wishes to destroy us. It wishes to run us over, to trample us like a mass of stampede whilst we lay helplessly on the ground. It wishes to devour our soul and spirit. And it does not stop until it has achieved its goal. It is, again, up to us to set a resistance against it. Be self-controlled and alert. We all have our weaknesses. None of our wall of defence is complete; there are weak points, cracks on it. The evil one is cunning, it strikes at our weak points. The Word of God asks for us to resist when there are times like these (1Peter 5: 8-9).

2. Wiles (Ephesians 6: 11). "The enemy watches, takes down notes, waits patiently, slowly but surely. His schemes are systematic, well thought out procedures and plans to entrap us". While we wile away our free time with idleness, the enemy is thinking of ways to expand its blackening, darkening territory within our faintly lighted body. We must not wait for it to strike. As the devil is under Satan's tutelage, we are under God's protection. The contours of our great foundation in Christ must not be upheaved. Daily devotions, prayers, fellowship with our brothers and sisters- these are vital steps towards creating a impervious lattice against contamination and corruption.

3. Devices (2 Corinthians 2: 11). Are we not aware of the enemy's schemes? Therefore, be vigilant. Honesty never fails. Compromise leads to lies. When we sit on the fence with our back facing the devil, it shall gag us, chain us up and blindfold us when we least expect it, and like a kidnapper, pulls us down to the abyss that we may never see light at the end of it. Unlike a kidnapper, it demands no ransom. It wants our soul and spirit. Are we focusing at the wrong goals? Take a moment to reflect. The armour of God consists of the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the footgear of readiness to spread His word, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the sword of God (the Word of God). Put on the pieces of armour God has forged for us.

4. Foothold (Ephesians 4: 26-27). A foothold for the evil one is like an open door of a rich home to a burglar. The level of difficulty for the breach of our defences depends on how strong the resistance we put up. When we compromise, we have already faltered. When we put our trust in God, and heed his words, we are strong and unyielding to the enemy's attacks. If the enemy has set up camp within your territory, burn it with the Holy Spirit, lay siege upon it, flood and drown its occupants with the Word of God.

5. Opportune time (Luke 4: 13). Before you wave your flag of victory, take a step back and re-examine your losses. Yes, this time you have conquered the devil in His mighty name. It does not stop there. As long as we are alive, as long as we have breath in us, spiritual warfare does not end. As God does not give up on us, so will the devil continue his endless tirade towards destroying the bridge that connects us with God.

Let us continue the steadfast and faithful relationship with our Heavenly Father. Persistence and Patience.

Spiritual Warfare

2008-07-08T12:47:00.010+08:00

A friend in need is a friend indeed; one of the few idioms that I learnt as a child. When I was stressed over a major exam, a friend flooded my message inbox with Bible verses and words of encouragement. I admit, I am ashamed of myself for not doing the same for her. I was riddled with personal problems a few weeks ago that I forgot that some of you had an even larger hurdle to cross. I wouldn't say I'm a lousy person, but as a friend, I concede that sometimes, there are much more I can/should do.

I have been taking notes regularly, but I couldn't seem to post them, not for technical reasons. This blog is not about me, it's about blessing others, for reasons only God would know. I wrestled with Him. I asked Him many questions. He answered me through these verses: Galatians 5: 7 and Luke 17: 10.

Attacks were coming from all directions, and I found myself caught in the crossfire. There were many issues I had to deal with. Actually, there was only one, but from that issue, sprung others that were unknown. I was, in one way, confused with all the input of details. I got out of it, and with it, gifts and endowment that brought much joy to my soul. I wanted to cry craven, but He did not give up on me. He used people close to me to reverberate His message. His message was trenchant and piercing, that I did not have much choice but to heed His words.

Admist the entire period, He was impressing me another connection; a dyadic. I realise, if I could decipher this miraculous code, it will stay with me forever. It would be perpetuating. I am not able to generate much thought into that yet, let's see how that goes. All in His time.

I missed the first part of last Sunday's message (Winning The Invisible Part I). I was in my hometown. Little did I know, that the message preached by a guest speaker in my family church carries a similar meaning to the one which was preached two days ago. Both speakers shared about spiritual warfare. Let me share with you the message spoken by Rev Peter Chin. I will follow it up with Ps Timothy's message in the next entry.

Be Filled With The Holy Spirit Ephesians 5-6

Being filled with Holy Spirit is a command, not a choice! This is evident in Ephesians 5: 18. We are rebelling against our Creator if we refuse to be filled. However, it is not by our efforts, but by God's grace we are filled. Therefore, pray persistently to be filled. Truly, He listens to our prayers. The weight of persistence is significant, and He does not take it lightly. This, in turn, is evident in Luke 18:6. The sin of omission is great, so let us not make the mistake of ignoring His Word. The Bible is not merely suited to our means; He demands absolute obedience, not a half-hearted one.

Now, what is the importance of the Holy Spirit? Why must we be filled?

Much is said about the devil. Many movies are made about them. Horror movies usually end with a triumphant note for the evil one. The most important lesson, perhaps, the only lesson, that is learnt from these movies is that we are continuosly being attacked by the devil. He does not let us off easy. The devil is like a roaring lion, ready to devour whenever an opportunity is given (1Peter 5: 8- 9). Warfare is real, and many of us are in bondage. Let us not fear the evil one, but to realise that they hold a certain degree of power of us, only if we allow it to. Let us also realise that God gives us authority over them.

We fight the war against the devil, to win the world for our Lord. This task is not impossible. But vital steps must be taken, His commands must be adhered to. Christians have to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

The next question should be this: What are the requirements to be filled?

Complete commitment to our Lord and Saviour. Our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We can only be filled when we let go of ourselves and surrender the key to our body to Him. He is not a god of force, He knocks, but only enters when we open the door to welcome Him. The time for Him to fill us is only when we surrender truthfully to Him and Him alone. Think of it as a host-guest relationship. By surrendering, we are inviting the Holy Spirit to scrutinize our thoughts and personal memories. No details are spared, no embarrasing and detestable memories spared. The act of surrendering is parallel to our will to be changed.

Now, the filling of the Holy Spirit is not a one time experience. It is a continous process. The next question: How can we be continously filled?

Simple. How do you remember a fact? Continous enforcement. Keep searching, keep submitting. When you're constantly filled, you would want more. If you're passionate for God, why can't you weep, dance, shout and sing for God? Nonetheless, if you're not submitting yourself to God, you are not being filled even when you're singing or worshipping Him. Submission involves all areas of our lives. God is omnipotent and omnipresent, He is not only there when we're praying or in church. He is everywhere, and anytime of the day He is with us. He is with me when I'm watching a movie, He is with me when I'm typing this, He is looking at me when I'm kicking the ball. He hears me when I utter words abhorrent to His ears. There isn't any moment in our lives we can hide from Him. We never win a hide-and-seek game against Him.

The HS endows us with the spirit of adoration and appreciation. I believe when these virtues are present, there is a decresed tendency to complain and to murmur. On the contrary, we become more encouraging and humbly grateful. Prayers made in the spirit of murmuring is not condoned by Him, thence the absence of the manifestation of the HS. Pray with encouragement and the spirit of thanksgiving.

James 4:1-10

2008-06-17T17:32:00.008+08:00

It's been a while since I posted an entry in this blog. A few reasons contribute to the hiatus, the main one being this: I can't seem to find the right words for my entries. Countless times I tried to tinker with the words and phrases to create the right post for the notes I took from sermons. Nothing seemed to come out right. I found out, a few days ago, that most of the things I have been blogging about dealt with personal struggles. While all the efforts I pour into my Christian life involves self improvement and strengthening personal ties with God, I realise my efforts emanate from self-centredness. The results were right, but my motives were wrong. God was trying to get His message across to have me realise what I finally realise. Perhaps, He stopped the flow to my writing so I could take time to re-examine myself. If that's the case, then my daily devotions and the sermons plus the ENLI sessions I have been attending are bearing fruit. Little by little, I'm seeing a clearer picture to what He is trying to draw in my head.

I made a promise to God that I would earnestly and steadfastly take notes from Sunday sermons, and to upload the notes into this blog. It is not an easy task. It is easy when the right words seem to come out of nowhere, and you find yourself typing at an unprecedented speed. You don't even know what the next words are, what the next sentence will be, but God provides, and funnily enough, everytime I read the entry, I find wonder in the fact that God moves my hands and thoughts as much as He stirs my heart. I willingly had this string tied to me, this responsibility, so I can experienced the manifestation of the Holy Spirit, that my encounters with God are enriched. Like a kite, the strings provide me freedom , yet I would not stray away (Our Daily Bread, 16th June). The word of God is the string that ties me to Him.

Things happen for reasons that are unfathomable, at least to our finite mind. When we surrender absolute control to God, His answers start to kick in with such ease that made you wonder why did you not do it earlier. God wants humility from us. He does not need our expertise. He can easily pick another person to do a job for Him. Submit yourselves, then to God, only then He will answer. Submission to God comes with humility.

I was meditating on these verses- James 4: 1-10. Great verses. Last Friday, I went to Life Group at Timothy's place. Great session. There's a definite link between these two.

Let's start with the Life Group. The topic of discussion was Jesus Christ, God In Human Flesh. The topic is self explanatory. Throughout the discussion, we talked about what Christ did for us on the cross, how he came to forgive our sins and to purify us. And how He came to remove a barrier that is preventing us from sharing a personal relationship with the One who gave us life.

Then it hit me.

Forgiveness of sins. Why is it necessary. Why do we need God to forgive us? When we feel something is right, isn't that enough to give us the green light to go ahead with our plans? Do we need God to tell us what is right? Do we need Him to forgive us?

There's nothing much I can say to convince you otherwise if you harbour that notion. With knowledge, we have conscience. Conscience gives guilt. Sometimes you can handle it, sometimes you can forget about it, sometimes you don't and it starts haunting you. Guilt prevents you from moving further. Why else would it be that robbers and murderers can't turn over a new leaf, even when they have a genuine intention to do so. The devil is cunning, and deception is his masterplan towards every scheme. A murderer, for example, might accept it within himself that raping and murdering is part of him/her. A conjecture, but to me it's close to certainty. The point is, people find it hard to forgive themselves, so they "accept" themselves for who they are. It is not acceptance that we need, it's forgiveness that we need. And to receive forgiveness from One who is so great and powerful, it can't get any better than that.

Yet, forgiveness without submission is nothing. I would go back to my old ways if I merely ask for forgiveness without submitting myself. What is submission? From James 4: 1-10, the steps to submission is derived, so the whole definition of submission can be elucidated. They are:

(1) yield to His authority, commit your life to Him and His control, and be willing to follow Him.
(2) resist the devil. Don't allow Satan to entice and tempt you.
(3) lead a pure life, replace desire to sin with desire to experience God's purity
(4) don't be afraid to express heartfelt sorrow for your sins.
(5) humble yourself to God i.e. recognizing that our worth comes from God alone

* points excerpted from Life Application study Bible, NIV

As more events begin to unfold, we need to have every bit a clear motive in the methods in dealing with them. Are we motivated by anger, earthly desires, selfish ambition? Or are we motivated by righteousness, sincerity, mercy? When we pass critics to others, is the action tainted with envy? Or is it coloured by a deep consideration in mind to benefit the person at the receiving end?

Pentecostal Power

2008-05-22T11:36:00.009+08:00

I spent the first few years of my Christian walk in a charismatic church. That was when I was 12. I switched to a traditional church (Lutheran) when I was 14-15. When I was 16, I tried out a new church which was quite far from home. The third church had a great atmosphere, the congregation shared a huge passion in serving God and to know more about Him. It was a great environment for me to grow. But I couldn't commit myself into attending a church that would be incovenient on both my mother's part and mine, plus the Youth Service every Saturday was from 12 pm till 5 pm. I continued my attendance in Lutheran, but that did not really get me anywhere, purely because I was at a stage in my life when I was just weird, and that traditional churches, if you're not mature enough to understand the approach to traditional worship, you would be lost. This is, of course, my personal view.

Then I went to college. I was 18. During my time in college, I attended City Revival and a Prebysterian church. Both were great, but SL and I chose City Revival, mainly because we love how the services are conducted. I continued attending City Revival till a few weeks ago, when I realised I needed fellowship. I prayed to God for an answer, and felt that SL and I would get more from attending ECF.

So far, I have been to 4 charismatic churches, and 2 traditional churches, so to speak. I'm discounting the fact that I have been to a Baptist church for a few months, which is also a charismatic church. For these enriching experiences, I can find no fault in either one denomination. The truth is, it all depends on what you place merit in. All denominations under the Protestant flag share a common message. We are all brothers and sisters in Christ.

I did my daily devotional this morning. God impressed on me a very interesting text :-

As believers in Jesus Christ, it’s vital for us to know God’s Word, the Bible. Our goal is not to accumulate knowledge but to internalize His Word so that we can be equipped in our walk of faith.
When we know God’s Word, it keeps our spiritual walk from slipping (Ps. 37:31). It satisfies the hunger of our souls (Jer. 15:16). And it is a key weapon in facing temptations and trials (Matt. 4:1-11; Eph. 6:10-18).
Let’s make it our aim to know the Word. Then, when facing life’s challenges, we can be ready for any situation (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
— Dennis Fisher (Our Daily Bread 22nd May 2008)

I went back to Ipoh last week, so I attended my family church (Lutheran New Life). The pastor shared a wonderful message about the Holy Spirit. His sermon was titled Pentescostal Power.

The Pentecost marks the first event of the manisfestation of the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we are often reminded we are the temple of God, that our body is where the Holy Spirit dwells in us. The perfect example to derive the existence of the Holy Spirit would be from the book of Acts chapter 2. God poured out His Holy Spirit, so that His believers could be filled with His power and serve the Lord in His glory. This event is vital to us. It draws the picture of God's intention for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that we are enpowered to serve Him.

We are bestowed upon us a brain and all its cognitive functions. Wisdom is given unto men, and with our human mind, we create understanding of words and speeches. We are capable of thinking. We are capable of manipulating facts. If we're cunning and scheming enough, we are capable of twisting the truth and bend it anyway we want it to. Such has been the advancement of the creation that the notion that we are God, we don't need God, forms in our finite mind. The more we have, the smarter we are, the higher we place ourselves above others, the more difficult it is to bow down and kneel on our knees to submit to God as our Lord and Master.

The Bible travelled through thick and thin to end in our hands. Whenever we are in doubt, we should always go back to basics- the Bible. Whatever we're going through and about to go through, we can find solace that God has been with people that had gone through the same difficulties we're going through now. There are infinite examples we can find in the Bible that speak great volumes about the mess we got ourselves into. It does not neccessarily need to be a mistrial or a mishap, we may be faced with questions that we can't answer, and where else to find better answers than from the Bible.

The Renaissance ended the age of ignorance, and sparked an era of inquisition and search for the truth. Gradually, science rise to the ranks and became a force to be reckoned with. How a device works, how our body works; all works are being answered by Science where the rule of physics must apply. Thenceforth begins a new understanding of the Bible. Dissastisfied with the miracalous stunts that were made possible by God, historians twisted biblical events to explain it in their manner. In their minds, they must be thinking, "what God can do must also apply to human laws". What is more miraculous is that people began to listen to half truths and half lies, when the ultimate truth is all in the Bible. For example, Moses and the rest of the Israelites were depicted to cross the Red Sea when there was a low tide, that the sea was never separated as to what was written in the Sciptures.

New teachings suggest that the manisfestation of the Holy Spirit is obsolete. In the modern age, technology rules and miracles are a thing of the past. Miracles were required in the past for breakthroughs, to get the word of God around. To get people to listen to Him. I'm very curious, if God could separate the Red Sea then, should it not also mean He can repeat the exact miracle now? Do we dare suggest that God has exhausted His power from creating miracles during biblical times that He cautioned Himself against doing anything of that sort again, lest He faces a depletion of power so ceasing to exist?

The world population of yesteryear was small. The world population is now nearing 7 billion. More and more deceptions are set by the evil one. Now is the time we need more miracles to happen.

We need reminders to bring us back to moments that made us who we are. Our first love with God reminds us how He first came into our lives. In the same way, the Pentecost (in Acts 2) reminds us that we need to keep in mind that it is God's intention for us to receive the Holy Spirit. Why do we put a lid on our treasure boxes when God wants them to be overfilled? God does not stop blessing us if we maintain our stance towards His unwavering love for us. We need to witness for Christ, and to manage that, we need to be enpowered and filled with the Holy Spirit!

The Holy Spirit does not only belong to charismatic churches. Every believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit so we can witness for the Lord. Now to the question, why do we need the Holy Spirit?

We have weaknesses. They need to be dealt. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, assisting us in making the right decisions, and help us find the right words when we're sharing the word of God. Without it, we feel restrained. Without it, I felt every choice would lead me to a dead end. Ignoring it, I feel losing a part of myself. If you yearn to be transformed, ask for the Holy Spirit earnestly, and wait patiently for Him to manifest.

Before the Pentecost, the apostles and believers and disciples of God were scattered. They believe in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and that He was sent by our Father God in Heaven. Still, they feared the authorities. Despite having witnessed the resurrection of Christ, they feared persecution and arrest. They hid, and kept to themselves the gospel.

After Pentecost, one day in a place, there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. "They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them" - Acts 2:3. Every individual in the setting was enpowered! With the enpowerment, they began to prophesy and share the word of God, no longer afraid of being imprisoned and whatever the authorities would throw at them.

In Matthew 28, Christ told his disciples first to make disciple of every nation, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1, Christ asked His disciples to wait patiently for the gift of the Holy Spirit, that when this gift is given unto us, we will become His witnesses.

The fire of the Holy Spirit indicates God's acceptance of our dedication to Him. In Leviticus, offerings were made to the Lord by fire, that He will aceept the offering. In 2 Chronicles 7:1, "fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the scarifices". The fire from God indicates God's acceptance of our dedications. Now, we are the temple of God. To dedicate yourself would mean to wait patiently for God to bestow upon us the gift of the Holy Spirit, that He has accepted our dedication.

God wants to enpower us, to dwell within us, so we can serve in His glory. Ask God to fill us!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-12T11:45:00.003+08:00

I was feeling utterly melancholic this morning when I wished my mum "Happy Mother's Day", simply because it's the 4th year in a row that I'm not home for this very occasion. Then I went to ECF church and am now very much uplifted after their Mother's Day service.

Ps Timothy cleverly came up with 10 jobs a mother juggles at once, saying that if she gets paid for each of those jobs, she should be earning about $150,000 a month. LOL.

1) Housekeeper
2) Teacher
3) Counselor
4) Day Care Worker
5) Cleaner
6) Driver
7) Facility Manager
8) CEO
9) Accountant
10) Cook

I don't know how many of you can identify your mothers with those listed above but I can say that out of the 10, my mum is all but #4 because she has her own real job during the day =P And yeah I'm already so big I don't need day care la.

I'm sure we all take our mothers for granted so often that we constantly need someone else to remind us of how much they have sacrificed for us. How sad is that? I mean, it's always during that ONE miserable day of the year, Mother's Day, that we take the time to reminisce the wonderful things our mothers have done for us, then the next day we go back to being our selfish, insensitive, oblivious selves and not realize that our mothers have possibly the toughest jobs in the world.

For instance, I can be very impatient with my mother. You don't know the number of times I've snapped at her. WAYYYYY too many. In my mind it seems as though she enjoys getting on my nerves for the fun of it but in fact she's just overly concerned about my well-being. See? I'm aware of it. I just can't help acting that way.

I need to quit being such an idiot towards my mother! I think all of us do! Therefore let's start reminding ourselves about all the honourable things our mothers have done for/shown towards us:

1) Their never-ending love.
No matter how difficult I can be, my mum handles me with utmost patience... like how she was willing to take a week off work to accompany me to Chinese school when I was in Std 1 because I just REFUSED to go. In the end she knew I couldn't go to that school so she put her foot down and told my dad and grandpa, who were so adamant about getting me into a Chinese school heaven knows why, that I had to switch to another school. Well she got her way, I got my way, I was happy and I turned out to be more than just fine =)

2) Their willingness to sacrifice.
... from all the small teeny-weeny lil things like giving me the best part of the chicken meat to sacrificing many nights of sleep to take care of me when I was hospitalized.

3) They always believe in us.
My mum has never discouraged me in anything unless it's something bad or irrational =P I think the fact that I'm here doing what I'm doing - still striving and surviving - says it all. I've had numerous breakdowns in college and medical school because sometimes I feel it's just impossible to move forward, but besides God, I find solace in my mother, NOT because she tells me things I want to hear, but because knowing that she believes in me strengthens me to successfully fight the struggles within myself.

4) Their incredible energy.
I don't get how mothers have so much energy to get through each day. They can do almost ANYTHING! I know my mother is a superwoman because she has never ever said she was tired when I needed her.

5) Passing on of FAITH to children.
The best gift to children is faith but unfortunately I can't experience this because my mother has little faith herself. I guess in in a way she did play a part in my having faith in God through of all the events that have happened... but I'm still praying hard for her.

2 Timothy 1:5 says, "... when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also."

Timothy's mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois, were early Christian converts. They had communicated their strong Christian faith to Timothy, even though his father was probably not a believer. God doesn't want mothers to hide their light at home but to plant gospel seeds as families are fertile fields.

In my case, it's going to be the other way around! So please pray with me!

OK that's enough for now. Here's a video which I think is absolutely hilarious because IT IS SO MY MOTHER! And I'm sure most of your mothers are like that too. Enjoy!

- Swee Leen (copy & pasted from my own blog =P)

Polished

2008-05-08T18:13:00.008+08:00

There are 2 things that make humans exceptionally special. We are created in His image, but the paradoxical truth is that none of us are the same, save the ultimate truth that we were all sculpted and shaped by the same hand. Each person has his/her own individualistic manner that runs down to speech, actions, movements etc etc. The way of the world, has however, twisted most truths that they cease to exist. Truths are being replaced by lies, and if we were to compromise the word of God, slowly but surely, the virtues that we're supposed to take heed to will be eroded.

I attended Campus Weekend at Eaglepoint Covenant Fellowship. During the session, I was offered a survey to discover more about my personality and interests. At the end of the survey I was given a list of possible jobs that would suit me. I studied every statement intently, and made sure the ticks that I stroked with my pen in each box were honest, lest I get a wrong set of recommended jobs for my personality. It wasn't the first time I participated in the activity. The job recommendations were vividly similar to the old ones I got the last time I did the survey. Carpenter, technician, farmer, biologist- these are the list of professions which suit my personality, doctor was not listed.

It's not how smart we are, it is how we are smart. I tried my hand in these surveys tons of times in the past. I have never gotten one that I truly wanted: doctor. I manipulated my answers, scrutinised my way of thinking for a few minutes to tune myself into a different person, so I can tick the boxes that would land me a job recommendation of a doctor.

The survey made me realise how silly I was. If it is meant to be, God will lead the direction and I would have to follow. This great object was given unto me, not by my means but through that of God. It has finally come to my senses it is not what I want, but what He wants. Surveys are a great method in knocking some ideas into our heads. Each tick to a statement, as easy as it is, had me discover an additional thing about myself. I was indifferent to the answers I got from the survey, perhaps God is testing my confidence. To question the accuracy of the survey is trivial; I am sure it does more good than harm.

Doing the survey was perhaps a little summary of what life is all about: discovering the purpose of life. The survey is deviced to provide possible answers, but our journey in life provide answers that we can't debunk. The ultimate truth I've learnt so far in life is the existence of God, what Jesus Christ did on the cross, and what happens in the afterlife. Edwina provided an answer that I have always struggled to find an answer to. The question: What is your number one priority in life? God? Yourself? Your family? Work? The answer was brisk, it made everything seem so simple and just: God is the centre of your priorities. In everything that you do, God should occupy centre stage. The centre stage being the driving force in your work, your family and yourself.

I received a timely reminder from obese a few days ago. Timely, because I have been in this situation before. Not once, but twice, I saw myself forming a tight bond with God, but the efforts were relinquished. I built 2 fires, one when I was 12, the other a few years back. I built those fires, but that's where I stopped. I was overjoyed with the fire I set that I frolicked around it, I danced and sang at the fire but I forgot to add more firewood to maintain it. Eventually, the passion disappeared. I had ample passion, but discipline was zilch. God impressed the importance of meditating on His word on numerous occasions, but I never cared to construe His messages.

Once bitten, twice shy. It was His mercy that allowed me to make another U-turn to return to His ways. This time, I know what I have to do. Passion is good, but without discipline, the former is not as strong as it should be. The marriage of passion and discipline, I hope, would warrant a more steady a steadfast faith I hold towards God.

It's almost impossible to come up with an excuse not to commit time to God daily. I'm still struggling to have a daily quiet time with God, I hope that with time, I'll be a much disciplined follower.

Anyway, check out the Our Daily Bread site for resources to keep up your faith with God. If you have internet where you're staying, I am totally recommending this site. Just search Our Daily Bread in Google and click on the first link. It's updated daily. You don't even have to flip the Bible to look for the verse of the day; it's readily available in the site. The importance of God's word is reflected in Luke chapter 4, where we read the temptation of Jesus. I believe our Christian walk is made formidable by the word of God and only through His word, we do not fall prey to the traps the evil one sets upon us. Notice how Jesus rebuked Satan by starting His statements with "It is written".

p.s. I'm still keeping the notes I copied from the talk by Ps Catharine on the 3rd of May (Campus Revival) I'm having trouble copying the notes into the blog, so please ask me for the notes if u feel like blogging about it, or if you missed out her sermon and would like to know more about the message.

Redeeming Grace

2008-04-27T15:17:00.005+08:00

Christian camps are a delight in that everyone is friendly and helpful and caring. Selfishness becomes a forgotten attribute and everyone strives to be better behaved. Troubled ones are willing to share, and helping hands are abundant. There is a balanced act of receiving and giving, and we tend to reach out more to God in our actions and speech. We face God a good 24 hours a day as long as the camp lasts but after that, out we face the world again. God somehow seems more distant in the real world. It does not have to be that way, but more often than not, it just seems to appear that way.

The last session by Annette was titlted "Redeeming Grace". The talk centred around coming back to God, and how our lives on Earth serve as a survivor lesson rather than a race against time to realise our ambitions.

I was surprised, even shocked, at my indignance towards the way of life that God wants me to lead. I learnt that lesson in an activity we participated in- Missing In Action. The gameplan of the activity goes like this: each person is led to a room where the thing he would see is a giant screen projected against the wall. On the screen is a collection of pictures. To each picture a number is assigned. The person, after a quick glance at the screen, must choose a number. To which a seat is assigned. The person would not know the meaning of the picture until after the activity.

This is how it went for me. I got into the room, had a quick glance at the screen. None of the pictures had much meaning to me, none but one that depicts a labcoat and a stethoscope. I thought to myself that I couldn't be wrong if I were to choose that picture. I made the decision without zero hesitation. Such was the mere act of choosing a picture that revealed the purpose that has been the driving force in my life thus far.

I was quite proud of myself. The confidence was all but vapourised when I found out the meaning to each picture. Confidence turned into shame. It was only at that point of my life, I realised I had been kidding with myself. I chose medicine because I thought it was a noble profession and having done so little in my life plus knowing that God has been so generous with His blessings to my family, I thought I should give back to society. I would lend a hand to God to help Him help my earthly breathren. And what a better way to do that than to help sick people.

I was terribly wrong. The route was there for me to travel, it is all mapped out for me. But the reasons that got me into med school were wrong. Does God need my service? Can He not, in one breath, blow a wind of cure that will rid the world of sickness and diseases? He does not need me, but He wants me. And by secretly but openly guiding me towards this path, He's bringing me closer to Him. From all the hardships I've been through while I've been in IMU, I'm starting to recognize the person that He wants me to be. I still have a long way to go.

We are incomplete homes to the holy spirit. I'm constantly at a construction site. I'm the construction site and the worker, and God the architect. I am, however, a very stubborn or unwise labourer, unwilling or too silly or too preoccupied or not giving sufficient concentration in following the instructions of the building plan. The result could be fatal, could be good or there could just be a few leaks here and there when the building is completed. But here's the catch: we get an unlimited amount of time and funding with the construction, and the work only stops at the architect's command. The other catch is that the architect is always willing to listen and help, all we need to do is just to reach out to Him, it's really as simple as that. The rule of the game is He's always willing to help, and He's always there to oversee the progress, but we have to do the work ourselves.

Life is full of stumbles. Like a project, sometimes we rush the schedule and finish the work too fast. Therein lies the problem, too many mistakes were made along the way. If things turned out not as bad as they should be, good. But what if the foundation was not meticulously laid out? We hit rock bottom, we crumble, and we shatter into pieces. But with God's grace, all is not lost as long as He gives us breath. We shall pick up the pieces and start rebuilding. If God says it's not time to give up yet, we shall not give up. Goes does not intend for us to finish the work ahead of schedule, He intends for us to finish the work properly.

The messages shared by Annette had a common reminder: God is watching us. He's looking after us and He's monitoring our progress. However, He's not just watching from the sidelines, He provides nourishment when we're dry, energy when we're fatigued, and protection when we're scared. He provides help when we need it.

Kitchen knives, being sharp objects, can be used to cause injuries: when they penetrate the skin, they leave scars. When we look at the scars, we are reminded the danger they impose, so we avoid them, we keep them safe compartments. Nonetheless, they'd still be there because we need them. They are tools to cook.

Bad memories, terrible memories are tools for our development purposes. When we're hurt by certain events, we keep them in places they can no longer inflict harm to us. But they don't disappear. They do not cease to exist, they leave scars for us to remember they hurt us before. But rather than fearing them, utilise them to grow. Tap into those memories to help us reach out to God, and God, sensing our insecurities, will come to our aid and redeem us. Come home to God.

At the end of the talk, Annette asked us to write on these clear pebbles the greatest lessons we've learnt in life. Maybe not a lesson, perhaps a memory that haunts us. She asked us to cast the pebbles onto the the floor, in the middle of the hall we were in. It's a symbol that we were handing over the largest insecurities in our lives to God. Memories which are halting our growth, which are disrupting our relationship with God. Rather than being embittered by those experiences, hand them over to God, so that He can manifest Himself to us to guide us the meanings of those memories. He knows our fragility, He's our heavenly father and He wants to protect us, and He can only do so if we surrender to Him. He continues knocking on the door, but He will not force His way into our lives should we not welcome Him.

Annette named the action of writing on and the casting of the pebbles "The Ebenezer Trail". The word Ebenezer means "so far, God's been in my heart" (Bible verses from 1 Samuel Chapters 6 and 7). The word trail is self explanatory. It's a trail, He does not come out of nowhere, all of a sudden, He's always been there. It's up to us to trace the trail, and discover Him.

Redeeming Relationship with God

2008-04-22T13:57:00.003+08:00

What are the frequently asked questions in life? As a kid, I had always wondered where everything comes from. I remember hearing that the world was going to end. No one had exactly taught me the existence of God at that point. Strangely, I wrote a small note and hid it behind my father's altar. In the note, I asked God to save this world, and to protect my family. I was six years old. My mum eventually found the note, and had to assure me that everything was fine. Such was the need for God even for children. If the question about afterlife, and the person who is behind all creations and the reason why so many good and bad things are happening in this world haven't been asked, I think it's safe to say that we are in one way or another, blinded by what we're pursuing. This planet is so intricately designed. Everything works consistently, we have the same amount of time everyday, same amount of days every year, the fact that any object that is thrown upwards will go back to the ground. Everything is in order. The universe is so vast that even with giant sized telescopes we are not able to navigate the entire universe, let alone explore it in a spaceship. Forget about the universe, the sea is so deep and vast, that even though it's in our planet, so many marine species are still unidentified. There's still so much to learn about our planet!

This title was perhaps the most important session that Annette gave. But because it deals with a being that is so powerful and superior to us, there are bound to be many questions that we simply can't answer. Why does God allow poverty? Why does God allow people to be born blind? Why is the war monger achieving his targets? Why are drug lords so rich when some of us who toil for meagre incomes, are never able to catch a break? Why why why? There're so many whys in this world, but are those whys directed to our friends, to our parents, to the "all-knowing" Oprah Winfrey, or to God? Who are we directing the questions to? In our disbelief, are we willing to open up and question a superior being, why is injustice, corruption still occuring? Are we willing to challenge ourselves to look for and thereby prove the existence of a God? If you haven't, challenge yourself, do it now, because God does exist, and He will answer your prayers, no matter how unreasonable they are. He's but our God, not a genie rubbed out of a bottle. If you're willing to wait for His answers, willing to acccept His answers, He will answer. Please read Isaiah 40:28. Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord. He will reveal Himself to those who seek Him.

Our life is like a portrait being painted. Are we daring enough to see the sketches? Are we daring enough to examine our lives, weigh the ups and downs, happy and unhappy moments, proud and humiliating moments in our lives? Do we take credit for all the proud moments in our lives but blame god for bringing us down? Good and bad experiences, are still experiences, they happen for reasons unbeknown to us. All things happen for a reason. The main question is this, are we willing to wrestle with God. I once heard a sermon by Pastor Suresh. He was telling us about the life of Jacob. Jacob committed a lot of sins, and there's one that is particularly detestable: he stole the birthright that is supposed to be given to his brother, Esau. Despite his iniquities, he found favour in God's eyes. Slowly and eventually, he was transformed into another person- a good person- because he kept God in his heart. He prayed and was willing to listen, so he changed and became a much better person.

I can't find another suitable way to say this. God is a god. He will only present Himself to those who humble and surrender themselves before Him. If you're ready to accept God, remember that He's God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, the first and the last. If we can give huge recognitions to people who discovered gravity, e= mc² etc etc, why not to the one who created everything to make it possible for us to discover them?

Please note that this entry is loosely based on Annette's talk. I couldn't take much notes from this session. Give me feedbacks if I made any mistake :)

Bible verses are from the book of Exodus chapters 2, 3, 33 and Numbers 20.

Redeeming Relationship with Family

2008-04-19T12:06:00.009+08:00

The score was 2-1 for Team Blue. I was playing for Team Red. A team mate was having the ball, maintaining possession. He couldn't make up his mind who to pass the ball to, everyone in Team Red were tightly marked. One of us broke free, and as he was trying to signal for a pass, out of nowhere, the ball was stolen from the person on the ball. Everyone in our team knew we had to track back. It would be harder to catch up should they bang in another goal. We had to get back to defence fast, or chances to bounce back into the game would be minimal.

The second session by Annette Arulrajah dealt with family relationships. Bible Verses were mainly from 2 Samuel 18. The verses give the account of the relationship between David (father) and Absalom (son).

A family unit is important to a person's development. We receive nurturing, care and love from our family members. Our very first interaction with people starts at home. Basically, everything in life that we face later on when we leave our home to face the big, big world, we learn from under a roof that shelters our parents, our siblings and even our relatives.

We were heavily dependent on our parents and older siblings when we were young. A family leaves huge imprints on our lives. When we grow more mature, it is our time to give back to the family. Our family units need imprints of us. We must not forsake our duty to our families.

What imprints have your family leave on you? There are positive and negatives sides to family imprints, it's all part and parcel of humanity: no one's perfect. Broken and shattered pieces can be ignored, but like a pair of torn pants, the hole grows bigger if not sewn back together.

From 2 Samuel 18, we learn about David's relationship with his family. He had a lot of wives and children. All demanded attention from him, and every one of them should receive equal attention from him. David was, however, another dweller of this world. He had 24 hours a day, and as a king, he had more time taken away from spending time with all his wives and children. Bit by bit, he couldn't help but become uninvolved with his family matters.

Then it happened. Amnon raped Tamar. David was furious, but did not move a hand against his son Amnon for the despicable act. Absalom, noticing his father's inaction, decided he must take the matter into his own hands. He decided the penalty to the act was death. So he plotted a plan to murder Amnon. Amnon was killed by his brother, Absalom, for raping his sister, Tamar. Once again, David was furious, but did not move a hand against Absalom for the despicable act.

What we see here is the epitome of an inefficient leader of a household who refuses to deal with a situation, even when the call for his intervention is dire. What is so important about the message is that grieviences and arguments that have taken place, cannot be ignored. God convicts us to act when there is brokenness. It is His intention that we must act when the situation requires. God can put back the broken pieces together, through us! Miracles only happen when we allow God to use us to put back the broken pieces together. Read Psalm 103.

A quote by Charles Dickens: Have a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, a touch that never hurts. Forgiveness occurs over and over again. Do not be demoralised when we can't seem to forget a hurt a loved one inflicted on us. Forgiveness occurs over and over again because we never really forget. It is never too late. Sometimes, we must move back to go forward. We have to look back into the past, so we can deal with a hurt that is still haunting us. Going back, looking back does not mean we're receding. Sometimes, we move a step back, so we can move two or three or a hundred steps forward.

- TR

Redeeming Relationship With Yourself

2008-04-16T21:15:00.000+08:00

I remember the times I attended Sunday School- the memories were sweet and pleasant, and those were the times when everything seemed simple. I remember the fellowship I shared with my sunday school friends, the games we played. I remember how patient and dedicated my sunday school teachers were. There's one moment that's particularly adhesive to my wall of thoughts. It was an exercise where a list of actions were spread out on a piece of paper, and with the guidance of the teacher, we wrote down what the world thinks about those actions, and what the Bible says about the actions. We ran down the points, one by one. Back then, I didn't really have much idea in what the exercise was about. It was fun nonetheless, and back then, fun was all that matters.

It's ironic really, the person you are is usually best defined by a family member or a close friend. It's our prerogative to interact. Without interaction, we lose ourselves, we lose recognition of who we are. We are designed to connect. "Everything in life, the person we are, are designed to connect".

The first talk by Annette was uplifting. It was divided into 3 parts. The first part is titled Rocked By Our World, followed by The Radical Assurance and lastly, On Eagle's Wings.

Life is about improving ourselves. We are rocks being sharpened into double edged swords. When no work is done to chisel our individuality, we deteriorate. When we do not move forward, we recede. Time does not wait for us, we can't stand still in one place. Whether we like it or not, we're being forced to move. If you're lucky, you can stand still but yet move. That's when you're standing on a escalator platform, but life has more junctions and hurdles than just a travellator to aid your journey. It's never too late, as long as we've breath in us, there's time for positive changes.

There are two types of behaviour (in this context) that we can find in people- one who look for acceptance all the time, and one who has no self criticism. Annette gave us an interesting quote by Jane A Pike:

"A man needs self-acceptance or he can't live with himself; he needs self criticism or others can't live with him"

Let's deal with the latter type, first. What defines our image? The work that we do? The appearance that we put up for others to see? If I had an image consultant, how would I want my image to be boosted? What parts of me would I choose to be showed off, and what features would I choose to hide? What sort of image do we portray? We have mental pictures of how we portray ourselves, but do they come off in reality?The important question is, do we know ourselves good enough to strive towards the person we want ourselves to be?

When the going gets tough, we lose ourselves. We are rocked by our world. We misidentify the uniqueness that God has set to each of us. We forget that we're created in His image, every single one of us. We succumb into the trap that the evil one has set for us, that we fall prey to it. And even in those times, we refuse to take off the blindfold to see clearly that we were wrong in our perceptions towards life. Up to the time that we're finally ready to take off the blindfold, we continue running in circles in the traphole, when all we need to do is just to tug the offering hand. He'll pull us back to the ground. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 12.28-30

Annette gave tons of stories from her real-life experiences to back her points. In my notes, I omitted the stories because I couldn't help but give my hundred percent in listening to her when she starts her stories. Which is why my notes aren't going to be half as interesting as listening to her live. Anyway, moving on...

Different voices drive us. In Ruth 1:1-22, we read of how Naomi suffered. Here is a joyful person, full of youth, warmth, pleasantness and joy (as her name actually means). Her life took one wrong turning after another when her husband died, and her sons left he, leaving her a widow and a childless mother, plus the burden of seeing her two daugher-in-laws without husbands. The voice she might had been hearing at that point of her life: You're a failure. You jinxed your whole family! You're the cause of your husband's and sons' deaths.

Naomi was haunted. She felt robbed of her joy. Everywhen she went, she carried a sense of shame. So bitter was she that she asked people around her to stop calling her Naomi. So bitter was she that she renamed herself Mara (bitter). She was honest with herself, and little did Naomi realise how her life, how her perseverance would pave the way for Ruth, how Ruth's life, in return, would be a pavement to the birth of Jesus.

We are living reactions. How we react to happenings define us. More people are breaking down, resorting to drugs, smoking, drinking, suicide, self mutilation, and the list is endless. Rather than reacting, let's offer our lives to God. We can't live with our strength. The helping hand is within grasp, His strength is immense. He can pull us out of any difficulty. Let's redeem ourselves, and with God's help, that's sure to happen.

- TR

IMU CF Camp 2008

2008-04-14T17:57:00.001+08:00

A few months prior to the camp, I felt a strong revelation from God to dwell deeper in the subject of fellowship. It happened during our semester break, when I came across the Our Journey title- Self Focused Living. It was convicting, the voice that kept me going towards that direction, that's telling me how important fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ is. Pondering in retrospect, I believe I should have asked God, why fellowship? Why is He asking this of me when there're so many other things in my life that I should improve? What's so great about fellowship anyway? I have always walked this journey with God alone. Do I really need anyone else to help me walk this path with my Lord? Isn't Christianity a personal relationship I share with God? Mostly true, but I took the whole definition out of context.

Come the commencement of Semester 4, our bible study group restarted. And I realised how important fellowship is. I didn't realise how much I relish the opportunity to hear opinions and that discussions play a vital role in our Christian walk . My relationship with God turned mundane over the period of time when I was in Ipoh, because I kept shrugging off the importance of fellowship. How wrong I was to think that I could build on a relationship with God without the help of others!

I signed myself up for the camp for a mere reason that is to reignite the fire I had for God during the entire process that led up to EoS 3. Our Christian walk is full of fire ignitions. It was for the same reason that I agreed with SL and PS to do this bible study together.

To be honest, the camp's theme had not any appeal on me. I knew only of one thing when I handed in the registration form, that I seriously need to devote one weekend to God, I needed to get back to the rhythm I was experiencing. What really captivated me was how passionate the camp speaker (Sister Annnette Arulrajah) was with her job. And then the whole circle of realisation about fellowship was completed. It wasn't just about the talks, it includes how perfectly well the camp was organized, and the rapturing sight of a few familiar faces responding to the altar call, and the games we played, and the fellowship I shared with my dorm mates and my group members.

The camp theme was Designed to Connect. Annette shared 4 messages in the camp:
1) redeeming relationship with self
2) redeeming relationship with family
3) redeeming relationship with God
4) redeeming grace

If a person is to redeem a relationship when it's completely broken, it's not late, but it would prove a daunting task. In life, there have got to be bits and pieces which we left on the ground that we try to ignore and at times, step on them to create a diversion, a shortcut, a safeguard to our already disturbed mind that they're still there. Broken pieces, broken hearts, can't be mended till they're dealt with no matter what the world tells u. Ignorance does not do the job, dealing does. And there isn't no better way to deal with them than with the helping hand that's always, constantly, 24/7, hovering over us. And that's exactly what God was trying to etch into my heart. I refuse to suffer from my transgressions and the hurt I've caused my loved ones, God and myself included. It's essential for us to open our minds, and with soft hearts, listen to what He has to tell us.

Which leads me to the talks by Annette. So ya, I'll copy the notes from the first talk by Annette into the next post. Hope they're as good as hearing her live :)

Ecclesiastes

2008-04-10T13:10:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone, sorry for the lack of updates. I've been bugged by daily diarrhoea and invisible hammers seem to take a liking towards knocking my temple. Please continue praying for our study group. And Pris, thanks for the comments, u've been lending a huge hand in helping to keep this blog running.

Anyway, read this :) It's a short summary on what the whole book of Ecclesiastes is about.

-TR

Winds of Adversity

2008-03-23T17:33:00.000+08:00

This message was preached by Ps Suresh on the 16th March.

Semester 3, was to me, a typhoon. Semester 4 would be a greater hurdle to cross. Semester 4 would be a tsunami. We're growing up too fast, too furious. At the end of this year, we'll be done with Semester 5, and soon be on our way to the second part of our course. Semester 4 is a make or break period of time, the turning point in our lives, especially for those who are going to partner medical universities.

Wind after wind blows in opposite directions against where we're heading to. What purpose are these adversities? Isn't the world a better place problem free? I was watching the F1 Sepang Grand Prix and the answer suddenly popped. A F1 racecar reaches top speed quicker, and its acceleration enhanced with the blowing of the wind. But it does not end there, each car has its specifically designed shell. The better the aerodynamics the car possesses, the faster speed it can travel at. This is what I understand, please correct me if I'm wrong.

The analogy is simple. We have winds of adversity blowing at us at every direction, except from the direction that propels us forward. But we must remember to walk in a straight line, the straight line being the direction that God wants us to walk on. We must not be swayed, we must not stray. Whatever the circumstance, we have to remember that a life's journey is towards God. Focus on the goal, do not focus on the adversities. Our aerodynamics against the winds of adversities lie on the firmness we've set our foundation on the word of God. Adversities mould us and shape us, rather than hindering us from reaching our targets.

How do we improve our aerodynamics? The answer is simple- daily prayer time. "The foundation that can never be shaken is in Jesus". Anything that can be shaken will be shaken.

Ps Suresh gave an interesting analogy- When climbling a mountain, the trail is narrow and made difficult with rocks and stones. The climber can look at it from 2 perspectives- the stones as hindrances or as stepping stones.

Bible verses were taken from Mark 6 and Mark 9.

Malaysia the Rainbow Nation of Asia

2008-02-24T15:04:00.000+08:00

Rainbow- a symbol of a covenant God made with us that he would not create the same flood that destroyed all of human civilisation, save a few of his faithful children in Noah and his family.

13- a lucky number among chinese, but seen as an ominous sign in other cultures. Among Malaysians, the number 13 remind us of the tragic day of May 13. Many died on that day, many were injured and lots were left homeless. And we were made to believe that it was a racial riot. That's a half truth (it being a racial riot), a lot of details were hidden from us, and we have to seek for truth. If it's a truthful account of May 13 that u seek, then read Kua Kia Soong's May 13 Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969.

Hello everyone,

Today's sermon title is "Malaysia the Rainbow Nation of Asia". Bible verses are from 1Peter 4:1, Genesis 8:20, Rev 12:15, Isaiah 66:6, Proverbs 11 and Jeremiah 1:10. The message revolves around factual occurences in Malaysia. An annointed message, and I could find no fault in it.

First of all, why is the title named so? Rainbow is a symbol of a covenant made between God and us, children of God. The rainbow was used use metaphorically as a symbol of Malaysians of different races living together in harmony. The 7 colours colours were important to the picture of a rainbow; if one colour predominates, the rest of the colours would be pushed into oblivion. If that were to happen, it is no longer a rainbow.

Like the rainbow, we have to perceive May 13 as a covenant. Pray to God that May 13 will never re-occur. Pray to God for a change in this nation; not necessarily a change in government, because who's to say which government works better? The trouble is, though, when an opportunity is not given to other parties in the political scene to prove themselves. We have a role to play, we hold the key to the situation in Malaysia. We have the power to vote, and we must vote wisely. And we have to pray, because God has the power to correct all forms of inequities. Injustice must not be allowed to prevail. Corruption must be tackled.

There're a lot of fine details, but I don't think it's appropriate to share them here. But we're all learned people, and the Internet provide an unlimited source of news. Malaysia needs our prayers. The general election will be held on the 8th of March. Whatever the outcome, let's pray for God's hand to be on this nation. And if u're eligible to vote, exercise your right as a citizen of Malaysia!

-TR

Disturbing Faithfulness

2008-02-10T14:23:00.000+08:00

There are many instances embedded in our heads that tell us God’s power is not limited to human imagination.

I knew Ps Chris Long was the preacher today. I also knew today’s going to be one hectic day, as I have to rush to read and absorb as much information I can for tomorrow’s paper. I also know I “should” be studying now instead of typing this message out. I promised myself, when I woke up this morning, that I would take a break from taking notes. Today I should just enjoy the sermon, and I would laugh at Chris Long’s jokes.

But u see, that was my plan. That was not God’s plan for me. Ps Christopher’s message was so strong, that I have to share it. Even if it takes a little of my studying time. What is my priority? God or EoS? EoS may be my focus now, but God has to be my priority.

I think it was last week, we came across the title Disturbing Faithfulness. Its meaning was not completely elucidated, and disturbed we were, as the title suggests. And yesterday again, God handed the same title. Again, I was disturbed. The reference verses were taken from the book of Job. Have u gone to a sermon, and listen to something that speaks to u, that connects to u, but something that u’d rather choose not to have listened. Ignorance is bliss, but not in God’s eyes. We would rather live not knowing that something that we do is not exactly sinful, but not exactly productive either. Right until God speaks to us, telling us that our specific actions, our mentality or attitude towards something may not be sinful, but is slowing our growth? To understand God, we must give our all to Him; we can’t be half hearted in our worship to God. Perhaps, that is why God decided to reveal this passage to us at this moment. I thought He chose a wrong time to reveal this to us, but tell me, has God’s timing ever been wrong?

Disturbing faithfulness- God wants us to continue to have faith in Him amidst our most difficult time. “The presence of God is primary over the provision of God”. I was distraught after reading this passage.. What is God trying to tell me? Is He going to fail me?

God answered me through Ps Chris. Life is full of hurdles, and there’re obstacles at every corner. When they happen, it does not mean God does not exist, neither does it mean God no longer loves us. Neither does it mean God is punishing us. There are times that God allows “things” to happen to us, to see our reactions to certain incidences.

Today’s passage was taken from Acts 16:22. Paul and Silas were preaching the work of God, and they drove out a demon from a girl. What happened next? They were stripped, beaten up and sent to the prison. There, they were kept a close watch by a jailer. Both were heavily wounded, and both did not deserve to be there. How did they react? They praise God, and then the ground shook, and the gates opened. They were free to escape!

But let’s take a look here. Did they escape? They did not. Upon seeing the jailer pulling out his sword from the sheath, and suggesting a pose that meant he was going to take his own life, Paul shouted to him that he was still there, not escaping. They were in their cell, not escaping.

What happened next? The jailer went to Paul, and asked him how he could be saved. And Paul told him to accept Christ. The jailer accepted, cleaned their wounds, got baptized by Paul and invited them to his house for a meal. Read Acts 16:22 onwards for a clear picture.

I’m still a bit disturbed. This is perhaps my strongest moment I’ve set my faith to God. The past few weeks have also been the time I’ve set my strength and focus to my exam. What if I were to fail this exam? Would I blame God? The past EoS I didn’t pray as much, and I didn’t read His word as much, and I passed. I didn’t even study as much. Would the result of the exam change my whole perspective on God?

God told me not once, but 3 times to keep my faith in Him no matter the result. So I shall. I know God wants me to learn from Paul and Silas. I’ve studied hard, and I’ve been keeping God’s word close to my heart. Nothing should stop me from growing closer to Him, even if the result is not the way I expect it to be. I rest my case to God, let His will be done. Let’s fulfill our responsibilities as God’s children. Put our trust in Him in dealing with us, as we put in our best effort. God will not fail us, it just depends on how we look at a situation. Open our spiritual eyes, that we may see God’s work in our lives.

To be honest, I still feel a bit disturbed. Nonetheless, I have to keep the faith.

The Lord's Prayer

2008-02-06T14:23:00.000+08:00

Hello again,

God again has spoken.

EoS is just a few days away. It's about time we prepare our minds and hearts for it.

Do I fell anxious? Definitely. Nervous? Weak in the legs? Butterflies in my stomach? Tired and exhausted? Sometimes those feelings take me to the extent that I get convinced the sole purpose of exams are to shorten our lives. I wonder why God brought upon this injustice into this world.

What we're facing is similar to the situation that our Lord, Jesus Christ was about to confront when He was in the garden of Gethsemane. He didn't give up although He was mentally drained. One of His disciples conspired against Him. The "religious, holy" people plotted against Him. It seemed the whole world was sharing the same goal of exterminating Him from the face of this earth.

No, He didn't give up. He didn't even try escaping. He knew it needed to come to pass, so that the ultimate purpose of His coming to earth would be fulfilled.

We've to set our minds straight. Tests and exams are necessary. Through them, we become more mature. Through them, we get stronger and tougher.

I don't know whether my efforts are sufficient. I hope they are. But to my myself now, I can say with conscience, I've never studied this hard in my life, and I've never kept to God's word so faithfully at the same time. I never thought these two actions can go hand in hand, right until a week and a half ago, when we started this bible study group.

It's a difficult time now. All we can do is to try our best, and leave the rest to God. We can learn a lot from our Lord Jesus how to handle these situations. Before I started typing this message, I was looking to God for comfort. And He reminded me how He suffered before being arrested by His conspirers. And even at the threshold of death, and when everyone was practically spitting at Him, He took it all so calmly, and confidently.

I'm ending this post with the Lord's prayer. Lay before God your burdens, and u'll find peace.
-TR

Our Father in Heaven,
hallowed be Your name
Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
For Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory
Forever and ever
Amen

Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny

2008-02-04T14:45:00.000+08:00

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

Our time to facing a great test is fast approaching. In this past month, we've learnt so much in such a short time. Bad news were abundant, and good news seem a rare commodity. These few weeks, we've set our sights to EoS. We're stuck in a do-or-die situation. Or so we perceive.

We received the news on the demise of Lee Nian Ning, a 20-year-old girl who was just like us, doing the things we're doing now. Perhaps the only difference is that she was having a holiday break, and we're having our study break. What should have been a happy, joyous period of time for her ended grimly. And I was there, before the news, not completely satisfied with where I was, because there is so much to do with so little time.

Friends, we can never fully fathom the works of God. But what we can truly do now is to live abundantly and have faith in God. God has given me a timely boost through this 3 part message in Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny. All of us should have an idea of how God intends to us by now, and let us be assured, the path to that direction will not be a stright, easy one, but a narrow, winding one. Let us give thanks to God, have faith in Him as how He has faith in us. Would a father give his son a snake is he asks for an apple? In a similar fashion, would God allow bad things to happen to us without a reason?

Yes, we're stressed out with what we're about to face, and the trials and tribulations we have to go through before the exam. I can't comment on other post-grad courses, but medicine is not for the faint-hearted or the weak-minded. How often have we, have I, doubt this is the right path for me? Why is it so darn difficult to get all the information into my head? It's like our brain is saturated with information, but there's still so much more to learn. How often have we doubt our limited mind to absorb the unlimited knowledge in our curiculum.

For God to use us, we must be strong, so that we do not stray. We have to surrender ourselves to God, trusting Him that we can come out of every difficult situation. It is necessary to walk this path. Let us turn to God for help. God wants to help us, it really depends on whether we are willing to surrender to him. God wants to lift the burden off our backs.

Let's start running for Him, with Him, and ultimately, to Him. We can't finish this race alone. Even if we could, what is our purpose in life if it is not for Him? We live this life, so that we can be the person God wants us to be. And when we finish the race, we can look up to heaven, and call out "Abba Fatther, I thank u for giving me success. Let not my will, but Your will be done."

The verses for the final part of Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny were taken from Genesis 28, 32 and 35. The verses revolve around the life of Jacob. Jacob was not a really a good person. He stole Esau's birthright. But God did not give up on him. One of the major reasons that transformed Jacob was how he kept God his priority. He had a daily prayer time set aside for God, and he obeyed God's word. Slowly, and eventually, he was moulded into the person God wanted him to be.

There is a lot to be thankful for. I pray that all of us can emerge victorious from this difficult time. If this is our destiny, and we've worked hard, God will not fail us.

-TR

The Simplest Verses

2008-02-02T01:21:00.000+08:00

It is really amazing how the simplest verses which you hear over and over again can suddenly dawn on you and give you ENLIGHTENMENT (oooooo MuFaSAAAA)!

VERSE 1. Christ came so that you can live life and live life abundant

VERSE 2. Phil 1:21 To live is to live like Christ

VERSE 3. Eph 6:2-3 “Honor your father and mother”-which is the first commandment with a promise-“that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth”
(Repeated in Ex 20:12, Dt 5:16, Mt 15:4)

Lee Nian Ning passed away. Never knew her. But she was a great person, everyone said so. Could’ve easily been me or you, her. Life is so fragile. Lets eat, drink and be merry and bungee jump and sky dive and power boat and snake hunt and the 10398273498713 must dos before we die.
Dudes, we’d probably shorten our lives instead and end up paupers. Not a way to live a fulfilled life eh? So how? Stop complaining.

P never liked C and showed it. Realized he was being an ass so apologized and was happy after that. C never really noticed or bothered actually but was happy after that.
By apologizing, P has impacted C’s life, has made his life and C’s more abundant. He has become more Christ-like. Because to live is to live like Christ and Christ lived and wanted us to live abundantly.

Pissed of with D for quite a while, told mum about it. Mums words of wisdom made so much sense and negative feelings that have accumulated are gone.
I have honored my mum- I will live long long.

Equation/ Formula/Revelation:
The thought that life could be taken away any moment is just shit. If I died like tomorrow, I’d want to leave a good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. Because, lets face it, not everyone can go to the people they love in dreams and tell them they are sorry for something they did and that they love them.
So I will leave that good vibe/atmosphere/feeling thing behind. I will stop complaining. I will be slow to anger. I will say sorry and by doing so impact lives making it more abundant-creating a chain reaction. I will listen to my parents.
And that way I will LIVE. And live LONG. Long not in years, but in ABUNDANCE and quality.
I have become CHRIST LIKE***.

Do you see? Do you see? Do you see what I’m saying? Or what im trying to say? Do you see the equation? Do you understand the formula? Because, if you don’t, I WILL MAKE YOU SEE. Call me! Take me out to lunch! I want to make you see my revelation.

And no, I wasn’t sitting under a tree, no, I wasn’t hiding out in a cave keeping the bats company and god, NO, I wasn’t fasting for 40 days and 40 nights for crying out loud (dudesss, I couldn’t possibly survive that long without bak eu poh) when I came up with this.

*** for the longest time I thought that to be Christ like was to be all holy and oh-so-good. I guess I was wrong. JJ

Living abundantly,
PS

Ps: (with no pun intended) please comment. I want to know whether you got what I meant.

Just some wise words to help us through =)

2008-01-31T22:58:00.000+08:00

sweeleen says:
my life is good.. i love it..

sweeleen says:
but u n i know it cannot b perfect

sweeleen says:
so. depends on how we overcome our problems

Priscilla says:
the Lord is interested in every detail of your life. every detail. he knows the strengths and flaws. when you will stand and when you'd need help. he knows us more than we know ourselves. the smartest thing is to let Him lead. I tried leading my own life. Screwed up. So yea....yea, depends on how we overcome our probs.

_________________________________________

EoS is approaching fast! i know we are all very worried about how we would fare... but there's only so much we can do. surrender all to Him. let Him lead. and everything else will fall into place.

God's Amazing Ways

2008-01-30T22:28:00.000+08:00

Okay since this blog has only been actively updated by Teong Rhen (and supposedly Pei - PEI WHERE ARE YOUR POSTS!), let me do my part by sharing a little about my walk with the Lord.

(brain is currently saturated with lots of G.I. information so please pardon my below-par writing =p)

there are many times which i would feel like i'm at the bottom of the pits. most of the time it's due to frustration with studies but sometimes it happens without reason.

what's amazing is that almost everytime i feel that way, God will speak to me through many means. for instance, Edwina will send me a verse via SMS which i can totally relate to - just out of the blue! what's even more amazing is that this has happened more than once. it's as though she has psychic powers but i know it is all the works of God.

just last week... i was again feeling very down. i kept worrying about the outcome of EoS. will i pass? will i not pass? what if i blank out for OSCE despite the many practices i have had? what if i were to fall sick like i always do?

worries worries worries.

so i took out my bible. without a chapter in mind, i randomly opened to a page and picked a verse. it was Mark 4:35-40 (Jesus Calms The Storm). it was about Jesus and His followers crossing the Sea of Galilee when a large storm comes up - so large that the boat threatens to sink after so much water has entered it. His followers started to panic, worrying that they would drown. Jesus was asleep amidst the storm so His followers woke Him up. He then ends the storm and restores the sea to total calmness, and says to them (in Mark 4:40), "Why are you so afraid? Do you not have faith?"

see what i mean?

another time was a few days ago. i was feeling very very frustrated and annoyed with myself because i was at my study table staring at my notes but nothing seemed to be going in. nothing at all. i would read a line and the next second i'll be asking myself, "OK so what did i read again?!"

i was on the verge of pulling out my hair and tearing my notes apart, so i chose to take a break and i went online. somehow, without much thought, i decided to google one of my favourite Christian songs sung by Darlene Zschech (of Hillsong), Shout To The Lord. i'm sure you've heard of it since it's a famous one. i was reading about the song and how it came about when i came across this :

Darlene composed the praise anthem inspired by Psalm's 92 to Psalm 96 at the time that she was feeling discouraged. "I felt I could either scream and pull my hair out — or praise God" she said. [Wikipedia]

i immediately felt my spirit being uplifted. the solution to our problems is obvious but perhaps we are too stubborn or too self-absorbed to acknowledge it. just praise the Lord! talk to Him! it is so easy.

God is amazing! He has shown me SO much over the years... made me mature as a person - emotionally, spiritually, mentally. i am just really thankful to have found Him.

and i'm VERY thankful to have you guys as friends and to be able to learn His word together.

=)

see you tomorrow! happy studying.

- Swee Leen -

Sharing, Receiving and Giving

2008-01-30T15:22:00.000+08:00

Hello Joon Heng, Yilin, Pei Shern and Swee Leen.

This blog is for a sole purpose: to share and grow stronger in our faith for Christ. I concede to the fact it may seem inappropraite to share here. But there's a reason why we set up this blog.

It's not cowardly to post up anything. It's not inappropriate to share here. Words are effective, and can be as effective as speech, if not more. Certain items need to be adressed with words, which points to the existence of this medium. I strongly encourage u to utilise it, as we share and grow in areas where Christ intends us to.

Our Bible Study session is for everyone in it. I'm learning a lot from all of u, and I thank God for that. A newly defined thirst and hunger for God's word has sprung from the Holy Spirit that compels me to learn more about God. This is due to God's work for bringing the 5 of us together.

Each of us have a role to play. If we don't lift a step, we won't be able to move. I do not believe in coincidences, because truly, everything is brought about by God. It wasn't a coincidence that the 5 of us were brought together to partake in our deeper search for God's word.

I want to grow. I want to see all of us grow. Let's start sharing. One more thing, anything that's posted can be discussed in our Bible Study sessions!

- TR

Pressing Forward, Fulfilling Destiny part II, 27th Jan 08

2008-01-27T15:42:00.000+08:00

Hello people. I'm starting to take notes every Sunday, and I'm going to try typing out the sermons and post it up the blog. If u have any thoughts on the sermon, please let me know. There's nothing as interesting as discussing God's word.

Today's message is a continuation of last week's. The Bible verse for the sermon is taken from Hebrews 12:1-2. To the keypoints :

1) There're 3 points that Ps Suresh presented on: dealing, determination, dependency. Let's start with the 1st point- dealing.

2) Some examples were taken from last week's passage. We read from Numbers 13 that the Israeilites had to fight the giants to inherit the promised land. But instead of obeying God and putting their trust in him, they lost faith. They decided that it was better to turn around and return to Egypt, where they were slaves. They were filled were doubts, and their mindset and ultimately, thier choices, were clouded by doubts. They took it to themselves that God was not being fair to them, that it wasn't possible to claim the land from such a "strong" nation. They feared the giants, when the only one they should have feared is God.

God gave his word that He'd deliver the promised land to the Israelites if they followed his word. Of course, the task would not be easy, but victory was nonetheless guaranteed. In this scenario, it wasn't the giants who stood in their way, but the Israelites themselves. They refuse to deal with themselves; they relied on human logic to scrap off the plan of attacking and claiming the land. It's not wrong to use our wisdom to come up with a decision, but when used to disobey God's command, it's a sin. It was a sin the Israelites did not listen to God. In the end, only the tribes led by Caleb and Joshua inherited the land. We have to learn to deal with ourselves; what is stopping us from growing? Is it the constant external pressure that is taking place within us, or is it merely the internal struggle that we're coping with? Pray to God that He'd give us strength to overcome our internal struggles, to lift off these hindrances which are preventing us from progressing, so that we can serve God with a faithful heart.

3) Determination. Lay aside any selfish, sinful desires so that we wouldn't be ensnared. If we're fuelled by desires, but not by a pure, genuine purpose of serving God, to reach a goal, we would fall into the devil's trap. For example, a mouse scurries along with desire of reaching a bait. It reaches the food, but falls into the trap instead of tasting sweet victory. Let's position ourselves to serve God.

4) The third point is simple to understand but difficult to apply. In everything we do, depend on God for the results. There's so much we can do, the rest, we have to leave to God.

That's all I could jot down. Hope it helps.
-TR

wat do we want to achieve this week?

2008-01-21T17:22:00.000+08:00

jh: faith

tr: passion

sl: faith

yl: faith

ps: commitment

- PEI

Sermon by Pastor Suresh (City Revival) on the 20th Jan

2008-01-21T13:58:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone. Pastor Suresh of City Revival gave a great sermon yesterday. I took down notes so i thought of sharing it with u.

The message title was "Press forward, fulfill destiny". The Bible verses for this message were taken from Number Chap 13 and 14.

Ok, we know about the Israelites journey to the promised land after Moses had led them away from Egypt. A journey that shouldn't have taken a long time was unfortunately prolonged to a length of almost 40 years. Pastor Suresh took it from here. His mesage carried a lot of weight on the current situation in Malaysia. That is, however, how I intepreted his message. I'll squeeze in later in this entry about the connection between this message to Malaysia's condition.

I'm not big on preaching, so here's a list of the key notes I took :
1. everyone has to be positioned to serve God e.g. reach out to non-believers, etc etc

2. every choice has it consequences

3. the grass is not always greener on the other side
- trust God on where He intends to place us
- rise up and obey the Lord and pray so that we can be where He wants us to be.

4. don't focus on the circumstances, focus on God! We have to trust God's promises.
- very often, when dealing with a situation so grave, so adverse, we forget about God.
During these times, we fall prey to intimidation and rely on natural instincts and senses
rather than being obedient to God. Here's an example, the Israelites were this close to
inheriting the promised land. 12 scouts were sent from each tribe to check out the land. On
return, 10 people came back with bad reports, and only 2 of them- Caleb and Joshua urged
for the Israelites to take the land, because it was how God intended it to be. They were at
the threshold of victory, but they didn't realize it! All they had to do was to fulfill the
prophecy. U can read about the reason for the Israelites' reluctance in taking hold of the land
Numbers 13.

5. as God suggests in the Bible, there'll be battles ahead. To reach a goal, we have to persevere.
Nothing is going to come easy. Stop running away from battles. We have to face each battle
knowing that God is helping us.

6. we must have the right mentality at a moment of crisis. Crises are essential in our
development. God reveals what's in our hearts at moments of adversity. The way we deal
with them reflects on our faith. God allows "bad" things to happen to us because He wants us
to grow, to mature; in other words, He wants to deal with us.

God touched me through this message in 2 ways. I'm a Malaysian. My country is in turmoil. Do i run away? Or do i choose to stay to face the hardships some ruling quarters have brought upon this country? These are the questions that I'm still facing. The 2nd point is the exact point from the message- dealing with our exposed weaknesses. I pray to God for humility and understanding of His word.

That's about it. I'll add in more stuff into this entry if I can remember more about what Ps Suresh said. And thank you Joon Heng for the new layout!

-TR

First Post

2008-01-18T15:08:00.000+08:00

"Seek first the kingdom of God, and the rest will be given unto u."

A couple friends, SL and I got together to form our very own Bible Study group. It was our third session today, and I absolutely loved it. There's nothing else like studying the word of God. Something good was said that sparked something in me, and I feel propelled to share it in this entry.

We were talking discussing about the bible verse of the day. It deeply concerns the sense of loyalty. I believe I've a few loyal friends. Inside this Bible Study group, I hope I can find a sense of loyalty in everyone participating. I know, if there's any negative feeling, any form of insecurity brought to any of us by the evil one, it will be a stumbling block to our development. Lord, I have very high hopes in this study group, God, do not allow anything to happen to us that may break the unity that we're sharing.

A sense of loyalty is very important, especially when u're working together as a team. Yi Lin, Pei Shern, Joon Heng, Swee Leen and I- that's the current line up of our little group. God brought us together. That's undeniable. All of us are of equal status, none is holier than another, God brought us together so we can help each other, so that we can improve our service to God, ignite within us a stronger fire for God, and there's not a better place to do it than these sessions that we share every weekday, after lunch, in a PBL room.

Lord, this is a common ground that we share our thoughts. We shall not be offended by your word, because every word that we utter in these sessions, we utter in Your name. If there's dissastisfaction, let he/she speak out, so that the rest of the group can discuss the problem. Only in this way, we can develop to be stronger Christians. And this is, after all, the whole point of the study group. However Lord, let none of us be blinded by stubborness. Let us also not succumb into the trap of offense. Lord, bless each one of us, help us come into these sessions with expectant hearts. Forgive us if we ever think that it's a burden, give us strength and humility to make this plan a success.

PS, JH, YL, SL, we are all servants of God. let's keep in mind we're doing this for God. I pray that God will bless us with love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness and self control (Galatians chap 5:22). With all these values, I believe everything will go well for us.

I'm ending this entry now, But I have to end with this note: JH, u said u needed someone to push u. We all do. That's why we set up this group. I pray to God that with your help, we can develop into stronger Christians, all in Christ's name.

Also, I have this book- The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. It's a good read. To quote from the book:
The Bait of Satan exposes one of the most deceptive snares Satan uses to get believers out of the will of God- offense. Most people who are ensnared by the bait of Satan don't even realize it.

Anyone who wants to read it, I can lend it. It basically deals with the feeling of offense. I believe it sends out a vital message.

Also, I set tup this blog in case there's anything we need to share with each other and we can't gather at the particular moment. I hope this blog will be a blessing to us.

Till the next entry, goodbye. Praise God for bringing us together. Happy studying!

-TR